US election 2020 results: Biden wins, beats Trump and is elected new president | 8 November
US Presidential Election 2020 live
Presidential Election 2020: Joe Biden elected 46th President of the US
Current Electoral College votes per candidate (270 to win):
Joe Biden: 290
Donald Trump: 214
- A host of media outlets have now called the election for Joe Biden,who will be the 46th president of the United States
- Biden will address the nation this evening, at 8pm ET
- Biden to give Trump time before he pushes forward on transition.Trump says it's far from over, refuses to concede and sites unspecified pending lawsuits
- Biden has won both Pennsylvania (20) and Nevada (6). Biden is also up by 7,248 votes in Georgia, where a mandatory recount will happen. Along with AP we have called Arizona (11) for Biden, though many agencies say too close to call, not that it matters; without Arizona Biden's current electoral college total is still 279
- Congratulations pour in for Joe Biden, President-elect. Including cautious commendation from Barack Obama, who said "Enjoy this moment. Then stay engaged"
-Trump's fellow Republicans split between supporting his lack of conceit or congratulating Democrats' win
- Murdoch-owned media urge Trump to show grace in defeat
- White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has tested positive for covid-19, and Ja'Ron Smith resigned before the news of Biden's win
- In 27 states there have been more coronavirus cases announced in the past week than in any other seven-day stretch since the pandemic began
- Donald Trump has been roundly criticised for his poisonous rhetoric Thursday night, which fellow Republican Mitt Romney described as 'damaging'
Van Jones brought to tears after Joe Biden wins US election
Van Jones overcome with emotion
“It's easier to be a parent this morning… to tell your kids character matters.”
The CNN political commentator has not hidden his desire to see the back of Donald Trump, and the news of this becoming reality really hit home with him...and then his words with viewers.
Scottish reaction to Trump loss
The news about President-elect Joe Biden has been reported from a slightly different angle across in Ayrshire, Scotland, where Donald Trump owns a golf club.
With the headline: 'South Ayrshire Golf club owner loses 2020 presidential election,' the Ayrshire Daily News website spins the narrative axis for their local - and now more global - audience.
The Trump Turnberry in the region could, of course, be one of those locations that the current president escapes to after leaving the White House, although the January weather in that part of the world may be a little harsh for him.
America's international allies congratulate Biden on his win, hopes of stronger ties
Some of the United States’ biggest and closest allies quickly congratulated Democrat Joe Biden on Saturday, recognising his presidential election victory even though Donald Trump, with whom several have had rocky relations, had yet to concede.
Germany, Canada and France, which have had strained ties with the Trump administration despite being its G7 and NATO partners, were among the first to recognise Biden’s victory, soon after major U.S. television networks declared it.
“I look forward to future cooperation with President Biden,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a statement on Twitter. “Our transatlantic friendship is irreplaceable if we are to master the great challenges of our time.”
Merkel’s finance minister, Olaf Scholz, went further, suggesting a Biden administration would mark a reset of trans-Atlantic ties. “Now there is a chance for a new and exciting chapter in trans-Atlantic relations,” he tweeted.
“Trump is confirmed to have lost the election. This is good news for the planet, as the global far right loses its most powerful political asset,” tweeted Spain’s far-left deputy prime minister, Pablo Iglesias.
Ireland, where Biden traces his family roots, called him the 46th U.S. President, despite Trump accusing Biden of “rushing to falsely pose as the winner.” Trump has complained of electoral fraud without providing proof.
“Ireland takes pride in Joe Biden’s election, just as we are proud of all the generations of Irish women and Irish men and their ancestors whose toil and genius have enriched the diversity that powers America,” Prime Minister Micheal Martin said in a statement.
Courtesy of Reuters
Chuck Schumer shares Brooklyn joy with Joe Biden
The Senate minority leader and fellow Democrat, on the phone with Biden, holds the phone out of his car to cheers from the crowds of "we love you Joe" and Schumer relays Biden's message back: "thank you".
AS TV live stream of celebrations for Joe Biden's win
Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States in January. Washington's District of Columbia voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to elect Biden over Donald Trump.
Trump heads back to White House from golfing; Biden celebrations await
Donald Trump has left his golf club in Virginia and is now en route back to the White House, where a large crowd has gathered to celebrate Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
One man wearing a Puerto Rican flag was spotted throwing a pack of paper towels over the White House fence, an allusion to Trump throwing paper towels to a crowd outside San Juan after Hurricane Maria.
Via The Guardian
President Trump on another one-term president in his book
Writing in his book “The Art of the Deal”, Donald Trump writes "You can't con people, not for long...you can create excitement...wonderful promotion....throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don't deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on" Trump goes on to call Jimmy Carter, who also only served one term, "poorly qualified" for the job, that the "American people caught on pretty quickly that Carter couldn't do the job".
Sound familiar?
Biden supporters celebrate all over the country, Trump supporters defiant in the streets
Video courtesy of Reuters
A Trump rally speech that aged very badly
Comedian Trevor Noah dug out this gem. In the video Donald Trump says;
"Can you imagine if I lose? My whole life, what am I gonna do? I'd be saying, I lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics. I'm not gonna feel so good, maybe I'll have to leave the country, I don't know."
