Democrat Joe Biden, leading the U.S. presidential race said
he would address Americans later on Saturday, his second address in 24 hours.
The first on Friday night was expected to be a victory
declaration, but he decided to downgrade it, with TV networks not calling him
victor yet, as vote counting continues in some battleground states.
Nevertheless, the 77 year-old Biden was upbeat about the
prospect of victory as he spoke in Delaware at prime time.
“The numbers tell us … it’s a clear and convincing story:
We’re going to win this race,” Biden said late on Friday.
He said he and running mate Kamala Harris were already
meeting with experts as they prepare for the White House.
As the counting entered its fifth day, Former Vice President
Biden had a 253-to-214 lead in the state-by-state Electoral College vote that
determines the winner, according to Edison Research.
Securing Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes would put Biden
over the 270 he needs to win the presidency after a political career stretching
back nearly five decades.
Biden would also win if he prevails in two of the three
other key states. Like Pennsylvania, all three were still processing ballots on
Friday.
As officials count a deluge of mail-in ballots, Biden has
held on to narrow leads in Nevada and Arizona and earlier on Friday overtook
Trump in Pennsylvania and Georgia.
In Arizona, Biden led by 29,861 votes with 97% of the tally
completed. In Nevada, he led by 22,657 votes with 93% of the count complete.
In Georgia, he led by a mere 4,289 votes with the count 99%
complete, while in Pennsylvania he led by 27,130 votes with 96% of the vote
complete.
Biden said Trump’s demands to stop the count would not work.
“Your vote will be counted. I don’t care how hard people try
to stop it. I will not let it happen,” Biden said.
Leading Trump by 4.1 million votes nationwide out of a
record 147 million cast, Biden said Americans had given him a mandate to tackle
the pandemic, the struggling economy, climate change and systemic racism.
“They made it clear
they want the country to come together, not continue to pull apart,” Biden
said.
He said he hoped to address Americans again on Saturday.
Biden backers danced in Philadelphia’s streets, while armed
Trump supporters in Phoenix and Detroit said the election was being stolen,
despite any evidence of irregularities.
Under the banner of “Stop the Steal,” Trump supporters
planned dozens of rallies for Saturday.
Trump has remained defiant, vowing to press unfounded claims
of fraud as his Republicans sought to raise $60 million to fund lawsuits
challenging the results.
But some in his camp described the legal effort as
disorganized, and so far they have not found success in the courts.
Trump showed no sign he was ready to concede, as his
campaign pursued a series of lawsuits that legal experts said were unlikely to
alter the election outcome.
“Joe Biden should not
wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also.
Legal proceedings are just now beginning!” he wrote on Twitter.
Republicans aimed to raise at least $60 million for legal
costs, although the fine print on solicitations indicates that more than half
the money raised would go to paying down the campaign’s debts.
A Trump adviser described the campaign’s litigation strategy
as chaotic and disorganized. Another Republican official said it was doubtful
the lawsuits would yield a Trump victory.
“This race is over, and the only person who doesn’t see it
is Donald Trump,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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