WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would leave the White House if Joe Biden is officially confirmed the winner of the US election, but he repeated that he may never concede defeat.

Trump has made an unprecedented attempt to defy the results of the November 3 vote, spreading wild theories about stolen ballots and launching baseless legal challenges that have been thrown out by courts across the country.

Answering his first questions from reporters since the election, the president moved closer to accepting that he would serve only one term in office before Biden is inaugurated on January 20.

When asked if he would leave the White House if the Electoral College confirmed Biden’s victory, Trump said, “Certainly I will. And you know that.” 

But “if they do, they made a mistake,” he said, adding, “It’s going to be a very hard thing to concede.”

“This was a massive fraud,” Trump said about the election result, again without providing any evidence.

During the press call on Thursday, the Thanksgiving holiday, he described the US voting infrastructure as “like a third-world country”.

President-elect Biden said Wednesday that Americans “won’t stand” for attempts to derail the election outcome.