Just days after former President Donald Trump was projected to have won the presidency, Trump's transition team operation has begun, with transition co-chairs confirming that he will be selecting personnel to serve under his leadership in the coming days.
Trump is also the projected winner in Arizona, a state the former president flipped after losing it to Joe Biden in 2020.
Trump's projected win in the vital swing state marks a sweep of the battleground states.
See how the balance of power is playing out as election results come in:
MORE | 2024 election: Track electoral vote count and results map for the presidential election
President Joe Biden does not plan to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted on federal gun charges, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated during a press briefing on Thursday.
Hunter Biden is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would decline if offered to be Trump's chief of staff during an interview earlier this week on Guy Benson's Fox News radio show.
McCarthy said he "wouldn't say yes" to the role, but suggested Susie Wiles, Trump's campaign manager, would be a "great" fit for the role.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, on Thursday called for lawmakers to convene a special session later this year to safeguard the state's progressive policies on climate change, reproductive rights and immigration ahead of another Trump presidency.
The move - a day after the former president resoundingly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race - effectively reignited California's resistance campaign against conservative policies that state Democratic leaders started during the first Trump administration.
"The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack - and we won't sit idle," Newsom, who reportedly has ambitions on the national stage, said in a statement. "California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared to fight in the courts, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive."
MORE | Gov. Gavin Newsom calls special session to protect liberal policies from Trump presidency
President Joe Biden said "you can't love your country only when you win" in his first speech since Vice President Kamala Harris' loss to former President Donald Trump in the presidential race.
"You can't love your neighbor only when you agree," Biden said in an address to the nation from the White House Rose Garden on Thursday.
Biden said he's directed his administration to work with Trump's team for a peaceful transition of power.
"Something I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature," Biden said.
He also stressed the integrity of the election, calling it honest, fair and transparent.
READ MORE | Joe Biden tells nation: 'You can't love your country only when you win'