Trump supporters today on the steps of Michigan state house
Demonstrably the divisions exposed by Trump's appeal are as wide as ever.
US Election 2020: can Donald Trump barricade the White House and refuse to leave?
Trump hasn't conceded yet. What happens if he just doesn't?
The President has lawsuits and voting recounts planned across the country and is eager to fight the result to the end, but what happens now he's lost?
Scenes at Trump Tower New York: follow the yellow brick road...
A joker in the big apple singing and dancing to the Wizard of Oz's "Ding Dong the wicked witch is dead" song.
Jill Biden: 'He will be a President for all of our families'
Dr Jill Biden, a former second lady who will become first lady in January, tweeted a photo with Joe Biden to celebrate the president-elect’s victory.
In the photo, Biden is wearing a hat that says, “We just did. 46.” A reference to his future title as the 46th president of the United States.
Mitt Romney joins Republicans to break ranks and congratulate Biden
Admitting the Democrat has won fair and square goes against Trump's current "it's not over 'til it's over" stance.
“The media do not get to determine who the president is, the people do.”
Joe Biden wins election: when is the acceptance speech?
Joe Biden will speak at 8 p.m. ET
The President-elect had initially lined-up a potential victory speech for Friday night but he made the decision - one that may baffle his opponent - to wait until the winner was called before doing so.
On Saturday he can step forward...
Biden wins US presidential election 2020: will Trump give a concession speech?
Trump's concession speech...
Don't hold your breath for it. His latest tweet was "I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT". So probably best not to expect a concession speech any time soon.
The reality is that Trump will be going ahead with lawsuits on Monday to try and throw the election result into doubt, and it's possible we may go all the way through to the full certified results in a month's time before Biden is officially declared the winner. And even then, expect Trump to NEVER accept the legitimate result.
Streets erupt in celebration in Philadelphia
In Joe Biden's home state and the state that clinched his win today.
Barack Obama releases congratulatory statement of unity and support
Joe Biden's former boss said:
“I could not be prouder to congratulate our next President, Joe Biden, and our next First Lady, Jill Biden,” the former president said.
“I also couldn’t be prouder to congratulate Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff for Kamala’s groundbreaking election as our next Vice President.”
Obama called for a united America, urging citizens to “do our part” to find common ground with their fellow citizens to help the country unite.
“Our democracy needs all of us more than ever,” Obama said. “And Michelle and I look forward to supporting our next President and First Lady however we can.”
Pennsylvania results US Election 2020: Biden takes insurmountable lead in state to win presidency
Biden wins PA: how he did it and latest numbers
Joe Biden has taken an insurmountable lead in Pennsylvania which has secured his US presidential election win over Donald Trump.
AP gets candid shot of Trump golfing as he learns of defeat to Biden
As the presidential election was called for Joe Biden, Donald Trump was golfing at his Virginia club.
Trump supporters stay behind him
In North Carolina, Franklin Graham, an evangelist who has stood by Mr. Trump throughout his presidency, expressed concern about the accuracy of the results.
“The election isn’t over,” he said. “This is going to have to go to the courts.”
Reuters view on Mexico-US relations under Biden
A Joe Biden presidency could reset ties with top U.S. trade partner Mexico that have suffered since Donald Trump made his first White House bid, tarring Mexican migrants as rapists and gun-runners and vowing to keep them out with a border wall.
Biden, vice president under Barack Obama, was declared victor of the U.S. presidential election by several major television networks on Saturday, despite President Trump filing lawsuits, alleging fraud without providing evidence and saying the race was “far from over”.
A fixture of U.S. politics for half a century, Biden has pledged to stop construction of Trump’s southwest border wall and pursue a “humane” migration policy far more in line with the one espoused by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Under Trump, Mexico has had to duck, feint and move quickly to navigate abrupt demands that it stem illegal migration or face having over $600 billion in annual bilateral trade upended.
USA Elections 2020 results in Nevada: who has won the popular and college vote?
Biden has taken Nevada
Read the full story of how he did it, exact up to date numbers and details of popular and college vote.
Prime Minister of England Boris Johnson congratulates Biden
"The US is our most important ally" Johnson said from No.10
Facebook put a notification atop its apps...
...that said that Joe Biden was projected as the winner. It will appear for hundreds of millions of Americans on Facebook and Instagram.
Mike Isaac in San Francisco for New York Times
Rep in Michigan and Trump ally affirms Biden victory
In one of the first statements from a G.O.P. lawmaker, Representative Fred Upton of Michigan has affirmed a Biden victory.
“I am raising my hand and committing to working with President-elect Biden,” he said.
US Elections results | Who is winning the popular vote: Biden or Trump?
Biden is now president elect, but what votes did he win?
Latest statistics on the popular vote in the US election.
Jubilation in Washington DC for Joe Biden win
Cars in honking their horns in the streets this afternoon in celebration for Biden's win. The scenes are reminiscent of Barack Obama's win in 2008.
Joe Biden won Washington DC by 92.6%, Donald Trump won just 14,449 votes of almost 280,000.
AP calls that Joe Biden has won Nevada
The 6 electoral seats on offer in Nevada are a bonus at this point. Biden already has the Electoral College votes he needs to win the presidency, but the state has released enough data now that he takes Nevada too.
