A confident Joe Biden tells nation ‘we’re going to win this race’

WASHINGTON — “We’re going to win this race,” former Vice President Joe Biden told supporters Friday night, voicing his belief that he, and not President Donald Trump, will take the oath of office on Jan. 20.

“We’re beating Donald Trump by over 4 million votes,” Biden said, noting he had received more popular votes than any presidential candidate ever and that his lead in Nevada had expanded.

“As slow as it goes, it can be numbing, but never forget the tallies represent voters,” Biden said during an eight-minute speech after he and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., returned to the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, where on election night Biden delivered remarks to his supporters, many who sat honking in their cars.

Harris did not speak, but stood by Biden while wearing a black mask.

Trump did not appear in public Friday. At 5:42 p.m., the White House called a lid which meant that Trump did not expect to be seen in public. The White House has no public events scheduled for Trump or Vice President Mike Pence Saturday and Sunday.

On election night, Biden pointedly did not declare victory in sharp contrast to Trump, who in the wee hours of Wednesday morning told supporters gathered in the East Room, “Frankly, we did win this election,” before he talked about “major fraud in our nation,” and said he would go to the U.S. Supreme Court because, “We want all voting to stop.”

Shortly afterward, Trump tweeted, “Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!”

When Biden was done speaking Friday, Trump turned to Twitter with a barrage of retweets that questioned the election’s integrity.

Before the speech, GOP strategist Alice Stewart said she expected Biden to stick to the posture he has exhibited since emerging ahead on election night, and tell the American people, “I’m here to bring about unity. We’re not enemies. We need to work together. I’ll be the president of all of America. Let’s be patient and let all the votes be counted.”

Earlier in the day, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said, “I think what the president needs to do is frankly put his big-boy pants on. He needs to acknowledge the fact that he lost and he needs to congratulate the winner, just as Jimmy Carter did, just as George H.W. Bush did and frankly just as Al Gore did.”

All day Friday, good news accumulated for the former vice president.

The Associated Press projected that Biden had won 264 electoral college votes to Trump’s 214. The organization’s election map offered good news for Biden on Friday as continued counting in Pennsylvania and Georgia moved from showing Trump ahead to Biden ahead and expanded Biden’s lead in Nevada.

Their positions likewise were not symmetrical.

Biden exhibited such a steep advantage in the electoral college that a win in Nevada, Pennsylvania or Georgia could put the Democratic nominee at or over the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to put Biden in the White House.

Trump, however, would have to all but run the table — and win Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Georgia, as well as either Alaska or North Carolina — to hit or surpass 270. And Trump is ahead only in North Carolina and Alaska.

From the moment AP and Fox News projected Arizona with its electoral voles for Biden, the Trump campaign objected. While Biden on Friday enjoyed a narrow lead of nearly 60,000 votes, other big news organizations have considered Arizona too close to call.

Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7391. Follow @DebraJSaunders on Twitter.