Outgoing First Lady Melania Trump has yet to call her successor, Dr Jill Biden, following President-elect Joe Biden's victory over the weekend, according to reports.
It indicates that Melania is following her husband's lead, with Donald Trump yet to publicly acknowledge Biden's win. The President has so far refused to concede to his Democratic rival, making it clear the reins of power will not be transferred without a fight.
On Saturday (local time), Biden, 77, secured the crucial battleground state of Pennsylvania, obtaining its 20 electoral votes by a razor-thin margin and surpassing the 270 threshold required to clinch the presidency.
Trump, 74, has repeatedly contested the result, his campaign announcing its intention to take legal action in several swing states, such as Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania. Lawsuits have made little traction, with Arizona's Secretary of State dismissing the case as "grasping at straws". Yet Trump has doubled down on his unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, claiming the election was rigged against him.
While much of the country is focused on the upcoming transferral of power in the Oval Office, down the hall a similar transition is taking place in the East Wing. Dr Jill Biden is reportedly working on setting her agenda as the next First Lady of the United States, the Bidens to be officially sworn in at their inauguration on January 21.
"Dr Biden is focused on building her team and developing her priorities focused on education, military families and veterans, and cancer," Dr Biden's spokesperson Michael LaRosa told DailyMail.com.
Dr Biden has said she'd like to balance her political duties with her career as a teacher.
With Trump's reluctance to concede, it remains unclear how the customary transferral of power will play out. It's traditional for the outgoing President and First Lady to host their successors - a social affair that seems unlikely given Trump's current stance.
In a 2018 interview, former First Lady Michelle Obama said she had told Melania to call her anytime following Trump's succession of Barack Obama. She noted her predecessor, Laura Bush, had made the same offer to her when the Obamas relocated to the White House following their 2009 inauguration - an offer she had been grateful for.
"I just want to take a moment to commend Mrs Bush, because she and her staff helped my team with that transition," Obama revealed at a First Ladies' summit in 2013.
"Having your predecessors be people who are willing to extend themselves on behalf of the country, to help with that transition makes the world of difference... 'I remember walking into that house and I didn't even know where the bathrooms were."
In a later interview, Obama confirmed that Melania had not taken her up on her offer - a claim the First Lady's team responded to, insisting she had her own experts and advisers to turn to.
"Mrs Trump is a strong and independent woman who has been navigating her role as First Lady in her own way," then-East Wing spokesperson Stephanie Grisham said at the time.
The Bushes - with former President George Bush's administration holding office from 2001 to 2009 - hosted the Obamas for the traditional post-election visit. However, Laura Bush subsequently invited Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha for an additional visit, to give the girls more time to explore.
