US President-elect Donald Trump has accused Joe Biden of making the presidential transition difficult, citing recent executive orders on climate and other official acts being taken by him in his last weeks as president.
Trump, 78, is expected to be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on January 20. He takes over from Biden as the new White House occupant, the official residence of the US President.
"Biden is doing everything possible to make the TRANSITION as difficult as possible, from Lawfare such as has never been seen before, to costly and ridiculous Executive Orders on the Green New Scam and other money wasting Hoaxes," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"Fear not, these "Orders" will all be terminated shortly, and we will become a Nation of Common Sense and Strength. MAGA!!!" said the president-elect.
Trump made the statement shortly before Congress certified his victory in the Electoral College — and after Biden, 82, banned drilling for oil and natural gas off most of America's coastline, with the total area covered by the order greater than the land of Alaska and Texas combined.
He would block new drilling off the entire East Coast, as well as California, Oregon and Washington state, and block some drilling off Alaska's coast in portions of the Northern Bering Sea and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Mr. Biden did this two weeks before President Trump, who promised to boost domestic energy production, is sworn into office.
Trump vowed to undo Biden’s recent executive orders, though it’s unclear if he would be able to reverse the decision to block oil drilling, considering he was blocked in 2019 when he tried to reinstate drilling in areas blocked off by former President Barack Obama.
Despite Trump's claim that the Biden White House has not been helpful during the transition, his incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles contradicted this saying that the White House has indeed been helpful in the transition process. She was speaking in an interview published Monday.
"White House chief of staff Jeff Zients has been very helpful. He has made great suggestions, helped make sure we stay on time with required functions, helped us navigate the labyrinth that is the Executive Office of the President, and been very professional," she said.
"He introduced me to the 'former chief of staff club' and even hosted a dinner (for Wiles and the former chiefs) at his beautiful home," Wiles added.
Last month, the Trump transition agreed to matters such as background checks on incoming officials. Uneasy Republicans noted the quartet of criminal cases lodged against Trump, which the former and future president claims were politically motivated to derail his return to the White House.
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