US election 2020: Joe Biden launches attack on 'unconscionable' Donald Trump as Putin finally congratulates election winner - Sky News

Democrat Joe Biden has attacked Mr Trump's refusal to concede defeat, calling attacks on the election and election officials "simply unconscionable" and attempts to overturn the result an "abuse of power".

The comments come as Mr Biden won the state-by-state Electoral College vote that formally determines who is the next US president.

The victory has all but ended President Donald Trump's floundering campaign to overturn his loss of the US presidential election last month.

California - the most populous state - delivered its 55 electoral votes to Mr Biden on Monday afternoon, officially taking him over the 270 votes needed to secure the White House.

When all of the states finish voting, Mr Biden is expected to lead Mr Trump 306-232.

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Addressing the nation from his long-time home of Wilmington, Delaware, Mr Biden said: "If anyone didn't know it before, we know it now. What beats deep in the hearts of the American people is this: Democracy.

More from Donald Trump

"The right to be heard. To have your vote counted. To choose the leaders of this nation. To govern ourselves."

Mr Biden said politicians in the US "don't take power - the people grant it to them", adding: "Nothing, not even a pandemic - or an abuse of power - can extinguish that flame."

He also renewed his campaign promise to be a president for all Americans, whether they voted for him or not, and said the country has hard work ahead on coronavirus and the economy.

Image: Donald Trump's fate was arguably sealed a long time ago

Hours after Mr Biden was confirmed as the winner in the US presidential race, Russian leader Vladimir Putin offered his congratulations to the former vice president.

Mr Putin had been notably quiet in the weeks following the election, but in a statement, the Kremlin said on Tuesday: "Putin wished the president-elect every success and expressed confidence that Russia and the United States, which have a special responsibility for global security and stability, could, despite their differences, really help to solve the many problems and challenges facing the world."

It comes as Mr Trump announced that attorney general William Barr would be stepping down from his role.

He is resigning amid lingering tension with the president over Mr Trump's claims of election fraud and the investigation into Mr Biden's son, Hunter.

"As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family," Mr Trump tweeted.

Just had a very nice meeting with Attorney General Bill Barr at the White House. Our relationship has been a very good one, he has done an outstanding job! As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family...

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2020

We've seen a lot of end of the road moments for Mr Trump, but today is one of the biggest.

After multiple failed legal challenges to overturn the election, it was time for 538 electors to meet in their respective states to cast their votes for the president and vice president.

Image: Joe Biden addresses the nation from Wilmington, Delaware

States have been certifying their results in what has been a kind of rubber-stamping exercise, albeit pivotal in cementing victory.

It usually passes without much fanfare or comment. It is typically a dry, procedural affair, but Mr Trump's refusal to accept Mr Biden as the winner injected some jeopardy into the occasion.

In Michigan, the state capitol was closed to the public because of perceived "credible threats of violence", an official said.

In Arizona, electors had to cast their votes in a secret location due to threats.

The president may have succeeded in sowing doubt about the electoral process among a proportion of his followers, but the electors in the key swing states he's been trying so hard to win back, re-confirmed his defeat.

Mr Biden not only won the 2020 election, but decisively - getting back the all-important Rust Belt, but he also upset decades of Republican dominance in Arizona and Georgia.

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Stacey Abrams, an elector critical in driving the vote for Mr Biden in Georgia, reminded the country of the challenge ahead. America, she said, is still grappling with "who we intend to be as a nation".

In previous years, so-called faithless electors, who stray from the popular vote, have been factor in the electoral college vote. It is rare, but this year, there has been hardly any talk of people switching from Mr Biden to Mr Trump in any meaningful way to change the outcome.

Mr Trump's fate was arguably sealed a long time ago. But on Friday came a critical blow. The Supreme Court, filled with three Conservative justices he picked, rejected his eleventh hour bid to overturn the election based on a Texas lawsuit.

He tried to remove electors in some states ahead of today's vote but the highest court in the land refused to support that effort.

Image: Members of Wisconsin's electoral college cast their votes

The next big moment for the electoral process is 6 January, when Congress gathers to count the electoral votes. At that point the winner will be announced by Mike Pence, who presides over the Senate as vice president.

Mr Biden will take office at the inauguration on 20 January. It seems unlikely that we will see any big concession from Mr Trump between now and then. He is already dangling the prospect of announcing a 2024 bid, on the same day.

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2020-12-15 08:48:45Z
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Joe Biden says 'will of people prevailed' after victory confirmed - BBC News

Joe Biden has said the "will of the people prevailed" after his presidential election victory was confirmed by the US electoral college.

In a speech after the announcement, he said the US democracy had been "pushed, tested and threatened" and "proved to be resilient, true and strong".

He criticised President Donald Trump's attempts to challenge the result, and said it was "time to turn the page".

The confirmation was one of the steps required for Mr Biden to take office.

Under the US system, voters actually cast their ballots for "electors", who in turn, formally vote for candidates weeks after the election. Democrat Joe Biden won November's contest with 306 electoral college votes to Republican Donald Trump's 232.

President Trump, who shows no sign of accepting the result, has not commented. Shortly after the result was confirmed, he announced on Twitter the departure of Attorney General William Barr, who had said there was no widespread evidence of voter fraud in the election, despite the president's claims.

• The people who ultimately pick the US president
• Can Trump still challenge the result?
• Where does the Republican Party go after Trump?

Speaking in Delaware, Mr Biden praised "ordinary men and women" who had refused to be bullied, referring to the president's efforts to question and overturn the results, involving legal challenges which have been rejected by courts across the country.

"The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago," he said. "And we know that nothing not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that flame."

Mr Biden said it was time to "turn the page, as we've done throughout our history - to unite, to heal".

What happened at the electoral college?

Normally the electors do not get that much attention but this year, due to Mr Trump's efforts, the state-by-state vote was in the spotlight.

Solidly Democrat California, with its 55 electors, was one of the last states to vote on Monday and took Mr Biden across the 270-vote threshold required to win the presidency.

Heightened security had been put in place in some states, including Michigan and Georgia, ahead of voting, which took place in state capitals and Washington DC.

In Michigan - a key swing state which Mr Biden won - legislative offices in the state capital Lansing were closed due to "credible" threats of violence.

The vote at the capitol building went ahead peacefully although a group of Republicans tried to enter the building to hold their own vote and were turned away.

In his speech, Mr Biden described the harassment of officials following the election as "unconscionable" and said: "It's my sincere hope we never again see anyone subjected to the kind of threats and abuse we saw in this election."

He also noted that he had the same number of electoral college votes that Mr Trump said was a "landslide" when he won in 2016. Mr Biden emphasized that he had also won the popular vote, something Mr Trump failed to clinch four years ago.

Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said: "The presidential election is over. States have certified the votes. Courts have resolved disputes. The electors have voted. I hope that President Trump will put the country first, take pride in his considerable accomplishments, and help president-elect Biden get off to a good start."

Who are the electors?

Each political party with a candidate on the presidential ballot nominates or votes on its own slate of electors in the months prior to election day. Once we know who won a state's popular vote, we know which party will appoint the electors for that state.

The US Constitution only states that electors cannot be members of Congress or others who currently hold federal office. This year, the most famous electors are former President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, chosen for the Democrats in New York.

Electors almost always vote in line with their pledged candidate, although in 2016 some did not and this prompted states to change their laws to try and prevent a recurrence. Analysts say there is next to no chance that Mr Biden's victory could be overturned.

The number of electors per state is roughly in line with the size of the population.

Does Trump have any chance?

The quadrennial meeting of the US electoral college is usually a formality along the way to a presidential inauguration - a vestigial political event that long ago lost its power and relevance.

Donald Trump's scorched-earth strategy of contesting the results of the 2020 election, however, has given the proceedings new attention.

Although his legal team has had little success in challenging the results of the vote in multiple battleground states, the official recording of the electoral college ballots across the US will effectively lower the curtain on these long-shot judicial manoeuvres.

That does not mean the Trump team is giving up, of course. It is holding alternative electoral college proceedings with an alternate set of votes that will declare the president the real winner. They will continue with futile court challenges and, eventually, ask Congress to overturn the election results.

It is an alternative reality that Donald Trump's supporters may find more comforting than the one where Joe Biden is president-elect.

Given that the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats, the official electoral college tally will have been duly certified by the states on Monday and federal law is on Mr Biden's side. Mr Trump's chances of success in the real world, however, sit squarely at zero.

What happens next?

The results of the voting process will be sent to Washington DC and formally counted in a joint session of Congress on 6 January presided over by Vice-President Mike Pence.

That will pave the way for Joe Biden to be sworn in as president on 20 January.

