Joe Biden addressed the nation late Friday evening and while he stopped short of declaring victory, the former vice president said the numbers are convincing.
"We don’t have a final declaration of victory yet but the numbers tell us a clear and convincing story. We’re going to win this race," he said in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden noted the gains made in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada, putting him on a path to winning more than 300 electoral votes.
“We’re going to win this race with a clear majority of the nation behind us,” he said. “We’ve gotten over 74 million votes. Let me repeat that: 74 million votes. That's more than any presidential ticket has ever gotten in the history of the United States of America. And out vote total is still growing.”
He touted Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, saying he “re-built the blue wall in the middle of the country that crumbled just four years ago.”
Biden said the votes show he has a “mandate for action” on the economy, COVID-19, climate change, and “systemic racism.”
The results showed literally the opposite but this is what Dems would say regardless https://t.co/CoKs9XnADz
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) November 7, 2020
He acknowledged the deep divisions in the country at the moment, calling them “healthy” and “inevitable in a democracy.”
“But we have to remember: the purpose of our politics isn’t total, unrelenting, unending warfare,” he continued. “No. The purpose of our politics, the work of the nation, isn’t to fan the flames of conflict, but to solve problems, to guarantee justice, to give everybody a fair shot, to improve the lives of our people.
“We may be opponents – but we are not enemies,” Biden added. “We are Americans.”
Biden closed by hoping to address the nation again on Saturday.
The Trump campaign has filed multiple lawsuits over voting procedures, however, and the Secretary of State in Georgia announced a recount, so no matter what Biden says, the election is not over.
No matter what Biden says in a speech tonight, he is not the president elect until the recounts are done and litigation is completed
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) November 7, 2020
V.P. Biden claims a mandate. Mandate?? Election still in flux. You planned a victory speech and instead said nothing tonight. BTW, House Republicans gained seats. Senate did not go blue. Majority of governors are Republican including a new Republican in Montana.
— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) November 7, 2020