The former Democratic vice president has disregarded the Republican incumbent's unlikely challenge to his win, announcing on Wednesday that his long-time adviser Ron Klain will serve as White House chief of staff, marking his first major appointment. The surge in daily coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the United States is expected to dominate the presidential transition, which has intensified since the election on Nov. 3. Trump will continue to hold office until Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20. Foreign allies have congratulated Biden, with a group of prominent former world leaders called The Elders, led by former Irish President Mary Robinson, urging Trump to accept defeat out of concern for the stability of American democracy. There is anticipation for Biden's choices for Cabinet positions, with little information given so far about when announcements will be made. Antony Blinken, a diplomat and long-time confidant, is a potential candidate for secretary of state or national security adviser. The treasury secretary will need to address economic challenges such as recession and unemployment, as well as tackle issues like wealth inequality and climate change. Klain, who previously served as the "Ebola czar" under President Obama, is expected to play a key role in the Biden administration's response to the COVID-19 crisis. Biden is bringing in a trusted and experienced operative in Klain, who also served as a top aide to Vice President Al Gore during the Clinton administration. Gore told Reuters that he always appreciated his well-informed advice which was based on a strong understanding of the policy process, the validity of arguments, and the political and justice context. The United States broke records on Wednesday with over 142,000 new coronavirus cases and close to 65,000 hospitalizations. The death toll increased by 1,464, nearing the levels seen during the devastating initial wave earlier this year. Biden has secured enough battleground states to exceed the 270 electoral votes required in the Electoral College, and he is also leading in the popular vote by over 5.2 million votes, or 3.4 percentage points, with some states still counting ballots. Ever since major news outlets declared Biden the winner of the election on Saturday, Trump has had a limited public schedule and has been expressing his grievances on Twitter instead of addressing the rising number of virus cases across the country. Trump has been focusing on trying to overturn the election results in closely contested states, despite lacking evidence of any irregularities that could impact the outcome, and facing skepticism from judges. His team has also been busy fundraising for legal challenges, but only donations exceeding $8,000 will be allocated to the account designated for election challenges. Smaller donations will go to the Republican National Committee or a newly established political action committee for other purposes like travel expenses or future political campaigns. Democrats have accused Trump of attempting to erode public trust in the US election system and discredit Biden's win. Trump's presidency has been characterized by political divisions and the breaking of democratic norms. According to Edison Research, Biden had received 279 electoral votes by Thursday morning. While some news outlets have already included Arizona's 11 electoral votes in Biden's count, Edison Research had not yet declared the traditionally Republican state for the Democrat, who was leading by a slim margin of 0.3 percentage point. Similarly, results in Georgia, another historically Republican state with 16 electoral votes, also showed Biden ahead by 0.3 percentage point. In order for Trump to stay in office, he would have to win both Arizona and Georgia and also flip one or more states that are currently in Biden's favor before the Electoral College vote on December 14th, which is a very unlikely scenario. Trump tweeted on Thursday that if they can audit all the votes, he believes he will easily win Arizona. However, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs stated that the margin of victory was not close enough to trigger a recount. With less than 25,000 ballots left to be counted, Trump would need to win 65 percent of those votes in order to surpass Biden's lead. Hobbs informed CNN on Thursday that while a recount in Georgia could potentially happen, he believes it is unlikely. Georgia's Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, announced that the state will conduct a hand recount of votes. Raffensperger expressed confidence that the recount will be accurate and provide a clear understanding of the vote totals.