joe biden has won the american
presidential election
the bbc projects that he's crossed the
threshold of 270 electoral college votes
needed with a win
in the state of pennsylvania he will now
become the president in january
pending the outcome of any legal
challenges boris johnson joined other
world leaders in tweeting his
congratulations to joe biden and soon to
be vice president kamala harris
the president-elect has now won 279
electoral votes as he's also won nevada
this evening though
that number is likely to go up as he's
also ahead in other outstanding states
well this is how the electoral map looks
now with just a few states left to
declare
however the trump campaign has indicated
their candidate does not yet plan to
concede
well we'll be heading to the democrat
headquarters in a moment but first let's
go live to our north america editor john
sopple
who's outside the white house in
washington john
tina in just over two hours time joe
biden will address the nation for the
first time as their
president-elect exactly 48 years
since he was first elected to the senate
by his side will be kamala harris
who will become the first person of
color to be vice president
the first woman to be vice president
here at the white house donald trump has
returned
from playing golf and still in an angry
mood tweeting
that there was electoral fraud and that
the election has been
stolen from him
[Music]
after five long and tense days of
waiting in cities that have historically
voted democrat
there was an explosion of noise and an
outpouring of relief
that one donald trump had been defeated
and that two joe biden had been elected
and the emotions were probably in that
order they're celebrating
as though their team has just won the
world cup
cloud nine yes cleaner we cried four
years ago
we went out on our rooftops and screamed
in shame for our country
and now we're screaming in joy
just listen to washington soundtrack
today
there is celebration going on after five
days of tension
which has now dissipated and this will
be echoed
in cities across the land and if we turn
the camera around this way
well there's the security fence that
keeps the people
away from the white house cnn projects
joseph r biden jr is elected the 46th
president of the united states
it was just after 11 o'clock this
morning when news came that joe biden
had crossed the victory threshold
by taking pennsylvania the agonizing
wait was over
kamala harris who now makes history by
becoming the first woman
and person of color to be vice president
was out for a run when she heard the
news
we did it we did it joe
you're going to be the next president of
the united states
[Laughter]
and joe and jill biden posed for this
photo the future first lady's hand
planted strategically to block out the
word vice
last night joe biden gave another
holding statement increasingly confident
assured that the tide of history was
flowing in his direction
we don't have a final declaration of
victory yet
but the numbers tell us it's clear tell
us a clear and convincing story
we're going to win this race
but for all the joy in the cities trump
supporters are enraged believing the
president's claim
that the election has been stolen that
there's been fraud
that the man they've put their trust in
is being turfed out unfairly
donald trump this morning left the white
house to go and play golf
something he'll soon have a lot more
time for but even driving into his club
the reality of his situation was brought
home to him
this has been a week where everything
seems to have come up short
though ever the showman he stopped to
pose with a couple getting married
thank you mr president have a great life
the president is determined to fight his
lawyers are fanning out across the
country
but what's their case there are
allegations of plenty
but substance seems thin the word that
donald trump hates most in the whole
world
is loser but with his departure from the
white house now seemingly inevitable it
may be the word that sticks
john sopel bbc news washington
for the president-elect now 77 it's not
only been a long few days waiting for
this result
it's been decades trying to fulfill a
lifetime ambition
mr biden announced his first campaign
for the white house back in 1987.
our north america correspondent nick
bryant joins me now from the democrats
headquarters
in delaware nick they're preparing for
this driving victory rally here tonight
part of this long and extraordinary
political journey that began in the u.s
senate it went to the west wing
where joe biden served as barack obama's
vice president
but now he gets to sit behind the desk
in the oval office
the white house will become his home now
joe biden loves quoting the words of the
irish poet
seamus heaney about how hope and history
rhymes
well today that happened for joe biden
he's got one of the most electrifying
smiles in u.s politics
and how he must be rejoicing now at the
age of 77
joe biden has fulfilled his personal
american dream
he's about to become the occupant of the
white house
this former vice president was the
candidate who offered soft jazz after
the heavy metal of the trump years
moderation a presidency americans could
have on in the background
eight years of donald trump can
fundamentally change who we are i really
mean it
in a significant way he was never the
most inspiring of candidates
but his geniality made him hard to
demonize mr biden
for the bbc the bbc i'm irish
joe biden the white house has long been
the target
of his ambitions he announced his first
presidential bid in 1987
and he tried again in 2008 but ended up
getting the second slot
as the vice president to barack obama
this also gives the internet one last
chance to
talk about our bromance despite the
generation gap they developed to bond
like brothers
it was sealed when barack obama awarded
him the presidential medal of freedom
recognition to this pillar of the
washington establishment
of his decades in public service
his personal narrative is one of
recurring grief
in the early 70s he lost his first wife
and baby daughter in a car accident
five years ago he had to bury his
grown-up son beau who died of cancer
a life that is a model it's a life story
that found an echo
in these sorrowful times i'd like to be
able to say
we're going to be back to normal next
friday the coronavirus meant he spent
much of the year sequestered in his
delaware home
he almost became the invisible candidate
[Music]
at a time when the method of campaigning
became a campaign issue in itself
he kept his social distance and cast
himself as the anti-trump
almost portraying this election as a
battle of good versus evil
if you entrust me with the presidency i
will draw on the best of us
not the worst i'll be an ally of the
light
not the darkness from when the results
first started coming in on election
night it's been a sometimes fretful way
for the supporters of joe biden
but now they can celebrate this finally
is his moment
[Applause]
2020 is his year nick bryant bbc news
delaware