"Victory for Democracy... Let's Unite and Heal" Biden Wins Electoral College Vote (Comprehensive)

Electoral College Vote Also Unchanged
Winner Officially Confirmed After Congressional Certification on Dec 6
Trump Fires Loyal Attorney General

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] 'No Upset.'

Joe Biden, the President-elect of the United States, has effectively been officially confirmed as the next president after winning the Electoral College vote in the U.S. presidential election. Immediately after the Electoral College vote, Biden emphasized the victory of democracy but also seemed mindful of the challenges facing a divided America, appealing to "unite and heal."

According to U.S. media including CNN on the 14th (local time), Biden secured 306 electoral votes nationwide from state-by-state Electoral College voting, defeating President Donald Trump who garnered 232 votes. When California, holding 55 electoral votes, cast its vote at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Biden easily surpassed the 'magic number' of 270 needed to win. The battleground states of Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin also cast their electoral votes for Biden simultaneously.

The Electoral College vote is merely a formality where electors pledged to each candidate in the November 3rd election cast their votes. However, this year drew global attention as President Trump declared his refusal to concede. The New York Times (NYT) reported, "While the Electoral College vote is certainly an important political event, it has never drawn as much attention as in this election."

With the conclusion of the Electoral College vote, President Trump's attempts to overturn the election results now appear meaningless. The NYT stated, "The Electoral College vote results mark the end of an unprecedented disruption in American history, where President Trump tried to overturn the results of a free and fair election."

Immediately after the Electoral College vote results were finalized, Biden delivered a brief speech in Wilmington, Delaware, saying, "It is time to turn the page," expressing his intention to heal a divided America. He said, "The truth in the Constitution has been upheld, and the integrity of the election remains intact," calling the election results "the true will of the American people toward democracy." He added, "American democracy was tested and threatened, but it has proven to be truthful and strong."

In particular, he did not hesitate to criticize President Trump, who claimed election fraud. He called the repeated lawsuits by Trump and the Republican Party "an unprecedented attack on our democracy," and criticized them for "dragging the legitimate election results into an extreme position never seen before."

He also mentioned, "The flame of democracy was lit in this country long ago, and neither a pandemic nor abuse of power can extinguish this flame." The Washington Post (WP) described Biden's remarks as "firm criticism."

Biden's final victory will be officially confirmed when the federal Congress holds a joint session of the House and Senate on December 6 to certify the state-by-state Electoral College vote results.

Meanwhile, President Trump announced the resignation of his close aide, Attorney General William Barr, on the same day. Trump tweeted, "I met and spoke with Attorney General Barr at the White House," adding, "He will step down as Attorney General to spend Christmas with his family."

Barr was considered a loyalist to President Trump but faced possible dismissal after stating in a media interview on the 3rd that there was no evidence to prove large-scale election fraud. Trump was also angered by Barr's failure to report that federal prosecutors had already begun investigating Hunter Biden, Joe Biden's son, during the election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.