A few minutes before noon on Saturday, November 7th, Joe Biden was declared the winner of the US presidential election. He is projected to have won over 290 electoral votes.
The call was made by several American news outlets, such as CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, and the Associated Press after four days of vote counting and increasing anticipation across the country and the world.
Biden was declared the victor of this election after votes were finally counted in the states of Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona, and it was clear that he had won.
The President-elect tweeted: “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.”
Meanwhile, his running mate, Kamala Harris, who will now become the first female vice-president in US history, simply tweeted: “We did it, Joe,” alongside a video that shows her talking to Biden on the phone.
After four years of Trump as president, many people thought Biden would take this election quickly, and by a landslide. However, the reality is very different. Biden will have to deal with a clearly divided country. He has said that although he won the presidency as a Democrat, he will govern as an American president for all American people. He will work hard for those who supported him as well as those who didn’t.
In a statement released after his victory was declared, Biden wrote: 'With the campaign over, it's time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation... It's time for America to unite. And to heal. We are the United States of America. And there's nothing we can't do, if we do it together.'
Biden and Harris have a monumental challenge ahead of them. Not only will they try to unite a divided nation and restore faith in democracy, but they will also have to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the current economic crisis in the country.
Throughout his campaign, Biden promised a healthcare system that was affordable and accessible for everybody. He also proposed an economic plan that will reward work, and not wealth, in the country.
We’ll have to wait and see how all of this takes shape. Although Trump keeps claiming that the election was a fraud and will be suing for a recount of votes, the people have clearly spoken and have voted him out of office.
Coming inauguration day next January, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will take the United States into a new chapter.
