Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Tuesday publicly congratulated President-elect Joe Biden after weeks of refusing to recognize his presidential win.
“Our country has officially a president-elect and a vice-president elect,” he said.
McConnell’s acknowledgement in a speech on the Senate floor follows the Electoral College making Biden’s win official on Monday.
“Our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on January the 20. The Electoral College has spoken. So today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden,” McConnell said, while recognizing Biden’s decadeslong work in the U.S. Senate.
“I also want to congratulate the vice president-elect, our colleague from California, Sen. Kamala Harris,” McConnell continued. “Beyond our differences, all Americans can take pride in that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time.”
McConnell was one of several Senate Republicans who had refused to acknowledge Biden’s win.
His recognition comes as President Donald Trump continues to contest the results of the Nov. 3 election, with him claiming, without supporting evidence, that the election was rigged and stolen from him.