DONALD TRUMP appears to have conceded the presidential election in all but name after allowing the transition to Joe Biden's administration begin.
The news comes just hours after the state of Michigan officially voted to certify Biden's victory there, dealing a huge blow to Trump's pressure campaign to challenge the result of the election.
In a tweet, Trump announced that he had agreed to allow President-Elect Biden to start accessing federal resources to mark the beginning of the transitional phase between administrations.
He did however immediately stress that his campaign to challenge the election will continue, despite it now appearing to look dead in the water.
General Services Administration (GSA) administrator Emily Murphy sent a letter to Mr Biden, confirming that resources will now be made available to him.
Murphy - who is a Trump appointee - mentioned in the letter that she had received a number of threats for failing to call Biden the winner of election sooner.
Trump wrote on Twitter: "I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for he steadfast dedication and loyalty to our country.
"She had been harassed, threatened and abused - and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA.
"Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail!
"Nevertheless, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same."
In her letter to Biden, Ms Murphy insists that she was "not directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official" to delay the confirmation process, and stressed that her role as administrator means she must "ascertain, not impose" the President-Elect.
