The call from Associated Press came after Biden’s lead in Pennsylvania widened by over 30,000 votes. This handed him the state's 20 electoral college votes, enough to propel him over the 270 needed to take the White House.
Not long afterwards, he also claimed Nevada and its six electoral college votes.
US media including CNN and FOX announced Biden's win after projections showed he would take both battleground states.
Counting is ongoing in Georgia and Arizona, where Biden is also holding narrow leads. Authorities in Georgia said they would launch a recount as the race remains "too close to call".
America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 7, 2020
The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not.
I will keep the faith that you have placed in me. pic.twitter.com/moA9qhmjn8
A former vice president under Barack Obama, Biden is the first candidate to notch more than 70 million votes nationwide in a presidential contest.
“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 shortly after his win was projected. He also changed his Twitter profile to "president-elect".
Refusal to concede
However Trump has not accepted the results, and instead warned the election was "far from over". He released the following statement.
“We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed,” Trump said.
Throughout the marathon count, Trump claimed – without evidence – that Democrats were trying to "steal" the election.
His campaign filed an injunction to bar votes from being counted in Philadelphia unless a Republican observer is present. He also filed a lawsuit to halt the vote count in Michigan, which a judge rejected. And he is seeking a recount in Wisconsin.
Vice president-elect makes history
Biden's running mate Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has made history by becoming the first woman, the first black person and the first Asian American to be elected vice president.
The 56-year-old Californian senator shared a video of her phone call with Biden shortly after they were declared the winners.
“We did it,” Harris says in the video. “We did it, Joe. You’re going to be the next president of the United States.”
We did it, @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/oCgeylsjB4
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020
America saw its highest voter turnout in a century during these polls, with more than 100 million votes cast even before election day. But results were slowed, in part, by the unprecedented number of mail-in ballots due to the coronavirus.
While the presidency has been called, Congressional race results continue to trickle in, with Democrats set to retain their majority in the House, albeit with a slimmer margin.
Republicans appear poised to hold on to their majority in the Senate but January run-offs could further shift the balance.
