Welcome to today’s US election briefing for Australia.
So, a bit has happened since the last newsletter on Friday.
Joe Biden has won the US election and will become America’s 46th president. Australians woke up to the news on Sunday morning, and with it, scenes of unabashed euphoria across major American cities. Claiming the win just over 24 hours ago, Biden declared now was the time to heal.
He and Democrats have quickly moved into a post-election phase: a post mortem of results (including some terse infighting between the progressive and moderate wings of the party) and, more importantly, the business of transition. Among major priorities will be the pandemic, which continues to escalate dangerously. The US has recorded its fourth consecutive record daily total of new Covid cases – with 127,399 cases recorded on Saturday.
But in a parallel universe, the election is still not over. Donald Trump continues to insist he won, and is the victim of various undefined electoral frauds. His delusion is being aided by the same team of close aides, family members, right-wing media figures and senior Republicans who have long backed his every move, and clearly still see personal and political capital in sticking with this sinking ship. You can read our full story on the state of affairs here.
Those efforts are only set to escalate, according to some media reports today. Axios says Trump “plans to brandish obituaries of people who supposedly voted but are dead – plus hold campaign-style rallies – in an effort to prolong his fight against apparent insurmountable election results”.
As the caravan of the election moves on, the circus shows no sign of ending.
The big stories
Top Republicans either amplified Trump’s baseless claims of widespread vote rigging (lining up for Fox news interviews to do so) or remained silent over the weekend, with only a tiny number of moderates following tradition and congratulating the winners. There were also unconfirmed and contradictory reports that family members – including Melania and Jared Kushner – had advised Trump to concede.
Biden may have won, but some Democrats have spent the tense days since the election engulfed in recriminations, finger-pointing and infighting as they sift through the aftermath of expectations of a “blue wave” that never crested.
Among those speaking up is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who criticised the Democratic party for incompetence in a no-holds-barred post-election interview. She warned if the Biden administration did not put progressives in top positions, the party would lose badly in the 2022 midterm elections.
A lame-duck presidency and post-election political gridlock are set to worsen the US’s coronavirus crisis just as the pandemic enters its deadliest phase. Experts have predicted up to 200,000 cases a day by Thanksgiving (26 November) if Americans do not adopt social distancing and universal masking immediately.
Campaigning has already begun in the crucial runoff races in Georgia, which will determine whether Republicans retain control of the Senate. Voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams has already raised more than $3m for the Democrats.
Jill Biden is expected to break with tradition and keep her day job as a professor when she becomes first lady, while also immersing herself in education policy.
Joe Biden has won, but a few more things have to take place before it becomes official. This explainer looks at the next steps before inauguration.
Quote of the day
I could write jokes for 800 years and I’d never think of something funnier than Trump booking the Four Seasons for his big presser, and it turning out to be the Four Seasons Total Landscaping parking lot between a dildo store and a crematorium.
Comedy writer Zack Bornstein on the Fyre Festival of press conferences (I know this was yesterday, but c’mon).
Election views
“Without a readiness to confront the greatest concentration of corporate power in the history of the United States, even the most amiable of presidents will fail to deliver either social justice or serious climate change mitigation.” Here’s Yannis Varoufakis on why real change – not just civility – is needed in the US.
“Trump will weigh on America’s consciousness for a long time … they will constantly fear a resurgence of Trumpism and that’s not a bad thing,” writes Michael Goldfarb, in this incisive essay about Trump’s appeal and why his rise was no accident.
“This should have been a sweep … the fact is, the Democratic leadership bungled it up on every single front,” according to Naomi Klein. “They are much more interested in appeasing the donor class than they are in meeting the needs of their constituents, who need them now more than ever.”
Biden’s victory will be a chance for the UK and the US to reset their partnership, writes UK Labour leader Keir Starmer. “The two biggest issues facing us all – defeating coronavirus and tackling the climate crisis – require a joined-up, global effort that has been sorely lacking in recent years.”
Podcast of the day
Biden’s victory speech was laced with the intention to take on the major challenges facing the US and reunite the country – but he faces a potentially hostile Senate. The Guardian’s US bureau chief, David Smith, explains the challenges ahead.
Around the web
“This fucking virus,” Trump reportedly asked an aide in February. “What does it have to do with me getting reelected?” This Politico deep dive looks at the undoing of Trump in 2020.
“It is, finally, possible to see an end to a singularly destructive carnival.” An eloquent piece from David Remnick in the New Yorker on the end of Trump’s presidency and beginning of the Biden era.
The Trump campaign’s decision (stuff-up?) to hold a defiant press conference in the parking lot of an outer-suburban landscaping business was a gift to the internet over the weekend. Gizmodo breaks down the best memes.
What the numbers say: 10 million
The US has become the first country to record 10m Covid cases, with about 1m of those in the past 10 days.