Biden-Harris transition planning
The Independent explores what the team looks like that will manage the handover between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
Joe Biden wins election to become 46th President of USA
Biden's whole life led him to this historical moment
How he won the presidency and what could happen during his four year first term.
Kamala Harris takes call from her new boss, Joe Biden
Vice president elect says "we did it Joe, you're going to be the next president of the united states".
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulates Biden Harris
Our two countries are close friends, partners, and allies. We share a relationship that’s unique on the world stage. I’m really looking forward to working together and building on that with you both.
Mayor of London one of the first to congratulate Biden on win
Sadiq Khan keen to build bridges and not walls.
From real estate developer to veteran of Washington
Lauren Gambino at The Guardian comments Joe Biden has been elected the 46th president of the United States, denying Donald Trump a second term after a deeply divisive presidency defined by a once-in-a-century pandemic, economic turmoil and social unrest.
Biden won the presidency by clinching Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes on Saturday morning, after days of counting votes and record turnout across the country. The win in Pennsylvania took Biden’s electoral college vote to 284, surpassing the 270 needed to win the White House.
The American people have replaced a real estate developer and reality TV star who had no political experience with a veteran of Washington who has spent more than 50 years in public life and twice ran unsuccessfully for president.
With turnout projected to reach its highest point in a century, a fearful and anxious nation elected a candidate who promised to govern not as a Democrat but as an “American president” and vowed to be a unifying force after four years of upheaval.
The result also marked the historic rise of Kamala Harris, who will be the first woman and the first woman of color to serve as vice-president in American history.
Trump in denial after hearing news Biden will replace him while at golf club
Trump statement - This is not over
"We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed.
"The simple fact is this election is far from over. 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.
"In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media.
"Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated.
"The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election.
"It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters. Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count 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 they deserve and that Democracy demands."
Trump in denial after hearing news Biden will replace him while at golf club
Trump statement - This is not over
"We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed.
"The simple fact is this election is far from over. 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.
"In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media.
"Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated.
"The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election.
"It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters. Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count 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 they deserve and that Democracy demands."
Statement by president-elect Joe Biden - it's time to unite and heal
"I am honoured and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in 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 the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation.
Trump statement overshadowed
Trump's planned press conference in Philadelphia has been slightly overshadowed by the election result, naming Joe Biden as the next president of the US. Now Rudy Giuliani is spouting similar falsehoods as we've seen from Trump all week with no mention of Joe Biden's win.
No sign of Trump himself, and no sign of a concession speech.
Vice president elect: Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris will be the next vice president of the United States. She will be the first women VP and also the first Black and South Asian VP.
The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants she was the first Indian-American senator, and the second Black woman senator.
Current electoral map
Biden on 284, per AP, having won Pennsylvania. AP have also called Arizona for Biden.
Biden wins Pennsylvania... and the Presidency
Finally! Associated Press calls Pennsylvania for Biden and with that we can now confirm (obviously subject to final certification by each state) that Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States of America.
Current President, Donald Trump, does have law suits ongoing to try and stop Biden, but the numbers make it entirely clear that Biden has won the election.
Trump preparing for live press conference from Philadelphia, in 10 minutes
MSNBC anchor tests positive for covid-19
When Rachel Maddow really can't afford to be off work at the moment. Any day now the next president will be announced in this historic election.
Fellow Republican in Pennsylvania hits back at Trump claims
Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania called President Trump's unsubstantiated suggestion that illegal votes were being counted in the presidential race "very disturbing" in an interview on "CBS This Morning" on Friday. "There is simply no evidence that anybody has shown me — or anyone else I'm aware of — of any kind of widespread corruption or fraud," Toomey told co-host Anthony Mason.
The Senator added "You can't win an election until the votes have been counted, and so we've got to finish this process."
Wear a mask, wash your hands, keep your distance
The coronavirus pandemic isn't over because the election is happening.
Donald Trump falsely claims victory again; goes golfing
Ahead of his impending Philadelphia press conference in 30 minutes' time. In actual fact, right now Joe Biden leads in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada, bringing him tantalisingly close to the presidency.
The Guardian's sources say that Trump has just arrived at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia.
Bad press for press conference location
Trolls take to online review sites to make jokes about Donald Trump's frankly embarrassing behaviour to date.
The winner hasn't even been called
And yet the preparations for the inaugural parade are under way. It's still over two months away.
Why is it taking so long?
In answer to unfounded suggestions online that the media is deliberately dragging out the result out of respect to Trump; everyone wants to go home.
Another day, another Trump press conference
This time in Philadelphia. Please see previous tweets by Donald Trump for clues to the agenda.
Florida Republican Mark Gaetz also covid-19 positive
As news breaks that another Donald Trump ally tests positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, it seems the virus is choosing its victims very carefully at this tense stage in the election process.
US Election 2020: when will military ballots be counted in Georgia?
What did Trump say about Georgia military ballots?
Was it true, and when will they actually be counted?
