What will the US power transition be like?

Not over yet!

At noon on November 7 (US time), US media simultaneouslyannounce the winnerIn the most closely contested presidential election in decades, Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Hours later, Biden delivered a speech declaring a “clear victory” and outlining his direction and policies as he takes office. In theory, this marked the end of the race, but in reality, it was not.

Supporters watch Joe Biden's victory speech on the morning of November 8 (Vietnam time). Photo: New York Times

On the opponent's side, President Donald Trump also declared victory! "I won the election with 71 million legal votes," Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter. The current President also affirmed, "the election is far from over." His lawyers continue to plan a series of lawsuits to fight the so-called "Democratic hack." Not just in a few counties, but in all states that counted the votes later and gave close results. Obviously, this is unprecedented. In more than a century, since the United States passedElectoral Counting ActIn 1887, the "land of the stars and stripes" had never encountered such a "half-crying, half-laughing" incident.

Normally in previous US presidential elections, when a candidate wins the majority of electoral votes and leaves his opponent far behind, they can completely declare victory even without official confirmation from the states. However, with the 2020 US election, when the controversy arose fiercely after the election day regarding the issue of voting methods and "legal votes", it is understandable that Mr. Joe Biden declared victory and his opponent has not admitted defeat.

Trump supporters (71 million) can fully hope for a legal battle to reverse the situation. In fact, up to now, no state has officially confirmed that Biden has 290 electoral votes. In a country that "respects the rule of law" like the United States, there are always enough laws to handle all issues that arise, especially in political matters.

Washington residents celebrate candidate Joe Biden's victory. Photo: AP

Of course, it must also be admitted that the fight to "reverse" the situation is becoming more difficult forcurrent President Trump. Because if the lawsuit only took place in 1 or 2 counties, or even 1 or 2 states, the results could change. However, the number of votes that candidate Biden won was too far ahead and surpassed Mr. Trump in the majority of the battleground states, filing a lawsuit or demanding a recount would have little positive effect. Not to mention, Mr. Trump's team needs to find evidence for the allegations of vote fraud if they want the lawsuit to be accepted by state or federal courts. In fact, so far, despite being angry with many warnings and criticisms, the current President's campaign has not yet provided convincing evidence to request a recount. Legal experts say that the lawsuits are unlikely to succeed in changing the election results.

However, with his personality and the support of tens of millions of voters, Mr. Trump will not easily give up in the upcoming legal battle regardless of the outcome. Therefore, it can be said that the tug-of-war of the US election will continue, perhaps we still need to wait a little longer!

Difficult transition

The US election is not over yet, which means the issue of power transfer has become unpredictable. Normally, the transition process is carried out based on close cooperation between the outgoing administration and the incoming administration, even when the two sides are opposing parties. But President Trump's declaration that he does not accept the results and pledges to take legal measures to "overturn the situation" is expected to cause many difficulties in this transition.

President Donald Trump returns to the White House from his golf course in Virginia after the AP news agency reported that Joe Biden won the election. Photo: AFP

For weeks, Mr. Trump has been claiming that the election was riddled with serious irregularities and fraud, without providing any concrete evidence. AP cited an unnamed congressman as saying that Republican lawmakers would give President Trump and his team time to consider appropriate legal options. The White House has not yet certified the results to trigger the transition of power.

This reality has led observers to come up with many scenarios, even the case that Mr. Trump will not accept defeat and not leave the White House. In American history, there has never been a case where an outgoing president was so uncooperative that he refused to leave the White House. However, the American media is concerned that this scenario could happen and calls it “a dark chapter of America” if it becomes a reality.

This is clearly a big challenge for Mr. Joe Biden inbuild new government apparatus. After declaring victory, the former Vice President is now taking steps to prepare to take power immediately after the inauguration and his team has set up a website to serve the transition of government. This group will select cabinet members, discuss priority policies and prepare for taking control of the administration. His victory speech on the morning of November 8 (Vietnam time) also outlined the priorities of his upcoming administration. Accordingly, he focused on healing the rift within the United States and facing the challenges ahead. He also pledged to become "a president for all Americans, seeking not to divide but to unite."

Democratic Party's running mate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 US election. Photo: Getty

However, the 78-year-old’s path to the White House will certainly be more difficult than that of any other candidate who has claimed victory in previous elections. Even if he takes office, the challenge will probably be even more daunting. Because he has to build a government in the context of the Senate control is likely to remain in the hands of the Republican Party, the number of Democratic allies in the US House of Representatives is decreasing. A Congress with deep party divisions will make it difficult for Mr. Biden to pass bills in the first 100 days of office. That is not to mention the more than 70 million people - who voted for Mr. Trump - who want him to lead the US.

As a seasoned politician, having served as Vice President of the United States, building an apparatus in the 10 weeks before his inauguration on January 20, 2021 will still be a great pressure for Mr. Biden. Furthermore, he will have to face a mountain of challenges in his agenda to ensure that his campaign commitments can be implemented smoothly. That isAmerica's Healing StoryPost-election, the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and the problem of reviving the economy.

Therefore, to limit the negative impacts caused by the most controversial election, perhaps America needs a peaceful transfer of power and then the responsibility to heal and resolve challenges will depend on the steering ability of the person who will become the 46th President of the United States.

New President Joe Biden will face major challenges in building a new administration. Photo: Reuters