Biden styled himself as the antithesis to bare-knuckled Trumpism – and won

The veteran Democrat ran a slow and steady campaign in stark contrast to the sitting president

Joe Biden had characterized his campaign for the White House as a “battle for the soul of the nation” against Donald Trump, a president he said threatened the very foundation of American democracy.

Related: Joe Biden beats Donald Trump to win 2020 US election – live updates

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Ever resilient, Joe Biden finally grasps his chance to lead America

After a career pocked by adversity, the next challenge for the ‘scrappy kid from Scranton’ is to heal a fractured nation

At a moment of extraordinary tumult and pain, America has elected a man haunted by grief, with a seemingly boundless capacity for resilience, to be the country’s next president.

Joe Biden sought the presidency twice before serving as vice-president for eight years in the Obama administration, a role that might have been the capstone of his decades in public life.

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Biden: ‘We’re going to win this race’ as election count puts him on the cusp of victory – video

Presidential hopeful Joe Biden has said 'we're going to win this race' as crucial states trend in his favour as vote counting in the US election continues. Biden, who stands on the cusp of victory, said late on Friday he was on track to claim 300 electoral votes. The former vice-president has already urged unity during the count after Donald Trump moved to sow doubt about the election process without presenting any evidence. 'We may be opponents, but we're not enemies,' Biden said. 'We're Americans'

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‘Democracy works’: Biden addresses nation as vote count shows him on brink of victory – live

A campaign aide has also tested positive, Bloomberg reports. CNN and NBC have also confirmed the Meadows has contracted Covid-19.

Worth noting that Mark Meadows was at the election night party at the White House Tuesday that hundreds of people attended. Officials said everyone would be tested beforehand.

Mark Meadows has tested positive for coronavirus, according to reporters from Bloomberg news.

BREAKING: Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, has the coronavirus. Meadows informed a close circle of advisers after the election.

Story by me, @tylerpager and @MarioDParker out soon.

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Cindy McCain confident Joe Biden will claim Arizona on way to election win – video

Cindy McCain, the widow of late Arizona senator and 2008 Republican presidential candidate, John McCain, has backed Joe Biden to win the state of Arizona on his way to sealing the 2020 US election. Arizona, a Republican stronghold, was called in Joe Biden's favour by a number of news organisations on election night. McCain, despite her links to the Republican party, had previously campaigned for Biden in her home state

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Senator Lindsey Graham backs Trump, echoing baseless claims of election fraud – video

Republican senator Lindsey Graham has defended the Trump campaign's baseless claim of irregularities during the election, saying the president's team deserves the opportunity to make the case. "Democracy depends upon fair elections. President Trump's team is going to have a chance to make a case regarding voting irregularities," he said. "I'm going to stand with President Trump." Graham's comments come as presidential candidate Joe Biden took a lead over Trump in battleground Pennsylvania and Georgia, as ballots continue to be counted

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Philadelphia mayor tells Trump to accept he lost – video

Jim Kenney tells a press conference that Donald Trump should 'put his big boy pants on', acknowledge his defeat and congratulate Joe Biden as the winner of the US presidential election. It could take several days to complete the count in Philadelphia, but Biden has so far won 81% of the votes. Around 40,000 are still to be counted. Trump has continued to tweet baseless allegations of voter fraud

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‘What a spectacle!’: US adversaries revel in post-election chaos

From Iran to Venezuela to Russia, once-chided national leaders enjoy the sight of US democracy in action

Rivals and enemies of the US have come together to revel in the messiest US election in a generation, mocking the delay in vote processing and Donald Trump’s claims of electoral fraud in barely veiled criticisms of Washington’s political activism abroad.

“What a spectacle!” crowed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “One says this is the most fraudulent election in US history. Who says that? The president who is currently in office.”

