President-elect Joe Biden sought to unify the nation in his victory speech Saturday night after defeating President Donald Trump with the highest number of popular votes in the history of U.S. presidential elections.
After four days of cliff-hanger vote count, with Trump alleging that the Democratic candidate is trying to steal the election, Biden won the presidency by winning key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Nevada.
The former Vice President has already won 279 electoral votes against Trump’s 214, and is leading in Michigan and Georgia.
Trump leads in North Carolina and Florida.
Joe Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States by winning more than 74 million votes so far, the most ever for a U.S. presidential candidate.
77 year old Biden will also become the oldest person to assume the U.S. presidency.
Speaking in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said, “I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but to unify; who doesn’t see red states and blue states, only sees the United States.”
It is “time to heal” the U.S., Biden said in his first speech as president-elect.
He announced plans to constitute a coronavirus response committee to ensure it is ready to implement decisions to stem the pandemic by the time he is inaugurated.
Biden’s running mate Kamala Harris, who was elected the first female and non-white vice-president of the United States, said she may be the first woman in this office, but she “will not be the last.”
“You chose hope and unity, decency, science and yes, truth – you chose Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. And the road ahead will not be easy but America is ready, and so are Joe and I,” the 56 year-old senator from California told the gathering.
President Trump, who was playing in his golf course in Virginia on the day Biden’s victory was confirmed, has not conceded defeat, and vowed to continue his legal battle.
World leaders congratulated both the President-elect and Vice President-elect. They include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and French President Emmanuel Macron.
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