US President Donald Trump has pledged an orderly transfer of power to President-Elect Joe Biden, hours after he told thousands of supporters he would refuse to concede, inciting riots and a takeover on Capitol Hill.

“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on 20th January,” Trump said in a statement.

“I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again,” Trump said while repeating false claims about the election.

Trump’s statement comes after Congress certified Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next president and vice-president of the US.

The electoral votes were approved after both the Senate and the House of Representatives rejected objections to the votes in the states of Pennsylvania and Arizona.

The normally procedural session of Congress was disrupted on Wednesday when supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol building. The session resumed and continued through the night after the building was cleared.

Amidst the chaos, which included armed standoffs with police, a woman was shot and later died as a result of her wound. 

She was later identified as 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, a staunch supporter of President Trump and an Air Force veteran.

Moreover, according to Washington D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee, three more people died in “medical emergencies”.

Police officials also seized two pipe bombs outside the Democratic National Committee and outside the Republican National Committee. The devices were rendered safe by the FBI but investigations are ongoing.

President Trump’s Twitter has since been suspended and could face a permanent ban for “repeated and severe violations of our civic integrity policy” following yesterday’s violent riots.

Meanwhile, US Vice President Mike Pence, one of Trump’s biggest defenders, has washed his hand clean of his former ally, changing his Twitter cover photo to Biden and Harris celebrating their election win.

Photo source: Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at the Prescott Valley Event Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona – Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America

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