Joe Biden elected 46th president of the United States

Democratic nominee Joe Biden has prevailed over incumbent President Donald Trump, winning 279 electoral votes over Donald Trumps 214 electoral votes.

Joe Biden ushered in his win with a call for unity as he emerged victorious from the often fierce, long and drawn out battle for the White House. In his victory speech Biden declared “this is the time to heal in America” after four tumultuous years of Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump’s lies, false statements, racist rhetoric, narcissistic and xenophobic rants were and continue to fill the airways and virally.

As Biden and his running-mate Kamala Harris, who will make history as the country’s first woman, first Black and first South Asian vice-president finally won the election on Saturday, people poured into the streets of Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago, internationally in London and Rome and locally in Akwesasne to celebrate Mr. Trump’s defeat.

Biden, who will be the U.S.’s 46th president secured 279 electoral college votes by pulling ahead to insurmountable leads in Pennsylvania and Nevada following four long days of ballot counting. He also led vote counts in two more swing states, Georgia and Arizona, and was beating Mr. Trump in the popular vote by a margin of 51 per cent to 48 per cent. A 77-year-old career politician, Mr. Biden spent 36 years in the Senate and eight as Barack Obama’s vice-president.

The new president will face an uphill battle implementing his agenda, with a reduced Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and control of the Senate to be determined by two run-off elections for Georgia seats in January. He does not take office until January 20, 2021, and Mr. Trump appears unlikely to co-operate in the interim on the pandemic or any of Mr. Biden’s other policies.

Trump’s allies, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Lindsey Graham have all taken up Trump’s crusade to keep him in the White House.