Washington, November 7 (BBC/CNN): Democrat Joe Biden has won the 2020 US Presidential election, according to BBC projections. He will become President in January, pending the outcome of any legal challenges.
According to CNN, Biden got 279 electoral college votes against 213 secures by Republican Donald Trump. The Democrats scored 48 in the Senate against 47 by the Republicans. In the House of Representatives, the Democrats secured 211 and the Republicans 197.
At the age of 77, Biden will be the oldest president in American history. Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, will be the first-ever female/Afro-Indian American Vice President.
There is speculation about Samantha Power being considered for the post of Secretary of State. She is known to be an ardent human rights advocate.
The result was called after Biden overtook incumbent Donald Trump in the state of Pennsylvania. Winning the state gives Biden more than the 270 Electoral College seats needed for victory.
In a statement Biden says he is “honored and humbled” and that it was time for America to “unite”.
Trump to launch legal battle
The Trump campaign says “the simple fact is this election is far from over” and has launched legal challenges. Trump had earlier declared himself the winner, before all the results were declared.
More reaction is coming in from world leaders, who are not waiting for Donald Trump to concede this election before congratulating his opponent:
Congratulations From World Leaders
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she looked forward to “future cooperation” with Joe Biden.
“Our transatlantic friendship is irreplaceable if we want to overcome the great challenges of our time,” she said.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron tweeted his congratulations. “We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together,” he wrote.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was “looking forward to co-operating” with Biden and Kamala Harris and wished them “good luck”.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Biden had been “a true friend” to his country.
“I’m certain that under his presidency the relationship between our countries will grow even stronger,” he said.
Less warm words came from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who mocked US democracy and said: “Regardless of the outcome, one thing is absolutely clear, the definite political, civil, & moral decline of the US regime.”
After tweeting to congratulate Biden and Harris, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a longer statement, saying Canada and the US “enjoy an extraordinary relationship – one that is unique on the world stage”.
Both governments would “work to advance peace and inclusion, economic prosperity, and climate action around the world”, he said.
CNN Adds
President-elect Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump sparked celebrations in cities across the country, including many of the places that swept Biden into the White House.
After CNN and other news organizations projected Biden as the winner Saturday morning when he won Pennsylvania, Biden supporters flooded into the streets.
In Washington, DC, a crowd packed into the streets in front of the White House at Black Lives Matter Plaza, within seconds of the race being called. The streets nearby filled with people shouting, banging pots and pans, and singing, “Nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye.”
The celebratory crowd in the blocks around the White House created a traffic jam, with people sitting on top of cars and drivers holding their fists out the window. One person wearing an American flag as a cape walked toward Black Lives Matter Plaza with a hand-written posterboard that read, “The nightmare is over.”
People react as media announce that Joe Biden has won the presidential election, in, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 7, 2020.
People react as media announce that Joe Biden has won the presidential election, in, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 7, 2020.
Trump, however, was not at the White House on Saturday morning — he was at his golfing at his club in Virginia when CNN and other networks called the race.
In Philadelphia, which was key to Biden’s decisive Pennsylvania win, cars honked, people waved Biden flags and a large crowd gathered outside of Philadelphia’s City Hall. It was unseasonably warm, and people were pouring into the streets with everything from coffees to brunch cocktails. Most were wearing masks.
“Biden town!” a woman yelled out of a car headed down Broad Street in the city’s downtown area. There was a constant stream of cars driving by honking, with people fist-pumping out the windows.
Robert Nunez, riding in his car with his family, stood through the sunroof yelling in celebration. “The four-year nightmare is over,” said Nunez, who said he cried when he found out the Trump presidency was coming to an end.
The crowd that gathered outside City Hall began marching in the direction of Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.
“We’re just really excited about a new transition in the country,” said Beth Lapiene, a Temple University law school student who was among the revelers outside of City Hall in Philadelphia. “We’re really excited about Kamala Harris.”
She said the last few days of waiting for results were “anxiety-provoking” and she didn’t get a lot of school work done.
Her fellow law student, Daniel Gordon, 24, chimed in, “I was praying not to get cold-called in class.”
A chorus of horns filled Broad Street, right outside of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. As morning turned into afternoon, the once quiet street, which only saw occasional joggers and people going for coffee or bunch was soon filled with horns and groups of people erupting in cheers.
“I’m so happy. I don’t know what to do,” said one woman near the Convention Center, with tears streaming down her face.
At a red light, a man in a hatchback honked his horn and screamed, “We made America great again!” Another person drove by blaring “Philadelphia Freedom” from his car.
In New York City, a crowd gathered outside of the Trump International Hotel and Tower, chanting: “No More Trump!” In Times Square, a man was playing “Hail to the Chief” on the trombone. In Brooklyn, a man was dancing atop a car going down Fulton Street.
In Chicago, growing crowd gathered to celebrate outside Trump Tower. There was cheering and ringing bells while cars honked driving by, some people hanging out their car windows with Biden-Harris signs.
A crowd also gathered at Freedom Park in Atlanta. Olivia Buckmon, a Dekalb, Georgia, resident, said she screamed when she heard the news this morning, saying she didn’t think Georgia would turn blue “until Stacy Abrams,” who nearly won the governorship in 2018.
Outside Biden’s headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, a crowd was quickly growing beyond the security perimeter. There were people of all ages cheering, singing and honking their horns, and the crowd joined together to sing “God Bless America.”
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