Donald Trump to Joe Biden transition process begins

New Delhi : Joe Biden focused on building his incoming administration and offered a message of healing on Tuesday as his transition team began contacting federal agencies to prepare for a handover of power in January from President Donald Trump.

Mr Biden is taking swift decisions on making his Cabinet as he sees to take the top seat from Mr Trump in January.

"The election is over. It's time to put aside the partisanship and the rhetoric designed to demonize one another. We have to come together," Biden said on Twitter on Tuesday.

In the initial phase of US election results, Donald Trump alleged fraud in the counting of votes and denied accepting defeat, but after weeks he finally accepted the fate and gave green signal to the transition.

Trump's administration had held up the process, despite Biden emerging as the clear winner and world leaders recognizing him as the next president.

After Monday's announcement, it is clear that Joe Biden will now have access to government funds and receive intelligence briefings as he prepares to take office on January 20. One of the first departments his team reached out to was the Pentagon, underscoring the importance of emphasizing national security during the transition. Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper on November 9.

"In the days ahead, transition officials will begin meeting with federal officials to discuss the pandemic response, have a full accounting of our national security interests, and gain complete understanding of the Trump administration's efforts to hollow out government agencies," Yohannes Abraham, the executive director of the transition team, said in a statement.