The CEO of the Republican-leaning US Chamber of Commerce urges Trump to start the transition to Biden immediately 'for the sake of Americans' safety'

• Top business leaders are increasingly recognizing Joe Biden as the president-elect, even as President Donald Trump refuses to concede.
• Tom Donohue, the CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, on Thursday urged Trump to start the transition process to Biden without delay.
• "While the Trump administration can continue litigating to confirm election outcomes, for the sake of Americans' safety and well-being, it should not delay the transition a moment longer," Donohue told Axios.
• Donohue has worked closely with Republican presidents in the past.
• Executives from Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, IMB, Microsoft, Facebook, PayPal, Rent the Runway and many others have already congratulated Biden on his election win.

CEOs are increasingly recognizing Biden as the president-elect, even as President Donald Trump refuses to concede.

Tom Donohue, the CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, who has worked closely with previous Republican presidents, urged Trump to start the transition to Biden as soon as possible.

"While the Trump administration can continue litigating to confirm election outcomes, for the sake of Americans' safety and well-being, it should not delay the transition a moment longer," he told Axios.

He added that Biden's team has "a wealth of executive branch experience that should allow them to hit the ground running."

Donohue has served as the Chamber of Commerce's CEO since 1997. Under his leadership, the chamber has typically aligned with Republication policies, supporting tax cuts alongside Republican candidates in elections.

Its members include many powerful GOP donors.

The chamber formally recognized Biden's election victory on November 7, saying it "stands ready to work with the Biden administration and leaders on both sides of the aisle to restore public health, revitalize our economy, and help rebuild American lives and communities."

On November 4, the day after Election Day, Donohue had urged Americans "to be patient and have faith in our systems and trust the local officials who oversee the elections in their communities."

Business leaders ranging from Wall Street banks to Silicon Valley tech giants have congratulated Biden on his win, despite President Donald Trump's refusal to concede.

Executives from Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, IMB, Microsoft, Facebook, PayPal, and Rent the Runway all congratulated Biden soon after major news outlets projected his win.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said President Trump's loss proves "unity, empathy, and decency are not characteristics of a bygone era."

The Business Roundtable, which represents top CEOs including executives from Apple, Walmart, and CVS Health, congratulated Biden and Harris, adding: "We believe that all Americans can have utmost confidence that the outcome reflects the will of the American people."

On Monday, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris spoke with labor leaders and the CEOs of General Motors, Microsoft, Target, and Gap to discuss economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, cementing their acceptance of his win.

Read more: Democrats agitating for a Trump 'truth commission' that investigates the outgoing president's COVID-19 response, business entanglements, and border separation policies

But business leaders are worried about Trump's refusal to concede. On November 6, more than 24 CEOs of top US firms met to discuss what to do if Trump's refusal to concede to Biden becomes a threat to democracy.

Current and former Trump officials are also quietly reaching out to the Biden transition team, even as Trump continues to challenge the 2020 election results.

His administration is also reportedly withholding a stack of messages from foreign leaders to Biden, and is refusing to share COVID-19 data with the incoming administration.