Joe Biden Defeats Donald Trump

Former Vice President Joe Biden has triumphed in his bid for the presidency, as projected by The AP and other major media outlets.

Biden took to Twitter to celebrate his win, and to make a promise: "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."

He attached an inspirational video to his message, including a soulful rendition of "America the Beautiful" by the late Ray Charles.

The win was history-making — Biden, at 77, is the oldest person ever elected, and his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, will become the country's first woman, first Black, and first South Asian vice president.

A jubilant Harris, who was out for a run when the news broke, posted a video of herself calling Biden to congratulate him. "We did it — we did it, Joe! You're going to be the next president of the United States," she said, breaking into her trademark laugh.

Biden's electoral college tally soared past the 270 required to win when Arizona (11), Nevada (7), and Pennsylvania (20) were called, bringing him to a total of at least 290. He could still add Georgia (16) to his win, which would result in exactly the same tally that President Trump had in 2016 — 306. The only other uncalled state, North Carolina (15), is likely to end up on Trump's column.

This time around, though, Biden — unlike Trump — won the popular vote handily, breaking the record held by President Obama (2008) for most votes in a presidential election at 75 million and counting.

In an unprecedented move, President Trump has vowed not to accept the results and is alleging fraud without providing proof of any. Trump said, via statement, "We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don't want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over. 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. In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media."

"Beginning Monday," he went on, "our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated. The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters. Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count room – and then fight in court to block their access."

"So what is Biden hiding? I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands," the statement concluded.