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Biden elected president of US after winning Pennsylvania

November 07, 2020
File photo of president-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., who carried Pennsylvania and Nevada to go past the 270 magic number.
File photo of president-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., who carried Pennsylvania and Nevada to go past the 270 magic number.

WASHINGTON — Joseph R. Biden Jr. has been elected president of the United States after being projected to win the state of Pennsylvania by AP and CNN, giving Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes to help carry Biden over the 270 electoral votes needed to win.

The 77-year-old will be the oldest president of the United States. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and tried to contrast his working-class roots from Trump's affluent upbringing. He will speak to the nation later in the night.

Kamala Harris will be the nation’s first Black and South Asian vice president, and first woman to hold that office.

While the projections of Biden’s victory were flashed, sources said that incumbent American President Donald Trump had no plans to invite Biden to White House.

There are no plans for President Trump to invite president-elect Joe Biden to the White House in the coming days, according to a source familiar with the matter. Traditionally, there is an Oval Office meeting between incoming and outgoing presidents.

Trump has often referenced his Nov. 10, 2016, meeting with Obama, including what he was told about North Korea. Trump, as made clear in his statement, is still contesting the election, so those traditional steps of a transition won't happen anytime soon.

Less clear is whether the other, more granular aspects of the transition will occur, particularly at agencies and among staff. One person familiar with the matter said there haven't been explicit instructions disseminated from the White House on how to proceed.

Harris reacted on Twitter to their projected win. "This election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it," Harris tweeted alongside a video. "We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started," she added.

Biden has won more of the popular vote than in any other US election and was projected the winner four days after the election. This is the third time that Biden has run for president.

US President-elect Biden later won the state of Nevada, adding six more electoral votes to his total. This gives him six additional electoral votes, bringing his total number of votes to 290.

German foreign minister reacted by saying the government looks forward to 'working with the next US government'.

"It's good that there are finally clear figures. We look forward to working with the next US government. We want to invest in our cooperation for a new transatlantic beginning, a new deal," German Foreign Minister Heiko Mass tweeted.

Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, meanwhile, congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory. "While we are about to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, this victory symbolizes our need to act together more than ever, in view of climate emergency," she tweeted.

Biden has said he will rejoin the Paris agreement on his first day in office.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has weighed in on Biden winning the presidential election. "It's a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America," Clinton said.

Trump too reacted claiming, Biden 'is rushing to falsely pose as the winner'. Trump did not concede the US election despite Biden being elected US president on Saturday. "Our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated," Trump said.

The campaign alleges that there are legal challenges in Philadelphia although there has been no evidence of irregularities. Observers from both parties have been present as poll workers count votes.

Philadelphia officials said they were expecting to release more votes as counting continues. More votes are also expected from Allegheny County where Pittsburgh is located. These counts could widen the margin between Biden and Trump there. Biden currently leads by .4%.

Former Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen sent a tweet to Trump showing the "right way to leave office".

Rasmussen resigned his post in 2019 after a defeat in a general election.

"Just a little piece of advice... This is the right way to leave office with honor once you have lost election. Thanks for honest conversations over the last 4 years. Let's keep in touch," the former PM tweeted. — Agencies


November 07, 2020
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