Mike Pence. Photo: Chip Somodevilla via Getty
Vice President Mike Pence called Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Thursday to congratulate her and offer assistance in the transition, the New York Times first reported.
Why it matters: The belated conversation came six days before the inauguration after a contentious post-election stretch. President Trump has neither spoken with President-elect Joe Biden, nor explicitly conceded the 2020 election.
- The call is the first known occasion that Pence and Harris have communicated since their vice presidential debate last fall.
- "It also represents the only one-on-one interaction between the dueling 2020 presidential tickets..." the Times writes.
The big picture: The vice president and his wife Karen Pence plan to attend Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, according to multiple reports.
- Trump has said he will not attend the inauguration and is expected to leave the White House the same morning, per the New York Times.
- "The final flouting of norms came when he refused to appear at the swearing-in, a national rite of reconciliation, becoming the first outgoing president to snub an inauguration since the 1860s," the Times reports.