Trump hints he’s ready to leave White House

 

US President Donald Trump has said he will leave the White House if Joe Biden is formally confirmed as the next president by the electoral college.

Trump, still reeling from his election loss, told reporters on Thursday it would be “hard” to concede.

He also once again repeated unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud, saying the battle is ‘far from over’.

Asked on Thursday whether he would agree to leave the White House if he lost the electoral college vote, he said: “Certainly I will, certainly I will and you know that.”

However, he went on to say that “if they do [elect Joe Biden], they made a mistake”, and suggested he may never accept defeat.

“It’s going to be a very hard thing to concede because we know there was massive fraud,” he said, an allegation he has stood by without offering proof.

Mr Biden leads Mr Trump 306 votes to 232 under the electoral college system used to pick US presidents.

The tally is far more than the 270 needed to win, and Mr Biden also leads the popular vote by more than six million.

Electors will meet next month to formalise the vote, with the Democrat Joe Biden due to be sworn in as president on 20 January.

Earlier this week, Mr Trump finally agreed to allow the formal transition to President-elect Biden’s team to begin, following several weeks of uncertainty.

The decision means Mr Biden is able to receive top security briefings and access key government officials and millions of dollars in funds as he prepares to take over on 20 January.