Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recognized Joe Biden as the winner of the U.S. election the day after the Electoral College confirmed his victory — a pivotal moment that further cements President Donald Trump’s defeat.
“The Electoral College has spoken,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.”
McConnell had declined to acknowledge Biden’s win until now, saying Trump was entitled to pursue his claims in court, even as Trump-backed cases were dismissed by numerous judges. The Supreme Court last week turned away an effort backed by Trump to toss out election results in states won by Biden.
While Trump’s allies could still mount protests next month after the new Congress is seated but before the Jan. 20 inauguration, there is no chance the Democratic-led House would indulge any further attempts to overturn the election results. And after Monday’s Electoral College vote, several senior Republican senators also recognized Biden’s victory.
McConnell led into his congratulations to Biden with a lengthy and laudatory recitation of Trump’s record, including “the bold leadership” that resulted in the distribution of a vaccine for the coronavirus faster than most experts had predicted.He also cited the “once-in-a-generation” overhaul of the tax code, elimination of the individual mandate under Obamacare, increased U.S. energy production and his action on trade.
Senate Republicans have hesitated to oppose Trump’s false claims about the election results in part because they need his base to show up for Georgia’s two Jan. 5 runoff elections. Those races will determine whether Democrats retake the Senate majority with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes.
Trump’s efforts to fight the election results have been backed by both Georgia senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who face challenges from Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
McConnell’s recognition of Biden’s win comes as Congress and Trump have yet to agree on an omnibus spending package to fund the regular operations of government, as well as more than $900 billion in additional relief for the coronavirus-battered economy.
