JOE BIDEN has been elected the 46th President of the United States.
The Democrat candidate was announced as the winner after building up an unassailable lead over the incumbent Donald Trump.
Biden’s victory was secured after he was announced as the winner of the key swing state of Pennsylvania.
Victory there put him over the crucial number of 270 electoral college votes required to win the Presidency.
The result was confirmed after a batch of 3,000 votes was counted in Pennsylvania which gave Biden a lead of 49.6% in the state compared to Trump’s 49.1% of the vote.
Here is the moment that Wolf Blitzer projected Joe Biden has been elected president pic.twitter.com/8zDi4hPodF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 7, 2020
Pennsylvania carries 20 electoral college votes with victory putting Biden at 284 to Trump’s 214.
That gap could widen with votes still being counted in Nevada and Georgia and Biden leading in both.
“America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country,” Biden said in a statement issued on Twitter.
“The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.”
Biden is set to become the oldest President to take office with the Democrat due to turn 78 later this month.
His victory comes following two previous runs for the White House in 2008 and 1988.
America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.
The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.
I will keep the faith that you have placed in me. pic.twitter.com/moA9qhmjn8— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 7, 2020
Biden served two terms as vice president to Barack Obama and will become the 14th former VP to move on to the top job in American politics.
Trump has already accused the Democrat Party of rigging the election against him and intends to appeal the result of the election.
He is calling for recounts in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania though the margin of victory in both states, while slim, makes a change in the result highly unlikely.
It does mean, however, that it could be several weeks before Biden’s victory is officially confirmed with Trump unlikely to concede defeat.
