Former first lady Michelle Obama has urged President Donald Trump to "respect the results of an election," in a lengthy Instagram post.
Reflecting on the US election results four years ago, when Donald Trump won the presidency, Ms Obama says she was "hurt and disappointed," but listened to the American people.
"My husband and I instructed our staffs to do what George and Laura Bush had done for us: run a respectful, seamless transition of power—one of the hallmarks of American democracy," she wrote.
"We invited the folks from the president-elect’s team into our offices and prepared detailed memos for them, offering what we’d learned over the past eight years."
In the post, Ms Obama admits the transition was not easy.
"I have to be honest and say that none of this was easy for me. Donald Trump had spread racist lies about my husband that had put my family in danger.
"That wasn’t something I was ready to forgive. But I knew that, for the sake of our country, I had to find the strength and maturity to put my anger aside.
"So I welcomed Melania Trump into the White House and talked with her about my experience, answering every question she had—from the heightened scrutiny that comes with being First Lady to what it’s like to raise kids in the White House."
In turn, she is calling on Donald Trump to do the same, writing "our democracy is so much bigger than anybody's ego."
President Donald Trump and former president Barack Obama stand on the steps of the US Capitol with First Lady Melania Trump and Michelle Obama. Source: Getty
"Our love of country requires us to respect the results of an election even when we don’t like them or wish it had gone differently—the presidency doesn’t belong to any one individual or any one party.
"To pretend that it does, to play along with these groundless conspiracy theories—whether for personal or political gain—is to put our country’s health and security in danger.
"Do your part to encourage a smooth transition of power, just as sitting presidents have done throughout our history."
It comes as President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday , saying "more people may die" of coronavirus without immediate coordination on fighting the surging pandemic.
"If we have to wait until (inauguration day) 20 January to start that planning, it puts us behind for a month, a month and a half," Mr Biden told reporters in his home town of Wilmington in Delaware.
"And so it's important that it be done, that there be coordination now."
Several experts including former Trump administration officials have warned that the outgoing president's refusal to cooperate on the transition while he challenges election results in court could have devastating consequences as the nation grapples with COVID-19 spikes.
The United States added one million new cases in less than a week, a dizzying rise to more than 11 million confirmed infections and 246,000 American deaths, a global high.
Additional reporting by AFP.
