Trump's Acceptance of Power Transition, Sudden Change of Heart... Michigan's Vote Certification Was the Decisive Blow

Through Tweet "Recommend Following Procedures to Federal General Services Administration"
Biden Declares Victory in Michigan...Republican Member Also Approves
Litigation Expected to Continue..."We Will Keep Fighting Well"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The fact that U.S. President Donald Trump, who had been stubbornly refusing to accept the presidential election results, approved the transition process to President-elect Joe Biden can be interpreted as his de facto acceptance of the election outcome. As the process of certifying the vote count, especially in battleground states, progressed, it became increasingly difficult for him to persist in his refusal.

On the 23rd (local time), foreign media including CNN reported that after the battleground state of Michigan officially certified the vote count, President Trump approved the transition process to the General Services Administration (GSA) on the same day. Michigan, with its 16 electoral votes, is classified as a key battleground state along with Pennsylvania (20 votes) that determines the election outcome. It was judged that President-elect Biden had effectively secured more than the 270 electoral votes required for victory.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Michigan Board of Canvassers confirmed and certified Biden’s victory in the vote count that day. The Michigan Board of Canvassers consists of four members: two Republicans and two Democrats. Among them, two Democrats and one Republican voted to confirm Biden’s victory, while the remaining Republican member abstained. Even the Republican members turning their backs on President Trump is interpreted as having influenced his state of mind.

President Trump had insisted on refusing to accept the results for more than two weeks since Biden’s victory was confirmed on the 7th. Despite growing concerns over a government vacuum amid the severe COVID-19 situation, he stubbornly stuck to his own way. Key congressional committee chairs from the Democratic Party, including the House Appropriations Committee Chair and the Government Reform Oversight Committee Chair, as well as political and business figures, had been persistently pressuring the GSA since last week by sending letters urging the prompt confirmation of the President-elect’s status.

The transition process of Biden’s transition team, which had not officially started for over two weeks since the election victory announcement, is expected to accelerate. Until now, the transition team had not received support from the GSA, preventing access to national secrets, and President-elect Biden had to make his first calls to world leaders using unsecured regular phones. The Washington Post (WP) pointed out that the Biden transition team had been unable to access basic information, including national security briefings and presidential briefings, for 16 days after the media reported Biden’s victory on the 7th, due to the GSA’s delay in confirming the President-elect.

Emily Murphy, GSA Administrator, sent a letter to President-elect Biden on the same day stating that "the Trump administration is ready to enter the official transition process." According to the Presidential Transition Act, the GSA provides the necessary human and material resources for the transition after confirming the President-elect. In the letter, Murphy stated that the GSA would provide more than $7 million in federal funds to support the Biden transition team’s activities.

On the same day, President-elect Biden described the GSA’s announcement as "a measure that allows for a smooth and peaceful transfer of power." The Biden transition team announced that it would begin meetings with federal government officials.

However, since President Trump has not completely given up on election-related lawsuits, the legal battles are expected to continue. On Twitter that day, President Trump said, "Our lawsuits will continue strongly, and we will keep fighting well," adding, "I believe we will win." Jenna Ellis, legal counsel for the Trump presidential campaign, also emphasized at a press conference after Michigan’s certification of the vote count, "The state’s certification is merely a procedural matter," and "We will continue the fight against election fraud across the country and struggle to ensure that only legal votes are counted."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.