Joe Biden elected president

By Fernando Alfonso III and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 0427 GMT (1227 HKT) November 9, 2020
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2:05 p.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Melania Trump among those telling Trump to accept the election loss

From CNN's Kevin Bohn

First lady Melania Trump attends an event at the White House on September 3 in Washington, DC.
First lady Melania Trump attends an event at the White House on September 3 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

First lady Melania Trump has joined the growing chorus of President Trump’s inner circle advising him the time has come for him to accept the loss, a source familiar with the conversations told CNN.

Though she has not publicly commented on the election, privately Melania Trump has weighed in with her opinion, this person said.

“She has offered it, as she often does,” said the source.

Some context: Jared Kushner has approached the President about conceding the election. This morning Trump continued to tweet his opposition to Joe Biden’s win.

11:23 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Stacey Abrams says Biden will win Georgia even after expected recount

From CNN's Austen Bundy

Fair Fight Action founder Stacey Abrams.
Fair Fight Action founder Stacey Abrams. Source: CNN

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams reaffirmed her position that after an expected recount concludes in her state that "the results will be the same, Joe Biden has won the state of Georgia" in an interview with CNN on Sunday.

Abrams credited a "Democratic infrastructure" in Georgia, built over the last two years since her run for governor, as one of the primary reasons president-elect Joe Biden did so well there and why she thinks Democratic challengers will defeat both incumbent Republican senators in their respective runoffs in January.

She also commented on the "privilege" of seeing herself and other African-Americans reflected in Kamala Harris' election to the vice presidency.

"Kamala Harris' election signals that the face of leadership does change, that we do have a role to play beyond being supporters and advocates and agitants and we can be the leaders of this country and I think an exceptional moment we are experiencing in this country," Abrams said.

She added that many other minorities played a large part in Democratic success this election, especially the Latino community which she thinks deserves more engagement moving forward.

"The Latino community is not a monolith," Abrams said. "This is about pulling together coalitions of people of color, of the poor, of the disadvantaged, of the marginalized and be consistent with our engagement and not waiting for an election to meet them and not at the end of an election to acknowledge their value."

Stacey Abrams speaks about President-elect Biden's win:

11:24 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Maryland governor says he hopes Trump will "do the right thing in the end" and concede 

From CNN's Nikki Carvajal

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan warns of a surge in coronavirus cases, during a news conference on Thursday, November 5.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan warns of a surge in coronavirus cases, during a news conference on Thursday, November 5. Brian Witte/AP

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said he hopes that President Trump will “do the right thing in the end” and concede the election to President-elect Joe Biden. 

Hogan told CNN that Trump “ought to at least acknowledge that he will” concede, “even if it may take a few more days for cooler heads to prevail and to convince him it's the right thing to do for the nation.” 

“The way our system works is we all cast the votes, we count the votes, and then we live with the results,” Hogan said. He added that he hadn’t “seen any evidence” of the election fraud alleged by the President.

“A couple of Republican governors are the ones responsible for the states in question,” Hogan said. “They haven’t questioned the results.” 

Some more context: Hogan was one of the first prominent Republicans to acknowledge the Biden-Harris win on Twitter, writing on Saturday that “everyone should want our president to succeed because we need our country to succeed. We have great challenges ahead of us as a country.” 

“Now more than ever,” Hogan wrote, “we need to come together as Americans.” 

“I think I’ve always felt that our American democracy was more important than any one person, or any one election,” he told CNN Sunday morning. “I’m hoping that cooler heads will prevail because our system is much too important.” 

He also talked about Republican wins down ballot across the country, calling Tuesday a “really big night for Republicans.” 

“I think it was a mandate for moderation and working together,” Hogan said. “At some point we’ve got to try and work on lowering the temperature and working together.” 

The governor has long been an outspoken critic of President Trump. Last week, he condemned Trump’s allegations of fraud in the election, writing there was “no defense” for Trump’s “undermining our Democratic process.” 

Weeks ago, Hogan told the Washington Post he wrote in Ronald Reagan for president when he cast his 2020 ballot.

"I know it's simply symbolic. It's not going to change the outcome in my state. But I thought it was important to just cast a vote that showed the kind of person I'd like to see in office," Hogan said at the time. 

Hogan was also asked if he was considering a run for President in 2024. He didn’t directly answer. 

Watch the moment:

10:21 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Trump arrives at his golf property

From CNN's Nikki Carvajal

President Donald Trump walks to his motorcade on the South Lawn of the White House on November 8.
President Donald Trump walks to his motorcade on the South Lawn of the White House on November 8. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump arrived at his Sterling, Virginia, golf club at 9:58 a.m. ET today, according to pool reporters.

There was a very small group outside the club —one holding a Biden/Harris sign, one holding a Trump sign, one holding a sign that said "Orange Crushed," and finally, someone chanting “loser,” according to the pool.

This is his at least 300th day as President he has spent part of which at a golf property.

10:26 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Romney tells CNN he's seen no widespread voter fraud

From CNN's Nicky Robertson

Sen. Mitt Romney.
Sen. Mitt Romney. Source: CNN

Former Republican presidential nominee and current GOP Sen. Mitt Romney told CNN he has seen no evidence of widespread voter fraud across the US.

