Joe Biden Pledges To "Govern As American President"

The former Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden has expressed optimism over the ongoing presidential election in which he is leading rival and US President Donald Trump.

Biden told reporters on Wednesday afternoon in Wilmington, Delaware that he expects victory. The former VP in the Barak Obama administration said:

When the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners.

I will govern as an American president. The presidency itself is not a partisan institution.

He and his running mate Kamala Harris have launched a website for the transition of power, which says that their team “will continue preparing at full speed so that the Biden-Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One.”

Meanwhile, President Trump’s campaign is declaring victory saying Trump will retain the presidency. Senior Trump campaign aide Jason Miller said:

By the end of this week, it will be clear to the entire nation that President Trump and Vice-President Pence will be elected for another four years.

Biden has 264 Electoral College votes, giving him the edge in the race to accumulate the 270 needed to win the White House while Trump has 214.

Despite claims of victory, the Trump campaign has filed two lawsuits in Pennsylvania to halt all vote counting “until there is meaningful transparency”.

Trump is also suing Georgia to halt the vote count there saying a Republican poll observer had witnessed 53 late absentee ballots being illegally added to a pile of votes in Chatham County.

He also said he was prepared to take the election to the Supreme Court, and his campaign is asking Republican donors to help fund legal challenges.

Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, tweeted asking supporters to contribute $5 to help pay for litigation that could “stretch on for weeks”.

Biden campaign senior legal adviser Bob Bauer said there were no grounds for Trump to invalidate lawful ballots.

More: BBC News