Joe Biden claims victory in US election

By Vatican News staff writer

World leaders are congratulating, Joe Biden who appears to have secured enough electoral votes to win the US presidential race. If the results are confirmed, Biden will become the 46th President of the United States of America.

Media projections on Saturday showed Biden crossing 270 Electoral College votes with a win in Pennsylvania, after pivotal victories in swing states Michigan and Wisconsin.

The news comes after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of mail-in votes that delayed the processing of some ballots in several so-called "battlegeround" states. 

Election officials say Biden is also on track to win the national popular vote by more than four million votes, a margin that could grow as ballots continue to be counted.

Incumbent President Donald Trump has vowed to challenge the election results in court, saying “this election is far from over."

Trump has repeatedly made claims of voter fraud in the election, although his campaign has yet to produce evidence to back up his assertions.

Media outlets note that Trump is the first incumbent president to lose re-election since Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992. Earlier Saturday, Trump left the White House for his Virginia golf club.

Americans voted in droves for this election, and with counting continuing in some states, Biden had already reportedly received more than 74 million votes, more than any presidential candidate before him.

Joe Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and raised in Delaware. He was one of the youngest candidates ever elected to the Senate.

During his career in politics he has held many powerful and influential positions, including chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, before becoming Barack Obama’s vice president in 2008.