Trump press secretary appears to acknowledge Biden election victory

The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, appeared on Sunday to admit Donald Trump lost the presidential election, a concession the president refuses to make.

Related: Trump's attacks on election integrity 'disgust me', says senior Georgia Republican

In an interview on Fox News, McEnany discussed runoff elections in Georgia in January which will decide control of the Senate.

“If we lose these two Senate seats,” she said, “guess who’s casting the deciding vote in this country for our government? It will be Kamala Harris.”

Trump refuses to concede defeat by Joe Biden, despite losing the electoral college 306-232 and trailing in the popular vote by more than 7m.

He is not alone: only 27 of 249 Republicans in Congress have acknowledged Biden’s victory, according to the Washington Post.

But the Democrat will be inaugurated in Washington on 20 January and Harris, a senator from California, will become vice-president.

Trump has filed lawsuits seeking to overturn results in a number of states, the vast majority of which he has lost.

In Georgia, the president continues to demand that Governor Brian Kemp call a special session of the state legislature, to overturn Biden’s victory.

Kemp and Republican officials including the secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, and lieutenant governor, Geoff Duncan, have refused to do so.

On Fox News, McEnany discussed Trump campaign lawsuits in a number of states, including Georgia. But she focused on the Senate runoffs in the southern state.

If Democrats defeat sitting Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue on 5 January, the Senate will be split 50-50. A casting vote from Vice-President Harris would therefore give Democrats a tenuous hold on the chamber to add to control of the House of Representatives and the White House.

“What is paramount is Georgia,” McEnany said. “Right here, right now, making sure that we hold this branch of government.”