Electoral College cements Biden win and Biden scolds Trump on refusal to concede
On Dec 14, all 538 electors met in their respective states to cast their votes for president based on the election results that were recently certified by all 50 states and Washington, D.C. California’s 55 electoral votes pushed Biden over the 270 threshold needed to win shortly after 5 p.m. ET.
Electors and attendees in California cheered as the Biden-Harris vote was announced — the vice president-elect is a native Californian.
The California victory left the electoral tally at 302 for Biden and Harris, and 232 for Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. After Hawaii, the last state to cast its ballots, voted, Biden solidified his win at 306 votes to Trump’s 232.
Electoral College votes are typically just routine to formalize the results of a presidential election. But this year’s vote took on added importance as Trump refused to accept the results and urged legislatures in battleground states that Biden won to disqualify Biden’s electors, including Georgia.
While the majority of Republican lawmakers have held off on recognizing Biden as president-elect because of Trump’s stance, Monday’s vote prompted some to speak out.
“The orderly transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy, and although I supported President Trump, the Electoral College vote today makes clear that Joe Biden is now President-elect,” said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.
Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said that he was “disappointed by the results of the Electoral College vote” but that “we must put aside politics and respect the constitutional process that determines the winner of our presidential election.”
John Thune, R-S.D., the Senate majority whip, appeared to address Trump and his supporters directly saying: “I understand there are people who feel strongly about the outcome of this election, but in the end at some point you have to face the music. And I think once the Electoral College settles the issue today, it’s time for everybody to move on.”
In Georgia, Stacey Abrams presided and served as an elector Monday. Rep.-elect Nikema Williams introduced Abrams and noted that the occasion marked the first time the state had voted for a Democrat for president since 1992. “Now all the nation knows that Georgia is a blue state,” Williams said.
In New York, former President Bill Clinton and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton served as electors. They and 27 others in the state cast their votes for Biden and Harris.
Around the same time, the Wisconsin Supreme Court dismissed the Trump campaign’s lawsuit to overturn the vote certification in the state. The court ruled against Trump 4-3, finding that some of his allegations were meritless and that other challenges were brought too late. Biden officially secured the state’s 10 electoral votes about two hours after the decision was handed down.
In Florida, Trump was down an elector ahead of its vote — state Sen. Wilton Simpson was forced to skip the vote after he tested positive for the coronavirus, The Miami Herald reported. An alternate was appointed in his place.
Trump’s efforts to overturn election
Trump and his allies have already lost over 50 cases challenging the results, including before the Supreme Court. Trump and a number of other Republican officials tried to overturn the results in battleground states like Georgia. He and his supporters have even attacked Georgia’s Republican Governor, Secretary of State and Head of Elections. But the Supreme Court rejected this last attempt Friday night. Trump has repeatedly said since the Nov. 3 election that he won by a landslide and that the election was rigged.
On Thanksgiving, Trump told reporters that it would be a “very hard thing to concede” even when the Electoral College finalized Biden’s win. He said, “If they do, they’ve made a mistake.” Asked whether he would leave the White House under that outcome, Trump said, “Certainly I will.”
Biden, however, was deemed president-elect on Nov. 7, four days after the election, once he surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Ultimately, Biden got 306 electoral votes, while Trump won 232.
Biden addresses nation
In a scathing indictment of Trump and his allies for trying to overturn the election and change votes, President-elect Joe Biden came out strong Monday just hours after the Electoral College officially sealed his victory.
Biden called the election, which Trump and his supporters have tried to overturn with scores of failed legal challenges, “honest, free and fair.” And he called attacks on the election and election officials “simply unconscionable” and Trump’s attempts to overturn the election an “abuse of power.”
“In America, politicians don’t take power — the people grant it to them,” he said. “The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing, not even a pandemic — or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame.
“In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed,” Biden added. “We the people voted. Faith in our institutions held. The integrity of our elections remains intact. And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal.”
He again vowed to be “a president for all Americans” and said his priority is to get the pandemic under control and deliver economic help.
“I will work just as hard for those of you who didn’t vote for me as I will for those who did. There is urgent work in front of all of us,” he said. “Getting the pandemic under control to getting the nation vaccinated against this virus. Delivering immediate economic help so badly needed by so many Americans who are hurting today — and then building our economy back better than ever.”
On Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. ET, the Electoral College votes will be counted in a joint session of Congress. Biden and Harris will be sworn into office Jan. 20.
