Published 11:38 IST, November 8th 2020
Joe Biden says 'let's give each other a chance' in victory speech; assures Trump voters
US President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday reached out to Donald Trump's supporters and said that its 'time to put away the harsh rhetoric.'
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US President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday reached out to Donald Trump's supporters and said that its 'time to put away the harsh rhetoric.' Biden has become the President-elect of the United States after victory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania which took him past the electoral college threshold of 270 votes.
In a first address after winning the high staked US Presidential elections, Biden sent a message to those who voted for President Donald Trump, calling for unity and reconciliation. He further said that it was time both sides 'listen to each other again.'
"For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. 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," said US President-elect Joe Biden
"To listen to each other again. To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans,” he added.
Meanwhile, incumbent US President Donald Trump on Saturday, released a statement vowing that his campaign will be approaching the court to 'ensure election laws are fully upheld'. Trump stated that as Joe Biden had not been certified as the winner in any states, the 'election was far from over'. Doubling down on his claim of election fraud, Trump claimed that the American people were entitled to an honest election which meant 'counting all legal ballots and not counting any illegal ballots', according to him.
US election results
Joe Biden was declared the winner as per projections of numerous US media networks almost four days after polling closed, with mail-in ballots still being counted in some states. It was his home state Pennsylvania that finally delivered the victory to him, pushing him over the critical 270-electoral college votes mark.
While he will formally assume the Presidency in January 2021, there is still the small matter of Trump refusing to cleanly concede the election, last heard claiming that it was he who won the election and claiming that mail-in ballots had defrauded the American people. Regardless, a raft of world leaders have congratulated Joe Biden and the American people have taken to the streets to celebrate - probably not the best idea given that the US is the country worst-hit by the Coronavirus crisis with record numbers of new cases now being reported on a daily basis. Biden has stated he would take decisive action on Covid as soon as he becomes President.
11:37 IST, November 8th 2020