President-elect Joe Biden said that he spoke to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday, the first known conversation between the two men since Biden won the presidential election.
Biden described it as a “good conversation” and said he called McConnell to thank him for remarks the Kentucky Republican made on the Senate floor congratulating Biden for his victory. McConnell made the statement earlier Tuesday, after weeks of silence amid President Trump’s refusal to concede the election.
“I called him to thank him for the congratulations,” Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Del. “I told him that while we disagree on a lot of things there are things we can work together on. We agreed to get together sooner than later. And I’m looking forward to working with him.”
“I’m calling other members, I spoke with some other members, about a dozen calling and I’ll list them off, I’ll tell you who I’ve spoken to,” Biden continued.
McConnell’s speech was prompted by the Electoral College meetings on Monday that affirmed Biden’s victory, more than a month after he was projected the winner of the presidential election over Trump.
“The Electoral College has spoken, so today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. The president-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He’s devoted himself to public service for many years,” McConnell said.
“Many of us hoped that the presidential election would yield a different result, but our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on Jan. 20,” he added.
A growing number of Republican senators has acknowledged Biden as the president-elect since the Electoral College voted to formalize his victory on Monday.
Trump, however, has continued to perpetuate a false narrative that the election was stolen from him through widespread voter fraud. Trump’s claims have been contradicted by election officials and his own attorney general, who announced plans to step down on Monday, has said the Justice Department has not found evidence of widespread fraud that would alter the election outcome.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Tuesday afternoon that Trump is “still involved in ongoing litigation” related to the election and described the Electoral College vote as “one step in the constitutional process.”
McEnany also said she was not aware of Trump’s reaction to McConnell’s floor remarks.
Many Republicans for weeks remained quiet on Biden’s victory to allow Trump the room to challenge the results. The overwhelming majority of his campaign’s legal challenges have been dismissed or rejected. Many House Republicans have still yet to acknowledge Biden’s victory.
Biden’s remarks Tuesday came as he was departing Wilmington, Del., for a campaign stop in Georgia to boost Democratic candidates in Senate runoffs there.
— Updated at 1:41 p.m.