Donald Trump appears to admit for first time that Joe Biden could succeed him

Washington, United States - US President says 'time will tell' if another administration takes office in January.

President Donald Trump insisted on Friday he would never put the United States into a coronavirus lockdown but said "time will tell" if another administration takes office in January and does so, the closest he has come to acknowledging that President-elect Joe Biden could succeed him.

In his first public remarks since Biden last Saturday was widely projected the winner, Trump said he expects a coronavirus vaccine to be available for the entire population as soon as April, amid a crush of new infections that has pushed daily case counts to record highs.

In broadcast remarks in the White House Rose Garden, Trump also appeared to acknowledge for the first time the possibility of an upcoming Biden administration, though he stopped short of conceding the race and did not mention his Democratic rival by name.

"Ideally, we won't go to a lockdown. I will not go, this administration will not be going to a lockdown," he said. "Hopefully the, the – uh – whatever happens in the future - who knows which administration will be. I guess time will tell."

Since the November 3 election, Trump has persisted with unfounded accusations of widespread voting fraud. But while he has continued to make such claims on Twitter, he did not repeat them in his public remarks on Friday.

Criticism of the administration's response to the virus, which has killed over 235,000 Americans, became a rallying cry for Democrats ahead of the elections.