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Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, wished President-elect Joe Biden “the very best” and urged Americans to support him.
“I think half the country thinks it’s a great idea. I think the other half thinks it’s not such a great idea, but the reality is given the fact that the statisticians have come to a conclusion at this stage, I think we get behind the new president, unless for some reason that is overturned,” Romney told CNN Sunday morning. “We get behind the new president and wish him the very best and and I send our congratulations and will keep this president, like the last president, in our prayers.”
Watch Sen. Mitt Romney’s message to Biden:
On Sunday, Bolivia’s President-elect Luis Arce congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their victory in the US presidential election.
“With a new government, we predict better relations that translate into the well-being of our peoples,” Arce tweeted.
Some context: Arce, 57, will beinaugurated as president of Bolivia on Sunday after winning the national elections on Oct. 18.
The European Union “stands ready to intensify cooperation” with the next administration of the United States, president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Sunday.
Von der Leyen’s statement signals Brussels’ hope for a rejuvenated transatlantic partnership after strains on the relationship over the past four years.
“The European Union and the United States are friends and allies, our citizens share the deepest of links, the election of the President of the United States of America is therefore a moment of significance also on this side of the Atlantic,” von der Leyen said in a video statement.
“We have all been following the electoral process closely and it is clear now that the 46th President-elect is Joe Biden. I congratulate him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory,” she added.
Von der Leyen said that the EU-US partnership has “underpinned the rules-based international order for decades and remains a pillar of stability, security and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.”
“As the world continues to change and challenges and opportunities appear, our renewed global partnership will be critical. The European Union stands ready to intensify cooperation with the new administration and with the new US Congress,” she stated. “I look forward to driving this global agenda together with the next president of the United States, Joe Biden.”
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are moving ahead with plans for their forthcoming administration on Sunday and have launched a transition website.
Biden’s website,BuildBackBetter.com now includes four “administration priorities” for the incoming presidency: Covid-19, economic recovery, racial equity and climate change.
The website lays out a seven-point plan to tackle the coronavirus, including “regular, reliable, and free testing” for all Americans and an “effective, equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines” once available. One point involves working with governors and mayors to implement a nationwide mask mandate.
“The American people deserve an urgent, robust, and professional response to the growing public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak,” the website said.
There is also a Biden-Harris presidential transition Twitter account, named@Transition46.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivered speechesSaturday from Wilmington, Delaware, after winning the presidency, CNN projects.
If you’re just reading in, here’s what you need to know:
Biden makes an appeal for unity: He said he was humbled by the trust America had placed in him and reached out to those Americans who did not vote for him. “I understand the disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance,” he said, adding later in his remarks, “This is the time to heal in America.”
Biden paid homage to his deep faith: Citing Biblical verses and a popular hymn, Biden said, “And he will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, and make you just sigh like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand. Now, together on eagle’s wings we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do with full hearts and steady hands. With faith in America and each other. With love of country, a thirst for justice. Let us be the nation that we know we can be. A nation united. A nation strengthened. A nation healed. The United States of America, ladies and gentlemen. There’s never, never been anything we’ve tried we’ve not been able to do.”
Harris noted the significance of her place on the stage: Harris, a senator from California, who will make history as the first woman, the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent to become vice president, said, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” Harris also thanked Black women, saying they are “too often overlooked, but so often prove that they are the backbone of our democracy.”
She spoke about her mother and made a nod to suffragettes: She remembered her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who immigrated to the United States from India as a young woman. “When she came here when was 19, she could not have imagined this moment,” Harris said. The Vice President-elect also wore a white suit, a nod to suffragettes 100 years after women’s constitutional right to vote was guaranteed.
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, has approached the President about conceding the election, two sources tell CNN.
The move comes following Trump’s assertion in a statement from his campaign – moments after CNN projected that President-elect Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States – that Biden is “rushing to falsely pose as the winner” and that the race is “far from over.”
“I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands,” Trump said in the statement, which states that the campaign’s legal battle will begin Monday.
Biden-Harris deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said Saturday night, as CNN has reported, that there has been no communication between Biden and Trump, or between any representatives from either campaign, since the race was called earlier in the day.
CNN’s Ryan Nobles reports:
Election officials in Gwinnett County, Georgia, are continuing to work to make sure votes are tabulated. CNN received the following statement from Joe Sorenson, Gwinnett County public information officer, on Saturday night:
“A total of 535 absentee by mail ballots that required a signature cure and three military/overseas ballots were not able to be tabulated on Saturday because Dominion Voting Systems technicians were unable to make the system adjustments needed to complete a results upload.
Additionally, 965 provisional ballots will have to be reviewed by the Gwinnett County Board of Voter Registrations and Elections to determine their eligibility to be tabulated. Dominion technicians continue work to resolve the situation so that ballot adjudication can begin again Sunday morning.
The Board of Voter Registrations and Elections is scheduled to review the provisional ballots on the morning of Monday, November 9.”
Gwinnett County is home to the suburbs northeast of Atlanta.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the daughter of an Indian immigrant mother and a Jamaican American father, became America’s first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president-elect on Saturday.
Her uncle, Gopalan Balachandran, lives in New Delhi. He spoke with CNN’s Vedika Sud about his niece’s win:
The wait is finally over. Kamala Harris is now vice president-elect. Your reaction?
I anticipated it. I told Kamala two days ago that they were going to win. We spoke for 10-15 minutes. The only difference this time was, there was tension involved … She will be an amazing VP. She has her values, she’ll stick to it.
Saturday was a historic day for Kamala Harris. Your thoughts.
Let me be honest, I think she is going to be one of the most active VP’s in US history. Right now the problems are so many civil rights: Black Lives Matter, coronavirus, the economy and so many things … Biden is a very responsible man, so I think he will offload quite a lot of these on Kamala’s shoulders, and she’ll be happy to do it. I think she’s going to very busy in the coming months in Washington.
Will you be flying down for Harris’ oath-taking ceremony?
Oh yeah! I will be going to Washington for her swearing-in. I was there when she was sworn-in as a senator. The whole family was there. I met Vice President Biden then. This time I hope to meet President Biden.
How much of an influence was your sister (Harris’ mother) Shyamala in Harris’ life?
Both Kamala and (her sister) Maya are like Shyamala, Kamala more so. She was a great influence, there is no doubt about it. She was the greatest influence.
Georgia’s Fulton County uploaded 5,012 ballots early Saturday morning according to information obtained from the Fulton County elections website.
The upload was a combination of cured provisional ballots and overseas and domestic military ballots that arrived by Friday’s close of business deadline.
“Fulton County has discovered an issue involving reporting from their work on Friday. Officials are at State Farm Arena to rescan their work from Friday. The Secretary of State has a monitor onsite, has sent additional investigators, and dispatched the Deputy Secretary of State as well to oversee the process to make sure to thoroughly secure the vote and protect all legal votes. Observers from both political parties are there as well,” the Georgia secretary of state’s office said of the ballots in a statement.
Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s Voting Implementation Manager, was with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the room at State Farm Arena observing the re-scanning process.
A statement from Fulton County spokesperson Jessica Corbin says in part: “In reviewing last night’s reporting of provisional ballots, Fulton County Director of Registration & Elections Richard Barron directed his staff to review to ensure that all provisional ballots were reflected in the results. In doing so he learned that some ballots were not captured in last night’s results. He also learned of a smaller number that were not scanned. Those are now being prepared for scanning. Out of an abundance of caution, all provisional, military and UOCAVA ballots scanned on Friday, November 6 will be rescanned tonight. The upload made last night will be pulled and replaced with tonight’s rescanned file.”
Remember:CNN projected Joe Biden will win the presidency. CNN has not yet projected a winner in the state of Georgia.
President-elect Joe Biden concluded his speech this evening by citing a popular Catholic hymn “On Eagles’ Wings,” saying it was a favorite of his deceased son Beau and has inspired him through the final days of the campaign.
He said he hoped the song would give comfort to the many Americans who are grieving a loved one as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Eagles’ Wings “captures the faith that sustains me and which I believe sustains America, and a hope, and I hope it can provide some comfort and solace to the 230,000 Americans who have lost a loved one due to this terrible virus this year,” said Biden, who is a practicing Catholic.
“My heart goes out to each and every one of you,” he said. “Hopefully this hymn gives you solace as well.”
He then recited the words of the song: “He will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn and make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand.”
“Now together, on eagle’s wings we embark on the work that God and history has called upon us to do,” said Biden. “With full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with love country and a thirst for justice, let us be the country we know we can be.”
Watch here:
As fireworks light up the sky here at the Chase Center, there is a subtle reminder that Beau Biden looms large over his father’s win tonight.
One of the songs that played — “Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay — was by one of Beau Biden’s favorite bands. At his funeral in 2015, Coldplay’s Chris Martin performed “’Til Kingdom Come.” Martin offered to perform after learning that Beau was a fan.
“Sky Full of Stars” also played during the fireworks show after Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nominee this summer.
He also made reference to Beau tonight when he talked about his love of the hymn “On Eagle’s Wings.”
“We must restore the soul of America,” Joe Biden said while addressing the nation as president-elect.
“Our nation is shaped by the constant battle between our better angels and our darkest impulses. And what presidents say in this battle matters. It’s time for our better angels to prevail,” Biden said.
“Tonight the whole world is watching America, and I believe that at our best, America is a beacon for the globe. We will lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of our example,” Biden said.
Watch here:
President-elect Joe Biden sent a message to those who voted for President Trump, calling for unity and reconciliation.
“Now for all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand your disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself, but now let’s give each other a chance,” Biden said in his first remarks to the nation as President-elect.
Biden claimed that he would be a president that would lead the entire nation, regardless of political party.
“I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify — who doesn’t see red states and blue states, only sees the United States,” Biden said in his first remarks to the nation as President-elect.
The former vice president noted in his remarks that it is time both sides “listen to each other again.”
“It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again, and to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies. They are Americans,” Biden said.
He continued: “The Bible tells us for everything there is a season, a time to build, a time to reap, and a time to sow and a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America.”
Watch here:
President-elect Joe Biden opened his speech in Wilmington, Delaware, Saturday evening saying the American people had made their choice clear.
“The people of this nation have spoken they’ve delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for we the people,” he said.
“We’ve won with the most votes ever cast on a presidential ticket in the history of the nation,” he added. “74 million.”
He went on to say he was surprised by the celebrating in the streets across the country calling it an “outpouring of joy, of hope, renewed faith in tomorrow to bring another day.”
“I am humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me,” Biden added.
Watch:
The last thing President-elect Joe Biden wants to hear is that “it’s not possible in the United States,” he said during his first speech since being elected to the country’s top office earlier today.
“We’re reminded tonight of those who fought so hard for so many years to make this happen. Once again, America’s bent the arc of the moral universe more towards justice,” Biden said.
Biden went on to praise the poll workers who toiled tirelessly since Nov. 3 to count millions of ballots.
“To all those of you volunteered and worked the polls in the middle of this pandemic, local elected officials, you deserve a special thanks from the entire nation,” he added.
Watch here:
President-elect Joe Biden thanked his wife and future first lady Jill Biden in is address to the nation from Wilmington, Delaware.
“I’m Jill’s husband. And I would not be here without her love,” Biden said.
He highlighted her background as an educator and a military mother.
“Jill’s a military mom, an educator. She’s dedicated her life to education, but teaching isn’t just what she does. It’s who she is. For American educators, this is a great day for you all. You going to have one of your own in the White House. And Jill will make a great first lady. I’m so proud of her,” Biden said.
Watch:
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said she reflects on the “struggle” and “determination” of women in America, including her late mother,Shyamala Gopalan.
“When she came here from India at the age of 19, she maybe didn’t quite imagine this moment,” Harris said during her opening remarks. “But she believed so deeply in America where a moment like this is possible.”
She continued:
“So I am thinking about her and about the generations of women, Black women, Asian, White, Latina, Native American women, who through out our nations’ history have paved the way to tonight. Women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality and liberty and justice for all. Including the Black women who are often, too often overlooked but so often proven they are the backbone of our democracy. All the women who have worked to secure and protect the right to vote for over a century, 100 years ago with the 19th Amendment. Fifty five years ago with the Voting Rights Act, and now in 2020, with a new generation of women in our country who cast their ballots and continued the fight for their fundamental right to vote and be heard.”
“Tonight, I reflect on their struggle, their determination, and the strength of their vision to see what can be unburdened by what has been. And I stand on their shoulders,” Harris added.
Harris will become the nation’s first Black and South Asian vice president, and first woman to hold that office.
“What a testament it is to Joe’s character, that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country and select a woman as his vice president,” Harris said of President-elect Joe Biden.
Watch here:
History was not lost on Kamala Harris tonight during her opening remarks as the first woman to become vice president-elect in the US.
“But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Harris said tonight in Delaware.
She added: “Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities and to the children of our country regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before. But know that we will applaud you every step of the way.”
Watch:
Addressing the nation for the first time as vice president-elect, Kamala Harris thanked the American voters and organizers.
“To the American people who make up our beautiful country, thank you for turning out in record numbers to make your voices heard,” she said.
“I know times have been challenging. Especially the last several months. The grief, sorrow, and pain, the worries and the struggles, but we have also witnessed your courage, your resilience and the generosity of your spirit. For four years, you marched and organized for equality and justice, for our lives and for our planet and then you voted. And you delivered a clear message. You chose hope and unity, decency, science, and yes, truth. You chose Joe Biden as the next president of the United States of America,” Harris said.
Harris is the first woman, the first woman of color, the first Black person and the first South Asian to be elected vice president of the United States.
Watch:
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris invoked the life and legacy of the late Rep. John Lewis during her opening remarks tonight, reminding Americans that “democracy is not guaranteed.”
Democracy is “only as strong as our willingness to fight for it,” Harris said.
“To guard it and never take it for granted,” she added from Wilmington, Delaware. “It takes sacrifice. But there is joy in it. And there is progress, because we, the people, have the power to build a better future.”
Harris added: “And when our very democracy was on the ballot in this election with the very soul of America at stake and the world watching, you ushered in a new day for America.”
Harris’ speech comes less than 10 hours after CNN projected Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 electoral vote threshold needed for the presidency.
Harris will be the nation’s first Black and South Asian vice president, and first woman to hold that office.
Watch:
