After an unprecedented election week and a swarm of conflict and inevitable lawsuits, former Vice President Joe Biden has secured enough electoral votes to become the president-elect and the eventual 46th president of the United States.  

Early in the afternoon of Nov. 7, news outlets like CNN, the AP and Time all projected that Biden would win Pennsylvania, and they announced that he would become president-elect. 

At 77, Biden has become the oldest person to take on the office and only the fifth person in history to oust an incumbent president. His running mate, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, will become the first woman and person of Black or Asian heritage to assume the office. 

In addition, the ticket has officially secured the most votes of any in American history with over 74 million votes and counting. However, what was anticipated by many, Democrats and Republicans alike, to be a landslide victory materialized as a moderate win for the President-elect.  

The Democrats failed to secure a Senate majority, virtually guaranteeing a static legislative process and a polarized government, emblematic of the political climate the nation is continuing to grapple with. 

Biden’s victory was propelled by a clean sweep of the rust-belt states like Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, all of which voted for Donald Trump in 2016, and a strong showing in the sunbelt states like Arizona and Nevada. The latter four states, in addition to Georgia which is projected to vote Democratic for the first time since 1992, all counted their votes for days after election night concluded, leaving the country and the world blind to the results. 

In the wake of Biden’s win, President Trump has disputed the results of the election and stoked unsubstantiated claims of mass voter fraud. After the President-elect was projected to win on Saturday, the Trump team released the following statement:   

“Our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated.”  

It has yet to be seen how this refusal to accept the results will materialize in the President’s lame-duck period, and how the transition between administrations will be carried out. 

In his victory statement, Biden emphasized the need for reconciliation and unity. 

“In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America. With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.”