Washington Post reporter debunks Trump latest lies
Aaron Blake's tweet reads:
"Ballots postmarked by Election Day but received through Friday in PA are, in fact, legal. State Supreme Court said so and SCOTUS declined to intervene. Also, PA's SoS says these aren't even included in the current count, which Trump trails by nearly 29,000 votes."
The tweet has a matching warning to that on Trump's.
He added in a second post,
"PA officials say these ballots are in the thousands but not tens of thousands. In other words, this wouldn't "easily change the result." It's well shy of the margin right now.
To the extent this is Trump's fixation, he's wasting his time."
Sniper Trump puts Pennsylvania in the crosshairs of his misinformation rifle
Twitter wasted no time in placing its warning on this one, and other tweets quickly and effectively debunk the falsehoods spouted...
US Elections 2020: Senate run-offs in Georgia - when are they, who can vote?
Senate election run-offs: when and how
Both Senate seats in Georgia are set to be decided in run-off elections, as the Democrats bid to wipe out the Republicans' majority in the upper chamber.
Read the full story:
Spanish language lies damaged Democratic campaign
Spanish-language misinformation flourished online in the days surrounding the U.S. election, even as social media companies moved to stem falsehoods that could affect the vote or spark violence.
Spanish-language social media posts from online celebrities, radio commentators and others have repeatedly questioned the reliability of mail-in voting and falsely described presidential candidate Joe Biden as a socialist, according to Spanish-language disinformation experts and posts seen by Reuters.
Other postings have pushed QAnon in Spanish, a conspiracy theory that claims incumbent President Donald Trump is fighting a cabal of “deep state” sex-traffickers, and describe Biden as a “superpredator” or a “paedophile,” these people said.
Social media companies introduced new rules to crack down on election-related misinformation through labelling content, restricting its reach or removing it, but enforcement has been uneven.
While Alphabet Inc’s YouTube, Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc have all taken action against some false or misleading Spanish-language posts, many more remain online and have continued to spread, Reuters found.
Where Biden leads; when to expect more counts
Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia and Arizona all show Joe Biden leading over Donald Trump and new counts are still trickling in this weekend.
Hackers allegedly stole from Trump's Wisconsin wallet
NBC and AP say that a Republican party spokesman claims the hackers manipulated invoices from four vendors who were being paid to send out direct mail for Donald Trump's re-election efforts and to provide pro-Trump material such as hats that could be handed out to supporters.
Invoices and other documents were altered so when the party paid them, the money went to the hackers instead of the vendors.
Intensive care beds in the US fill up approaching winter
It's easy to forget for a moment that this general election takes place amid a worsening coronavirus pandemic in the US.
The US has had four straight days of more than 1,000 covid-19 deaths this week. The last time there was such a streak was in August.
The New York Times reports that at least 17 states reported single day records for new cases on Friday. And four states reported record deaths: Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Utah.
In 27 states, there have been more cases announced in the past week than in any other seven-day stretch since the pandemic began.
American-Canadian good neighbour challenge
A change from the election news cycle, a challenge that's been taken up across Twitter asks Americans if they can name all 13 of Canada's provinces and territories.
By now, after 4 days' wall-to-wall coverage as vote counting continues post-presidential election, most Canadians (and the rest of the world) should be able to name all of America's 50 states.
US Elections 2020: When did Trump start his election fraud narrative over the 2020 vote?
When did Trump first birth his election fraud rhetoric?
Donald Trump gave a speech this week at the White House where he again angrily railed about the counting of legally cast votes.
Who gives a "Scooby Doo" about Trump speech?
"This is why CNN had to cut the live feed" - a masterful lipsync has gone viral. It mocks Donald Trump's vitriolic White House speech this week, when several news agencies cut away after a few minutes.
Republican California and Democratic Texas
Check out TIME's electoral map for the USA through the ages. Starting 1984...
Who says Rupert Murdoch's a glory supporter?
The Murdoch-owned paper The New York Post which in October attempted to smear Biden's election campaign with allegations about he and his son, Hunter Biden, now seems to be cosying up to the Democrat.
VICE: Hispanic or Latinx people are not a monolith
It's long past time to stop treating the "Latinx vote" as one bloc grouping together all Spanish-speaking people—a mischaracterisation that ignores differences of race, class, language and other issues that are at the heart of Latinx people's identities and political beliefs.
Scrutiny over GOP group's efforts to oust Trump
As vote counting for the presidential election continues, probing begins into what impact the Lincoln Project (a political action committee created by former Republican strategists to prevent President Trump from winning a second term) has had on the outcome.
What's the difference between popular vote and electoral college vote?
Why does the US have the Electoral College?
And is a popular vote electoral system possible?
Read the full story:
Focus firmly on election as USA covid-19 cases continue soaring
At least 1,223 new coronavirus deaths and 132,797 new cases reported in the United States yesterday.
Over the last week, the average daily cases were 100,991, an increase of 57% from the average two weeks earlier.
This as protests and counter protest regarding ballot counting following the presidential election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden brings Americans to the streets, many foregoing masks and social distancing.
Joe Biden poised to inherit Disunited States of America
Things got ugly in America long before the election exposed the nation's divisions so plainly, writes The Guardian's Ed Pilkington;
"Joe Biden, assuming he is declared the next occupant of the Oval Office, is going to have to climb a steep and stony path before he can drag America back to anything resembling decency."
