A top American diplomat says Donald Trump will secure a second term in the Oval Office - despite Democratic rival Joe Biden being declared the President-elect after days of contentious ballot-counting.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday (local time), United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - who was nominated for the position by the President in 2018 - announced there will be a "smooth transition" to a second Trump administration.
The Secretary of State - a position analogous to a Foreign Minister - was questioned if the State Department is currently preparing to engage with Biden's transition team.
"And if not, at what point does it delay - hamper - a smooth transition or pose a risk to national security?" the reporter asked.
"There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration... we're ready," Pompeo responded.
"The world is watching what's taking place. We're going to count all the votes, when the process is complete, they'll be elector-selected - there's a process. The constitution lays it out pretty clearly.
"The world should have every confidence that the transition necessary to make sure that the State Department is functional today, successful today and successful with a President who's in office on January 20, a minute after noon, will also be successful."
The Republican diplomat's response echoes Trump's sentiments regarding last week's landmark election, the outgoing President yet to acknowledge the triumph of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The Democratic duo were declared the victors after Biden secured the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania by a slim margin, its 20 electoral votes boosting Biden above the 270 required to clinch the presidency. Biden had already taken out the battleground state of Nevada, and now sits on 279 electoral votes - 290 counting the contested state of Arizona. Alaska, North Carolina and the Republican stronghold of Georgia are yet to be called.
Yet Trump - who is languishing on 214 - continues to make unfounded allegations of voter fraud, declaring the election was stolen by his Democratic successors. The President is an outspoken critic of mail-in balloting - which proved popular amid the country's ongoing battle with COVID-19 - alleging the voting method is fraudulent.
In a series of Twitter tirades, Trump has proclaimed himself the true winner of the election, his campaign announcing its intention to take legal action in several states. Lawsuits filed in recent days have made little progress, the case in Arizona dismissed as "grasping at straws".
The outgoing President has so far refused to concede defeat, making it clear the reins of power will not be transferred without a fight. According to reports, First Lady Melania Trump is also yet to make the customary call to Dr Jill Biden.
As Biden begins work on his transition into presidency, his team is considering taking legal action over a federal agency's delay in recognising his victory.
Meanwhile, Trump will push ahead with his last-ditch legal challenges on Tuesday (local time), with Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania planning to call for an audit of the state's results.
According to the Washington Post, the White House budget office has instructed federal agencies to continue preparing the Trump administration's budget proposal for the 2022 financial year, citing multiple administration officials.
The budget proposal is usually issued in February - at least two weeks after Biden's inauguration on January 20 and Trump's departure from the White House.
Proceeding with Trump's budget has rankled and surprised staffers, the Washington Post reports, with the incoming Biden administration expected to submit its budget plan to Congress early in 2021.
The insistence on budget planning is the latest move by White House officials to reject the election results, following Trump's lead.
On Monday (local time), it was revealed that senior government officials had been told not to cooperate with Biden's transition team.
Asked if the 2022 fiscal budget process was proceeding, a spokesperson for the White House budget office said "Of course."
