Joe Biden is the projected winner in enough states to give him the 270 electoral college votes necessary to become the next president of the United States, according to the Associated Press.
Biden's projected win came after three full days of vote counting and an overwhelming voter turnout that gave him more votes than any presidential candidate in the last 100 years and roughly 4 million more than incumbent President Donald Trump.
Votes remain to be counted in Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Biden leads in all while Trump would have needed to win the majority in every one of those states to reclaim the presidency
Biden's projected electoral college victory is happening against a backdrop of lawsuits and claims of vote rigging and fraud by Trump, who sued to block vote counting in Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Trump falsely claimed he had won Michigan and Pennsylvania, plus Georgia and North Carolina and made unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud on wild days of social media that had Twitter blocking numerous claims he made as fake news. Biden was projected to win the pivotal states of Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin while Trump took Ohio and Florida.
Biden's win marks the first time an incumbent president has lost reelection in 28 years, and protests and unrest marked Friday in Detroit. The Wayne County Treasurer's Office in Detroit was closed due to a "credible threat" while the owner of the Trump Unity Bridge was arrested and his vehicle impounded.
Michigan's governor Gretchen Whitmer said Biden's win means it's time to unite Americans again -- and "mask up" to fight the coronavirus -- while Barack Obama predicted that Americans will be able to have "thanksgiving dinner without an argument."
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Trump remained largely out of sight after Election Day except for two short press conferences, one at the White House at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday where he falsely claimed that he had won, and another Thursday night where every major network cut away because of disinformation. Biden also gave two short press conferences.
"It is the will of the voters, no one else, who chooses the president of the United States of America," Biden said on Thursday, urging patience until every vote was counted.
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