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      in US Politics

      US election live: Joe Biden wins and says 'It’s time for America to unite'

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      Key events

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      4.00pm EST16:00
      Today so far

      1.54pm EST13:54
      Jill Biden: ‘He will be a president for all of our families’

      1.17pm EST13:17
      Obama congratulates Biden: ‘Our democracy needs all of us more than ever’

      1.09pm EST13:09
      Johnson congratulates Biden and Harris

      12.44pm EST12:44
      President-elect Biden to address the nation tonight

      Live feed

      Show

      4.51pm EST16:51

      Julia Louis-Dreyfus, an actress who played a female vice president for the TV show, Veep, is celebrating how fiction has become reality.

      Julia Louis-Dreyfus
      (@OfficialJLD)
      “Madam Vice President” is no longer a fictional character. @KamalaHarris pic.twitter.com/rg1fErtHGX

      November 7, 2020

      4.45pm EST16:45

      Ben Doherty

      The prime minister of Australia, one of the US’ closest allies, has offered his congratulations to the president-elect and vice-president elect.
      Scott Morrison, a conservative who has built a strong relationship with Donald Trump during his term, said Australia wished the incoming administration “every success in office”.“The Australia-US alliance is deep and enduring, and built on shared values. I look forward to working with you closely as we face the world’s many challenges together.”

      Scott Morrison
      (@ScottMorrisonMP)
      Congratulations to @joebiden and @kamalaharris – Australia wishes you every success in office. The Australia-US Alliance is deep and enduring, and built on shared values. I look forward to working with you closely as we face the world’s many challenges together.

      November 7, 2020

      4.40pm EST16:40

      Joe Biden won more votes than any other presidential candidate in US history, approaching 75 million. However, Donald Trump also beat previous records.
      So how did Biden and the vice president-elect, Kamala Harris, take the White House?
      This visual guide will take you through some of the key states and demographics that show how the election was won.

      4.27pm EST16:27

      Tom Lutz

      Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 US presidential election has been celebrated by athletes across America.
      Trump has been involved in several clashes with high-profile athletes, such as NBA superstar LeBron James and World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe, during his presidency and the former was quick to react to the news that Joe Biden will take power in January.
      James tweeted a video of himself smoking a victory cigar alongside a link to More Than A Vote, a campaign he has headlined to harness the power of black voters. The 16-time All-Star also posted a photo of one of the most famous moments of his glittering career, when he pulled off a spectacular block of Andre Iguodala during the 2016 NBA finals.
      However, in Saturday’s tweet he had superimposed Biden’s head on his body with Trump as Iguodala. “Your pettiness level is through the roof and I’m here for it,” wrote WNBA star A’ja Wilson in response.
      James, one of the most famous athletes in America, has repeatedly tangled with the president. James has been critical of Trump throughout his term in office. In September 2017, James called Trump a “bum” for rescinding his invitation to the Golden State Warriors to celebrate their NBA championship with a visit to the White House.
      Meanwhile, shortly after Saturday’s result came in Rapinoe tweeted a thank you to “Black Women”, who voted overwhelmingly for Biden in this year’s election. Rapinoe was one of the first white athletes to kneel during the US national anthem and has called Trump sexist and misogynistic. Before the 2019 World Cup she said she would not go to the White House celebrations if the US lifted the trophy, a promise she kept.

      4.16pm EST16:16

      Tom Phillips

      The Guardian’s Tom Phillips reports from Rio de Janeiro:
      Latin American leaders, including the presidents of Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay, have started offering their congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.But so far there has been a deafening silence from Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who was one of Trump’s most fervent international supporters and had been openly rooting for his reelection.
      Sources with Brazil’s presidential palace told the Estado de São Paulo newspaper Bolsonaro was waiting for a “concrete situation” before making any comment.
      Foreign policy experts believe Biden’s victory will force Bolsonaro to replace his pro-Trump foreign minister, Ernesto Araújo, who has described the outgoing US president as a Godly “saviour” of western civilisation.