Trump: "this is an embarrassment to our country”
The Guardian's Luke Harding recounts last night's flailing incumbent president in the face of worsening numbers.
Trump reportedly spent the next few hours ringing Republican governors. At 2.30am he gave a presidential briefing. It was everything his adversaries had feared: an angry and unfounded riff in which he accused the Democrats of fraud. Trump claimed – wrongly – that he had won the election. He suggested the supreme court would intervene. “This is an embarrassment to our country,” he said, to cheers from his family and friends.
The grim scenario, which Trump had been carefully preparing for months, was now being played out on the nation’s TV screens. The president’s argument – that mailed-in votes for Biden amounted to cheating – was untrue. But like previous presidential lies, it was to have ugly real-world consequences. A dark myth was taking shape: that the Democrats had stabbed Trump in the back.
Meanwhile, Biden expressed optimism and urged voters to be patient. Later on Wednesday, results looked increasingly good for him. Trump’s 2016 path to the White House went through Michigan, a traditionally Democratic northern state, and Wisconsin. Now both had swung back and were called for Biden. In a speech that afternoon, he said: “When the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners.”
Slowly but surely, the race was going the wrong way for Trump. The president’s aggressive fightback took a familiar shape: a wave of lawsuits. In Wisconsin the Trump campaign demanded a recount, in Michigan a stop to counting, in Pennsylvania a challenge to the legality of extending ballot deadlines. And so on. The apparent goal: to prevent Trump from sliding, as each ballot was counted, to ignominious defeat.
Fiji first world leader to congratulate Biden
Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama prematurely congratulates Joe Biden (although Democrats have not won the White House, yet) and impresses on him that the world needs "the USA at the helm of these multilateral efforts and back in the Paris Agreement ASAP"
Mark Meadows spotted not wearing mask
Following news that he has now tested positive for coronavirus.
Biden gains ground in Georgia
Biden added to his margin in Fulton County, Ga., which includes most of Atlanta. He now leads by 7,248 votes in the state, with more than 98 percent of votes reported.
GOP texts incite "Stop the Steal" rally in Philadelphia
According to AP reporting, a texting company run by one of President Donald Trump’s top campaign officials sent out thousands of targeted, anonymous text messages urging supporters to rally where votes were being counted in Philadelphia on Thursday, falsely claiming Democrats were trying to steal the presidential election.
The messages directed Trump fans to converge at a downtown intersection where hundreds of protesters from the opposing candidates’ camps faced off Thursday afternoon. Pennsylvania is a crucial battleground state where former Vice President Joe Biden jumped ahead Friday.
“This kind of message is playing with fire, and we are very lucky that it does not seem to have driven more conflict,” said John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at the University of Toronto’s online watchdog Citizen Lab. Scott-Railton helped track down the source.
The texts were sent using phone numbers leased to the text-messaging platform Opn Sesame, said two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition they not be further identified. The company’s CEO is Gary Coby, the Trump campaign’s digital director.
“ALERT: Radical Liberals & Dems are trying to steal this election from Trump! We need YOU!” the text said, directing recipients to “show your support” on a street corner near the Philadelphia Convention Center where votes were being counted and tensions were running high.
Via Guardian
Supreme Court orders Pennsylvania ballot segregation
Pennsylvania Republicans have won a case with SCOTUS to order county election boards to segregate votes that arrives after 8pm on Election Day.
Pennsylvania officials had already directed counties to do that, but GOP says guidance doesn't go far enough.
Pennsylvania Secretary Boockvar said yesterday the number of ballots will be quite small.
Ja'Ron Smith resigns from White House post
The highest-ranking Black person in the White Houseand a top aide who worked with Jared Kushner, left his position yesterday.
An official said his departure was long-planned, regardless of the outcome of the election.
Smith said it was the “honor of a lifetime” to serve in the Trump administration and called his departure “bittersweet.”
I have never been more grateful for President Trump’s incompetence...he can’t even organize a coup d’état properly.
Biden extends lead in Georgia
Joe Biden's lead over Donald Trump in Georgia has now increased to 7,248.
"The purpose of our politics isn't unrelenting warfare"
"Why are you embarrassing yourself?"
With Joe Biden on the brink of the presidency, former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci has told Donald Trump to stop “embarrassing yourself” and abandon his claims that the election is being stolen from him by “illegal votes”.
Speaking to CNN early on Saturday, Scaramucci - who had a 10-day spell in the Trump administration in 2017 - told the president: “You know it’s not a fraud. Why are you making stuff up right now? Why are you embarrassing yourself?"
He continued: “He’s not used to this; he’s not handling it well. Look at the numbers - the numbers are there, he’s losing by more than he beat Secretary Clinton [in the 2016 presidential election].
“He lost and Vice-President Biden won […]," he added. "We’ve all seen a sore loser in our lives, but we’ve never seen an American president who’s a sore loser.
“There’s three presidents who’ve lost [after their first term in office] and they’ve handled it as gentle people. Look at the numbers: be the guy that people want you to be.”
Scaramucci also said: “[That Trump has picked up over 70 million votes] just re-emphasises that there’s absolutely no evidence of fraud, because why wouldn’t they fraudulently just go though the ticket and pick Democrats?”
