To the dismay of Democrats across the country, the 2020 election between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden has defied the consensus that Biden would win handily over Trump.
With likely blue-leaning absentee ballots still being counted in crucial swing states like Pennsylvania, the odds are still in Biden's favor.
In the early morning hours, Biden addressed Americans, urging them to be patient and optimistic as the remaining votes were counted.
Conversely, at around two in the morning, President Donald Trump claimed victory in the crucial states of North Carolina and Georgia before falsely asserting that he won the election, though votes were still being counted with the race too close to call and neither candidate at the winning number of 270 electoral votes.
Watch below.
"This is a fraud on the American public... we were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election"
Trump claims election victory, but with millions of uncounted votes it is too early to credibly make that claim#Election2020 https://t.co/fVQ13KG8wT pic.twitter.com/144C0V4VTz
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) November 4, 2020
Trump said:
"This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election."
He went on to say he would be taking the issue to the Supreme Court, insisting that all voting should stop, apparently conflating casting ballots with counting them.
The President said:
"We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So we will be going to the U.S. Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop. We don't want them to find any ballots at 4 o'clock in the morning and add them to the list."
Votes have been counted past election night in every state, in every election, so Trump's reasoning for bringing the issue to the Supreme Court is as baseless as claims that he won.
Even some of his infamously loyal colleagues pushed back on Trump's claims, including Trump's debate coach and former New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie.
Chris Christie on Pres. Trump's election remarks: "I talk tonight... as a former U.S. Attorney. There's just no basis to make that argument tonight. There just isn't."
"I disagree with what he did tonight." https://t.co/GwwRl4EUb3 #ElectionNight pic.twitter.com/PGborH5sCH
— ABC News (@ABC) November 4, 2020
Rick Santorum: "I was very distressed by what I heard POTUS say ... the idea of using the word 'fraud' being committed by people counting votes is wrong ... they are not stopping counting because they are trying to fix anything or create any sort of fraud." pic.twitter.com/z69YVsFSqm
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 4, 2020
No, Trump has not already won the election, and it is deeply irresponsible for him to say he has.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 4, 2020
But in the court of public opinion, their rebukes of Trump's speech didn't erase their support of four years.
And yet they campaigned for him, and fundraised for him, and bent the rules for him to get him this far. https://t.co/yMsVSRyVb0
— Van Badham (@vanbadham) November 4, 2020
You knew he was going to do this weeks ago.
— Logically Preston ❼ (@PrestonTheSnack) November 4, 2020
Shut TF up @ChrisChristie you enabled him this whole time. You are just as evil as he is. https://t.co/5ZfIOB1rdt
— EK (@eeking1088) November 4, 2020
“Oh yah lol I definitely voted for him tho" https://t.co/0iC5dIA7xx
— SOTUS (@SteamboatUSA) November 4, 2020
Democrats forcefully rebuked Trump's claims as well.
It's not my place or Donald Trump's place to declare the winner of this election. It's the voters' place.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 4, 2020
Donald Trump's premature claims of victory are illegitimate, dangerous, and authoritarian.
Count the votes. Respect the results.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 4, 2020
All votes must be counted. We live in a democracy.
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) November 4, 2020
🗣 Counting ALL ballots isn't the same as voting. You can't stop ballots from being counted. This isn't a dictatorship.
This man is dangerous.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 4, 2020
The irony of worrying about people turning America into Somalia, while allowing Trump to do literally what Somali dictators used to do.
Wake up, he is destroying everything that sets up apart.
We send election observers into other countries, we shouldn't need ours monitored.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 4, 2020
With a close election still unfolding, the certain winner of the White House remains unclear.
note on @mychal3ts/Threads post