Joe Biden is Elected to Become the 46th President of the United States: After Several Days of Tallying Votes, the Country Now Has an Answer
On Saturday morning, Joe Biden became president-elect after winning Pennsylvania. That win brought him up to 284 electoral votes, compared to President Trump’s 214. Shortly after, Biden won Nevada, giving him six more votes.
With Biden claiming victory as president-elect, Kamala Harris claimed vice president-elect. And with this, she made history – in three ways. Harris is the first female vice president-elect, the first Black vice president-elect and the first South Asian vice president-elect.
On the night of Saturday, Nov. 7, Biden and Harris delivered victory speeches in Wilmington, Del.
Harris, 56, took the stage first, smiling and waving at the crowd as she entered.
“We, the people, have the power to build a better future,” she said, thanking voters for giving her the opportunity to create change.
Harris thanked the women – both personal and historical - who have paved the way for her to be where she is right now.
“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Harris said. “Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
“The road ahead will not be easy, but America is ready. And so are Joe and I,” Harris said, wrapping up her speech.
After Harris introduced him as the president-elect of the United States of America, Joe Biden came jogging onto stage.
“I am humbled by the trust and confidence you’ve placed in me,” Biden said near the beginning of his speech. “I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but unify; who doesn’t see red states and blue states, only sees the United States.”
“It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again,” Biden said, calling for unity. “To make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies; they are Americans.”
Biden continued to promote unity when he said, “Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end here and now.”
Throughout his speech, Biden spoke optimistically about the future.
“We can do it. I know we can,” the 46th president-elect said.
Hannah Drewieck is a Junior
Business Administration/ Communication Major from
Stoughton, Wisconsin