Former Vice President Joe Biden officially becomes 46th president of the United States, defeating incumbent President Donald Trump in a tight race
BY SUDIKSHA KOCHI STAFF WRITER
After a narrow margin in the race between the two presidential candidates, former Vice President Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump, becoming the 46th president of the United States. Biden announced in his victory speech in Wilmington, Del. that he promises to unify the country and “rebuild the soul of America.”
“It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again. And to make progress we have to stop treating our opponents as enemies,” Biden said on CNN.
Nationally, Biden won 290 electoral college votes and about 75 million of the popular votes, while Trump won 214 electoral votes and about 71 million popular votes. According to CNBC, Biden was able to secure a majority of votes in several key battleground states, including Pennsylvania — where he ended with 49.69% of the votes. And Georgia where he ended with 49.5%, however a recount is taking place in Georgia.
“In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted, proving once again that democracy beats deep in the heart of America,” Biden said.
Comparing the results of this election to the results of the 2016 presidential election, Biden was able to flip a few states from red to blue. Two of these flipped states were Michigan and Wisconsin, which both had majority votes for Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
In Virginia, Biden won 54.1% of the votes, awarding him the 13 electoral votes of the state, while Trump won 44.3%. The counties that voted blue primarily rested in northern and southeastern Virginia.
“I felt like it was an easy choice between democracy and fascism, so it was an easy choice for me,” said Thomas Elmore, a retired CIA and naval officer in Richmond, to The Washington Post.
Virginia has become increasingly Democratic in years, shifting from a red to a blue state. The New York Times reported that the Associated Press had called Virginia for Biden early even though Trump was originally in the lead due to the liberal northern suburbs of the state.
“Democrats never lost focus,” Democratic Party of Virginia Chair Susan Swecker said on NBC. “We spent months talking to voters about the issues that matter most: ending the COVID-19 pandemic, fixing our nation’s health care system, getting our economy back on track, tackling climate change, rooting out systemic racism and so much more.”
However, unhappy with Virginia’s results, Republican Senator Amanda Chase of the 11th district held a small rally near the State Capitol where she espoused baseless claims that the election was fraudulent despite a decade-long history of Democratic victory in the state and the fact that Trump lost by more than 400,000 votes.
“I believe there’s been an attempt by the Democrats to steal this election from President Donald Trump,” Chase said on NBC. “Through the legislation, they passed this year, they created an opportunity to steal the election.”
While Trump supporters are alleging fraud on baseless claims, Trump has yet to concede, but, Biden is moving on to transitional work, preparing to enter the office of the president in January.
