Networks call Georgia for Biden as security officials say vote was ‘secure’
Follow the latest updates
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
As Donald Trump continues to refuse conceding the 2020 presidential race to Joe Biden, the president-elect was said to have spoken with Senate Republicans who have begun to admit he should at least receive intelligence briefings that have so far been denied.
On Friday afternoon most networks called Georgia for Mr Biden and North Carolina for Mr Trump bringing their respective electoral college vote totals to 306 to 232.
US federal and state cybersecurity officials, meanwhile, have delivered a direct rebuke to Donald Trump, who continues to allege irregularities and widespread fraud without evidence.
Chris Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said the 3 November vote was “the most secure in history" in a report published Thursday, and added that Americans should trust the result. His agency had not find any evidence of ballots being lost, deleted or altered, he said.
Biden to address nation tonight
US president-elect Joe Biden is expected to address the nation after 8pm on Saturday night, a campaign aide has told Reuters.
Can Trump run in 2024 now he has lost to Biden?
It may not be the first thing on many people’s minds tonight but what would happen if Donald Trump tried to run for president again in 2024?
Our reporter, Chantal da Silva, has taken a look at what Mr Trump could do after he leaves office:
Can Trump run in 2024 now he has lost to Biden?
Trump could run for president again in 2024 under the US constitution now Biden has won the 2020 election
UK prime minister Boris Johnson has congratulated Joe Biden on winning the 2020 US presidential election
‘Everyone is so happy’: Asylum seekers stranded in Mexico celebrate Biden win
Asylum seekers in the Mexican border city of Matamoros are celebrating Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election today, with the hope of seeing an end to the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies.
“We're all going to celebrate today!” Dairon Elisondo, a Cuban asylum seeker who works as a doctor in the Matamoros camp, told Reuters.
“Everyone is so happy.”
Under Donald Trump, US law has been progressively tightened to the point that it is now all but impossible to apply for asylum along the US southern border.
Dozens spent the election night singing hymns, praying for a Biden victory, while others posed outside their tents with “Vote Biden-Harris” signs.
Mr Biden has promised to end the “Remain in Mexico” policy, officially called Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP, although there are few details so far on how he will go about it.
Reuters
Jeb Bush, one of Donald Trump’s rivals in the 2016 Republican primary, has become one of the first prominent GOP figures to congratulate Joe Biden on his win.
Obama congratulates Biden on ‘historic and decisive victory’
Former president Barack Obama has congratulated Joe Biden on a “historic and decisive” victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
“I know he’ll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote,” Mr Obama said in a statement.
“So I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support.”
Biden takes Nevada after winning presidency
It may not matter all that much now but minutes after taking Pennsylvania to win the presidential election, Joe Biden was declared the winner in Nevada - another key 2020 swing state.
The win takes Mr Biden’s tally of electoral votes to 290 and widens the gap between himself and Donald Trump.
Biden takes Nevada after winning presidency
Biden had already secured the necessary 270 needed to take the White House after winning Pennsylvania
More reactions from around the world to Joe Biden’s victory
Where was Donald Trump when the news broke that Joe Biden had won the US election? Apparently playing a round of golf at his club in Virginia...
Trump photographed golfing as Joe Biden wins US election
'Obviously, he’s not going to concede. Over 600,000 ballots are contested,' Trump lawyer Rudolph Giuliani says
In mid-February, it looked as if Joe Biden’s presidential campaign was all but dead after disappointing results in the New Hampshire and Nevada Democratic primaries.
However, that all changed with a resounding victory in South Carolina on 29 February - a win which was made possible in part by an endorsement from political veteran Jim Clyburn.
Earlier this afternoon, Mr Clyburn congratulated the Democratic candidate on his triumph against Donald Trump.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments