Democrat Joe Biden is the new president-elect of the United States, after obtaining more than the 270 votes necessary to win in the Electoral College, and has also won the popular vote of the Americans.
However, the Donald Trump Administration has refused to acknowledge the election results.
And this Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested a possible denial of what was decided at the polls by declaring that the only smooth transition would be to a "second term" for Trump.
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump term," Pompeo said with a smile during a press conference.
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Then he changed to a more serious tone.
"We are ready. The world is watching what is happening here.
We are going to count all the votes
(...) There is a process, the Constitution establishes it quite clearly, he said.
Despite his smile, it wasn't clear if Pompeo was making a joke.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a press conference Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020.
A reporter later asked Pompeo what Trump's refusal to accept the results would look like abroad, noting that in recent weeks,
Pompeo and the State Department have raised concerns about irregularities in country elections since Belarus to the Ivory Coast and Tanzania.
Pompeo scoffed at the question, "That's ridiculous and you know it's ridiculous, and you asked because it's ridiculous," he told the reporter.
“You asked a question that is ridiculous.
This Department cares deeply about making sure elections around the world are safe, free and fair, and my officials risk their lives to make sure that this happens. "
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The secretary of state added that "the world must be confident that there will be success in the transition necessary to ensure that the State Department is functional today, successful today, and that it is also functional with the president who is in command as of today. noon on January 20 ".
The Trump administration is already trying to challenge the results in court, even though it has not provided evidence to support its fraud allegations.
By refusing to acknowledge Biden's victory, Pompeo, who is likely to run for president in 2024, joined other well-known Republicans who have joined Trump's efforts to disprove the election results.
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The senior official's statements cast further doubt on whether there will be a smooth transition before Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021.
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The former vice president dismissed Pompeo's remarks shortly after, saying that the transition continues to advance despite obstacles from the Government Services Agency for him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to access offices and reports.
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"I don't see anything that can stop us," Biden said Tuesday.
"I think it is shameful" and that "it will not help his legacy" that Trump is resisting acknowledging the result, the Democrat added.
"It seems to me that the majority of the people who voted for the president understand" that there will be a transition
"and I hope that we can move forward after the bitterness of the last four or five years," he
said.