US registers nearly 130,000 covid-19 cases - Reuters tally
US coronavirus infections surged by at least 129,606 on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, the third consecutive daily rise of more than 100,000 cases as a third wave of covid-19 sweeps the nation.
In the midst of the presidential election, the spike marks the fourth time that more than 100,000 cases of the new coronavirus have been reported in the world's worst-hit country, which is reporting about 95,000 daily cases on a seven-day average.
Twenty of the 50 states reported record increases on Friday, the same as Thursday when the national daily total crossed 120,000 for the first time.
Mark Meadows tests positive for covid-19
President Trump's Chief of Staff has reportedly told White House officials that he has tested positive for coronavirus. Bloomberg asked the Trump administration to comment on the news, which comes from government insiders, but they have so far declined to comment.
A Trump campaign aide, Nick Trainer, is reportedly also infected. It is not known when the two men first tested positive for covid-19 or if they have been in contract with Trump in that time, but the White House's attitude to pandemic precautions has been criticsed heavily in the past.
Joe Biden: "Let the process work out as we count all the votes"
With his ticket leading in four of the remaining six states not yet called, Joe Biden spoke about his plans for the future and asked the American people to be patient and let the democratic process reach its natural conclusion.
Biden calls for unity and understanding in speech
Many wondered what Joe Biden would talk about in his address to the American people on Friday evening but despite the final result not yet being announced he spoke of his confidence of securing a victory.
The division and partisan nature of the camapign has seen Americans protest in recent days as President Trump whipped up accusations of fraud. Biden struck a different tone in Delaware, calling for the country to come together to heal and move forward.
"My responsibility as President will be to bring the whole country together again... That's the job, it's called the duty of care, for all Americans"
Joe Biden Speech Live
Biden is not claiming victory yet but makes clear that he thinks it is now only a matter of time. It's not a victory lap, but he's putting on a strong show of being 'The President'. He's making reference to the mandate given by the 74 million votes so far counted for his ticket, and is talking about the work he has already began to fix the economy and tackle covid-19
"We've rebuild the Blue Wall in the middle of the country that crumbled four years ago"
Nevada election official reveals the stress his team have been under
We're coming to the end of day three of vote counting for the 2020 election and few people can have had as tough a time as vote center and counting center workers. An election official from Clark County told reporters that they were monitoring for any viable threats and upping their security, but many employers have felt scared when leaving the building.
It's another reminder of the strange and unsettling nature of this election, and the work being put in behind the scenes to make sure we get a reliable result.
US Election 2020: can Donald Trump barricade the White House and refuse to leave?
Can Donald Trump barricade the White House and refuse to leave?
The President has lawsuits and voting recounts planned across the country and is eager to fight the result to the end, but what happens if he loses?
Biden strengthens lead in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
The latest count from Pennsylvania suggests that Joe Biden's lead is extending in his home town state, which would be enough to clinch the presidency.
An additional 7300 votes have been added to Biden's tally with just 1875 going for Trump. The Democrats currently have a lead of around 27,000, with 99% of the total votes counted.
New vote count drop in Maricopa County, Arizona
There's been another batch of data published by vote counters in Maricopa County, which has seen Donald Trump make up a bit of ground on Joe Biden. The state of Arizona was called for the Democrats on Election Night but Trump's team have vehemently denied that they are out of the race.
The gap is narrowing but not fast enough for the President as he needs to be winning each drop by a higher margin if he is to retain the state.
US Election 2020: what could happen if Donald Trump goes to Supreme court?
US Election 2020: what could happen if Donald Trump goes to Supreme court?
President Trump and his team are filing challenges to the vote count across the US in an attempt to change the outcome to his favor at the Supreme Court.
Democrat supporters celebrate Biden overtaking Trump in Pennsylvania
Eyes have been on Pennsylvania over the last day as Joe Biden made a significant step towards the White House, overtaking Donald Trump in the state worth 20 Electoral College votes. As the news was announced Biden supporters took to the street to celebrate their man making good ground in his home town state. Vote counting is ongoing but a victory here would secure him the presidency.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner could stage an "intervention" on the President
Day Four of the 2020 presidential election and we're still not sure how this unique race will be resolved. It does appear that a victory for Trump seems increasingly unlikely but with lawsuits readied and recounts demanded, he will not be going quietly.
MSNBC’s White House correspondent Hallie Jackson has spoken to an unnamed White House official who claimed that talks have already begun to decide who tells Trump that he has finally lost. One solution mentioned was that the President's daughter and son-in-law could be used as the barers of bad news, telling Trump that his hopes of re-election have ended.
Alternatively, that thankless task could be left to the Secret Service and US Marshalls. When asked about the possibility that Trump would not concede Andrew Bates, spokesman for the Biden campaign, seemed unconcerned: "The US government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House,"
Republican attempt to halt vote counting in Nevada is denied
The Nevada GOP had filed a lawsuit requesting that vote counting be stopped for a Congressional race in Clark County. The two Republican claimants had attempted to block the signature verification procedures used for processing votes in the county, but have been denied.
