WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Vowing "to get right to work," President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday shrugged off President Donald Trump's refusal to accept the election outcome as "inconsequential," even as Democrats elsewhere warned the Republican president's actions were dangerous.
Raising claims of voter fraud, Trump has blocked the incoming president from receiving intelligence briefings and withheld federal funding intended to help facilitate the transfer of power. Trump's resistance, backed by senior Republicans in Washington and across the country, could also prevent background investigations and security clearances for prospective staff and access to federal agencies to discuss transition planning.
As some Democrats and former Republican officials warned of serious consequences, Biden sought to lower the national temperature as he addressed reporters from a makeshift transition headquarters near his home in downtown Wilmington.
He described Trump's position as little more than an "embarrassing" mark on the outgoing president's legacy, while predicting Republicans on Capitol Hill would eventually accept the reality of Biden's victory. The Republican resistance, Biden said, "does not change the dynamic at all in what we're able to do."
Additional intelligence briefings "would be useful," Biden added, but "we don't see anything slowing us down."
The measured comments come as Biden prepares to confront dueling national crises that actively threaten the health, safety and economic security of millions of Americans irrespective of the political debate. Coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths are surging, the economy faces the prospect of long-term damage, and the nation's political and cultural divides may be worsening.
Biden is betting his low-key approach and bipartisan outreach will help him govern effectively on Day One. But just 71 days before he will be inaugurated, Trump and his allies seemed determined to make Biden's transition as difficult as possible.
From his Twitter account Tuesday, Trump again raised claims of "massive ballot counting abuse" and predicted he would ultimately win the race. His allies on Capitol Hill, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have encouraged the president's accusations. Trump's tweets were flagged by the social media network as disputed claims about election fraud.
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Biden via video conference. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, among six world leaders overall, congratulated Biden on his election.
"I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities - from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic," Johnson wrote on Twitter. "Build back better" is a slogan Biden and the British government have in common.
Meanwhile, Biden tried to stay focused on health care in the midst of the worst health crisis in more than a century. One of Biden's chief coronavirus advisers, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, briefed Senate Democrats on Tuesday by phone at their weekly virtual lunch.
The closed-door meeting marked the first time a Biden transition official has addressed the Democrats' Senate caucus since last week's election.
In an afternoon speech, Biden delivered a defense of the Affordable Care Act, just hours after the Supreme Court heard arguments on its merits. The high court ruled eight years ago to leave intact the essential components of the law known as "Obamacare," but Trump and his Republican allies are seeking to have it overturned.
If the 6-3 conservative court ultimately agrees with the GOP, millions of Americans could lose their health care coverage. While Tuesday's arguments indicate the court is unlikely to strike down the entire law, the prospect added new weight to what Biden is inheriting from the outgoing administration.
"It's a law that saved lives and spared countless families from financial ruin," Biden charged. He vowed to work with Congress to strengthen the health care law "as soon as humanly possible."
Biden spent much of Tuesday working alongside Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at a theater near his home in downtown Wilmington. He is expected to name a chief of staff and start considering Cabinet appointments, though those likely won't be finalized for weeks.