‘I will not let people stop this count’: Joe Biden predicts ‘convincing’ win in national address

‘We must put the anger, and the demonisation, behind us’

Joe Biden has vowed to ensure every vote cast in the presidential race is counted – in a forceful rebuke of the efforts of Donald Trump and his supporters to stop and upend the process.

While he did not mention the president by name, Mr Biden’s appeal for both patience and unity stood in stark contrast to the false accusation made by Mr Trump that he was a victim of electoral fraud when he spoke at the White House barely 24 hours earlier.

“The numbers tell us a clear and convincing story. We're going to win this race,” said the 77-year-old Democrat, three days after almost 150 million Americans voted.

"We’re going to win this race with a clear majority of the nation behind us. We've gotten over 74 million votes. Let me repeat that – 74 million votes, that’s more than any presidential ticket has ever gotten in the history United States of America. And our vote total is still growing.”

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If one includes Arizona, which the Associated Press has called for Mr Biden while other news organisations have not, the former vice president has 264 electoral college votes, just shy of the 270 required to ensure he becomes president on his third attempt.

He is ahead in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada, with his lead in those states increasing. Just one more victory would take him over the threshold.

As such, on Friday there had been considerable anticipation his speech would have been a genuine victory address, in which he and Kamala Harris, his running mate, would acknowledge their new “elect” status. Mr Biden had been due to speak at 8pm ET, but it was pushed back to 11pm, presumably as his campaign team waited to see if one of the outstanding states was called for him.

So while it was not a victory speech per se, the man who served as deputy to Barack Obama for eight years had an opportunity to outline how he would govern, if he indeed does become the 46th president. Many who listened will have found it considerably more presidential – at least by traditional standards – than speeches by Mr Trump.“

"I know watching these vote tallies on TV moves very slowly – it’s so slow, it’s numbing,” he said.

“But never forget the tallies aren't just numbers. They represent votes and voters, men and women who exercise their fundamental right to have their voice heard.

"And what's becoming clear with each hour is that a record number of Americans of all races, faiths, and religions choose change over more of the same.”


He added: “They have given us a mandate for action on Covid, the economy, climate change, systemic racism. They made it clear they want the country to come together, not continue to pull apart.”

As he spoke, the total number of those killed by the coronavirus pandemic in the US passed 260,000 ,and the number of those infected reached 9.7m, among the most recent of them the president’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, who was revealed to have the virus.

“The pandemic is getting significantly more worrisome all across the country,” said Mr Biden, speaking in the city of Wilmington, Delaware, where has has spent much of his life. “Daily cases are skyrocketing, and it is now believed that we could see spikes as high as 200,000 cases in a single day.”

While some reports in the US media suggest aides to Mr Trump are trying to persuade him to consider there is no realistic way for him for him to now win reelection, there has been no let-up in the president’s legal attempts to stop the counts in Pennsylvania and Georgia.

“I know tensions can be high after a tough election like we just had,” said Mr Biden, who said addressing the faltering economy would also be among the first priorities of his administration.

“But we need to remain calm, patient. and let the process work out as we count all the votes. We are proving again what we have proved for 244 years in this country – democracy works,” he said.

“Your vote will be counted. I don’t care how hard people try to stop it. I will not let it happen. The people will be heard and our journey to a more perfect union goes on.”

He also made an appeal to those who had perhaps voted against him. 

“We may be opponents — but we are not enemies. We are Americans. No matter who you voted for, I’m certain of one thing – the vast majority want to get the vitriol out of our politics,” he said.

“We’re certainly not going to agree on a lot of the issues — but we can at least agree to be civil to one another. It’s time for us to come together as a nation and heal. It won’t be easy, but we must try.”