Biden projected to win presidency, Trump questions election’s integrity
President-elect Joe Biden gestures to supporters Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Former Vice President Joe Biden is projected to be the 46th president of the United States, making Kamala Harris the first female vice president-elect.
The presidential race between Donald Trump and Biden was close for several days as mail-in ballots were counted across the country. The outcomes in key states Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada were followed closely during the weekend as they became the deciding factors in important electoral college votes.
On Saturday, CNN made its final call at 11:24 a.m. Eastern and was followed within two minutes by The Associated Press, NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox News.
How it happened
Heading into Saturday morning, most media organizations had Biden at 253 electoral votes. Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes would put him above the 270 needed to win. AP News and Fox News each had Biden at 264 electoral votes after previously calling Arizona for Biden.
Trump was originally winning Pennsylvania, but after the counting of mail-in ballots, Biden took the lead. On Saturday morning, Biden’s margin in the state exceeded 34,000. According to AP News, this number is above the level that triggers a mandatory recount, and news organizations concluded simultaneously that the lead was too substantial for Trump to erase.
The race was closer than any pre-election polls had suggested, with Trump holding on to contested states such as Florida, Ohio and Texas.
“Biden won back the White House the way Democrats vowed to since the day Trump won four years ago: by resurrecting the so-called ‘blue wall’ that Trump dismantled in 2016 — winning Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania,” reports NPR.
Biden was also able to flip longtime conservative states Arizona and Georgia.
In his victory speech Saturday night, President-elect Biden said, “We have won with the most votes ever cast for a presidential ticket in the history of this nation — 74 million. I am humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me. I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but to unify. Who doesn’t see red and blue states but a United States.”
Contention from Trump campaign
President Trump has not conceded the presidential race. In the days since Biden was projected to win, the Trump campaign has attacked the integrity of the election.
“The simple fact is this election is far from over,” Trump said in a statement on Saturday. “Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.”
This statement came shortly after multiple networks called the presidential election for Biden. Trump also accused President-elect Biden of attempting to undermine the electoral process and vowing to take the election to the courts.
Hours after news networks called Biden as the winner, Trump issued an all-caps tweet, falsely declaring himself the winner. Additionally, Trump claimed election observers were not allowed into counting rooms.
Despite Trump’s claim, NPR reports vote counting was observed as normal and, in many cases, live-streamed as well.
In a statement, Trump reiterated claims that votes are being counted improperly. He also emphasized his campaign’s legal challenges to the voting process, several of which have already failed in courts due to a lack of evidence of wrongdoing.
Recounts
Petitions in key contested states, such as Georgia, Wisconsin and Arizona, are calling for a recount of the votes.
In Georgia, Representative Doug Collins (R-Ga.) is leading the recount team for President Trump’s reelection campaign.
On Wednesday, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in Chatham County, Ga., demanding election officials throw out 53 ballots a poll watcher claimed arrived after 7 p.m. on Election Day.
The suit was rejected by a Superior Court judge in Chatham County on Nov. 5 after election officials testified the ballots had arrived on time.
What is happening now?
Many world leaders have congratulated Biden on his victory, declaring it an opportunity to fortify global democracy and celebrate the significance of Americans having their first female vice president.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris speaks Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
“Women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality, liberty and justice for all, including the black women, who are too often overlooked, but so often prove that they are the backbone of our democracy … Tonight, I reflect on their struggle, their determination and the strength of their vision — to see what can be unburdened by what has been — I stand on their shoulders,” said Harris in her victory speech Saturday night in Wilmington, Delaware. “But while I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
More than 100 people rallied at the Tennessee Capitol on Saturday, holding flags, chanting and singing on the Capitol steps. Similar rallies and protests have happened across the nation.
According to Reuters, minutes after major news networks called the race in the former vice president’s favor, throngs of people streamed to the White House to rejoice outside a security fence as the sound of fireworks boomed in the distance.
People celebrate in Times Square after former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was announced as the winner over Pres. Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
While clear contention exists between supporters of Biden and Trump, the president-elect has expressed a desire for the country to move toward reconciliation and unity.
“With full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with a love of country — and a thirst for justice — let us be the nation that we know we can be. A nation united. A nation strengthened. A nation healed,” said President-elect Biden.
For live updates on President-elect Biden and President Trump, visit the AP News election page.
