US election 2020: America’s transition finally gets underway - even as Trump vows to fight on
Video report by ITV News Washington Correspondent Robert Moore
The white flag of surrender has not yet been hoisted over Donald Trump's presidency. He has not conceded, even though the election was three weeks ago.
But the flag has at least been unfurled. The very first sign that Trump is close to accepting defeat emerged on Monday night.
The official in charge of authorising the transition finally caved into enormous pressure and agreed to release the funds to allow President-elect Joe Biden and his team to get ready to take office.
Emily Murphy is the woman in charge of the important but obscure agency that gives an incoming Administration access to the federal government's resources.
The General Services Administration's acknowledgement that Biden is the "apparent winner" - to use its cautious term - is likely to be the turning point in this whole tortuous process.
Even President Trump appeared to acknowledge the reality in a pair of tweets that spoke about authorising the "initial protocols" of the transition.
At the same time, Trump insisted he would fight on.
But Murphy's announcement - alongside claims that she is being threatened - is likely to open the floodgates and allow Republican Senators to acknowledge that Trump lost the presidential election.
Stunningly, few have yet been brave enough to admit that simple fact, at least in public.
Whether he accepts it or not, these are the final weeks of his presidency. Ahead of Thanksgiving on Thursday, Donald Trump had to put a smile on his face and engage in the long tradition of pardoning a turkey.
The bigger political and legal question is whether he can pardon himself - for on relinquishing office on January 20th, he is far more vulnerable to prosecution.
More immediately, the president has insisted he is still not conceding the election... making no mention of a transfer of power - instead telling reporters today that he is celebrating what he is claiming are his two greatest achievements - the stock market and the vaccine.
Meanwhile, Biden is putting the finishing touches to his top national security team.
Tony Blinken is the new US Secretary of State; Jake Sullivan will be Biden's National Security Adviser.
Both men are widely admired and represent a return to America's traditional role as a global, multilateral player.
We will soon discover the next major piece of the puzzle, the identity of the next Defence Secretary.
Now that Murphy has given the green light to the Biden transition it means several key steps can begin:
Joe Biden can receive the Presidential Daily Briefing, which contains the crown jewels of America's intelligence-gathering and the best analysis of global hotspots
The entire incoming team can be moved on to secure government communications
Millions of dollars of assistance can be provided to Biden's top advisers to help them organize for the transfer of power on January 20
Office space is given to the team so they can operate in Washington DC, and not from their homes or from Biden's temporary HQ of Wilmington, Delaware
But the real significance is not logistical but psychological.
The message is that this transition is now underway. The legal challenges are petering out. Trump's strategy of denial and defiance has run out of road.
Donald Trump may never formally concede. He may not even attend the Inauguration.
But he has just 57 days left in the White House, and Joe Biden can safely measure the curtains for the Oval Office.