Trump-Biden transition updates: Trump continues to tout he won election at Ga. rally

The president was in Georgia to campaign for the senatorial runoff races.

Last Updated: December 7, 2020, 11:41 AM EST

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in 45 days.

Dec 03, 2020, 6:59 PM EST

Campaigns, outside groups spend more than $312M on ads in Ga. runoffs

As Georgia takes center stage at the end of the 2020 election cycle, campaigns and outside groups are slated to spend more than $312 million on ads in the two Senate runoffs that will decide the makeup of the upper chamber in the next Congress.

Across the two contests, Republicans are vastly outspending Democrats on television, radio and digital ads.

From Nov. 4 through Jan. 5, Republican incumbent Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler's campaigns and conservative groups supporting them have run or reserved $178 million worth of ads while Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock Raphael's campaigns and liberal groups supporting them have run or booked $134 million worth of ads, according to an analysis by AdImpact, which tracks ad purchase data.

More than $144 million has flowed into the rivalry between Perdue and Ossoff, including $82 million from Republicans and $62 million from Democrats. And in the contest between Loeffler and Warnock, $169 million has come in, including $97 million from Republicans and $72 million from Democrats.

Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta on July 27, 2019.
Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

With a little more than a month to go until the January election day, outside groups have already aired more than $69 million out of the upward of $300 million placements, according to an analysis of campaign disclosure data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

Among the top spenders from the Republican side are GOP-leadership-linked super PAC Senate Leadership Fund and Karl Rove's super PAC American Crossroads, which together account for 45% of all outside spending in the Georgia runoffs.

-ABC News' Soorin Kim

Dec 03, 2020, 6:53 PM EST

Biden concerned about 'precedent' of possible Trump pardons

Biden weighed in on reports that Trump is considering preemptive pardons for his adult children and possibly himself, saying in a clip released by CNN, that he is concerned by the "precedent" it could set and how it could affect how other nations' view America's justice system. 

"Well, it's -- it concerns me in terms of what kind of precedent it sets and how the rest of the world looks at us as a nation of laws and justice," Biden said of the pardons.

Biden also reiterated a pledge he made during the campaign to have a Justice Department that operates "independently" of political pressures, and adding that his DOJ will take a much different approach on the issue of pardons and will not make policy "by tweets," as Trump has.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event to name his economic team at the Queen Theater on Dec. 1, 2020 in Wilmington, Del.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

"I'm not going to be telling them what they have to do and don't have to do," Biden said. "I'm not going to be saying go prosecute A, B or C. I'm not going to be telling them. That's not the role, it's not my Justice Department, it's the people's Justice Department."

"Now in terms of the pardons, you're not going to see in our administration that kind of approach to pardons," he added. "Nor are you going to see in our administration the approach to making policy by tweets."

The vice president-elect, in the same interview clip, walked back her comments during the primary about prosecuting Trump. During an interview with NPR in June 2019, Harris said her Justice Department "would have no choice but to prosecute" Trump. 

"We will not tell the Justice Department how to do its job," Harris said.

"Any decision coming out of the Justice Department, in particular, the United States Department of Justice, should be based on facts, it should be based on the law, it should not be influenced by politics, period," she added later.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle, John Verhovek and Averi Harper

Dec 03, 2020, 6:22 PM EST

Biden says he’s likely to ask the country to wear a mask for 100 days

Biden revealed that on Inauguration Day he will ask the public to wear a mask for 100 days in order to slow the spread of COVID-19, he said in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper Thursday.

President-elect Joe Biden arrives at The Queen theater, Dec. 3, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
Andrew Harnik/AP

He added that he will impose a mask-wearing mandate in federal buildings and during interstate transportation.

"It is important that we in fact, the president and the vice president, we set the pattern by wearing masks," Biden said. "But beyond that, where the federal government has authority I'm going to issue a standing order that in federal buildings, you have to be masked and in transportation, interstate transportation, you must be masked, in airplanes and buses, etc."

"My inclination is, in the first day I'm inaugurated, to say I'm going to ask the public for 100 days to mask. Just 100 days to mask, not forever -- 100 days. And I think we'll see a significant reduction if that occurs with vaccinations and masking to drive down the numbers considerably," he added.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle and John Verhovek

Dec 03, 2020, 6:13 PM EST

Biden spoke with Fauci, asked him to stay on in current role

In the first clip of his interview with CNN, Biden said he spoke with Dr. Anthony Fauci Thursday afternoon, asking him to stay on in his role -- where he's served under several presidents. 

"I asked him to be a chief medical adviser for me as well, and be part of the COVID team," Biden said. 

The president-elect also weighed in on whether he'd take a COVID-19 vaccine and allow the public to view the process, saying he'd be "happy to do that," after Fauci says a vaccine is safe.

"When Dr. Fauci says we have a vaccine, that is safe, that's the moment in which I will stand before the public," Biden said.

"People have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work. Already the numbers are really staggeringly low. And it matters what a president and vice president do," he added.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle and John Verhovek

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