Biden presses ahead with transition, names chief of staff

President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden honor military veterans with a stop at the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing on Veterans Day on November 10, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Biden continues the process of the presidential transition as President Donald Trump continues to contest the election. Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP): US President-elect Joe Biden pressed ahead with his transition Wednesday (Nov 11) despite Donald Trump's refusal to acknowledge defeat, naming a seasoned Democratic operative as chief of staff in his first public White House personnel choice.

Biden tapped longtime aide Ron Klain, who previously served as his first chief of staff while vice president, acknowledging the two had a long road ahead in fighting the coronavirus pandemic as well as healing a deeply divided nation.