© 2023 Texas Public Radio
Real. Reliable. Texas Public Radio.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Biden Urges Patience As His Lead Widens In Key States

Joe Biden speaks about election results in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
/
X00157
Joe Biden speaks about election results in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is speaking Friday evening, as his lead against President Trump has widened in key battleground states.

Biden has delivered remarks every day since Election Day, promoting optimism from his supporters and encouraging states to continue counting ballots so that a clear winner in the race could emerge.

As of Friday evening, Biden had won 264 of the 270 electoral votes necessary to secure the presidency. Trump, the Republican nominee, had won 214.

Biden's remarks come as the president's path to reelection has narrowed considerably, prompting Trump to spew baseless accusations in an effort to undermine the integrity of the election.

Election experts agree there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, despite Trump and his allies continuing to push unfounded conspiracies on the issue.

On Friday evening, 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!"

In a later tweet, he wrote: "I had such a big lead in all of these states late into election night, only to see the leads miraculously disappear as the days went by. Perhaps these leads will return as our legal proceedings move forward!"

Biden on Friday had chiseled away at earlier Trump leads in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The former vice president pulled ahead in both states, which Trump depends on if he is to be reelected.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Alana Wise
Alana Wise is a politics reporter on the Washington desk at NPR.