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President Donald Trump’s refusal to cooperate has forced President-elect Joe Biden to seek unusual detours to prepare for the growing public health and national security threats he will inherit in just nine weeks.
Biden, who does not have access to intelligence briefings typically received by presidents-elect, had a virtual meeting Tuesday with a number of intelligence, defense and diplomacy experts. Neither expert is in government at this time, and he raises doubts that the Democrat is receiving the most up-to-date information on the dangers the country faces.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had a more formal meeting on Tuesday as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, though he still has relatively limited information on the threats Biden will encounter.
And as the worst pandemic in a century hits the United States with renewed force, the current administration has prevented Biden from partnering with his response team. Instead, Biden’s representatives are expected to meet directly with pharmaceutical companies this week to determine how best to deliver at least two promising vaccines to hundreds of millions of Americans – the biggest logistical challenge for a new president in generations.
The plans show how Biden is adjusting to a transition marked by historical tensions. Trump doesn’t appear to be facilitating a peaceful handover anytime soon, so Biden and his team are looking into options to better prepare for the challenges they will face once he takes office in January.
A divided country and a world in chaos
Avoiding criticizing Trump, Biden admitted Tuesday at the start of his meeting with national security experts that he was not receiving “the reports that normally would have already arrived.” Among the 12 attendees, who appeared by videoconference, were former CIA Deputy Director David Cohen, retired General Stanley McChrystal, and Avril Haines, who was an assistant to the Obama administration’s national security adviser.
Biden said he was ready to find “a divided country and a world in chaos. That’s why I need all of you, “he said.
Two weeks after the election, Trump continued to block Biden’s access to government national security and pandemic reports, falsely claiming that Biden is not the legitimate elected president due to non-existent election fraud.
The Democratic candidate defeated the Republican president 10 days ago and Trump’s legal strategy of blocking the certification of election results is sinking in full swing.
Trump if only queda
More and more Republicans have begun to publicly say what Trump denies: Biden will be the next president on January 20. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a staunch ally of Trump, also referred to Biden as “president-elect” for the first time on Tuesday.
“He’s not getting the reports the president-elect should have, but that won’t stop him from doing everything he can to prepare and take action during his transition period,” Biden transition spokesman TJ Ducklo said.
Trump’s decision to block the handover forced Biden to address the vital issue of vaccine distribution with limited information.
Biden’s team is expected to meet with pharmaceutical companies in the coming days to learn more about the status of their vaccine production. While neither of the two potential vaccine candidates have yet been cleared by the US government, they would almost certainly be distributed during Biden’s tenure as long as they are officially considered safe.
AP
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