US election: Biden launches transition website

The transition website was launched as Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden inched close to victory

Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden on Wednesday launched a transition website, as he inched closer to the 270 electoral college votes mark needed to oust Donald Trump from the White House.  

The “Biden-Harris Transition” website, featuring only a homepage topped with an image of Mr Biden, went live utilising the URL BuildBackBetter.com on Wednesday night.  

The image was accompanied by a 71-word message, it said: “The American people will determine who will serve as the next President of the United States. Votes are still being counted in several states around the country.

“The crises facing the country are severe — from a pandemic to an economic recession, climate change to racial injustice — and the transition team will continue preparing at full speed so that the Biden‑Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One,” the unsigned message on the site added.

The transition website came amid a backdrop of claims of unspecified electoral fraud from the incumbent Republican president, while Mr Biden said he believed he would secure enough electoral college votes to sweep him to victory.  

“It is clear that we’re winning enough states to reach 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency,”  Mr Biden said in a notably brief and determined statement with his running mate Kamala Harris standing alongside. 

He made it abundantly clear, however, that he was not claiming victory. He added: "I’m not here to declare that we’ve won. But I am here to report that when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners.”

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has twice now prematurely declared victory in his fight for a second term against the former vice-president, saying he is poised to ask the Supreme Court to halt all vote-counting even as many ballots remained untallied.

Soon after, Mr Trump’s campaign team moved the court, filing lawsuits to pause vote-counting in Michigan and Pennsylvania while demanding a recount in Wisconsin.  

The Associated Press on Wednesday night declared Mr Biden as the winner in Michigan, bringing him within six electoral votes of the presidency.  

If the Democrats prevail in this election, then Mr Biden, who turns 78 this month, will be the oldest president ever to enter the Oval Office, while Senator Kamala Harris will be only the second non-white vice president.