Minutes after Congress formally certified the Electoral College votes in favor of President-elect Joe Biden, Donald Trump acknowledged his defeat and said that there would be an “orderly transition of power” while vowing to continue to “fight” to make America great again.”
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” Trump said in a statement posted on Twitter. “I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”
The statement was shared on Twitter by White House deputy chief of staff for communications just before 4 a.m., minutes after congressional lawmakers formally tabulated the Electoral College votes showing President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
The certification dragged into the early morning hours after the process was interrupted when Trump supporters violently breached the U.S. Capitol resulting in both the House and Senate chambers having to suspend the session.
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Trump, who has not condemned the violence, had encouraged his supporters to protest the certification process as he and some of his allies undertook a futile effort to overturn the results. Four people died in the violent incident.
Both Facebook and Twitter temporarily suspended the president from his social media accounts after his tweets about the pro-Trump mob that overran the Capitol violated platform guidelines.
…fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”
— Dan Scavino🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) January 7, 2021
