On Saturday, November 7^th, Joseph R. Biden was elected as America’s 46^th president after four days of ballot counting. Biden’s victory is credited to the successful flip of Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.  The former Vice President even managed to secure states that hadn’t voted blue in several years such as Arizona.  With Biden’s victory comes the end of Trump’s tumultuous four years reign. Trump’s defeat makes him the third president since World War II to lose re-election and the first in a little over 25 years. He has yet to concede. Biden and Harris’ win also marks numerous historic events. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be the first female to take vice-presidential office as well as the first Indian-American, Black, and biracial person to assume the position. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, will become America’s first second gentleman. Biden, who will turn 78 later this month, will become the oldest president yet after winning his third bid for the presidency.

On Saturday night, the president-elect made an appearance before supporters at a rally in Wilmington, Del. He called for a reunification of the country despite differing political views. “Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end here and now,” he said in his speech. He acknowledged his black supporters, recalling how they rejuvenated his campaign back in February. He went on to say voters clearly wanted both parties “to cooperate in their interest” and has promised to bring Republicans  and Democrats together.  Biden spoke directly to his opponent’s supporters and shared empathy for their disappointment. “I’ve lost a couple of times myself,” he said referring to his previous failing bids for the presidency, “now let’s give each other a chance.” Biden’s victory was widely celebrated all around America. Americans flooded the streets in celebration. Crowds surrounded the White House and cheered as cars bearing the flag drove by.

Historically democratic states flooded the polls for Biden. The majority of his votes came from suburban and major city residents allowing him to take back over three states that the Democratic Party lost in 2016. Biden had a comfortable lead over Trump in both the popular and electoral vote. Even though Biden won the presidency, other democratic candidates in other races have not been doing as well. Democrats lost seats in the House and have not made much progress in the Senate. Trump still managed to secure the vote of many white voters, and rural areas especially, which deeply underlines the divisions in America that Biden has promised to heal. Biden received support from prominent Republican figures such as Cindy McCain, wife of the late Senator John McCain and other prominent members, such as George W. Bush and Mitt Romney, refrained from endorsing Trump.

Trump refused to accept the election results, saying, “this election is far from over.” He said he would “start prosecuting our case in court” but unveiled no further details. In the days following the election, the president attacked Biden and the Democratic Party. On Wednesday night, in a White House appearance, he incorrectly claimed that he won the race and that the Democrats were producing invalid votes to defeat him. He came back to this message on Thursday evening, building a conspiracy that the election and votes were being stolen from him. His campaign aides rushed to his defense as Biden conquered key swing states promising legal action. So far it seems that Trump may not succeed with his legal action. The President sealed his fate by undermining the seriousness of a pandemic that took the lives of over 230,000 Americans. He repeatedly disregarded the advice of numerous medical experts even as the death toll continued to rise. He himself contracted the virus and still remained adamant in his views. Biden profited off of this, depicting himself as a savior of sorts for the public promising to guide America out of the “dark winter”. Trump numerously mocked mask-wearers and still attended his rather large rallies, placing not only himself, but his staff and supporters at risk. Biden and Senator Harris took precautionary measures while campaigning. They avoided indoor events, mandated social distancing, and always wore their masks.

Earlier in the election, maps had shown Trump winning in numerous states due to a backlog of early and mail-in ballots. Some states had reported votes in increments or in a halting fashion. Many states had to unexpectedly deal with the difficulties of voting during the pandemic. As midwestern and western cities began to report their votes, the electoral college shifted to Biden’s favor. By Wednesday afternoon, Biden had revived the Midwestern blue wall and reclaimed Wisconsin and Michigan, historically democratic states that Trump had won in 2016. On Saturday, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh delivered a flurry of votes for the democratic nominee enabling him to take back Pennsylvania as well. With the heavy income of votes, Biden made history as the candidate with the highest percentage in the popular vote in all of history. Although he fell short of claiming premature victory, he expressed numerous times his confidence in his victory, noting that it would soon be time “to unite, to heal, to come together as a nation.”

As he prepares to take the oath in January, Biden will return to Washington to complete his work. There will be pressure for the president-elect to secure and distribute a safe and trusted vaccine for the virus. He will also be expected to bring the economy back and address the racial justice and policing issues that have made themselves present in America recently. He will also face the difficulty of working with a deeply divided Congress.  Republicans have strayed further right and the Democrats have become responsive to leftists. While Biden could aim to bridge the divide and secure cooperation, his party will inevitably pressure him to set diplomatic strategies aside and persuade a more aggressive route. The history making duo, Biden and Harris, have a long road awaiting them.