Trump Lashes out at Reporter Over Election Query

WASHINGTON:
US President Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter and called him “lightweight” after the latter questioned the President over the November 3 election outcome which has projected Democrat Joe Biden as the winner.

At a briefing, Jeff Mason, the Reuters White House correspondent, asked the President if he would concede if the Electoral College voted for President-elect Joe Biden in December, The Hill news website reported on Friday.

Trump responded by saying: “Don’t talk to me that way.”

As the reporter was trying to apologise, the President interrupted him and added: “I’m the President of the United States. Don’t ever talk to the President that way.”

The development comes after Trump said on Thursday that he will leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for the President-elect.

So far, Biden has won 80,218,808 popular votes to date, compared to Trump’s 73,947,962, according to The Cook Political Report, an influential analytical site focused on US presidential, congressional and gubernatorial elections.

US media have projected that Biden has won 306 electoral votes, surpassing the 270-vote threshold for clinching the presidency.

Biden has declared victory and announced the first tranche of his Cabinet nominees, including national security and foreign policy officials.

The General Services Administration has initiated Biden’s formal transition into the White House, but Trump, despite having directed his administration to facilitate the process, has vowed to continue the legal fight to challenge the election results.