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WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, emerging in public for the first time since his failed re-election to participate in the annual presidential rite.
Trump, who honored veterans in a ceremony that took place in constant rain, has spent the last few days buried in the White House tweeting angry and baseless allegations of electoral fraud following his electoral loss.
He has not made any public comment since President-elect Joe Biden surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency on Saturday.
Although his official agenda has been devoid of public events, Trump has made several staff moves – sacking Defense Secretary Mark Esper and installing three staunch loyalists in top defense positions.. Trump’s choice to serve as acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller was among senior Pentagon officials who joined the president for the solemn Veterans Day ceremony.
Meanwhile, his legal team has filed a barrage of electoral fraud lawsuits in the battlefield states that have opted for Biden.
The president’s resistance to recognizing the outcome of the race has stalled the transition process as the Trump-appointed chief of the general service administration delayed Biden’s certification as the election winner.
Certification – known as verification – frees up money for the transition and sets the stage for the Biden team to start setting up the transition process in the branches.
“I just think it’s a shame, quite frankly,” Biden said Tuesday of Trump’s refusal to recognize the election results.. The President-elect and his wife, Jill Biden, celebrated Veterans Day by visiting the Korean War Memorial in Philadelphia.
On his Twitter account Tuesday, Trump again raised unsubstantiated allegations of ‘massive ballot counting abuse’ and predicted that he would eventually win the race he already lost. Trump’s tweets were quickly flagged by the social media network as disputed allegations of voter fraud.
With the exception of weekend visits to his private golf club in northern Virginia, Trump has remained in the White House since Election Day and last appeared on cameras to make a statement he six days ago.
His allies on Capitol Hill, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have encouraged the president’s baseless accusations. They have indicated they are prepared to let Trump run his election prosecutions and unsubstantiated allegations of electoral fraud for the next several weeks, until states certify the election in early December and the Electoral College meets on December 14. .
Trump was also joined at Arlington National Cemetery by First Lady Melania Trump as well as Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence.
Pence was scheduled to travel to Sanibel, Fla., Tuesday through Saturday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, but will be in Washington on Wednesday instead. Pence’s office did not immediately comment on the status of his trip.
Pence has vacationed on the island along Florida’s Gulf Coast on several occasions.
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