After what appeared to be a drawn-out process due to Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn election results, Joe Biden was declared the next president of the United States. Biden’s victory was cemented today as all of the country’s electors have now cast their votes for the former vice president.
The electoral college gave Biden the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency on Monday as they gathered in their respective venues all over the country. California’s 55 electoral votes were what put Biden and Kamala Harris past the 270-threshold, making their victory official. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were among the electors in New York. The use of face masks and social distancing were implemented when the state’s electors assembled. The votes would then be sent to Washington for Congress and the Senate to formally count presided by outgoing vice president Mike Pence.
There were no changes made to the number of electoral votes granted to Biden and to Trump. Biden received 306 electoral votes over Trump’s 232, with the former vice president also winning the popular vote by more than seven million all over the country. Trump has continuously refused to concede and admit defeat until this day, even as the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed the lawsuit filed by the Texas attorney general and backed by 126 Republicans in Congress and Trump himself.
As the electors gathered to formally cast their votes, Trump has sent one of his top aides Stephen Miller on tv appearances in an effort to downplay the importance of the electoral college voting. Miller then suggested at the time that the fight to overturn election results would last until inauguration day on January 20. Only a handful of elected Republicans have acknowledged Biden’s victory over Trump.
Although Biden may be putting domestic policies at the forefront at the moment, there has been speculation on what the president-elect may do regarding global or foreign policy. Angel Gurria, the secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, said that the Biden administration may return to a multilateral approach in terms of the US’ relations with its allies and the rest of the world.
Gurria explained that multilateralism is the way to carry Biden’s “Build Back Better” message to the rest of the world, especially during a pandemic. “That is the only way to deal with trade, that is the way to deal with investment, that is the way to deal with climate change, biodiversity, and migration, and it is certainly the way to deal with the pandemic.”