Last month, President Trump said he would leave office in January if Mr Biden were affirmed as the election winner by the electoral college. Nevertheless, he has continued to make unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and there are few signs he will concede.

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2020-12-15 04:05:00Z
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Joe Biden says 'will of people prevailed' after victory confirmed - BBC News

Getty Images

Joe Biden has said the "will of the people prevailed" after his presidential election victory was confirmed by the US electoral college.

In a speech after the announcement, he said the US democracy had been "pushed, tested and threatened" and "proved to be resilient, true and strong".

He made references to President Trump's attempts to challenge the result, and said it was "time to turn the page".

The confirmation was one of the steps required for Mr Biden to take office.

Under the US system, voters actually cast their ballots for "electors", who in turn, formally vote for candidates weeks after the election. Democrat Joe Biden won November's contest with 306 electoral college votes to Republican Donald Trump's 232.

President Trump, who shows no sign of accepting the result, has not commented. Shortly after the result was confirmed, he announced on Twitter the departure of Attorney General William Barr, who had said there was no widespread evidence of voter fraud in the election, despite the president's claims.

• The people who ultimately pick the US president
• Can Trump still challenge the result?
• Where does the Republican Party go after Trump?

Speaking in Delaware, Mr Biden praised "ordinary men and women" who had refused to be bullied, referring to the president's efforts to question and overturn the results, involving legal challenges which have been rejected by courts across the country.

"The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago," he said. "And we know that nothing not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that flame."

Mr Biden said it was time to "turn the page, as we've done throughout our history - to unite, to heal".

What happened at the electoral college?

Normally the electors do not get that much attention but this year, due to Mr Trump's efforts, the state-by-state vote was in the spotlight.

Solidly Democrat California, with its 55 electors, was one of the last states to vote on Monday and took Mr Biden across the 270-vote threshold required to win the presidency.

Heightened security had been put in place in some states, including Michigan and Georgia, ahead of voting, which took place in state capitals and Washington DC.

In Michigan - a key swing state which Mr Biden won - legislative offices in the state capital Lansing were closed due to "credible" threats of violence.

The vote at the capitol building went ahead peacefully although a group of Republicans tried to enter the building to hold their own vote and were turned away.

In his speech, Mr Biden described the harassment of officials following the election as "unconscionable" and said: "It's my sincere hope we never again see anyone subjected to the kind of threats and abuse we saw in this election."

Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said: "The presidential election is over. States have certified the votes. Courts have resolved disputes. The electors have voted. I hope that President Trump will put the country first, take pride in his considerable accomplishments, and help president-elect Biden get off to a good start."

Who are the electors?

Each political party with a candidate on the presidential ballot nominates or votes on its own slate of electors in the months prior to election day. Once we know who won a state's popular vote, we know which party will appoint the electors for that state.

The US Constitution only states that electors cannot be members of Congress or others who currently hold federal office. This year, the most famous electors are former President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, chosen for the Democrats in New York.

Electors almost always vote in line with their pledged candidate, although in 2016 some did not and this prompted states to change their laws to try and prevent a recurrence. Analysts say there is next to no chance that Mr Biden's victory could be overturned.

The number of electors per state is roughly in line with the size of the population.

Does Trump have any chance?

The quadrennial meeting of the US electoral college is usually a formality along the way to a presidential inauguration - a vestigial political event that long ago lost its power and relevance.

Donald Trump's scorched-earth strategy of contesting the results of the 2020 election, however, has given the proceedings new attention.

Although his legal team has had little success in challenging the results of the vote in multiple battleground states, the official recording of the electoral college ballots across the US will effectively lower the curtain on these long-shot judicial manoeuvres.

That does not mean the Trump team is giving up, of course. It is holding alternative electoral college proceedings with an alternate set of votes that will declare the president the real winner. They will continue with futile court challenges and, eventually, ask Congress to overturn the election results.

It is an alternative reality that Donald Trump's supporters may find more comforting than the one where Joe Biden is president-elect.

Given that the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats, the official electoral college tally will have been duly certified by the states on Monday and federal law is on Mr Biden's side. Mr Trump's chances of success in the real world, however, sit squarely at zero.

What happens next?

The results of the voting process will be sent to Washington DC and formally counted in a joint session of Congress on 6 January presided over by Vice-President Mike Pence.

That will pave the way for Joe Biden to be sworn in as president on 20 January.

