Now the president-elect, Biden took an insurmountable lead in Pennsylvania on Saturday morning, the fifth day of vote-counting after Election Day. His victory in the Keystone States gave him 273 electoral votes from states where a winner has been projected, surpassing the 270 majority needed to win.
“I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris,” Biden said. “In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.”
Americans flooded the streets in cities like New York and Washington to celebrate the win, with large crowds gathering in Times Square and near the White House to loudly mark Mr. Trump’s defeat.
Mr. Trump immediately refused to acknowledge the victory, vowing to continue challenging the validity of legally cast ballots in several states. The Trump campaign has launched a flurry of lawsuits in an attempt to delay the counting of votes, but this litigation has thus far been unsuccessful.
Biden’s victory is historic, as his running mate, Kamala Harris, will be the first woman and first Black and Asian-American person to serve as vice president.
The projection that Biden has won the presidency comes 48 years to the day after he first won election to the Senate on November 7, 1972. Biden was just 29 years old when he won his seat in Delaware, and would serve for 36 years.
Just over a month after his 1972 victory, Biden’s wife and infant daughter were tragically killed in a car crash that also hospitalized his two sons, Beau and Hunter.
Biden considered resigning before taking his seat after the accident, but the Senate’s Democratic leader convinced him to serve. He was sworn in next to his son’s hospital bed.