Trump and Biden give dueling statements telling supporters to buckle up
In it for the long haul.
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Election Day is about to become Election Month following dueling statements early Wednesday morning by Democratic nominee Joe Biden and President Trump.
As of this writing, Biden is ahead by roughly 14 electoral votes, putting up big projected wins Tuesday in Arizona, Virginia, and Minnesota. Trump, for his part, took big projected victories in Florida, Ohio, and Texas.
With only narrow paths to 270 electoral votes open to either campaign, both candidates made it a point early Wednesday morning to assure their respective bases that victory is inevitable, even if it means protracted legal battles.
Biden was first to address his followers, asserting shortly after midnight that the Democratic campaign basically has the election in the bag.
"We knew this was going to go long,” Biden said Wednesday in an address to understandably anxious supporters, “We feel good about where we are, we really do. I'm here to tell you tonight, we believe we're on track to win this election.”
“It’s not my place or Donald Trump’s place to declare who has won this election,” he added, "We knew because of the unprecedented early vote, the mail-in vote, that it was going to take a while. It ain't over until every vote is counted; every ballot is counted."
Biden continued, listing off the states where he thinks he has a good chance of winning.
“We’re still in the game in Georgia,” he winked, “although that’s not what we expected. We’re feeling really good about Wisconsin and Michigan. And by the way, it’s going to take time to count the votes, but we’re going to win Pennsylvania.”
"Keep the faith, guys” Biden concluded. “We're going to win this.”
His speech came before Trump's, who announced soon after the Democratic nominee’s remarks that he, too, would address supporters on the state of the race.
“I will be making a statement tonight,” the president announced on Twitter. “A big WIN!”
Trump added, “We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!”
Unlike Biden, Trump’s address was far more aggressive and blunt. The president claimed he won states that he has not won (at least not yet), including Georgia and North Carolina, and declared outright that he has won the 2020 presidential election.
“This is a fraud on the American public,” Trump said of tardy vote totals and the abrupt halt of ballot tallies in certain key states. “This is an embarrassment to our country. We were getting ready to win this election.”
He added, “Frankly, we did win this election. So, our goal now is to ensure the integrity for the good of this nation, this is a very big moment, this is a major fraud in our nation. We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So, we'll be going to the U.S. Supreme Court. We want all voting to stop. We don't want them to find any ballots at four o'clock in the morning and add them to the list. Okay? It's a very sad, it's a very sad moment. To me, this is a very sad moment and we will win this and, as far as I'm concerned, we already have won.”
Buckle up, folks. This election is far from over. Expect to see hotly contested races in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere go to recount or even (God forbid) the courts.