Biden wins presidency, Trump promises more legal battles
Former Vice President Joe Biden is projected to be the 46th president of the U.S., with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), as vice president. Harris will be the first woman and woman of color to hold that office.
Biden and Harris defeated President Donald J. Trump after multiple news outlets projected Biden would win the key state of Pennsylvania, pushing him over the threshold of 270 electoral votes.
Trump is the first incumbent to lose his re-election campaign since former President George H.W. Bush lost to former President Bill Clinton in 1992.
In addition to Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes, the Associated Press (AP) also projected Biden would win Nevada’s six electoral votes. Georgia, North Carolina and Alaska have yet to be called.
The Daily Targum previously reported discrepancies between different media outlets regarding Arizona, with AP calling the state for Biden on Wednesday but not The New York Times. Due to this discrepancy, AP is projecting a total of 290 electoral votes for Biden, but The New York Times is projecting 279 electoral votes. Both outlets currently project 214 votes for Trump.
Biden released a statement earlier today and said he hopes to bring the country together as president.
“In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America,” he said, according to the statement. “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation.”
The Targum previously reported the Trump campaign began numerous legal battles to challenge the vote-counting process and election results. In a statement made after Biden’s win was announced, Trump said his team did not think the election was over and said the litigation will continue.
“Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated,” he said, according to the statement. “The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots.”
Trump’s claims of fraudulent voting lack evidence and have been repeatedly disproven by multiple media outlets, the Targum reported.
Trump also said the campaign’s election observers were not given access to election workers processing mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, which is false, according to AP. The campaign did win a court case requesting their observers get closer access in Pennsylvania, but at no point were observers completely denied access.
Although Biden has been announced as the winner of the election, races in swing states could potentially result in a recount. The Trump campaign already requested a recount in Wisconsin, the Targum reported.
In Pennsylvania, a recount is automatic if the margin between each candidate is less than .5 percentage points, according to ABC News. As of 2 p.m., Biden is winning in Pennsylvania by .5 percentage points with approximately 98 percent of the votes in, according to The New York Times.
Nevada does not automatically recount ballots, but the defeated candidate can request a recount regardless of the margin, according to ABC News. Biden leads Trump by 2 percentage points as of 2 p.m., according to the New York Times.
In Georgia, Biden is in the lead by approximately .1 percentage points with more than 98 percent of the votes counted as of 2 p.m., according to The New York Times. Candidates can request a recount once the results are certified and the margin is less than or equal to .5 percent, according to ABC News.
