Los Angeles, CA — I woke up to the sound of cars honking and people cheering, and at that moment, I knew history had been made. That same symphony of triumph could be heard from across the country, as Americans flooded the streets and rejoiced in welcoming Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States.
To say Biden’s road to victory was easy is an understatement. The race proved the deep divides that still exist in our country. Tallying mail-in ballots continued five days after Election Day as Americans were left in limbo, frantically wondering their country’s fate.
Biden clinched the lead in Pennsylvania on Saturday morning, a state that previously went Trump in 2016. The Keystone State awarded him 20 electoral votes, putting him at 273 – surpassing the 270 majority needed to win.
The former two-term vice president under Barack Obama and 36-year Senate veteran broke the record for the most votes ever cast for a U.S. presidential candidate. In addition, his running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, will become the first woman, the first Black person, and the first person of Southeast Asian descent to serve as vice president.
“In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America,” Biden said. “With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation.”
Not everyone was celebrating Saturday morning’s big announcement, especially not Donald Trump, who was on a golf course in Virginia when CNN called the race. He immediately refused to acknowledge the victory, vowing to continue challenging the validity of mail-in ballots in several states. The Trump campaign has launched an abundance of lawsuits in an attempt to delay the counting of votes, but the litigation has been unsuccessful thus far.
Biden, who turns 78 at the end of this month and will become the oldest president, said he was running to restore the character of the nation and bring dignity back to the White House.
He has mapped out plans for sweeping climate action, tackling the deepest economic slump since the 1930s, a healthcare extension that would cover more Americans, working to end racism and police brutality, and a plan to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
In the continued absence of a national plan to fight the virus and a White House that downplays its deadliness and discourages mask-wearing, COVID-19 is hitting its peak in states across the country, signaling a deadly winter to come.
Although this may be the end of his campaign, it is the beginning of something way more for the Biden administration, as they begin to work tirelessly in the hopes of uniting our country.
“There will not be blue states and red states when we win. Just the United States of America,” Biden said Wednesday afternoon. “We are not enemies. What brings us together as Americans is so much stronger than anything that can tear us apart.”
