Trump finally concedes defeat, pledges 'orderly transition' after Congress affirms Biden win

Outgoing US President Donald Trump has offered the clearest signal yet that he would voluntarily leave office on January 20, pledging there would be an "orderly transition" to Joe Biden's presidency.

Trump's remarks came minutes after a joint session of the US Congress formally certified the electoral college victory of Biden as the next US president and Kamala Harris as the vice-president in the November 3 election.

The formal certification came in the wee hours of Thursday. The Joint Session which resumed its meeting late Wednesday night after it was disrupted by hundreds of supporters of Trump who violently stormed the Capitol Hill.

"Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th," Trump said in a statement minutes after the US Congress formally certified Biden's victory.

"While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again," he added, hinting at a potential 2024 run.

The counting of Electoral College votes and its subsequent certification came after an ugly episode of violence inside the US Capitol, resulting in four deaths, wherein Capitol Hill was brought under a lockdown, with lawmakers being taken to safe places, shots were fired inside the Congress and tear gas was used.

Biden described the riots in the US Capitol as an "unprecedented assault" on American democracy, and has his task cut out to spend the next four years on his administration to heal and unite a deeply polarised country after the fiercely-fought election.

Presidential election was held on November 3. Biden and Harris won a record number of popular votes, more than 80 millions and earned as many as 306 Electoral College votes.

Biden and Harris are now scheduled to be sworn in as the president and vice-president of the country on January 20. The inauguration is going to be a low-key affair given the COVID-19 pandemic.