Trump says he'll leave White House if BIden victory confirmed

Donald Trump has said he will leave the White House if Joe Biden is formally confirmed as the 46th US president next month.

President Trump has so far refused to accept defeat in the 3 November vote.

Asked by reporters on Thursday whether he would leave The While House if the Electoral college officilizes Biden's victory in mid-December, Trump said “Certainly I will. And you know that.”

But he went on to add “If they do, they made a mistake and it's going to be a very hard thing to concede”.

The Electoral College, which determines the winner, will meet on December 14 to certify Biden's victory, after he received 306 votes compared to Trump's 232.

Joe Biden is due to be sworn in as president on 20 January.

Transition underway
Trump once again repeated unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud on Thursday and earlier in the day had tweeted “This is a 100% RIGGED ELECTION”. The president and his supporters have lodged a number of legal challenges over the election, but most have been dismissed.

This week, Mr Trump finally agreed to allow the formal transition to President-elect Biden's team to begin.

The decision means Mr Biden is able to receive vital security briefings. He will also have access to key government officials and millions of dollars in funds as he prepares to take over.

President-elect  Biden celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving on Thursday, as coronavirus cases in the US continued to rise. He  had urged Americans to hold smaller celebrations, saying that  he knew "we can and will beat this virus".