      4.10pm EST16:10

      Oliver Holmes

      Hello, Oliver Holmes here, logging on to run the Guardian live blog following a peaceful transfer of power with my colleague, Joan E Greve.
      It is just after 4pm US Eastern Time, 1pm US Pacific Time, and 9pm UK time.
      Joe Biden has won the White House, and Donald Trump refuses to concede.
      Our reporters across the US – and the world – will be keeping you updated with the latest.

      Updated
      at 4.23pm EST

      4.00pm EST16:00

      Today so far

      That’s it from me today. I’m handing over the blog to my Guardian colleague, Oliver Holmes, for the next few hours.
      Here’s where the day stands so far:
      Joe Biden has won the US presidential election, defeating Donald Trump. Biden was declared the president-elect after the AP announced he had won Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes, putting him over the threshold of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House. The AP has also since announced Biden won Nevada as well.
      Kamala Harris will become the first woman, the first African American and the first Asian American to serve as vice president. As people in major US cities took to the streets to celebrate Biden’s victory, many specifically mentioned Harris’ historic achievement as a source of immense pride.
      Biden called on the nation to unite and heal now that the election is over. “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation,” Biden said. “It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.” The president-elect is expected to deliver an address to the nation at 8 pm ET tonight.
      Trump has so far refused to concede. Shortly after Biden was declared the winner, Trump released a statement saying, “The simple fact is this election is far from over.” Although a concession is considered a hallmark of the peaceful transfer of power, Trump does not need to concede for Biden to be sworn in as president in January.
      Foreign leaders offered their congratulations to Biden and Harris. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “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.”
      Oliver will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

      Updated
      at 4.11pm EST

      3.57pm EST15:57

      The Guardian’s Nina Lakhani reports from Harlem, New York City:
      A couple hundred people are celebrating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ victory at Frederick Douglass square on the northwest corner of Central Park.
      Mavis Edgehill, 90, is here with her son Bill, 63, to celebrate the moment. “Trump is out, Biden is in,” she said. “We’re so happy, we had to come and celebrate. We couldn’t have taken four more years of his division. He’s instigated racism, and divided the people. We hope Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can bring people together as one.”

      Nina Lakhani
      (@ninalakhani)
      Harlem celebrates pic.twitter.com/ycoYsL9bMG

      November 7, 2020

      Stacy Steele, 50, a charity worker from Jamaica who’s been in the US for 35 years, said, “It’s very nice to see a vice president of Jamaican and south Asian descent. She didn’t fall into this; she earned it. She’s an intelligent, savvy, empathetic woman.”
      Stacy added, “I don’t believe the bigotry that Trump emboldened is what anyone wants for children and grandchildren.”The noise is quite something as people bang saucepans and drivers honk and cheer as they drive past. The party in Harlem is just getting started.

      3.42pm EST15:42

      It’s important to remember this was the third presidential bid for Joe Biden, who first ran for the office in 1987.

      Craig Caplan
      (@CraigCaplan)
      Joe Biden announced 1st POTUS bid at DE train stop intro’d by campaign chair/sister Val http://t.co/76Vizkc2Jr #TBT pic.twitter.com/XU14w330WQ

      October 6, 2015

      Now, 33 years after he launched his first bid for the White House and 12 years after he became vice president, Biden is a president-elect.

      3.37pm EST15:37

      Amanda Holpuch

      Joe Biden’s win means the White House will once again be home to a first pet – or in this case two. The Biden family includes two German shepherds: Major, a young rescue dog, and Champ, who lived in the vice presidential residence during Barack Obama’s administration. More

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      in US Politics

      'You're fired!': New York, Trump's home town, celebrates his election defeat

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      The celebrations that broke out on the streets of the president’s home town of New York City sent a loud message to the former star of The Apprentice: “You’re fired.”Some shouted his old catchphrase from the show as hundreds gathered spontaneously outside the Trump Tower skyscraper on the glittering island of Manhattan.This was where the brash real estate mogul had ruled a roost of sorts, as the chippy property scion from the outer borough of Queens who inherited, borrowed and bullied his way to fame and fortune – with a reputation for stiffing contractors, courting the media like a celebrity, and swaggering around like a mob boss.Trump Tower was also where he had descended, riding his ostentatious golden escalator, to announce his 2016 bid to become president.And it was also where he boasted during that campaign that he could literally shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and he wouldn’t lose any votes – but his luck had run out on Saturday as news broke he would be a one-term president. More

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      in US Politics

      Joe Biden’s move to net zero emissions will leave Australia in the (coal) dust | Bill Hare

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      The election of Joe Biden to the White House is likely to see Australia increasingly isolated as the world heads to net zero emissions, with quite fundamental implications for our economy. Let’s have a look at what has happened in the last two months.In September, the European Union proposed increasing its 2030 target from 40% to at least 55% reduction below 1990 levels in order to meet the net zero by 2050 target it adopted in 2019. Critically, the EU has made climate action one of its three main Covid-19 response priorities, so that at least 30% of its multi-annual budget and recovery fund is to be spent on achieving its increased 2030 emission reduction targets and its climate neutrality goal for 2050. These new goals for the EU27 would bring its domestic emissions very close to a 1.5°C Paris compatible level for the period to 2050. The UK has similar goals and ambitions to the EU27.Shortly afterwards, President Xi Jinping announced that China would “aim to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060”, the first time China has acknowledged the need to reach anything close to zero CO2 emissions by mid-century. If it covers all greenhouse gas emissions it would also be very close to what is needed by mid-century to be in line with the Paris agreement’s long-term goal. If this goal covers CO2 only, then China would need to achieve carbon neutrality around 2050 for this to be compatible with the Paris agreement.With China responsible for about a quarter of the world’s emissions, a move to net zero by mid-century has very significant implications for global temperature, lowering the Climate Action Tracker’s end of century projections by 0.2-0.3oC towards 2.4-2.5oC, compared with the previous 2.7oC projection.In October, both Japan and South Korea also announced net zero GHG goals for 2050. Japan’s prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, announced Japan would aim for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 with several specific measures, including a fundamental revision of its policy on coal-fired power plants. In an important change to Japan’s narrative, Suga emphasised the benefits to economic growth from the net zero commitment, whereas he’d previously characterised it as a cost.Getting to net zero essentially means the phasing out of coal, gas and oilThis was followed two days later by the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, announcing his commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, replacing coal power generation with renewable energy to create new markets, industries and jobs.Taken together, these four countries account for about 40% of global GHG emissions. There is also a large number of smaller countries with comparable net zero emissions commitments that would bring the total global coverage to about 48% of global emissions.What’s notable about all of these announcements is that they were made in the absence of any commitment by the United States and before any US presidential election outcome. China’s announcement in particular seems to reflect a geopolitical judgement by the Chinese government that they intend to move forward with ambitious climate goals even without the US.Arguably, these moves by this set of countries on their own will generate a major global move towards increased ambition and towards net zero by 2050.So where does this leave Australia? These net zero by mid-century moves by its major export markets create huge challenges.In 2019 China, South Korea and Japan accounted for 72% by value of Australia’s exports of LNG and coal: 88% of Australia’s LNG exports; 75% of thermal coal exports; and 51% of metallurgical coal exports. It is notable that none of these countries have focused on natural gas and all have mentioned renewable energy and other technologies, and all recognise that early action on coal is needed.The election of Joe Biden could trip this already major momentum into a landslide towards higher climate ambition. His election means the US will re-enter the Paris agreement, reverse the Trump administration’s rollbacks and make a significant contribution to closing the Paris agreement’s ambition gap with a new 2030 target. If he took the initiative to reboot US action in line with his plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050, Biden could reduce US emissions substantially by 2030.If he is able to fully implement his proposed Energy and Climate Package, and continues to be supported by the existing strong sub-national action in the US, the US could significantly reduce its 2030 emissions, reducing the gap between where it is headed now and a Paris agreement-compatible emission range for that year.Even in the case of delays and challenges to federal action, the efforts of state and local actors, such as the We Are Still In campaign, are expected to continue. A recent study estimated that enhanced action by subnational actors in the US could reduce emissions by 37% below 2005 levels by 2030. Biden as US president may not have control of the Senate (although the vote count on this result is far from over – and may not be resolved until January), but there are workarounds.Biden also has a net zero 2050 goal, which will place the US close to a Paris agreement-compatible emissions pathway. This would further lower the 2100 projected warming by about 0.1°C, and further if America undertook negative emissions action of scale beyond 2050. So the EU, China, Japan, South Korea and the US – about two thirds of the global economy, about half the world’s emissions and close to 75% of our fossil fuel export markets –will have net zero goals for 2050 or shortly afterwards. This is a massive shift.Let there be no misunderstanding about what this means. Getting to net zero essentially means the phasing out of coal, gas and oil, with markets more or less halved by 2030. This is a seismic shift for Australia and it means that it’s very likely that demand for our coal and gas will drop at least as fast as it has risen in the past few decades.It would hardly be a strategy for Australia to follow Poland’s lead and simply start to stockpile coal in warehouses. Diplomatically, Australia will find itself increasingly isolated, even in its own region and in particular with its close Pacific Island neighbours, not to mention the two superpowers, China and the US.Australia needs a forward-looking strategy aimed at taking advantage of its massive natural advantages in renewable energy and the resources essential for the low and zero carbon transition, and one that provides for a just transition for the communities and workforces affected by the rapid reduction in the markets that they have hitherto dependent upon.There is no time to be lost dithering, denying and obfuscating.• Bill Hare, a physicist and climate scientist, is the managing director of Climate Analytics More

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      in US Politics

      'A new day of hope': US politicians and ex-presidents hail Biden-Harris victory

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      Former presidents and politicians from both major parties weighed in to congratulate Joe Biden on his victory over Donald Trump, with Democrats eager to turn the page on four years of tumult and some Republicans offering prayers and best wishes while hinting at the partisan combat to come.Biden was declared the winner of Pennsylvania on Saturday, pushing him over the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency after days of uncertainty as election officials counted an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots due to coronavirus pandemic. Trump has refused to concede.“In this election, under circumstances never experienced, Americans turned out in numbers never seen,” Barack Obama said in a statement praising his former vice president and Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris. “And once every vote is counted, President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris will have won a historic and decisive victory.”Obama implored Americans to stay active, urging them not to view Biden’s election as the finale after four years of protest and action but rather to see it as a stepping stone in their quest for progress.“Enjoy this moment,” he continued. “Then stay engaged. I know it can be exhausting. But for this democracy to endure, it requires our active citizenship and sustained focus on the issues – not just in an election season, but all the days in between.”Former president Jimmy Carter, who lost his re-election bid in a landslide to Ronald Reagan in 1980, congratulated the Democratic ticket, which may be the first to win his home state of Georgia in more than a quarter-century.“We are proud of their well-run campaign and look forward to seeing the positive change they bring to our nation,” he said in a statement.Shortly after Biden clinched Pennsylvania, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer called Biden to congratulate him. According to an aide, it was a “happy call”. Schumer, who had joined revelers in Brooklyn, held up his phone for Biden to hear their cheers and applause.“Today marks the dawning of a new day of hope for America,” Pelosi said in a statement. “A record-shattering 75 million Americans cast their ballots to elect Joe Biden President of the United States – a historic victory that has handed Democrats a mandate for action.”House Democrats will maintain their majority, but Pelosi is on track to lead the thinnest majority in decades after sustaining unexpected losses. The Senate majority will almost certainly be decided by a pair of runoff elections in Georgia in January.Republicans appeared divided on Saturday between accepting the new president-elect and standing by Trump.Utah Senator Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee who did not vote for Trump, congratulated Biden and Harris, praising them as “people of good will and admirable character.”Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee who is retiring, urged Trump to follow more than two centuries of precedent and accept the outcome of the election.“After counting every valid vote and allowing courts to resolve disputes, it is important to respect and promptly accept the result,” he wrote.Like Trump, many of his closest allies were unwilling to accept the result, at least not yet.“The media do not get to determine who the president is. The people do,” Missouri senator Josh Hawley, a Republican seen as having presidential ambitions, wrote on twitter. “When all lawful votes have been counted, recounts finished, and allegations of fraud addressed, we will know who the winner is.” More

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      in US Politics

      How Georgia built on legacy of a civil rights titan and finally tilted blue

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      Downtown Atlanta boarded up when it became clear that Georgia could decide the fate of Donald Trump by just a few thousands votes one way or the other.The city worried that the president might unleash his well-armed supporters against an unfavourable result or that Trump’s opponents might turn out in protest if Georgia’s Republican establishment got up to its old shenanigans of fixing elections.But as the counting dragged on, the streets stayed quieter than usual, although coronavirus had already taken its toll on city life. When the results finally began to put Joe Biden in the lead in Georgia, his supporters held off on the celebrations. This was the wrong year to tempt fate.But there was a lot of quiet satisfaction that a state whose most significant role in presidential elections until now was as the home of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, might prove instrumental in the toppling of the US president.“I’m glad I voted. Didn’t last time but we needed rid of that guy. I’m proud of Georgia!” said Martin Williams, on his way to work at a fast food restaurant an otherwise empty city street early Saturday morning.That is a widely held sentiment among Trump’s opponents who sometimes cast his defeat – although a recount was announced on Friday – in terms of a sweet revenge in a state he won by five points in 2016.After trailing for days in the Georgia count, Biden was finally tipped into winning territory by votes from Clayton County, represented in Congress for years by the civil rights titan John Lewis, a fierce critic of Trump who died in July.“I love the idea that Clayton County could put Biden over in GA. That’s John Lewis’ district. He would do one of his trademark happy dances in heaven. Symmetry,” former Senator Claire McCaskill tweeted.Ben Crump, the lawyer who represents the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other African Americans killed by police, tweeted a reference to Lewis’s mantra of causing “good trouble” in the fight for rights. More

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      in Elections

      Biden's win marks the end of Trump's war on democracy and truth

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      Joe Biden has been elected the 46th US president, signalling a return to political norms in America after four years of raucous populism and administrative turmoil under Donald Trump.
      Thousands of Americans took to the streets, cheering, banging pots and pans and honking car horns to celebrate the outcome after four anxious days of waiting for votes to be counted. Trump was at his golf course in Virginia when the result was announced and refused to concede.
      Biden claimed the victory in the state where he was born, Pennsylvania, whose 20 electoral college votes put him over the threshold of 270. He had more than 74m votes in total, higher than any other presidential candidate in history.
      The former senator and vice-president said he was “honored and humbled” by the people’s verdict. “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation,” he said in a statement. “It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.
      “We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.”
      Biden was due to address the nation from Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday evening.
      From Atlanta to New York, from Philadelphia to Washington, there were spontaneous explosions of joy. A crowd gathered on Black Lives Matter Plaza outside the White House, cheering and holding balloons depicting Trump’s face and hair. One person brandished a sign that, quoting Trump on his reality TV show The Apprentice, proclaimed: “You’re fired!”
      In Times Square, New York, people danced, whooped and punched the air at the realisation Trump would be consigned to the history books as an impeached one-term president. More