After Joe Biden’s victory yesterday in the 2020 US general election (defeating Donald Trump after four turbulent years in office, though Trump refuses to concede defeat), the President and Chief Executive of the US Travel Association, Roger Dow, issued the following statement:
“The American travel industry congratulates President-elect Joe Biden on his victory.
“We applaud President-elect Biden’s objective of helping the industries most heavily impacted by the pandemic. The travel industry accounts for more than a third of overall US unemployment, and policies to promote relief, recovery, and stimulus for travel businesses are integral to a US economic turnaround.
President-elect Joe Biden. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann, taken when Biden was US VIce President)
“We share the emphasis on combatting the spread of Covid-19 expressed by the president-elect while building economic growth. The right combination of technologies and behaviours already exists to allow the restart of travel without compromising health and safety, and making rapid and reliable testing more widely available will be a key element of an even broader economic reopening.
“There is a dire need to protect and sustain jobs in every single congressional district, and enacting the policies to do that will require the political parties to come together. We stand ready to work closely with the Biden administration and both chambers of Congress to achieve policy goals that revive our economy and bring our country together—a hallmark of the travel industry.”
So concluded the USTA statement.
Meanwhile, Amtrak, the US national passenger rail network, issued a statement of its own.
“Amtrak looks forward to working with President-elect Biden and Congress,” said Amtrak President and Chief Executive Bill Flynn.
“To get the economy moving and help Amtrak and our employees through this unprecedented situation, Congress must act now on pandemic relief and economic stimulus funding which enables Amtrak to recall furloughed employees, restore service frequency on long-distance and state-supported routes, and make investments that will advance critical capital projects such as bridges and tunnels on the Northeast Corridor and new equipment, infrastructure improvements and major station upgrades throughout our network.”
Flynn continued: “As we look to the future, expanded Amtrak service is essential to decarbonizing our transportation network, which generates roughly 28% of the US annual carbon emissions. With cars and trucks responsible for nearly 82% of those emissions, we need passenger rail alternatives throughout the nation. As we enter our 50th year of service, we stand ready to play an important role in helping our nation recover and grow for the future.”
The statements are swift – and bold, because Trump has repudiated Biden’s win, the first time such a thing has happened in US history.
Biden looks set to become the 46th President of the United States. He will be joined by Kamala Harris, the first woman ever to be elected US Vice President.
Incumbent President Donald Trump seems likely to remain a thorn in the side of the new administration. Trump will in any case remain President of the United States right through Christmas and New Year – until 20 January 2021 – two and a half months from now. He has refused to concede defeat and he has rejected Biden’s victory, instead issuing a defiant statement at the weekend, saying “the simple fact is this election is far from over”.
“We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed,” Trump’s statement said.
Trump continued: “Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.
“In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media.
“Beginning Monday [today], our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated.”
Trump has alleged fraud and wrongdoing. “The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots.”
Written by Peter Needham
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