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Joe Biden has not yet heard from anybody from President Donald Trump's inner circle since becoming president-elect amid concerns over instability during the transition of power.
Kate Bedingfield, who was deputy campaign manager for Biden's election campaign, confirmed this lack of communication when asked by CNN.
Host Dana Bash asked: "Has there been any communication at all between anybody in Trump world, anybody in the campaign, and anybody in yours?"
"There has not," Bedingfield replied, before expressing her hope the current president will "do the right thing."
"And obviously, we would hope that in this moment, this incredibly important moment for the country, that President Trump would choose to do the right thing, to do the thing that presidents have done since our country was founded.
"Obviously the peaceful transition of power is a core bedrock principle that our democracy is founded on and, of course, we would hope and I think it would be a good thing to hear from President Trump, but that's his decision."
She said Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris were going to focus on "talking directly to the American people, starting to do the hard work of coming together, starting to do the hard work of tackling this virus" moving into the transition period.
As well as having not had communication with Trump, Bedingfield also confirmed there had not been such contact with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell either—another key figure Biden will be looking for cooperation from moving forward.
"They have not, but I expect that they will," Bedingfield said when asked if McConnell and Biden had spoke.
"He [Biden] has a working relationship with McConnell and anticipates working with him as we move forward."
Bedingfield also said Biden will begin to contact world leaders in the transition process, having refrained from doing so before.
"He believes a big piece of what he can accomplish as president is to restore America's standing in the world," she said.
The lack of communication between Biden and Trump comes after the president-elect made a direct appeal to his rival's supporters, calling for them and his to not treat each other as enemies, in a speech Saturday night.
"Let's give each other a chance, it's time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again," he said.
"To make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as enemies. They are not our enemies, they are Americans."
It comes with Trump yet to concede to Biden, insisting upon pursuing legal action over the counting of votes and that his dispute should be escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court.
(NEWSWEEK)
