In what is being reported as the first official contact between a member of the outgoing Donald Trump administration and Biden's incoming team, Vice President Mike Pence called his successor Kamala Harris to offer his congratulations.
Pence reportedly pledged his assistance to Harris as she transitions into her new role, and the two had what was described as a "good call."
The vice president's overture came even as President Donald Trump has refused to acknowledged Biden's electoral win or offer the traditional invitation to the White House. Trump has announced he will not participate in Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, becoming just the fourth outgoing president in American history to miss the event. Pence has said he will attend.
Pence's call to Harris comes on the heels of a tense few weeks between the vice president and Trump. The two reportedly didn't speak for several days after Pence resisted Trump's pressure to obstruct congressional authorization of the Electoral College vote.
🔦 On January 6, Trump publicly derided Pence, accusing him of lacking courage, just hours before many of the president's supporters stormed the Capitol Building where Pence was presiding over the official certification.
