It certainly seems like the third time was very lucky for Joe Biden!
On his third bid at becoming the President of the United States of America, 77-year old Joe Biden beat Donald Trump to be elected the President-elect. The 46th President of the US made previous attempts at the White House in 1987 and 2008.
Meanwhile, Vice-President elect Kamala Harris made history by becoming the first woman to hold to the position. Harris, whose father is Jamaican and mother is Indian, is also the first Black and Asian-American to be elected to the office of the Vice-President.
In winning 279 electoral college votes, Biden won Republican strongholds such as Michigan and Wisconsin, and the keystone state of Pennsylvania.
Biden also set a record for winning the most number of votes than any other Presidential candidate in the history of the United States.
“I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris,” Biden said in a statement after being announced President-elect. “In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.”
He addressed the nation for the first time as President-elect from Wilmington, Delaware, delivering a message of unity and appealing to assuage the divisions in a nation that is extremely polarized and brimming with social unrest.
“Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end here and now,” he said.
Kamala Harris also gave an inspiring speech to her supporters, invoking her mother Shyamala Gopalan, whom she considers her biggest inspiration. “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” she said. “Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
Congratulatory messages poured in from world leaders for Biden, which included messages from the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu; Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi; Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson; and Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morisson.
Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Joe, we’ve had a long & warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel. I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the U.S. and Israel.
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) November 8, 2020
Congratulations to @joebiden and @kamalaharris – Australia wishes you every success in office. The Australia-US Alliance is deep and enduring, and built on shared values. I look forward to working with you closely as we face the world’s many challenges together.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) November 7, 2020
Congratulations @JoeBiden on your spectacular victory! As the VP, your contribution to strengthening Indo-US relations was critical and invaluable. I look forward to working closely together once again to take India-US relations to greater heights. pic.twitter.com/yAOCEcs9bN
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 7, 2020
Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris pic.twitter.com/xrpE99W4c4
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 7, 2020
Many reasons have been attributed for the defeat of incumbent President Donald Trump, which include the ineffectiveness of the administration in handling the coronavirus pandemic: the United States has seen around 2,30,000 fatalities due to COVID-19. Also Trump has widely been seen as a divisive figure rather than a uniting one, and many people were tired of his inflammatory remarks, aggressive behaviour, and infantile name-calling.
