Highlights of President-Elect Joe Biden’s Transition: November 15, 2020

Even as a growing number of top Republicans urged President Trump on Sunday to allow for an orderly presidential transition, the president himself, after briefly appearing to acknowledge his election loss, resumed spreading the kinds of baseless accusations about election fraud that his supporters have continued to embrace.

Though his tweet on Sunday morning appeared to provide some recognition of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory, the president quickly walked back his statement, asserting in a separate post that “WE WILL WIN!” He continues to claim, without evidence, that the election was rigged, including falsely asserting that poll watchers were not allowed to observe ballot counting and that the tabulation machines were tainted. His campaign has filed lawsuits in several states challenging the results, which were met by a series of losses in court.

Thousands of the president’s supporters rallied behind him in Washington on Saturday, though Mr. Trump’s press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, offered an exaggerated assessment that over a million marchers attended. The day’s events were largely carried out in an orderly manner, but the night became more violent, and the police had made 21 arrests and one person was stabbed.

John R. Bolton, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, on Sunday urged Republican leaders to acknowledge Mr. Trump’s election defeat, and is part of a growing list of party members who are either rebuking the president’s baseless claims of election fraud or calling for a smooth presidential transition.

In an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Mr. Bolton implored Republicans to discredit claims of election fraud that Mr. Trump has propagated. He warned of the threat to the country if Mr. Trump made “life as difficult as he can” for the incoming administration and called recent litigation by the Trump team “the legal equivalent of pitching pennies.”

“I think it’s very important for leaders of the Republican Party to explain to our voters — who are not as stupid as the Democrats think — that, in fact, Trump has lost the election and that his claims of election fraud are baseless,” Mr. Bolton said.

Another former Trump national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, admonished the president for his claim on Twitter that the presidential election was rigged against him.

“What the president says in this tweet, it’s just wrong, it’s regrettable, it’s counterproductive,” General McMaster said in an appearance on CNN on Sunday. “I think our democracy could be stronger than ever.”

Some Republican governors have also acknowledged the need for a smooth transition. On NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas said he expected that Mr. Biden would be the next president of the United States and stated that Mr. Biden should have access to intelligence briefings. Mr. Hutchinson also stressed the need for a smooth transition of power for the distribution of a…