Trump news – live: President ‘discussed attacking Iran’ as Pompeo says transition will be smooth

Donald Trump sought options for attacking Iran to stop its nuclear program but was dissuaded by advisers’ warning it could escalate into a larger conflict, according to The New York Times.

The news casts new focus on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser Robert O’Brian publicly acknowledge for the first time the transition into a Joe Biden presidency, breaking from Trump's public comments that the election is far from over.

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, also gave a rare rebuke to the president over a planned troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq, saying a disorganized retreated would "jeopardize the track record of major successes this administration".

For Trump's part, the president spent more time focusing on the Georgia recount and lawsuits in Pennsylvania that preparing for a Biden presidency.

Biden said Trump's reluctance to concede was an embarrassment" but that it wouldn't debilitate moving forward and that he would work with any Republican who wanted to.

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