United States President Donald Trump on Monday conceded to the transition process of President-elect Joe Biden into the presidential office. Trump said he was no longer opposed to government aid for the Democrat politician’s transition team. This is the first time the American president indicated that he would have to step down.

In a tweet, Trump wrote that the General Services Administration should “do what needs to be done” after the agency’s head Emily Murphy said she was releasing the long-awaited aid.

“I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country,” he tweeted. “She has been harassed, threatened, and abused – and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA.”

Trump said that his campaign team’s cases challenging election outcomes in certain parts would continue. “I believe we will prevail,” he wrote in another tweet. “Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”

This will provide financial assistance in the transition process as well as allow Biden to coordinate with current government officials. So far, Murphy had refused to release the standard aid package, which her agency manages. However, following backlash, Murphy wrote to Biden, saying that her “decision was not made out of fear or favouritism”.

Meanwhile, Biden’s team hailed the decision, saying that it was a necessary step to begin tackling the problems brought on due to the outbreak of Covid-19, according to AFP.

On November 20, Biden said Trump’s refusal to authorise an orderly transition of power ensured that he would be remembered as “one of the most irresponsible presidents in American history”. On November 17, Biden had warned that more Americans would die if incumbent President Donald Trump does not coordinate with his team to tackle the coronavirus.

Trump had refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden and filed several lawsuits to challenge the election outcome. He has continued to claim that there was a multi-state conspiracy by the Democrats to stop him from achieving a second term.

On November 15, the American president backtracked after acknowledging for the first time that Biden had won the presidential election. He claimed again that the election was rigged. “He only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA,” Trump tweeted. “I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!”. The president’s tweet was flagged by the microblogging site, like many others, alleging election fraud.