President-elect Joe Biden said that nothing would stop the transfer of power in the US government, while President Donald Trump remained defiant, hoping to cling on to power somehow defying all odds. 

Trump has declined to concede, instead lodging unsupported charges of election fraud that have gained little traction. His campaign said on Tuesday it planned to file a lawsuit in Michigan to halt the state from certifying its results, a day after it brought a similar action in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Judges so far have tossed out lawsuits in Michigan and Georgia brought by Trump's campaign, and legal experts say the litigation has little chance of changing the outcome of the Nov 3 election.

"We're going to be going, moving along, in a consistent manner, putting together our administration, the White House, and reviewing who we're going to pick for the Cabinet positions, and nothing's going to stop that," he said on Tuesday.

"I just think it's an embarrassment, quite frankly," he said when asked what he thinks about Trump's refusal to acknowledge defeat.

"How can I say this tactfully? I think it will not help the president's legacy," Biden told reporters in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware.

Taking questions from the media for the first time since his victory, Biden was asked what he would say if Trump were watching. He said: "Mr. President, I look forward to speaking with you."

Some 80% of Americans, including half of Republicans, say Biden is the rightful winner, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

Trump suffered another possible setback on Tuesday when Democrats on the House of Representatives Oversight Committee said a postal worker who claimed he witnessed ballot tampering in Pennsylvania had recanted his allegations, according to the Postal Service's internal watchdog.

The Trump campaign had attempted to use the postal worker's statement to promote an FBI investigation. Meanwhile, Trump supporters raised more than $136,000 for him on the fundraising website Go Fund Me, but the page was removed after news broke that he recanted his statement, the Washington Post reported.

Biden was to meet with advisors later yesterday who are helping him prepare to take office on January 20, 2021.

He has tapped finance, trade and banking regulation experts for his transition team that range from core Democrats to progressive activists, reflecting ongoing debate within the party about how to address climate change, wealth inequality and other issues.

Biden is also tapping people who crafted tougher environmental rules while serving under President Barack Obama.

The Biden transition team has been unable to move into federal government office space or tap funds to hire staff because a Trump appointee who heads the federal office charged with recognizing election results has not yet done so.

Biden secured the presidency on Saturday after television networks concluded he had won Pennsylvania and Nevada, giving him 279 Electoral College votes, more than the 270 needed to take the White House.

The outcome is still undecided in several states. Trump leads 50.0% to 48.7% in North Carolina, while Biden leads 49.5% to 49.2% in Georgia and 49.4% to 49.0% in Arizona, according to Edison Research.

Nationwide, Biden is leading Trump by 3.2 percentage points or nearly 5 million votes as final tabulations trickle in. Recounts are expected in several states, though they are unlikely to change the outcome.

In order to remain in office, Trump would need to win all three undecided states plus overturn the results in one or more states already in Biden's column.

Trump's fellow Republicans have largely stuck with him, saying he has a right to contest the result. But privately, some say Trump has a limited amount of time to make his case.

BIDEN TELLS WORLD LEADERS 'AMERICA IS BACK'

Meanwhile, leaders of close US allies on Tuesday telephoned President-elect Joe Biden and pledged to work together.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel all offered congratulations in calls to Biden, who a week earlier edged out Trump in the presidential election.

"I'm letting them know that America is back. We're going to be back in the game. It's not America alone," Biden told reporters in his home state of Delaware.

The transition team said Biden planned to work with the Europeans on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as well as climate change -- one of many areas on which Trump sharply differed with the allies.

On the call with Merkel, who has been savaged by Trump over her welcoming of migrants and Germany's modest defense expenditure, Biden in a statement "praised her leadership" and called for "revitalizing the trans-Atlantic relationship."