US President-elect Joe Biden has pressed ahead with his transition despite incumbent Donald Trump's refusal to acknowledge defeat, naming a seasoned Democratic operative as chief of staff in his first public White House personnel choice.
Mr Biden selected longtime aide Ron Klain, who previously served as his first chief of staff while vice president, acknowledging the two had a long road ahead in fighting the coronavirus pandemic as well as healing a deeply divided nation.
"His deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again," Mr Biden said.
He made the announcement after visiting the Korean War Memorial in Philadelphia earlier in the day for a solemn wreath-laying ceremony to mark Veterans Day in the US.
President Trump attended a separate, simultaneous ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, in what should have been a moment of national unity but instead highlighted the Republican's refusal to acknowledge election defeat.
The president made no public remarks during the sombre wreath-laying ceremony, his first official appearance since the 3 November vote.
Since media outlets called the race four days ago Mr Trump has not addressed the nation other than via Twitter and a written statement released to mark Veterans Day, and has not conceded to Mr Biden, as is traditional once a winner is projected in a US vote.
With Covid-19 cases shattering records across the country and states imposing new restrictions in a push to contain the virus before winter arrives, Mr Trump seems to have all but shelved normal presidential duties.
Instead, he has remained inside the White House, claiming that he is about to win and filing lawsuits alleging voter fraud that so far have been backed up by only the flimsiest evidence.
Early yesterday he was tweeting fresh evidence-free claims of election wins and ballot tampering, despite the consensus from international observers, world leaders, local election officials and US media that the vote was free and fair.
Nobody wants to report that Pennsylvania and Michigan didn't allow our Poll Watchers and/or Vote Observers to Watch or Observe. This is responsible for hundreds of thousands of votes that should not be allowed to count. Therefore, I easily win both states. Report the News!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2020
Some Republicans were adding their voices to growing calls for the president to concede, with experts warning his refusal to do so was undermining the democratic process and holding up the transition to Mr Biden, who takes office in January.
Among them was the Republican secretary of state for Montana, Corey Stapleton, who heralded the "incredible things" Mr Trump accomplished in office.
"But that time is now over. Tip your hat, bite your lip, and congratulate @JoeBiden," he tweeted.
However some of the most powerful figures in the Republican party - among them Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senate leader Mitch McConnell - have backed Mr Trump in his bid to undermine Mr Biden's victory.
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration," Mr Pompeo said in a sometimes testy news conference on Tuesday, while Mr McConnell has said the president was "100% within his rights" to challenge the election in court.
None of the lawsuits appear to have the potential to change the result and even a manual recount announced yesterday in Georgia where Mr Biden has a paper-thin lead is unlikely to alter the fundamental math.
Everyone is asking why the recent presidential polls were so inaccurate when it came to me. Because they are FAKE, just like much of the Lamestream Media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 11, 2020
Mr Trump's victory in Alaska, which US media called for him yesterday, putting another three electoral votes in his column, was not enough either.
Mr Biden's selection of Mr Klain drew wide praise from Democrats.
Senate Democrat Elizabeth Warren called Mr Klain a "super choice" for chief of staff because he "understands the magnitude of the health and economic crisis and he has the experience to lead this next administration through it."
In the same statement released by the Biden transition team, Mr Klain, 59, said it was "the honour of a lifetime" to be named to the post.
Since his projected win was announced on Saturday, Mr Biden has addressed the nation, set up a coronavirus task force, spoken with world leaders - including Trump allies - as well as beginning vetting potential cabinet members and delivering policy speeches.
Yesterday, he took congratulatory phone calls from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Meanwhile Mr Trump's only known activities outside the White House before yesterday had been to play golf twice over the weekend.
Mr Trump's only significant presidential action has been the abrupt firing of defence secretary Mark Esper on Monday, which he announced on Twitter.
...Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2020
His failure to concede has no legal force in itself, but the General Services Administration, the usually low-key agency that manages the Washington bureaucracy, has refused to sign off on the transition, holding up funding and security briefings.
Mr Biden's inauguration is on 20 January.
Pope congratulates Joe Biden in phone call
Pope Francis has spoken with Joe Biden by telephone to offer "blessings and congratulations" to the US president-elect on his victory, his transition team said in a statement.
Mr Biden is only the second Catholic elected to the US presidency, after John F Kennedy in 1960.
"The president-elect thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness' leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world," according to a readout of the call provided by Mr Biden's office.
Mr Biden "expressed his desire to work together on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind on issues such as caring for the marginalised and the poor, addressing the crisis of climate change, and welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our communities."
During the campaign, Mr Biden quoted Pope John Paul II, frequently invoked his Irish Catholic roots and pledged to "restore the soul of America" after four years of acrimony.
He also regularly carried a rosary that belonged to his late son Beau Biden.
Pope Francis himself has had strained relations with Mr Trump. In early 2019 he called Mr Trump's wall project on the US-Mexico border "madness".
Back when Mr Trump was seeking the Republican nomination, in February 2016, the Pope made waves when he said during a visit to Mexico that someone who thinks about building walls instead of bridges "is not Christian".
Mr Trump fired back in a stinging statement at the time, saying: "For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful."
In 2015 the Pope met with then-vice president Biden in Washington when Francis delivered a speech in the US Capitol to a joint meeting of Congress.
