Trump says he will leave White House if electoral college backs Biden

Donald Trump says he’ll ‘certainly’ leave the White House if the Electoral College confirms Joe Biden but won’t say if he’ll attend the inauguration.

Donald Trump has said he would leave the White House if the Electoral College confirms president-elect Joe Biden but was noncommittal about attending the inauguration ceremony.

He said the Electoral College would be making a mistake to elect Mr. Biden but indicated he would depart without further challenge.

“Certainly I will, and you know that,” told reporters Thursday evening after delivering a Thanksgiving message to troops.

Asked about attending Mr Biden’s inauguration, he said, “I know the answer, but I just don’t want to say it yet.

“It’s going to be a very hard thing to concede,” the president said.

The Associated Press has declared Mr. Biden the winner of the election, with 306 electoral votes to 232 for Mr. Trump. This week, Mr Trump’s administration granted the Democrat access to staff and funding for a transition after a delay that drew bipartisan objections.

Mr Trump’s campaign has lost a string of court challenges as key states have moved forward with certifying their results. He has also come under increasing pressure from Republicans to accept the outcome.

Still, Mr Trump continues to allege widespread fraud in the election, even though his campaign hasn’t presented such evidence and has frequently offered a different message in court than in public statements and fundraising appeals.

Mr Trump has discussed with advisers the possibility of running again in 2024, but when asked about that Thursday, he said, “This has a long way to go.”

The Wall Street Journal