After Congress formally certified Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential elections, President Donald Trump conceded defeat and pledged an 'orderly transition'. The move came hours after the president told his supporters outside the White House that he would never concede.
"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," a White House statement said.
The statement also added: "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!"
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are scheduled to be sworn in as the next leaders of the country on January 20.
This statement came after the Capitol witnessed violent protests ahead of Biden's confirmation. The incident not only shocked the Americans but also the entire world, as many leaders voiced their concerns over the riot in Washington DC.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the November Presidential election was stolen and there was widespread voter fraud, even though he could not provide any evidence to support such allegations.
After the riot at the US Capitol, Trump faced mounting pressure from previous backers to accept the victory of Biden. It includes Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham who is known for being a strong Trump ally.
He blasted efforts to challenge the Electoral College votes as "the most offensive concept in the world," and urged Vice President Mike Pence to certify Biden as the next president of the country.
Graham said he and Trump had a "hell of a journey". The Republican senator then continued his speech while saying that "I hate it to end this way. Oh, my god, I hate it." He dismissed the president's ploy to challenge the election results in Congress as "not going to do any good". Graham added: "All I can say is count me out. Enough is enough. I've tried to be helpful."
