In their own words: Joe Biden, Donald Trump issue statements after race is called
Joe Biden is projected to win the presidency, defeating President Donald Trump in the 2020 race for the White House, according to projections by the Associated Press and FOX News.
Biden won the battleground state of Pennsylvania by a thin margin after a protracted vote count, according to projections by the news outlets, flipping another key state that voted for Trump in the 2016 election.
President Trump's legal team promises to challenge the results, claiming voter fraud and inconsistencies have corrupted the ballot-counting process in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, though experts say there is no evidence to support those assertions.
Biden is expected to speak about the results tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern.
FULL STATEMENT FROM JOE BIDEN:
I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris.
In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.
With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation.
It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.
We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.
FULL STATEMENT FROM DONALD TRUMP:
We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor. In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media.
Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated. The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters. Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count room – and then fight in court to block their access.
So what is Biden hiding? I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands.