Live BlogLAST UPDATE | 8 Nov 2020
WELL, WE FINALLY have a result – Joe Biden won the US election.
Yesterday afternoon Irish-time, a batch of results from the swing state of Pennsylvania gave Biden a lead of over 30,000 votes on Trump – which was enough for the race to be called by all of the US networks.
Biden will be the 46th president of the United States, making his running mate Kamala Harris the first female vice president. Biden and Harris gave victory speeches just after 1am Irish time.
Keep up to date with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest from the US.
With Election Day – or rather, Election Week – in America finally reaching a conclusion (for now), we’re wrapping up this liveblog as the weekend comes to a close.
Thanks for following along with our coverage over the last few days as the US made a decision with ramifications that will be felt around the world for the next four years.
You can continue to get the latest on the aftermath of the election and the future of the Biden administration on TheJournal.ie.
In Belarus, where 500 people have been detained in protests against the government in recent weeks, the opposition party has reached out to Biden for support.
Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who is in exile in Lithuania, told AFP that she congratulates Biden on his win and hopes to meet with him.
“This was a real race of ideas, programmes and teams, unlike Belarus, where votes at elections were simply stolen, in the United States the vote of every voter was taken into account,” Tikhanovskaya said.
She said that she believed Biden will “soon meet with the fairly elected president of the new, free Belarus”.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to phone Joe Biden shortly to congratulate him on his win.
Johnson said he was looking forward to “working with President Biden and his team on a lot of crucial stuff for us in the weeks and months ahead: tackling climate change, trade, international security, many, many other issues”.
Video available: Boris Johnson congratulates president-elect Biden
Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo has projected that scientists will be able to speak with an “unmuzzled voice” under the Biden administration.
“Unfortunately, we’re going to have a long two months. The Biden administration doesn’t take office until January 20th,” Cuomo said, speaking to ABC.
“I think you’ll see a different tone now, I think you’ll even see some governors start to take different tone now that Mr Trump is out of office,” he said.
“I think the political pressure of denying Covid is gone. I think you’ll see scientists speak with an unmuzzled voice now.”
Thanks Hayley! Lauren here, I’ll be taking you through the latest developments this afternoon as we continue to follow the US election and the immediate aftermath of Joe Biden’s win. If you have any election-related thoughts, photos, videos, or articles to share, send them over to Lauren@thejournal.ie.
That’s all from me, Hayley Halpin, for today.
I’m passing livebloggin’ duties over to my colleague Lauren Boland now.
Have a nice afternoon!
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have been out celebrating Biden’s win by driving through the streets of LA and cheering at passersby.
Senator Mitt Romney, a critic of Trump from within the Republican Party, speaking to CNN about the President’s unfounded election fraud claims:
“He is who he is. He has a relatively relaxed relationship with the truth.
“He’s going to keep on fighting until the very end, but I’m convinced that once all remedies have been exhausted, if those are exhausted in a way that’s not favourable to him, he will accept the inevitable.
“But don’t expect him to go quietly in the night, that’s not how he operates.”
Biden’s team has also set up a new website – buildbackbetter.com – the official website for the Biden-Harris presidential transition.
Well, Biden’s team have just launched a new Twitter account, @Transition46 – the official account for the Biden-Harris presidential transition.
Donald Trump has not yet conceded or accepted the result of the election, but several figures within the Republican party have offered their congratulations to Joe Biden on his win.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who ran for president against Barack Obama in 2012, tweeted: “Ann [Romney] and I extend our congratulations to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.”
“We know both of them as people of good will and admirable character. We pray that God may bless them in the days and years ahead.”
Earlier in the week, Romney criticised Trump’s approach to the election, saying that he was ”wrong to say that the election was rigged, corrupt and stolen – doing so damages the cause of freedom here and around the world”.
Jeb Bush, a former governor of Florida who ran for the Republican party’s nomination against Trump in 2016, also publicised his congratulations to Biden.
“I have prayed for our President most of our adult life. I will be praying for you and your success,” Bush said.
“Now is the time to heal deep wounds. Many are counting on your to lead the way.”
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has congratulated Biden on his victory before there was any reaction from the Kremlin to the US election results.
Navalny in a tweet congratulated Biden, running mate Kamala Harris and Americans for “defining the new leadership in a free and fair election”.
“This is a privilege which is not available to all countries,” said Navalny, who is recovering in Germany from a suspected poisoning earlier this year.
The US isn’t the only nation holding an election this week.
Vote counting has started in Myanmar this morning in an election that is expected to return to power the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains a hero at home in spite of a reputation abroad shattered by the Rohingya crisis.
The election is just the second since the Southeast Asian nation emerged from nearly half a century of junta rule in 2011.
Five years ago, Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory but was forced by the constitution into an uneasy power-sharing agreement with the still-mighty military.
Some more celebratory scenes from the US overnight:
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said he is “confident” the UK would be able to navigate the Northern Ireland issue to satisfy allies in the US following Joe Biden’s presidential election win.
He told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “We’ve been very clear we are absolutely committed to respect the Good Friday Agreement but our argument is, and it was good to have the opportunity when I was in Washington to explain, it is the EU who has put pressure on that with the approach it has taken.
“We want to resolve all those issues with the EU – obviously the negotiations are ongoing, there is a good chance of a deal if we get the flexibility from the EU on fisheries and level-playing field.
“I’m confident we will navigate all of those issues sensitively, correctly, and, as I said, we listen very carefully to our American friends, particularly on the Hill and in the Irish lobby – they feel very invested in the Good Friday Agreement, we understand that, and I pay tribute to what George Mitchell and Bill Clinton did – but it is not the UK which is putting it at risk, it is the approach of the EU.”
The inauguration isn’t until 20 January 2021.
Nonetheless, there’s still plenty of talk this morning about what we can expect from the early days of the Biden-Harris administration.
The Hill has looked at some of what can be expected over the next few months. Jordan Williams writes:
People close to Biden’s plans told the Post that he plans to rejoin the Paris climate accords, which the U.S. officially left on Wednesday. He’s also reportedly planning to reverse the U.S.’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization, which is slated to take effect July 6, 2021.
Biden also wants to immediately repeal the ban on immigration that targeted many Muslim-majority countries and reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, according to the Post.
The New York Times reported Friday that he is planning to announce his choices for Cabinet positions around Thanksgiving should he win the election.
Meanwhile, Biden said on Saturday night that he would announce his COVID-19 task force next week.
Iran‘s President Hassan Rouhani has said the next US administration has an opportunity to “compensate for its previous mistakes” following Biden’s victory.
“Now there is an opportunity for the future American administration to compensate for its previous mistakes and return to the path of adherence to international commitments,” Rouhani said.
He added that the Iranian people’s “heroic resistance against the imposed economic war” by the Trump administration “proved that America’s maximum pressure policy is doomed to fail”.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that the US election result would have “no effect” on Tehran’s policies towards Washington.
Biden has said during his campaign that he plans to embark on a “credible path to return to diplomacy” with Iran, and raised the possibility of returning to the 2015 nuclear deal, negotiated when he was vice president under Barack Obama.
The President of the United States of America. It has become arguably the most powerful elected position in the world.
Imagine you reached that role. It’s the most significant achievement of your entire life, and one that just a few dozen other people managed.
However, also imagine that, over time, you fade from most popular pages of the history books, and before you know it, the first time some people read your name is in a quiz on TheJournal.ie.
Meet those men here…
Quiz: How much do you know about these obscure US presidents?
How might the election shape American responses to the economic crisis?
Our business reporter Ian Curran takes a look.
If you had an early night and missed Biden and Harris’ victory speeches, you can catch up here..
UK Foreign Secretary tells Sky News this morning that Biden “will have no greater ally and no more dependable friend than the United Kingdom”.
“We are going to have a very strong relationship. There’s so much we can cooperate on.”
World Health Organization
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
“My WHO colleagues and I look forward to working with you and your team. Crises like the #Covid19 pandemic show the importance of global solidarity in protecting lives and livelihoods. Together!” he tweeted.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has called on Biden to “enhance” relations between the Palestinians and Washington, which collapsed during Trump’s term in office.
In a statement congratulating Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris, Abbas said he hoped to work with the incoming administration “to enhance the Palestinian-American relations and achieve freedom, independence, justice and dignity for our people”.
Abbas heads the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, which broke ties with Trump’s administration, accusing it of being flagrantly pro-Israeli.
Scenes from the Biden family yesterday:
Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist, is the daughter of Donald’s late older brother Fred Trump Jr.
She published a book earlier this year which seeks to trace how family members were affected by the president’s father, and how Donald may have developed some of his traits.
Today, she’s written her thoughts on how Trump will deal with the next few months in The Guardian.
The piece begins:
“This is how the most colossal and fragile ego on the planet deals with losing the US election: he does not deal with it at all.”
I’ll let you read the rest of the piece over on The Guardian here.
Can we actually just take a moment to recall yesterday’s Four Seasons/Four Season’s Landscaping press conference?
If you missed it, here’s what happened:
Donald Trump tweeted out early yesterday afternoon that his lawyers would hold a press conference at the ‘Four Seasons’ in Philadelphia – implying the four-and-a-half star hotel.
He later deleted the tweet, and sent another one saying it was at Four Season’s Landscaping – a much less grand venue.
The Four Seasons hotel confirmed they weren’t involved.
Trump wasn’t in attendance, but the press conference was held as planned, and Giuliani told reporters that they would challenge the election count in court.
There’s no denying it’s been an unforgettable week.
Our team have taken a look back at a few of the key moments from a period that felt like eternity, but in fact only began last Tuesday night.
Here’s how some of the US papers have reacted:
Dog lovers, breathe a sigh of relief.
“We did it, Joe.”
Kamala Harris tweeted a video of herself on the phone with Joe Biden yesterday.
“You’re going to be the next president of the United States.”
Trump has become just one of only four incumbents in the modern era not to be re-elected for a second term.
So, what happened…?
“Trump won the presidency in 2016 partly because he was a norm-busting political outsider who was prepared to say what had previously been unsayable.
“But Trump also lost the presidency in 2020 partly because he was a norm-busting political outsider who was prepared to say what had previously been unsayable.”
Biden may have won the election, but we can’t forget that more than 70 million Americans voted to keep Trump in office.
Many of Trump’s supporters have taken to the streets to protest the results.
And here in Ireland, relatives and other locals have been celebrating in Biden’s ancestral home of Ballina, Co Mayo.
We didn’t just have celebrations in the US.
Firecrackers were set off and prayers offered in Thulasendrapuram, India, the ancestral village of Kamala Harris after she and Joe Biden won the US election.
Supporters of Joe Biden have taken to the streets across America in celebration of the result.
In New York City, crowds gathered in the streets and in Times Square, banging pots and pans together in impromptu parties to celebrate the Democrat’s win over Trump.
Car horns were also sounded in the streets of many cities, including Los Angeles, while fireworks erupted in Atlanta, Georgia.
Supporters also marched in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with signs calling for a Green New Deal and for the result to be respected.
In Washington DC, cheering and car horns were also heard in celebration of Biden’s victory, as crowds gathered on Black Lives Matter plaza, opposite the White House.
Here’s some of the scenes:
Micheál Martin tweeted his congratulations yesterday evening but later released a full statement which mentions Joe Biden’s Irish roots.
He said:
“On behalf of the Government and the people of Ireland, I offer warmest congratulations to Joe Biden on his election as the 46th President of the United States.
“Ireland takes pride in Joe Biden’s election, just as we are proud of all the generations of Irish women and Irish men and their ancestors whose toil and genius have enriched the diversity that powers America.
“This is a particularly special day for the people of County Louth and of County Mayo who count President-elect Biden among their own.
“Joe Biden has always been a stalwart friend and supporter of Ireland, including of the prosperity, stability and opportunity made possible by the Good Friday Agreement, to which he has pledged his ongoing steadfast support.
“I also wish to congratulate Kamala Harris on her election as Vice-President and recognise the tremendous significance of her election to the role.
“I am greatly looking forward to working with the new Administration in the period ahead in progressing international peace and security.
“I also intend to work closely with the new Administration and the United States Congress to pursue comprehensive immigration reform, an issue that is so important to tens of thousands of Irish people making a significant contribution to America.”
So, as Trump shows no immediate signs of conceding, dozens of world leaders have congratulated US president-election Joe Biden.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “The Americans have chosen their President. Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges. Let’s work together!”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson congratulated Biden “on his election as President of the United States and Kamala Harris on her historic achievement.
“The US is our most important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close Trump ally, called Biden a “great friend of Israel”, congraulating him and Harris on their victory.
He tweeted: “I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the US and Israel.”
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “I look forward to working with President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, their administration, and the United States Congress as we tackle the world’s greatest challenges together.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, a popular leader who had verbally jousted with Trump, congratulated Biden and Harris in a tweet focused on cooperation.
“With so many issues facing the international community, your message of unity is one we share. New Zealand looks forward to working with you both!”
South Korean President Moon Jae-in tweeted: “Congratulations to @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Our alliance is strong and the bond between our two countries is rock-solid. I very much look forward to working with you for our shared values.”
What’s the latest from Donald Trump, you ask?
Well, as Biden passed the 270 electoral college votes needed for victory in the US presidential race, Trump declared the election was “far from over”, and accused the former vice president of “falsely posing as the winner”.
While refusing to concede and accept defeat, he continued to repeat unsubstantiated claims of fraudulent ballots and vowed to press ahead with legal action.
In his statement immediately following the news of Biden’s victory, Trump said:
“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.”
He’s remained quiet, however, in the hours since Biden’s victory speech.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris gave victory speeches in the wee hours of the morning, just after 1am Irish time.
If you pulled an all-nighter, I presume you watched them already. If you’re just catching up, fret not, here you are…
Joe Biden victory speech
Kamala Harris victory speech
Good morning!
We finally have a result. Joe Biden has won the US election.
Hayley Halpin here to bring all the latest updates from across the pond throughout the morning.
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