Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. became the 46th elected president of the United States on Saturday. Mr. Trump is only the third elected president since World War II to lose re-election, and the first in more than a quarter-century.
The result also provided a history-making moment for Mr. Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, who will become the first woman to serve as vice president.
With his triumph, Mr. Biden, who turns 78 later this month, fulfilled his decades-long ambition in his third bid for the White House, becoming the oldest person elected president.
In a statement earlier in the day, Mr. Trump insisted “this election is far from over” and vowed that his campaign would “start prosecuting our case in court” but offered no details.
Mr. Biden’s victory, which came 48 years to the day after he was first elected to the United States Senate. The presidential race concluded after four tense days of vote-counting. With ballots still being counted in several states, Mr. Biden was leading Mr. Trump in the popular vote by more than four million votes.
In his address Saturday, Mr. Biden saluted Black voters, recalling how they revived his campaign at “its lowest ebb,” back in February, and vowed to honor their loyalty. He said the voters had made clear they wanted both parties “to cooperate in their interest” and said he’d reach out to Republicans and Democrats alike.