America has chosen Democrat Joe Biden as its 46th president, CNN projects, turning at a time of national crisis to a man whose character was forged by aching personal tragedy and who is pledging to restore calm and truth after Donald Trump's exhausting and manic single term.
In a written statement Saturday, Biden, who is expected to address the American people later in the day, said he was "honored and humbled" by the trust the American people have placed in him.
"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. "With the campaign over, it's time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation."
"We are the United States of America. And there's nothing we can't do, if we do it together."
Trump, who was on the golf course when CNN and other networks called the race for the former vice president, has shown no indication that he intends to concede. While en route to his course in Virginia, he tweeted: "I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!"
But Biden supporters -- whose face masks reflected the extraordinary circumstances of a pandemic-era election poured into the streets across the country in a moment of catharsis to celebrate the President-elect's victory, which also means that California Sen. Kamala Harris, his running mate, will make history as the first woman, the first Black person and the first person of Southeast Asian descent to become vice president.
After four years of Trump's incessant lies, bullying and vilification of his political opponents, Biden said he was running to restore the character of the nation and bring dignity back to the White House. Biden, who turns 78 at the end of this month, will become the oldest president when he is inaugurated in January in the midst of the worst public health emergency in 100 years, the deepest economic slump since the 1930s and a national reckoning on racism and police brutality that is still unresolved.
Source: CNN
BDST: 0012 HRS, NOV 08, 2020
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