US Vice-President Mike Pence has been defying President Donald Trump’s pressure and will not block certification by Congress of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, advisers said.
Trump wants Pence to block congressional certification of the November election results in an attempt to stay in power.
A loyal pal of Trump, Pence has no plans to intervene and has told him he does not have the power to do so.
Pence will preside over today’s a joint session of Congress as it receives the results of Electoral College from states that determine the winner of presidential elections.
Biden had beaten Trump 306-232 in the Electoral College, or by more than 7 million ballots. Trump has declined to concede the election.
US states have already certified the results, and Pence’s role as president of the Senate is to “open all the certificates,” in the presence of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the U.S. Constitution says.
Trump suggested Pence could do more than that.
Trump Addresses
The president, on the other hand, has also decided to take an alternative course – he will address protesters calling for the overturn of his loss during an in-person speech at the Ellipse, just south of the White House, a White House official said.
Trump has been asking his followers for days to descend on Washington to protest against the results after urging Republican members to vote against certifying his defeat.
Trump also tweeted that he would “see you in D.C.”
The city’s police, fearing violent clashes, blocked off roads surrounding the White House to traffic. The businesses near the White House were also seen putting protective shields on the windows.