“I do believe, however, that it's destructive to the cause of Democracy to suggest widespread fraud or corruption. There's just no evidence of that at this stage. And I think it's important for us to recognize that the world is watching,” Romney, a frequent critic of President Trump, told CNN.

“I think in a setting like this it's important to think about what the world is seeing, what history will see , it’s important I believe for us to stand up and defend the institutions of democracy,” Romney went on to say. 

On the fact Trump has yet to concede to Joe Biden, Romney said, “Don’t expect him to go quietly in the night.”

“I would prefer to see the world watching a more graceful departure, but that is just not in the nature of the man,” Romney added. 

The first term Republican senator said that he and the GOP will have “no choice” but to work with a Biden administration.

“Can we find common ground? Yeah. And if Joe Biden works with Republicans in the Senate, he is going to have, we will be able to find common ground,” Romney told CNN. 

Sen. Mitt Romney responds to Trump claims:

9:36 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Mitt Romney says America should get "behind the new president and wish him the very best"

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, speaks to reporters following a news conference on Thursday, October 15, near Neffs Canyon in Salt Lake City.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, speaks to reporters following a news conference on Thursday, October 15, near Neffs Canyon in Salt Lake City. Rick Bowmer/AP

Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah, wished President-elect Joe Biden "the very best" and urged Americans to support him.

"I think half the country thinks it's a great idea. I think the other half thinks it's not such a great idea, but the reality is given the fact that the statisticians have come to a conclusion at this stage, I think we get behind the new president, unless for some reason that is overturned," Romney told CNN this morning. "We get behind the new president and wish him the very best and and I send our congratulations and will keep this president, like the last president, in our prayers."
9:36 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Bolivia's president-elect congratulates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

From Enoa Gibson

President-elect Luis Arce smiles during his victory party after a final official vote count released yesterday declared him the winner of the presidential election, in El Alto, Bolivia, on Saturday, October 24.
President-elect Luis Arce smiles during his victory party after a final official vote count released yesterday declared him the winner of the presidential election, in El Alto, Bolivia, on Saturday, October 24. Juan Karita/AP

On Sunday, Bolivia’s President-elect Luis Arce congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their victory in the US presidential election. 

“With a new government, we predict better relations that translate into the well-being of our peoples," Arce tweeted.

Some context: Arce, 57, will be inaugurated as president of Bolivia on Sunday after winning the national elections on Oct. 18.

9:36 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

European Union "stands ready to intensify cooperation" with US, commission president says

From CNN’s Sarah Dean in London 

The European Union “stands ready to intensify cooperation” with the next administration of the United States, president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Sunday.

Von der Leyen's statement signals Brussels' hope for a rejuvenated transatlantic partnership after strains on the relationship over the past four years.    

“The European Union and the United States are friends and allies, our citizens share the deepest of links, the election of the President of the United States of America is therefore a moment of significance also on this side of the Atlantic,” von der Leyen said in a video statement. 

“We have all been following the electoral process closely and it is clear now that the 46th President-elect is Joe Biden. I congratulate him and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory,” she added. 

Von der Leyen said that the EU-US partnership has “underpinned the rules-based international order for decades and remains a pillar of stability, security and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic."

“As the world continues to change and challenges and opportunities appear, our renewed global partnership will be critical. The European Union stands ready to intensify cooperation with the new administration and with the new US Congress,” she stated. "I look forward to driving this global agenda together with the next president of the United States, Joe Biden.”

9:33 a.m. ET, November 8, 2020

Biden and Harris delivered victory speeches last night. Here's what you need to know.

From CNN's Stephen Collinson and Maeve Reston

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivered speeches last night from Wilmington, Delaware, after winning the presidency, CNN projects.

If you're just reading in, here's what you need to know:

Biden makes an appeal for unity: He said he was humbled by the trust America had placed in him and reached out to those Americans who did not vote for him. "I understand the disappointment tonight. I've lost a couple of times myself. But now, let's give each other a chance," he said, adding later in his remarks, "This is the time to heal in America."

Biden paid homage to his deep faith: Citing Biblical verses and a popular hymn, Biden said, “And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, and make you just sigh like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand. Now, together on eagle's wings we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do with full hearts and steady hands. With faith in America and each other. With love of country, a thirst for justice. Let us be the nation that we know we can be. A nation united. A nation strengthened. A nation healed. The United States of America, ladies and gentlemen. There's never, never been anything we've tried we've not been able to do."

Harris noted the significance of her place on the stage: Harris, a senator from California, who will make history as the first woman, the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent to become vice president, said, "While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities." Harris also thanked Black women, saying they are "too often overlooked, but so often prove that they are the backbone of our democracy."

She spoke about her mother and made a nod to suffragettes: She remembered her mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who immigrated to the United States from India as a young woman. "When she came here when was 19, she could not have imagined this moment," Harris said. The Vice President-elect also wore a white suit, a nod to suffragettes 100 years after women's constitutional right to vote was guaranteed.

You can read Biden's speech here and Harris' speech here.

Watch President-elect Joe Biden's pledge to unity in his first speech following election: