President lauds Operation Warp Speed success but says New York will have to wait for vaccine
Follow the latest updates
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump broke his eight day silence with an update on Operation Warp Speed, the project to distribute a vaccine when it is approved by the Food & Drug Administration.
The Rose Garden briefing comes on the day that most networks finally called Georgia for Joe Biden and North Carolina for the president, putting the electoral college votes at 306 to 232 in favour of the Democrat.
In a slight verbal stumble, the president came close to acknowledging that the administration may be in its last days. No formal statement was made regarding the election result. He did not answer any questions.
Trump is being tipped to announce a fresh presidential run in 2024 as he continues to refuse to acknowledge his election defeat to Mr Biden, now president-elect and preparing for government as Mr Trump fires out conspiracy theories in angry tweets from the Oval Office.
The president has meanwhile been branded an “elixir of racial anxiety” by his predecessor, Barack Obama, in an advanced extract from the latter’s new memoir A Promised Land, reflecting on the toxic political undercurrent the former real estate mogul and reality TV star was able to capitalise on to win the White House in 2016.
Mr Obama has also made his first remarks on the current undemocratic impasse in Washington, telling Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes that the Republican Party is “humouring” the incumbent in his delusional rejection of the outcome and taking the country down “a dangerous path”.
• Read more: Follow live updates in our dedicated election liveblog
Ex-White House ethics lawyer says ‘no evidence’ of election fraud
Richard Painter, who served under George W Bush and who has been a regular critic of Trump’s Constitution-bending on Twitter, has been on Sky News this morning to rubbish the president’s latest claims of victimhood.
CNN media pundit turns off Trump tweet notifications live on air
Inspired by ABC’s chief White House correspondent Jon Karl, Brian Stelter reached for his phone in the middle of a broadcast on Sunday to shut off news of further social media posts from the outgoing president.
How deeply satisfying.
Putin says he won’t congratulate Biden until ‘legal processes’ are completed
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Vlad will only recognise “official results” but his frosty reserve towards the president-elect rather suggests he is displeased and will miss having a puppet he can manipulate in the Oval Office.
Putin says he won’t congratulate Biden until ‘legal processes’ are completed
Russian President Vladimir Putin is refusing to congratulate Joe Biden upon his election to president-elect on Saturday, because there are still “legal processes” to go through.
Trump cheers Pfizer over 90%-effective coronavirus vaccine
The president emerges from the gloom to praise the US pharmaceutical giant over its good news this morning.
Sam Lovett has this report on what sounds like a breakthrough at last. Glory be.
Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective, interim data suggest
‘Today is a great day for science and humanity. We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most’
Renewed pressure placed on top administrator to declare Joe Biden election winner
“While there will be legal disputes requiring adjudication, the outcome is sufficiently clear that the transition process must now begin,” reads a letter signed by veterans of past presidential transition teams and sent to Emily Murphy of the US government’s General Services Administration (GSA), urging her to officially call the race for Biden already.
“We urge the Trump administration to immediately begin the post-election transition process and the Biden team to take full advantage of the resources available under the Presidential Transition Act,” write the signatories, according to Politico.
Their number includes George W Bush’s former chief of staff Josh Bolten, ex-Republican governor of Utah Mike Leavitt, Bill Clinton’s first chief of staff Thomas McLarty and Barack Obama’s secretary of commerce Penny Pritzker.
The agency was last heard from on Saturday when it said in a statement: "An ascertainment has not yet been made. GSA and its administrator will continue to abide by, and fulfill, all requirements under the law.”
Murphy, a Trump appointee, is getting plenty of grief on Twitter over her delay.
Trump was ‘scammed’ by a Piers Morgan impersonator aboard Air Force One, presenter claims
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any lower than accidentally booking a garden centre instead of a luxury hotel for your legal team’s election-challenging press conference, it does.
Louis Chilton has the latest embarrassment from the derailed Trump train featuring Morgan, the toadying Good Morning Britain presenter who was recently unfollowed by the president on Twitter despite showering him with gifts including an Arsenal shirt and a replica of Winston Churchill’s trademark Homburg hat.
Trump was ‘scammed’ by a Piers Morgan impersonator aboard Air Force One
‘Good Morning Britain’ host claimed the president laughed off the hoax
Trump appears as Twitter search result for ‘loser’ as costume switched to golf attire at Madame Tussauds
It only gets worse the president.
Not only does his account now automatically come up if you search the word “loser” on Twitter, but even the celebrated London waxwork museum is making fun of him.
Trump immediately dressed in golf attire at Madame Tussauds following election defeat to Biden
Donald Trump was pictured playing golf in Virginia on Saturday as his Democrat rival Joe Biden sealed nail-biting election victory
Mike Pence emerges from the woodwork
Appearances by the vice president have been scarcer then hen’s teeth in the last few days - we’ve been treated to retweets only - but here he is, emerging from shame hibernation, to join Trump in cheering Pfizer’s news.
He’s not getting any credit for the drug company though, after his utterly ineffectual leadership of the federal response…
Here’s Harriet Alexander on the lame veep.
Pence breaks silence to take credit for Pfizer vaccine - and drugs company immediately denies Trump involved
Pfizer has clarified that the US government was not involved in their development of a Covid-19 vaccine
Joe Biden yet to call Boris Johnson after election win but No 10 denies being worried about delay
The British PM has reason to be anxious about Trump’s successor, who does not take kindly to Brexit, especially if it places the Good Friday Agreement in jeopardy in Ireland, an issue of personal importance to him given that his own family hail from County Mayo and County Louth.
Joe Biden yet to call Boris Johnson after election win
Asked if it matters if Mr Johnson is “1st or 50th” in the queue, Downing Street insists ‘No, that’s not something that we are concerned about’
Trump whistleblower joins Biden’s Covid task force with Obama and Bush officials
The president-elect is wasting no time in laying out his coronavirus team today and one man set to be included is Dr Rick Bright, who was unceremoniously booted off Trump’s task force after sounding the alarm over the untested drugs like hydroxychloroquine then being promoted by the president.
Alex Woodward has the full story.
Trump whistleblower joins Biden’s Covid task force
President-elect Joe Biden’s task force to combat the growing coronavirus emergency will include a former Trump administration official who sounded the alarm over untested drugs promoted by the president as his aides ignored warnings and rewarded cronies while the nation’s case count surged.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments