'Let's give each other a chance': US president-elect Joe Biden calls for unity in moving victory speech

4 Nov 2020 6:59pm

Biden bags Republican stronghold of Arizona

AP has just called Arizona for Joe Biden.

This is a big deal. Mr Biden is now the second Democratic presidential candidate to win the Republican stronghold since 1948. This puts another 11 electoral votes in his camp.

Why does this matter? Because bagging Arizona greatly increases Mr Biden's odds of winning the election. Theoretically, if he lost Pennsylvania but won Wisconsin and Michigan, Mr Biden would still emerge victorious.

Again, we're not predicting anything - but rather strapping ourselves in for what's increasingly looking like a long night/week/month/rest of our lives.

4 Nov 2020 6:44pm

The Australians counting on Donald Trump to retain the US presidency

Amid an anxious wait for the election results, a self-described crowd of “deplorables” in Sydney were cheering for a Donald Trump win.

The second annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was decked out in red, white and blue balloons on Wednesday, with journalists handed “fake news” media passes and several attendees wearing red MAGA caps.

Conservative figures Mark Latham, Bettina Arndt, Alan Jones and Craig Kelly were among the speakers and presenters at the one-day event.

SBS reporter Jodie Stephens spent the day hearing what they had to say.

You can read her feature here.

4 Nov 2020 6:39pm

Trump: 'This is a fraud on the American public'

Mr Trump reiterated his baseless claim of voter "fraud".

“This is a fraud on the American public,” the president said during his speech. “This is an embarrassment to our country.”

“We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election.”

The president also said he would be contesting the result if it didn't go in his favour. “We will be going to the US supreme court. We want all voting to stop,” he said.

In an especially fiery response, ABC America correspondent Terry Moran described Mr Trump's address as "the theatre of authoritarianism".

“This is not law. This is not politics. This is theatre," he said. "It is the theatre of authoritarianism and the American people know it.”

4 Nov 2020 6:37pm

Trump celebrates 'victory' in unconfirmed states

Mr Trump claimed victory in a number of states where the numbers are still too close to call.

"We're winning Pennsylvania by a tremendous amount of votes," he said of the key battleground state.

Mr Trump is leading Pennsylvania at 56.1 per cent, but there are many outstanding mail-in votes to be counted.

"It's also clear that we have won Georgia," he also said. "They can't catch us."

The jury is still out on Georgia; while it favours Mr Trump, there is still a chance for Mr Biden to make a comeback as outstanding votes are counted.

Mr Trump also urged all the ballots to be tallied in Arizona - where Mr Biden is currently leading.

The president did also reference his victories in Texas and Florida, which are, at least, very much confirmed.

4 Nov 2020 6:26pm

Trump boasts about his chances of bagging election

Taking to the podium in an early-morning press conference at the White House, Donald Trump boasted about his chances of sealing the election.

He also hinted that his opponents were trying to snatch victory away from him.

"Millions and millions of people voted for us tonight and a very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise that group of people, and we won't stand for it. We won't stand for it," he said.

"We were getting ready for a big celebration and then all of a sudden it was all called off. The results tonight have been phenomenal."

Donald Trump has boasted about his chances of sealing the election. Source: AFP

4 Nov 2020 6:02pm

Donald Trump is about to speak

Looks like Donald Trump is up soon.

As with Joe Biden's speech earlier, we'll be covering it live here - so don't go anywhere!

4 Nov 2020 5:48pm

Biden wins Nebraska's second district

Joe Biden has won Nebraska's second congressional district, putting one more electoral vote on his side.

Donald Trump won the other four electoral votes for Nebraska. This was unsurprising; Nebraska voted for Mr Trump in the 2016 election, and has voted Republican during every election since 1968.

4 Nov 2020 5:30pm

Trump takes Texas

Donald Trump has taken the state of Texas, giving himself 38 electoral votes.

This will come as a surprise to approximately nobody, but record levels of voter turnout had some people wondering whether Democrats could turn the traditionally conservative state.

4 Nov 2020 5:14pm

The US has formally exited the Paris Agreement

To a bit of non-election news - the United States has formally exited the Paris Agreement, fulfilling a years-long promise by Donald Trump to withdraw the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter from the global pact to fight climate change.

But the outcome of the tight US election contest will determine for how long. Mr Trump’s Democratic rival, Joe Biden, has promised to rejoin the agreement if elected.

Read the full story here.

4 Nov 2020 4:56pm

Donald Trump finally tweets out

Donald Trump has broken a Twitter silence of six hours with a shout of optimism.

Twitter has flagged the tweet as "disputed" and "misleading" election content, over Mr Trump's claim that his opponents were trying to "steal" the election.

(Side note - the president initially misspelt 'Polls' as 'Poles', but swiftly deleted it. The unintended nod towards racial diversity was nice while it lasted, though.)

4 Nov 2020 4:49pm

'We feel good about where we are': Biden speaks out

Joe Biden has spoken out to supporters in Wilmington, commending them on their patience.

"Your patience is commendable. We knew this was going to go on, but who knew we were going to go into maybe tomorrow morning, maybe even longer," he said.

"We feel good about where we are, we really do. I'm here to tell you tonight, we believe we're on track to win this election."

Mr Biden's speech comes as Florida has officially been given to Donald Trump. But the Democratic candidate says the race is far from over.

"We knew, because of the unprecedented mail-in vote this could take a while. It ain't over until every vote is counted, until every ballot is counted. But we are feeling good. We are feeling good about where we are."