The case was presided over by Judge Andrew Gordon, who dismissed the lawsuit on Friday saying: "Why do I grant extraordinary relief if you don't have evidence that supports a likelihood of success on the merits?"
Trump may find new lawyers to fight election lawsuits
With a prospect of multiple legals battles in a variety of different states, the President may call in a new squad of lawyers to fight his corner. To date Trump has been getting legal advice from his long-time team but he is considering bringing in some new blood.
He has already intitiated lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia despite two of the races still undecided, suggesting that more may be in store. If he is to stand any chance of winning these very tenuous claims, he needs an enormous legal team to do it.
Benjamin Ginsberg, a top Republican election lawyer and national counsel to George W Bush, told CNN: "It is at best unproven that the Trump campaign can command the sort of infrastructure they would really need to pull this off."
Campaign sources suggest Biden may not speak tonight
It had been reported that Joe Biden would be speaking tonight with some speculating that he may be claiming victory, but that no longer looks to be the case.
MSNBC have quoted campaign sources as saying that there will not be an address from the former Vice President this evening unless there is considerable movement in the vote count that sees him declared the winner in one of the remaining outstanding states.
We'll have to see how the night progresses but that caveat from sources close to the Biden team does suggest that he was intending to claim victory.
Trump's tweets become increasingly misleading
The New York Times has found that 15 of the first 44 tweets and retweets from Donald Trump's Twitter account since the first polls have been flagged by the site. Most have received the "disputed or misleading" warning that Twitter has began using to fight misinformation during this election.
Notably, it appears that the President's grasp on reality is becoming increasingly loose as the presidency slips away from him. On Thursday, half of his tweets received the "disputed or misleading" stamp of shame.
Trump supporters arrested in Philadelphia with guns
Some more information on the news that Pennsylvania police have apprehended two men from Virginia who who found near the Convention Center in Philadelphia, that was being used to count votes. The police were tipped off that the men were in possession of semi-automatic weapons and had travelled to the city to "straighten things out”
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf condemed the men, saying: "Pennsylvania is going to count every vote and no amount of intimidation will stop our dedicated election officials in our municipalities ... The planned attacks on our elections this morning are undemocratic and all elected officials must denounce them."
Arizona vote count suggests early call was correct
AP's calling of Arizona for Joe Biden on Election night was one of the biggest moments of the election so far, as the Democrat's flipped a traditionally Republican state. Since then the decision has drawn a huge amount of criticism from Trump and his team for coming too early, but with less than 5% of the vote count remaining it seems they got it right.
The latest results come from Maricopa County, where Trump has made up a tiny amount of ground but nowhere near enough to make a difference at this late stage.
US Election 2020: who does Donald Trump owe money to and who raised his legal disputes?
Who does Trump owe money to and how much does he owe?
Donald Trump is believed to have debts of over $1.1 billion to multiple creditors, and much of it will be reaching maturity in the next three to four years.
Read more:
Trump tweet warns against wrongful claim of victory
Yep, Donald Trump has suggested that Joe Biden should not get ahead of himself and falsely claim the presidency. Biden and Kamala Harris will give a speech tonight as the Democrats appear to be closing in on victory but it is unclear if he will be declaring himself the winner at this stage.
The message posted on Twitter just moments ago also states that Trump "could make that claim also" -conveniently forgetting that he already has, and that he really can't.
“I saw the president’s speech last and it was very hard to watch. The president’s allegations of large-scale fraud and theft of the election are just not substantiated."
US presidential election 2020 results: what Trump and Biden need to win
What do Donald Trump and Joe Biden need to win to secure the presidency?
After three days of counting it seems like Biden is going to be the victor as he leads both the Electoral College and in three of the remaining uncalled states. However a Trump win is still technically possible.
Trump supporters receive new fundraising email from the President
Things seem to be getting a bit tetchy at Trump HQ, as this pretty forthright fundraising email from earlier today shows. Well, lawsuits can be an expensive business...
Philadelphia Mayor tells Trump to accept defeat
Vote counting is still going on in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but with Biden's lead growing Mayor Jim Kenney thinks that it is time for Trump to accept defeat. Speaking to reporters earlier today, Kenney said: “I think what the president needs to do is, frankly, put his big boy pants on."
Biden's lead grows in Georgia
It appears that we're going to see another flip confirmed in the coming hours as Biden begins to pull away from Trump in Georgia. He is now up by over 4,000 votes with fewer than 50,000 still to be processed. That represents less than 1% of the total number of votes cast, in the state, demonstrating how tight the race has been.
Even before the count has finished the President has already announced that he intends to appeal the result.
Trump supporter dons eagle head in Detroit
Fans of Donald Trump are protesting the result of the election outside the TCF Center in Detroit, where votes are being counted for the state of Michigan. The state has already been called there but it is one of three places that Trump has already announced he intends to fight the result.
Many Trump supporters were openly carrying weapons as the gathered for a third consecutive day. On Wednesday officials were forced the lock the doors as protesters looked to gain access due to fears of fraud.
