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Video report from ITV News Washington correspondent Robert Moore
Joe biden has vowed to be a “President for all Americans” after surpassing the 270 electoral college votes required for victory over Donald trump in a close electoral race in the United States.
The former vice president was named as Pennsylvania’s winner on Saturday, which means he has an insurmountable lead in the race for the White House.
The 77-year-old president-elect said he is “honored” that the United States “chose me to lead our great country,” adding that it is time for the United States to “come together” and “heal.”
Winning the vote in Wisconsin and Michigan, three states that voted for Trump in 2016, opened several paths to the presidency for the Democratic candidate.
But it was victory in Pennsylvania on Saturday, about four days after the polls closed, that saw him on the line.
Several states are still counting votes, and even if Trump won all of them, he still would not amass enough support to topple Biden, yet it appears that the majority of the remaining electoral college votes will go to the Democrat.
Trump, who has not yet conceded, was playing golf on his Virginia course when Biden’s election was called.
See ITV news break the news of Joe Biden’s presidential victory to his sister Val
Unlike in the United Kingdom, where constituencies declare the winner during an election, in the United States, television networks declare how a state appears to have voted.
Each state elects members to the electoral college and they vote on December 14.
On January 6, the Senate then counts the votes and confirms who will be the next president of the United States.
The president-elect will be sworn in on January 20.
What happens now that Joe Biden is president-elect?
Biden, who is expected to address the nation around 1am UK time on Sunday, said on Twitter: “America, I am honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.
“The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a president for all Americans, whether they vote for me or not.
“I will keep the faith you have placed in me.”
In a statement, Biden said: “I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and Vice President-elect Harris.
“In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.
“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation.
“It is time for the United States to come together. And to heal.
“We are the United States of America. And there is nothing we cannot do, if we do it together. “
Shortly after Biden’s success was announced, his running mate Kamala Harris, who will become the first female and ethnic minority vice president, tweeted a clip of her calling him and told the president-elect: “We did it. we did”. Joe.
“You are going to be the next president of the United States.”
Meanwhile, Trump said in a statement that he considers the elections “far from over” as he repeated unsubstantiated claims of fraudulent voting and vowed to move forward with legal action.
He said: “We all know why Joe Biden is quick to falsely pose as the winner and why his media allies are trying to help him: they don’t want the truth exposed.
“The simple fact is that this election is far from over.
“Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any state, let alone highly controversial states that are heading for mandatory counts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.
“In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not allowed meaningful access to observe the counting process.
“Legal votes decide who is the president, not the media.”
People in New York singing and celebrating Biden’s victory
Trump added: “Beginning (on) Monday, our campaign will begin to process our case in court to ensure that electoral laws are fully enforced and that the rightful winner is seated.
“The American people have the right to an honest election – that means counting all legal votes and not counting illegal votes.
“This is the only way to ensure that the public has full confidence in our choice.
“It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree to this basic principle and wants ballots to be counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured or cast by ineligible or deceased voters.
“Only one party involved in a violation would illegally keep observers out of the counting room and then fight in court to block their access.
So what is Biden hiding? I will not rest until the American people have the honest vote count that they deserve and that democracy demands. “
Listen to the ITV News election podcast in the US.
On Saturday morning, a senior election official dismissed Trump’s election fraud allegations.
Trump posted a series of tweets on Saturday, claiming “bad things” happened, referring to votes “illegally received” and insisting he has won “by a lot.”
Democratic voters in Delaware, the state Biden lives in, reacted with joy after his victory was announced.
But Federal Election Commission Commissioner Ellen Weintraub said there has been no evidence of voter fraud.
Speaking on CNN after Trump’s series of tweets, which were flagged by Twitter as containing information about the election that may be “misleading,” Democrat Weintraub said: “State and local officials, and poll workers across the country , they really stepped forward.
“And there have been very few complaints about how these elections have played out.
“Very few substantiated complaints, let me put it that way. There is no evidence of any kind of electoral fraud.
“There is no evidence that illegal votes were cast.
“In fact, and you don’t have to take my word for it because people across the country, non-partisan election experts have come out and praised this election and how it was conducted.
“If you want to see the state of Pennsylvania, where the president seems to be concentrating, Senator (Pat) Toomey has come out and said that he has seen no evidence of fraud there.
“The Republican leader of the state senate there has also said he has seen no evidence of fraud.”
She added: “There has really been no evidence of fraud. None of the complaints have attached evidence of fraud.
“Really, we should be very proud of ourselves.”
His comments came after Trump wrote on Twitter that tens of thousands of votes were “illegally received” after 8 pm Tuesday “totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and some other thin states.”
A record 102 million Americans voted early or absentee as coronavirus pandemic continues to seize the country.
Shortly after the news of Biden and Harris’s victory, congratulations began pouring in from around the world.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “Congratulations to Joe Biden on his election as President of the United States and to Kamala Harris on his historic achievement.
“The United States is our most important ally and I look forward to working closely on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab took a conciliatory tone when he congratulated both Biden and Harris, but added that Trump “fought hard in what turned out to be a close competition.”
He continued: “We are looking forward to working with the new administration on all of our shared interests, from addressing Covid-19 to fighting terrorism, and working closely through our COP26 and G7 presidencies next year.
“The friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States has always been a positive force in the world.”
Former Democratic President Barack Obama said he “could not be more proud” to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, saying they will have won “a historic and decisive victory” once all the votes are counted.
“We are fortunate that Joe has what it takes to be president and already behaves that way,” he said.
“Because when you enter the White House in January, you will face a series of extraordinary challenges that no incoming president has ever faced: a raging pandemic, an uneven economy and justice system, a democracy at risk, and a climate at risk.
“I know you will get the job done with the best interests of all Americans in mind, whether or not I have your vote.”
ITV News correspondent Emma Murphy on Joe Biden, the person and the politician
Joe Biden’s presidential victory culminates nearly 50 years in politics.
He was elected senator at age 30, only for his world to fall apart, five weeks later, when his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident.
One of her surviving sons, Beau Biden, also died young, at age 46, of brain cancer.
Biden tried and failed twice before securing the Democratic Party presidential nomination.
Of course, he came to the White House as vice president of Barack Obama.
Now he himself will become the commander-in-chief.