Mr Biden expressed optimism for Arizona and Minnesota, as well as Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan.

"We could know results as early as tomorrow morning, but it may take a little longer. As I have said all along, it is not my place or Donald Trump's place to declare who has won the election. That is the decision of the American people. But I am optimistic about this outcome."

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden along with his wife Jill Biden speaks during election night. Source: AFP

4 Nov 2020 4:39pm

Trump wins key battleground state of Florida

It's official - Donald Trump has won Florida and its 29 electoral votes; the biggest win among the battleground states.

While this in itself isn't make-or-break, winning Florida was crucial to Mr Trump's re-election chances.

This means that - as was the case in 2016 - it all comes down to Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Read more here.

4 Nov 2020 4:34pm

Trump wins Ohio, Montana and Iowa

Donald Trump has won the seats of Ohio, Montana and Iowa - for a combined total of 27 electoral votes.

Ohio was a particularly important state for the president to win, being one of several he needs to secure a second term in the White House.

Iowa and Montana were always considered safe seats for the Republican leader.

4 Nov 2020 4:28pm

Joe Biden is going to speak soon

Joe Biden will be giving an address in a few minutes.

We'll be live-streaming it on our social media accounts and will bring you the highlights from his speech in this blog.

4 Nov 2020 4:01pm

Numerous wins for diversity

Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush has claimed victory in Missouri's 1st Congressional District, becoming the state's first black congresswoman.

Ms Bush garnered a massive 84 per cent of votes there, defeating longtime incumbent William Lacy Clay.

In another win for diversity, Sharice Davids has been re-elected in Kansas' 3rd Congressional District.

Ms Davids is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, a Wisconsin-based Native American tribe.

She is also a lesbian who staunchly supports minorities and LGBTQI+ rights.

Elsewhere, 26-year-old Taylor Small has become Vermont's first transgender state legislator - making her the fifth transgender legislator in American history.

4 Nov 2020 3:50pm

Trump supporters in Australia 'hopeful of another victory'

As the day goes on, Wollongong Trump supporter James Dwarte is feeling increasingly hopeful of the Republican president winning four more years.

“I’m a lot more optimistic about the result now and it’s looking like it’s going to be another victory, probably similar to 2016,” he told SBS News.

The 28-year-old travelled to Sydney to spend US election day at the Conservative Political Action Conference, and hear from conservative figures including Alan Jones and Mark Latham.

Mr Dwarte said he appreciated Mr Trump’s trade policies, his China response and his fight against “some of the more radical elements” of the Democratic Party.

“I like that he is a wrecking ball to some of the more establishment figures in the media, and both the Democrat and Republican parties,” he said.

- Jodie Stephens

Wollongong Trump supporter James Dwarte is feeling increasingly hopeful of the Republican president winning four more years. Source: SBS / SBS/Jodie Stephens

4 Nov 2020 3:33pm

Fox News calls crucial state of Arizona for Joe Biden

Fox News has called the state of Arizona for Joe Biden.

We're not calling it yet. Votes are almost three-quarters of the way in, with Joe Biden leading Donald Trump at 53.6 per cent.

But it's worth noting that winning Arizona - a state that last voted for the Democrats in 1996 - would provide a significant boost for Mr Biden. He could then afford to lose Pennsylvania provided he nabbed the rest of the Rust Belt.

The Trump campaign has already objected to Fox's call, saying it's too soon to call.

4 Nov 2020 3:22pm

Biden takes New Hampshire

Joe Biden has won New Hampshire, a seat with four electoral votes.

Donald Trump, who lost the seat by less than 3000 votes to Hillary Clinton in 2016, indicated earlier this year that he was making a serious effort to claw the state back.

"Sleepy Joe Biden doesn't care about New Hampshire," he said at a rally last weekend. "He left this state before the primary was even over. He abandoned you."

The Biden campaign responded by noting that Mr Trump's failure to act on COVID-19 had resulted in hundreds of deaths in the state.

Evidently this argument may have held some sway.

4 Nov 2020 3:09pm

Polls closing across western states

Polls have just closed in four western states, but their results have already been called.

Joe Biden has won California, Oregon and Washington state, giving the Democratic candidate a combined 74 electoral votes.

Mr Trump has won Idaho, which has four votes.

This means Mr Biden is leading Mr Trump at 209-117.

4 Nov 2020 2:56pm

Expats supporting Biden call for 'unity'

Cautious optimism, a sense of nervousness and hope for change were common feelings held by American expats at a Democrats Abroad event held in Canberra today.

They said Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus crisis, divisive rhetoric and exiting of the Paris climate change agreement were among reasons his presidency must end.

Ritu Gupta Clementi from North Carolina told SBS News she hoped a win for Joe Biden could bring a sense of “honour and “decency” back into the White House.

“I’m really hoping that a Joe Biden presidency unites the US,” she said.

Ritu Gupta Clementi says she hopes a Biden win can bring 'honour and decency' back to the White House. Source: SBS / SBS/Tom Stayner

Steve Flora from New Hampshire said if Mr Trump does get re-elected, he is "really concerned" for the "future of the country as a democracy".

Expat Terry Hull also shared his concern: “I’m feeling extremely anxious. It is an extraordinarily divisive period of time.”

Laura Eash from Wisconsin said: “It’s going to be hard [to repair the division] even if Joe Biden wins."

- Tom Stayner

'Let's give each other a chance': US president-elect Joe Biden calls for unity in moving victory speech