IT'S JOE TIME!
Joe Biden vows to ‘heal America’ and tells Trump fans ‘give me a chance’ after election win
JOE Biden vowed to "unify” and “restore the soul” of the nation in a victory speech on Saturday night aimed at healing divisions.
The Democrat, 77, called for an end to "this grim era of demonization" and reached out to Trump supporters, saying: "Let's give each other a chance."
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"I pledge to be a president who does not seek to divide, but unify," Biden said. "Who doesn't see red states and blue states, but United States."
Speaking directly to Trump supporters, the president-elect said: "I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself. But now let’s give each other a chance.
"It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again."
The speech came amid reports that the election - as his father-in-law still insists he won.
I pledge to be a president who does not seek to divide, but unify.
Joe Biden
Much of Biden's speech focused on unity at a time when the nation is dealing with incredible division and turmoil.
He said: "The Bible tells us: to everything there is a season, a time to build, a time to reap, a time to sow, and a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America."
In a veiled attack on Trump, he urged Americans to reject "demonization" and let the country's "better angels" prevail.
Biden continued: “I sought this office to restore the soul of America, to rebuild the backbone of this nation - the middle class - and to make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home."
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After the speech, Biden was joined on stage by his family, including his son Hunter, whose recent email scandal put the campaign in jeopardy.
The president-elect .
Biden was introduced by vice president-elect Kamala Harris, who applauded the American people for stepping up and voting.
"You delivered a clear message: you chose hope, unity, decency, science, and yes, truth," Harris said.
Biden also posted an Instagram story - appealing to the social media generation - promising to work for "dignity and respect for all".
He vowed: "We can make this country what it should be."
and Harris are already getting to work and are reportedly set to announce a Covid-19 task force on Monday.
According to Axios, the 12-member task force will help "combat and contain" the spread of the coronavirus which has killed 236,099 Americans.
Biden is also expected to rejoin the Paris climate accords and reverse Trump's withdrawal from the World Health Organization, .
However, his speech came amid legal challenges from President Trump who claims, without citing any evidence, that the election was "stolen."
A White House official confirmed last night the "President will accept the results of a free and fair election" - as the president's own tweets suggested he is not ready to drop his legal fight.
News of Biden's historic win sparked with people pictured dancing in New York and Washington DC.
I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.
Joe Biden
sent past the 270 electoral college vote winning post after days of suspense in one of the most nailbiting races in US political history.
The former VP captured the 20 electoral votes from the crunch state – propelling him into as the 46th President of the United States.
Shortly after Pennsylvania was called, Biden was declared the winner of Nevada giving him another six electoral votes, the AP confirmed.
Reacting to news of his win, Biden tweeted: "America, I’m 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 you voted for me or not.
"I will keep the faith that you have placed in me."
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The 2020 Election win came as:
- Biden warned
- tested positive for Covid-19
- Republicans blasted Trump for
- The President insisted: ""
His wife Jill, who will become the new First Lady of the United States, tweeted a photograph of the couple together with the caption: "He will be President for all of our families."
Biden has since changed his Twitter bio calling himself "President-elect" and declaring that he is "Ready to build back better for all Americans."
His , who will become the first female Vice President in history, was filmed on the phone to Biden telling him: "We did it Joe."
'WE DID IT JOE'
Former President Barack Obama congratulated his former VP, Jill and Harris.
He said: “In this election, under circumstances never experienced, Americans turned out in numbers never seen.
"And once every vote is counted, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will have won a historic and decisive victory.”
Obama also mentioned the "extraordinary challenges" Biden and Harris have in front of them.
He continued: "We’re fortunate that Joe’s got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way."
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Biden fought back a deficit in several battleground states riding a huge wave of mail-in ballots which Trump said shouldn’t have been counted branding them "fraudulent.”
Trump joins only nine other presidents who have - a fact which is bound to sting the brash New Yorker who prides himself on being a "winner."
The firebrand today once again claimed he "WON THIS ELECTION" as he fumed on Twitter before
Meanwhile, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi congratulated Biden on his victory.
She tweeted: "In President-elect Joe Biden, Americans elected a leader ready on Day One.
"Working together with President Biden and Vice President Harris, we have the opportunity to deliver extraordinary progress For The People."
And Senator Chuck Schumer tweeted a video of himself holding his phone to cheering Biden voters in Brooklyn while the President-elect was on the line.
Last night, from Delaware asking people to be more "civil with one another" amid ugly scenes with storming vote counts.
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Biden said: "We may be opponents, but we're not enemies. We're Americans.
"We don’t have any more time to waste on partisan warfare.
On the streets of New York City, Biden supporters expressed their joy to The Sun Online.
Danielle Purdy, 34, an actor from Oregon living, said: "I’m relieved, like pure relief, which is probably going to turn into a crashing exhaustion after these four days.
Frances Abea-Vellair, 64, who is a teacher from Harlem, said: "I excited, I was happy, I prayed, I lit my candles.
"My family and I we kept praying that god will deliver us this day and he has done so.
"To bring us back to what this country is about, one people, one destiny, working together to making this country a great country, what it has been and will be today. Biden and Kamala."
Pro-Trump supporters also came out in cities across the US on Saturday, and some got into - at times violent - .
DON HIS WAY OUT
Trump had repeatedly urged his supporters to vote in person and his base has tended to be more bullish in the face of .
But Biden’s backers were more cautious and many opted to send their ballots in the post, causing the late surge.
Trump has sensationally accused Biden’s campaign of carrying out a “fraud on the American public” without providing any evidence for his claims.
Today, he once again raged on Twitter about "tens of thousands" of "illegal" votes.
This comes as campaign insiders claim and has told allies that he has no intention of admitting defeat, reports.
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The report says the Republican's view that the election was "stolen" is being supported by his adult sons and some senior aides.
Yet according to CNN journalist Jim Acosta, a campaign insider admitted the President's team has "nothing concrete" to back up their claims of "fraud."
Meanwhile, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani said this morning in Pennsylvania the situation was "extremely troubling".
He alleges that "President Trump's campaign was denied its right
to fair count" and said the case will be filed in federal court.
The former mayor of New York said more than 50 court watchers will testify that they were "uniformly deprived of their right to inspect any single part of the mail-in ballots."
Giuliani added: "There was zero security. The people of this country have no assurance of all that those ballots that were cast."
There was zero security. The people of this country have no assurance of all that those ballots that were cast.
Rudy Giuliani
Trump launched a barrage of lawsuits in key states to challenge the results forcing Georgia into a recount after Biden had wrestled back a slender lead.
But, in the end it wasn’t enough for the President and the Democrat challenger was able to get across the line.
The president-elect made history after securing the most votes of any presidential candidate ever, smashing Barack Obama’s 2008 record.
Biden landed more than 74million votes – by over four million.
Trump's campaign team has insisted the "election isn't over" as they blasted outlets that had called final results as votes were still being tallied.
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Matt Morgan, Trump's campaign general counsel, said: "Biden is relying on these states for his phony claim on the White House, but once the election is final, President Trump will be re-elected."
Trump also blamed a burst water pipe for his trailing behind in Georgia before he won his case to have a recount in the state.
Trump supporters are getting behind the call as well. Earlier this week, violence broke out in as Trump supporters stormed a voting center, screaming "stop the steal."
Pictures showed armed MAGA supporters protesting the election results at an official office in Maricopa County in Phoenix, on Wednesday night.
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The unrest erupted after the Associated Press declared Biden the winner of the state earlier that day - despite mail-in ballots still being counted.
They made the call when 80 percent of the ballots were counted but concluded that after analyzing the votes that there were not enough for Trump to catch up.
In Detroit, Michigan, at a counting site on Wednesday, as they tried to keep ballots from being tallied.
The tense scene came shortly before had projected a victory for Joe Biden in the state.
The Democrat managed to beat Trump, who controversially claimed victory before all of the votes were counted.
We did win this election. This is a fraud on the American public.
Donald Trump
Trump addressed the nation in an extraordinary speech from on Wednesday morning in which he called for "all voting to stop" and suggested his campaign would take any defeat to the Supreme Court.
fumed there had been a "major fraud" - despite there being no evidence to suggest any problems with ballots.
He said: "We did win this election. This is a fraud on the American public."
Trump added: "This is a major fraud on our nation. We want the law to be used in a proper manner, so we’ll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"We want all voting to stop."
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When will Joe Biden take office?
ON January 20, 2021, Inauguration Day will see Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris sworn in as president and vice president at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.
Visitors to the U.S. Capitol and the White House in October would have noticed preparations underway for the ceremony while Joe Biden and Donald Trump were campaigning.
Low-flying helicopters were swooping around town as part of beefed-up security precautions.
The Architect of the Capitol is currently busy constructing the inaugural platform from scratch.
The platform traditionally holds more than 1,600 people, including the president and vice president, members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and the outgoing president and vice president.
Bleachers above the platform hold 1,000 further visitors.
The view from the West Front stretches the length of the National Mall, where Americans from around the country gather to catch a glimpse of history.
He went on: "To me, this is a very sad moment. And we will win this. As far as I’m concerned, we already have won it."
His comments were immediately condemned by Biden's campaign as "outrageous, unprecedented and incorrect" and even Trump's Republican allies questioned his accusations.
Today, the Republican continued his combative rhetoric in a series of angry tweets.
He wrote: "Tens of thousands of votes were illegally received after 8 P.M. on Tuesday, Election Day, totally and easily changing the results in Pennsylvania and certain other razor thin states.
"As a separate matter, hundreds of thousands of Votes were illegally not allowed to be OBSERVED…
"..This would ALSO change the Election result in numerous States, including Pennsylvania, which everyone thought was easily won on Election Night, only to see a massive lead disappear, without anyone being allowed to OBSERVE, for long intervals of time, what the happened…"
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He then claimed that vote counts were blocked by "tractors" despite the centers reportedly having independent observers inside during the process.
Trump tweeted: "…Bad things took place during those hours where LEGAL TRANSPARENCY was viciously & crudely not allowed.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
"Tractors blocked doors & windows were covered with thick cardboard so that observers could not see into the count rooms. BAD THINGS HAPPENED INSIDE. BIG CHANGES TOOK PLACE!"
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Vice President-elect Kamala Harris says it's time to 'heal the soul of our nation'
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