Late on Saturday, a wide range of US media outlets from CNN to Fox to NBC and ABC all projected Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States. Biden has secured both Pennsylvania and Nevada, clearing his path to 279 electoral college votes. Counting of ballots is still ongoing in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and Georgia. Biden has the lead in all the four states, which, according to major media outlets, is unlikely to be reversed. "Former vice president Joe Biden is projected to win Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes, according to Edison Research, putting him over the 270 needed to win the presidency," The Washington Post reported.
"I am honoured and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in vice president-elect Harris," Biden said in his first statement. "With the campaign over, it's time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It's time for America to unite. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there's nothing we can't do, if we do it together," he said.
What happens next?
The US election process is very different to other countries. When American citizens vote for a presidential candidate, they really are voting for electors in their state. Those electors in most cases are committed to support the voters' candidate of choice. The number of electors is equal to the number of electoral votes held by each state. State laws vary on how electors are selected but, generally, a slate of electors for each party's candidate is chosen at state party conventions or by a vote of a party's central committee.
December 8 is the deadline for resolving election disputes at the state level. All state recounts and court contests over presidential election results are to be completed by this date. On January 6, the house and senate hold a joint session to count the electoral votes. If one ticket has received 270 or more electoral votes, the president of the senate, currently Vice President Mike Pence, announces the results.
Tough path ahead for Biden
In an almost unparallelled fashion, sitting president Trump has disputed the election results. "I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!" tweeted Trump. His campaign has vowed not to give up and has launched several law suits in some battleground states. “The simple fact is this election is far from over,” Trump said, reported The Guardian. "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.”
Not only were Biden's margins of victory in the battleground states tight, but Democrats struggled in senate races across the country. Their hopes of flipping the chamber and giving Biden the leverage he would need to pass major legislation will likely rest on a pair of senate runoffs in Georgia in January.
It doesn't really matter whether Trump concedes or not—the election results are all but done. Trump can, however, make Biden's transition into the White House difficult. He gets 10 more weeks in office and can wield his executive powers across a range of issues. And once he does depart the White House, he can still keep mobilising his angry supporters.
The 2020 campaign also made abundantly clear the depths of Trump's support, particularly among white, rural Americans. This has resulted in tension in the streets of the country as the Biden victory was announced.
From Atlanta and Tallahassee to Bismarck, Boise and Phoenix, crowds ranging in size from a few dozen to a few thousand some of them openly carrying guns decried the news. Skirmishes broke out in some cities. In Atlanta, outside the state Capitol in the longtime Republican stronghold of Georgia, which has now flipped Biden, chants of 'Lock him up' rang out among Trump supporters. The streets were awash with American flags and Trump banners.
A couple of thousand Trump supporters gathered at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania played a crucial role in Biden's victory. Trump supporters gathered in droves to express support for him and vent frustration over the outcome of the election. Outside North Dakota's Capitol in Bismarck, the state's all-Republican congressional delegation joined chanting, sign-carrying protesters. A few skirmishes broke out between Trump backers and pro-Biden and Black Lives Matters demonstrators.
-Inputs from agencies
