2020 Presidential Election: Reactions to Biden’s Election
On Saturday, November 7th, the alarm first sounded that presidential elect Joe Biden reached the 270 electoral votes needed for him to secure his seat in the White House. As thousands of Americans across the country stalked the election map for updates, it was confirmed that Joe Biden was in fact the president-elect.
As of now, Biden has received 306 electoral votes compared to Trump’s 232. While Trump did win a series of states consisting of his most loyal supporters, the divisions between the two parties was further exemplified by Biden's crucial wins over key battleground states and even states that have voted overwhelmingly Republican in previous presidential elections. Nonetheless, Biden’s win was welcomed by Americans across the country, with celebrations taking place in major cities like New York and Philadelphia in reaction to Biden taking the lead.
The latest statistics show that over 79 million Americans voted in favor of Joe Biden, the former Vice President under the Obama administration. President Trump received the votes of 73 million Americans, highlighting how close this election was in comparison to the election of 2016. In many of the key battleground states, the votes were nearly split down the middle. In Florida for example, the votes were extremely close, as President Trump received 51.2% of the votes compared to Biden’s 47.9%. However, in solidly Democrat states like California, the disparity was much greater, with Trump only holding 34.1% of the votes and Biden taking 63.7%. Perhaps the most surprising development of the election race has been the results in the state of Georgia, which has voted Republican every time since 1996. Although the state is currently in the process of conducting a recount, the numbers are quite close, with Biden leading at 49.5% and Trump trailing behind him at 49.2%.
Regardless, on Saturday, November 7th, Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris delivered their victory speeches in Biden’s home state of Delaware before an overjoyed crowd. Shortly after it was declared that Biden had surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed, social media platforms like Tik Tok and Twitter were bombarded by pictures and videos depicting the celebrations that ensued across America. In New York City for example, people took to the streets to cheer for Biden and congratulate one another on his monumental victory. Car horns and cheers sounded across the city, and hundreds of New Yorkers flocked to Times Square to celebrate.
Celebrations also erupted in Philadelphia and Chicago, but Biden received additional praise from numerous world leaders who congratulated him on his win and even expressed their eagerness for Trump to depart from office. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Angela Merkel commended Kamala Harris on her historic win as the first ever female vice presidential elect. Even NATO Secretary-General,Jens Stoltenberg, offered a positive statement on Biden's election tweeting, "I know Joe Biden as a strong supporter of our Alliance & look forward to working closely with him. A strong #NATO is good for both North America & Europe" (NPR).
However, as anticipated, President Trump has not accepted defeat gracefully, as he has called for a nationwide recount and has even worked to pursue lawsuits and investigations of states that did not vote in his favor. President Trump posted a recent tweet on November 16th after a long period of silence, clearly unable to cope with the loss. The tweet reads, “The Radical Left Democrats, working with their partner, the Fake News Media, are trying to STEAL this Election. We won’t let them!” (Twitter). Trump even went as far as declaring that he won the election on Twitter on the same day, leaving Americans, politicians, and poll workers across the country deeply frustrated.
Despite President Trump’s denial, Biden will be America’s 46th president for the next four years. In spite of the divisions that the election has created, Biden has reiterated that he aims to work closely with both his allies and his opponents to reunite the American people and heal a struggling nation.
Sources:
To view photographed images from the election celebrations in NYC, click the link below
Read some of Trump’s recent tweets
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