Allies acknowledge Biden’s victory even as Trump refuses to move

Washington (CNN) – America’s closest allies are calling for congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden even if President Donald Trump refuses to concede the presidential election.

Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday; the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel; the taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland, Micheál Martin, and the prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, according to Biden’s transition team. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he called Biden to congratulate him on his victory.

Trump has yet to publicly concede and continues to make unsubstantiated claims of election rigging and fraud. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders in Congress are following the president’s lead and have failed to recognize Biden as the winner.

Biden said on Tuesday he believes Trump’s refusal to concede is a “shame” and damages the president’s legacy.

“I know from my discussions with foreign leaders so far that they hope America’s democratic institutions will once again be seen as strong and durable,” Biden said. “But I believe that at the end of the day, everything will become a reality on January 20, and from here until then, my hope and expectation is that the American people know and understand that there has been a transition.”

Difficult transition

The president’s refusal to accept his defeat blocked the steps necessary for the transition from government to Biden. With no formal transition underway, foreign leaders called former Obama diplomats to get contact information for Biden’s team to call and congratulate him. This is rather than using State Department channels, according to diplomatic officials familiar with how foreign governments approach a new administration.

Trump’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on Tuesday refused to accept Biden’s victory, saying there would be “a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.” Pompeo will travel to the Middle East and meet several leaders who have already congratulated Biden and recognized him as president-elect.

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In stark departure from Trump’s foreign policy and isolationist view of the world, Biden’s appeals to foreign leaders have focused on strengthening ties abroad and addressing global challenges, including the coronavirus pandemic and climate crisis. , with help from allies. All of his calls on Tuesday to foreign leaders mentioned the pandemic, the global climate crisis, and the global economic recovery, according to information provided by Biden’s transition team.

Biden and Macron

The president-elect told Macron he wanted to revitalize bilateral and transatlantic relations, including through NATO and the European Union. They talked about human rights and building global health security. And Biden expressed his readiness to work to address security and development in Africa, the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and the Iranian nuclear program.

Macron tweeted a photo of what he appears to be talking to Biden on the phone and wrote: “We will have a lot to do together to promote shared priorities – climate, global health, international security – and effective multilateral action.”

Strengthen links with Germany

Biden also told Merkel that he hopes to strengthen ties between the United States and Germany. And he expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to cooperate on a shared agenda with the EU.

They talked about the global challenges of containing the pandemic, driving a global economic recovery and addressing the climate crisis.

Good Friday Agreement

In his call with Martin, Biden reiterated his support for the Good Friday deal. It ended decades of deadly sectarian violence in Ireland and the peace process in Northern Ireland.

Martin tweeted that he had a “warm and friendly phone call” with Biden. He commended the president-elect, saying he “brings tremendous knowledge and understanding to his new role and that he has a great love of his Irish heritage.”

He said he spoke about the importance of the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization, from which Trump announced that the United States was withdrawing. He invited Biden and future First Lady Jill Biden to Ireland to “properly celebrate her success”.

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Call with Johnson

Biden and Johnson talked for about 25 minutes and someone who knew the call called it friendly.

Biden told Johnson he is looking forward to working closely on global challenges. The UK prepares to host the 2021 G7 and the United Nations Conference on Climate Change.

They talked about the pandemic and global health security, pursuing sustainable economic recovery, fighting climate change and strengthening democracy, among other topics. Biden expressed interest in comparing shared priorities with the UK, NATO and the EU.

Macron tweeted that he and Biden had talked about working together on a number of topics, including the climate crisis, pandemic, trade, energy, NATO, racism, and the detention in China of former Canadian diplomat Michael. Kovrig and the Canadian consultant. Michael Spavor.