New Georgia Congressman: "It's going down to the wire"
Nikema Williams, the Congresswoman serving in former Congressman John Lewis’ seat, has spoken about her pride that Georgia could be the deciding vote in removing Donad Trump from the White House. Congressman Lewis was a relentless civil right campaigner who sadly died earlier this year after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Williams said that she had predicted that Georgia could be a battleground state before the election and was thrilled that it looked like they might be returning a vote for the Democrats.
On seeing the news that Georgia could deliver the decisive votes to remove Trump, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu tweeted: “John Lewis is smiling”.
The 'narrative' is just timing
The fascinating thing about the 'race for the White House' we're currently following is that there is no 'race' - there is no actual narrative, as if the candidates are making moves on a chess board: Trump takes Florida, but Biden hits back by taking New York.
All the votes have already been cast - the result already actually exists, we just don't know what it is yet - all that's happening at the moment is adding up the votes to get to that result. The states could be given say 15 days to count up all the votes without announcing anything and then just tell us who won*.
So the whole concept of a “path to White House” as if it were a dynamic thing is a myth. The 'narrative' we're experiencing is just the timing of the vote counting and announcing. And yet how incredibly compelling it is...
As someone else pointed out with this election, given how we've been having small, but constant bits of action over several days with no actual result, the closest thing this could be compared to might be a game of test match cricket.
* The reason it's done like this is for transparency of course, rather than to make the election results more exciting.
Another count update expected from Nevada
Clark County, NV is set to update their official vote count with another 100,000 recently processed ballots within the next hour. Biden currently has a decent lead but Trump is still holding out hope, despite actually losing out to HIllary Clinton in Nevada four years ago.
With six Electoral College votes on offer, this could be the one that takes Biden to the all-important 270 and clinches the presidency.
Further details on the Democrat speech
It appears that in addition to Joe Biden, his running mate Kamala Harris will also speak to the nation tonight as they look to have clinched the election.
Tyler Pager of Bloomberg News suggests that it will begin at 8pm tonight, with Harris to speak first. No one from the BIden campaign has officially claimed the presidency so far, but Biden did say yesterday: "We have no doubt when the count is finished Senator Harris and I will be delcared the winners.”
RNC demands time to find evidence of vote fraud
The chairman of the Republican National Congress Ronna McDaniels has said that they will need time to prove President Trump's unsubstantiated accusations of voter fraud. Trump has sought to muddy the waters throughout the course of the election and with Joe Biden on the brink of 270 Electoral College votes he is now trying to delegitimise the results.
McDaniels told Fox News: "It’s funny that we rush to judgment, we want to get this election over with, but if there is election fraud, which everyone accuses or says there wasn’t, or if there were these irregularities, we need to pursue them,"
When asked by Fox News anchor Bret Baier if they had evidence, she said: "You know Bret, we're working on that. And that’s why I'm saying, give us time."
US Elections results | Who is winning the popular vote: Biden or Trump?
Who is winning the popular vote: Biden or Trump?
The vast majority of the votes have now been counted and reported, but which of Donald Trump and Joe Biden has received more individual votes from the American people over the course of this election?
Joe Biden to give speech later tonight
With the Democrats ahead in most of the remaining states and a healthy lead in the Electoral College, it appears that the former VP will be the next President of the United States. Biden's team have announced that he will give a speech during "prime time" this evening, with commentators widely assuming that he will claim the victory and the presidency.
Usually, this move is met with a concession from the other candidate but this election is not usual, and nor is the incumbent. We'll have to wait and see if Biden does look to claim the win, and how Trump will take it. Considering he's spent the last two days tweeting and filing baseless lawsuits, we'd guess: Not well.
Pennsylvania police arrest two men with guns near counting center
Two men with have been arrested for carrying unlicensed firearms in their Hummer, which displayed Qanon bumper stickers. The two men were arrested outside the Philadelphia Counting Center as the vote count continues in the 2020 presidential election.
In his paranoia-fuelled White House speech last night, Trump had accused the Democrats of manufacturing votes in Philadelphia, which he described as one of America’s ‘most corrupt cities’.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the two men were arrested after a tip off warning them of a mother, son and another man from Virginia who had travelled to the city to “straighten things out”. Hundreds of supporters of Biden are gathered outside the center currently, as they await confirmation of a Democrat victory.
Election fever spreads around the world
As America waits with bated breathe to see the final count in key states like Pennsylvania and Georgia, others around the world are just as keen to see some resolution to what has been a chaotic presidential race. Pennsylvania are believed to have counted over 95% of their total votes, and if Joe Biden can hold onto his slender lead he will be confirmed as the next President.
Trump demands Supreme Court reject mail-in ballots
He has been building up to it for months now and it appears that the outcome of the 2020 presidntial election could well be taken to the Supreme Court. Mail-in ballots have been a central part of Trump's ridicuous claims of fraud and he is now calling for a great number of postal votes to be discounted.
In many states, mail-in ballots postmarked on the day of the election are permitted so these would be legally-cast ballots by eligible Americans. The President's desperation could see this taken to the highest court in the land, but he does not seem to have the required political backing from the GOP to make his baseless claims stick.
More votes to be counted in Georgia
Election officials in Georgia have announced that they are still awaiting over 8,000 military and overseas ballots as they near the end of their count. Georgia had been expected to be a banker from President Trump but Joe Biden now has a slender lead of less than 2,000 votes.