Last month, President Trump said he would leave office in January if Mr Biden were affirmed as the election winner by the electoral college. Nevertheless, he has continued to make unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and there are few signs he will concede.

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2020-12-15 02:36:00Z
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Joe Biden says 'will of people prevailed' after victory confirmed - BBC News

Getty Images

Joe Biden has said the "will of the people prevailed" after his presidential election victory was confirmed by the US electoral college.

In a speech after the announcement, he said the US democracy had been "pushed, tested and threatened" and "proved to be resilient, true and strong".

The confirmation was one of the final steps required for Mr Biden to take office, on 20 January.

President Donald Trump is not expected to accept the result.

Mr Biden won November's contest with 306 electoral college votes to Republican Donald Trump's 232.

Under the US system, voters actually cast their ballots for "electors", who in turn, formally vote for candidates weeks after the election.

• Can Trump still challenge the result?
• Where does the Republican Party go after Trump?

Speaking in Delaware, Mr Biden made references to the president's repeated attempts to challenge the result with unsubstantiated claims of fraud, praising "ordinary men and women" who had refused to be bullied.

"The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago," he said. "And we know that nothing not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that flame."

What happened at the electoral college?

Normally the electors do not get that much attention but this year, due to Mr Trump's persistent efforts to question and overturn the results - involving legal challenges which have been rejected by courts across the country - the state-by-state vote was in the spotlight.

Solidly Democrat California, with its 55 electors, was one of the last states to vote on Monday and took Mr Biden across the 270-vote threshold required to win the presidency.

Heightened security had been put in place in some states, including Michigan and Georgia, ahead of voting, which took place in state capitals and Washington DC.

In Michigan - a key swing state which Mr Biden won - legislative offices in the state capital Lansing were closed due to "credible" threats of violence.

The vote at the capitol building went ahead peacefully although a group of Republicans tried to enter the building to hold their own vote and were turned away.

"The people have spoken. It was a safe, fair and secure election," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat who had been the subject of a kidnapping plot thwarted by the FBI earlier this year. "After today, the results will be final."

Shortly after Mr Biden's speech, Republican senator Lamar Alexander said: "The presidential election is over. States have certified the votes. Courts have resolved disputes. The electors have voted. I hope that President Trump will put the country first, take pride in his considerable accomplishments, and help president-elect Biden get off to a good start."

Who are the electors?

Each political party with a candidate on the presidential ballot nominates or votes on its own slate of electors in the months prior to election day.

Once we know who won a state's popular vote, we know which party will appoint the electors for that state.

The US Constitution only states that electors cannot be members of Congress or others who currently hold federal office. This year, the most famous electors are former President Bill Clinton and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, chosen for the Democrats in New York.

Electors almost always vote in line with their pledged candidate, although in 2016 some did not and this prompted states to change their laws to try and prevent a recurrence. Analysts say there is next to no chance that Mr Biden's victory could be overturned.

• The people who ultimately pick the US president

The number of electors per state is roughly in line with the size of the population.

Does Trump have any chance?

The quadrennial meeting of the US electoral college is usually a formality along the way to a presidential inauguration - a vestigial political event that long ago lost its power and relevance.

Donald Trump's scorched-earth strategy of contesting the results of the 2020 election, however, has given the proceedings new attention.

Although his legal team has had little success in challenging the results of the vote in multiple battleground states, the official recording of the electoral college ballots across the US will effectively lower the curtain on these long-shot judicial manoeuvres.

That does not mean the Trump team is giving up, of course. It is holding alternative electoral college proceedings with an alternate set of votes that will declare the president the real winner. They will continue with futile court challenges and, eventually, ask Congress to overturn the election results.

It is an alternative reality that Donald Trump's supporters may find more comforting than the one where Joe Biden is president-elect.

Given that the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats, the official electoral college tally will have been duly certified by the states on Monday and federal law is on Mr Biden's side. Mr Trump's chances of success in the real world, however, sit squarely at zero.

What happens next?

The results of the voting process will be sent to Washington DC and formally counted in a joint session of Congress on 6 January presided over by Vice-President Mike Pence.

That will pave the way for Joe Biden to be sworn in as president on 20 January.

Last month, President Trump said he would leave office in January if Mr Biden were affirmed as the election winner by the electoral college. Nevertheless, he has continued to make unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and there are few signs he will concede.

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2020-12-15 01:41:00Z
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