Trump reacted on Twitter, saying, "Mitch, 75,000,000 VOTES, a record for a sitting President (by a lot). Too soon to give up. Republican Party must finally learn to fight. People are angry!"
Trump's allies slam Mitch McConnell for congratulating Biden https://t.co/ak9nu6420L via @MailOnline. Mitch, 75,000,000 VOTES, a record for a sitting President (by a lot). Too soon to give up. Republican Party must finally learn to fight. People are angry!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 16, 2020
"The Electoral College has spoken," McConnell said on Tuesday morning, before adding he wanted to "congratulate the President-elect Joe Biden" and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, ending his long silence on the outcome of the presidential race.
In remarks on the Senate floor, McConnell acknowledged the Democrats' win of the White House following Monday's formal result issued by the Electoral College.
BREAKING: Senate Majority Leader McConnell: "The Electoral College has spoken ... Today, I want to congratulate President-elect Biden." pic.twitter.com/lsAdel7rgd
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 15, 2020
In a nearly 10-minute speech that mainly praised Republican President Donald Trump's tenure in office, McConnell closed by saying: "Today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden," adding that "he has devoted himself to public service for many years."
McConnell, saying he had hoped for a "different result" in the November 3 election, also said, "All Americans can take pride that our nation has a female vice president-elect for the very first time."
Since early November, McConnell has ignored pressure to acknowledge Biden's victory, saying Trump had the right to pursue legal challenges to the election outcome. He steadfastly refused to refer to Biden as president-elect.
On Monday, the Electoral College confirmed results that were apparent since November 7 that Trump had no path to winning the election despite his repeated, unfounded claims of election fraud, which he reiterated on Monday.
Reuters contributed to this story.