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Trump repeats baseless election fraud claims as Biden calls for calm – video report

Donald Trump has claimed, without evidence, 'If you count the legal votes, I easily win', declaring victory again in a presidential election where votes are still being counted. Trump's comments come after rival Joe Biden urged Americans to stay calm as the result remains unconfirmed. In remarks made at the White House, Trump falsely referred to legally-cast mail-in ballots as illegitimate, and made unsubstantiated claims pollsters got results 'knowingly wrong' and the election is being stolen


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US election 2020: will Donald Trump accept the result?

Joe Biden was still leading Donald Trump in the tense race to the critical 270 electoral votes as counting continued in key states. Jonathan Freedland describes an election that has provided one clear message: the US remains divided

Joe Biden is tantalisingly close to securing the presidency, as votes continue to be counted in key states after an election with a record turnout and record numbers of postal votes. Donald Trump, watching his grip on the presidency being eroded, has threatened legal action, recounts, and even a halt to all ballot counting.

The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland tells Rachel Humphreys that the president set the tone for a disputed election result with an extraordinary statement in the White House on election night, and has continued to question the legitimacy of the process.

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US election 2020: Joe Biden holds lead over Donald Trump in tense wait for results – live

The Guardian’s Nina Lakhani reports from Northampton county:

Allegany county, home to Pennsylvania’s second biggest city of Pittsburgh, has paused all counting until tomorrow morning due to a legal challenge over 29,000 ballots.

We are also getting some more numbers from Nevada’s rural counties, and Joe Biden’s lead has shrunk slightly to about 11,500 votes.

Lyon, too, not moving dial much.

Shows you disproportionate impact of Clark.

Lyon and Elko are two of larger rural counties.

Biden by 11.5K

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‘Every vote counts’: peaceful protests spread as election goes down to wire – video

'Count the vote' demonstrators gathered in cities across the US after Donald Trump falsely claimed victory in the presidential election and sued to halt vote-counting in crucial battleground states. Demonstrations took place from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, with some ending in clashes with police. Meanwhile, Trump supporters attempted to halt ballot-counting in Michigan as Joe Biden looked set to overtake Trump in the state vote

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Protesters gather outside election centre in Phoenix as Biden’s Arizona ‘win’ challenged – video

Supporters of Donald Trump gathered outside the Maricopa County Elections Department, chanting 'count the votes' after Joe Biden was named victor in the state by a number of news organisations. Media, including Fox News and the Associated Press, called the state in Biden's favour, but Trump has been narrowing the gap. Maricopa county, Arizona's most populous and a conservative stronghold, has been the focus of attention as the overall election results remains in the balance

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The US election and what a Biden win would mean for Australia

Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump still have paths to victory in the US election but the contest is narrowing substantially. In this episode of Full Story, Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor and Simon Jackman from the US Studies Centre discuss what’s unfolding and what a Biden presidency would mean for Australia

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Election fight: a divided US takes to the streets as the count goes on – in pictures

Protesters turned out in cities across the US for the second night while votes are still being counted for the 2020 presidential election

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‘Simply wrong’: Pennsylvania governor reacts to Trump campaign court bid to stop count – video

Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf has condemned a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump's campaign to stop the counting of ballots in the crucial state. Democrat governor Wolf had previously tweeted that more than 1 million ballots were still to be counted. 'This afternoon, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit to stop the counting of ballots in Pennsylvania,' he said. 'That is simply wrong. It goes against the most basic principles of our democracy'


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US election 2020 live: Biden wins Michigan in vital step towards presidency as Trump tries to challenge results

With more votes in populous, Democratic counties left to be counted, Donald Trump’s lead in Georgia has shrunk to 47,000 votes.

Hi there, it’s Maanvi Singh – reporting from the West Coast.

The Trump campaign has filed a lawsuit seeking to pause vote count in Georgia, the AP reports, as officials continue counting tens of thousands of ballots in the state.

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Paths to US election victory: what Trump and Biden need to win

How the uncounted votes could fall and what that would mean for each of the candidates

Paths to victory remain in the US presidential race for both Donald Trump and Joe Biden, but Biden has more ways to win and appears to be running stronger state to state, based on the places – cities, mainly – where large absentee votes have yet to be counted.

Related: Build your own US election result: plot a Biden or Trump win

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