Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday and offered himself to the nation as a leader who “seeks not to divide, but to unify” a country gripped by a historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil.
“I sought this office to restore the soul of America,” Biden said in a prime-time victory speech not far from his Delaware home, “and to make America respected around the world again and to unite us here at home.”
Biden crossed the winning threshold of 270 Electoral College votes with a win in Pennsylvania. His victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of mail-in votes that delayed processing. Trump refused to concede, threatening further legal action on ballot counting. But Biden used his acceptance speech as an olive branch to those who did not vote for him, telling Trump voters that he understood their disappointment but adding, “Let’s give each other a chance.”
President Donald Trump is facing pressure to cooperate with President-elect Joe Biden’s team to ensure a smooth transfer of power when the new administration takes office in January. The General Services Administration is tasked with formally recognizing Biden as president-elect, which begins the transition. But the agency’s Trump-appointed administrator, Emily Murphy, has not started the process and has given no guidance on when she will do so. That lack of clarity is fueling questions about whether Trump, who has not publicly recognized Biden’s victory and has falsely claimed the election was stolen, will impede Democrats as they try to establish a government.
There is little precedent in the modern era of a president erecting such hurdles for his successor. The stakes are especially high this year because Biden will take office amid a raging pandemic, which will require a comprehensive government response.
Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with different experts about where we go from here as Biden transitions into the White House, what legal questions remain and more. We also want to hear from you. How are you feeling at this point? And what does the historic election of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris mean to you? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Anna Edgerton, politics editor for Bloomberg; she tweets
David Greenberg, professor of History at Rutgers University. His most recent book is “Republic of Spin” (W.W. Norton & Company, 2016); he tweets
Michael Alvarez, professor of political and computational social science at Caltech and co-director of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project; he tweets
Justin Levitt, professor of law at Loyola Law School; he is a former deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where his focus included voting rights; he tweets
Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles; he tweets