As the United
States witnesses a third, and by far the deadliest, wave of COVID-19 cases across
the country, President Donald Trump has recused himself from his duties of
office and the battle against the infection.

His first
public appearance in six days was at the Arlington National Cemetery on
Wednesday, where he attended a ceremony on the occasion of Veteran’s Day along with
first lady Melania and vice president Mike Pence, CNN reported.

His primary concern right now is to stay in
office beyond January 20, when Democrat Joe Biden will officially be inaugurated
as the 46th President of the United States. Until then, he remains
defiant in the face of defeat, refusing to accept his electoral loss as he
blames voter fraud and blames a rigged election.

However, a White House spokesperson came to
his defence, saying the President “is carrying out all his duties”.

“Just as he promised, President Trump is
fighting hard for a free and fair election while at the same time carrying out
all of his duties to put America First,” a statement from deputy press
secretary Judd Deere read.

According to the Associate Press, Trump is notably angry with the announcement of the progress in a COVID-19 vaccine coming after Election Day. Close aides say he remains uninterested in tackling the threat even as cases are surging like never before. 

Daily new cases in the US are nearing the 150,000-mark, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University and around 1,000 people dying everyday.  

Trump held a meeting with White House
advisers on Tuesday to discuss his legal strategy, with conceding the election to
Biden not on his mind, CNN quoted a person close to the developments as saying.

With Trump not conceding, a number of senior
government officials hindering cooperation with Biden’s team, White House and
agency officials said.

On the other hand, President-elect Biden has
already started on his path to presidency, holding a presser on Tuesday, speaking
with world leaders and meeting with a coronavirus advisory board.

Since October 2, when he tested positive
with the COVID-19 infection, Trump’s daily public schedule shows a lack of
official White House events, both before and after the November 3 election.

While the schedule does not include every
single activity the President partakes in, the notable aspects are the almost
50 campaign rallies, no official meetings for a month and the last intelligence
briefing being on October 2, the day if his diagnosis.

His official meeting since that date
include an interaction with troops at Fort Bragg on October 29, Supreme Court
Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s swearing-in on October 26 and comments on protecting
senior citizens in the key swing state of Florida on October 16.

Trump has resorted back to golfing, which
he had put aside since September 27, as he was spotted at the Trump National Golf
Club in Sterling, Virginia in recent days.