Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the 2020 US election. Biden supporters took to the streets to express their joy and relief, making for unprecedented scenes across the country. DW reports from Washington and Philadelphia.
Image: Carla Bleiker/DW
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Biden supporters celebrate victory
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Black Lives Matter Plaza in front of the White House was one big party on Saturday after Joe Biden's election victory was announced. People were celebrating in gorgeous fall weather, chanting, dancing – and drinking champagne in the street.
Bri Gillis, a young woman from Washington DC, popped the cork of a bottle of bubbly and gave the crowd of Biden supporters surrounding her a champagne shower.
"I think it's going to be so nice to wake up every morning and not worry about what the president is tweeting," Gillis shouted over the crowd noises. "I'm so excited for Madam Vice President Kamala Harris. She's the reason I voted for this ticket."
Harris is the first female Vice President and the first VP of color, too. Her father is from Jamaica and her mother is from India. On Saturday, many young women were celebrating her historic success.
"It's great to have the first woman VP, and someone who is of color, half-Indian. We're excited about that because we are from South Asia, too!" said Anuja Mur.
Her friend Roshni Desai said she looked forward to "finally getting to sleep" again after days of breathlessly waiting for election results.
Desai, Mur and Satsangi (left to right) said they felt "happy, relieved, hopeful" about Biden's victoryImage: Carla Bleiker/DW
The third young woman in their group, Anamika Satsangi, said she was relieved to have a new administration come into the White House.
"It means we get someone who's listening to science and someone who takes COVID seriously," Satsangi said. "We know this president is not going to be a quick fix, but it's going to go in the right direction."
Elation in tipping-point state of Pennsylvania
Celebrations took place in cities across the US Saturday afternoon. Just seconds after Biden claimed victory people started to celebrate outside the Convention Center in Philadelphia, where crowds had been gathering for days as the vote count was underway. It was here that Biden gained enough votes on Saturday to claim victory in Pennsylvania, giving him the presidency.
"I'm thrilled, I'm thrilled," said Ron Kolla, who was holding up a Biden-Harris sign. "As soon as I heard the result I rushed out to the city. I wanted to be here for this historic moment. This is the most important election in our lifetimes. After four years of craziness from Donald Trump, I am thrilled to have Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the White House."
"Amazing things happen in Philadelphia," Alice McCourt said. "I'm so proud that Philadelphia was the one to seal the deal to make Vice President Joe Biden our new president. I'm so excited."
People gathered in front of the Convention Center in Philadelphia to celebrate the Biden-Harris victory.Image: Amien Essif/DW
It was also in front of the Convention Center, used as a vote-counting place, that Trump supporters had gathered to protest what they believed was election fraud. They had been egged on by Trump's campaign, which failed to provide evidence that ballots were not being counted properly.
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No concern about potential legal challenges
In DC, music could be heard blasting from apartments in residential neighborhoods. Washingtonians were driving through the streets honking their horns and waving flags from their car windows.
In Black Lives Matter Plaza, young people were mingling with senior citizens and families with small children. It was a very different mood from five months ago, when police here used chemical agents to push back peaceful crowds who had gathered to protest racism and police violence in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.
Bachelorette extraordinaire: Briahna, Alicia and Avery (left to right) celebrating two big days at onceImage: Carla Bleiker/DW
"If there's going to be a recount, Biden's numbers will be even higher," said Alicia, who, along with her friends, declined to give her last name. The young woman from Pennsylvania was in Washington, DC to celebrate her bachelorette party.
"I absolutely did not imagine my bachelorette to go like this, but it's a great way to celebrate," the bride-to-be said.
"It's very overwhelming," maid-of-honor Briahna said. "I'm so happy. It feels like we can all finally take a breath today."
US election: Celebrations and despair on Biden's victory day — in pictures
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' election victory was met with joyful celebration across the United States, while Trump supporters continued to protest, claiming foul play. The win has also been celebrated around the world.
Image: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Biden gives victory speech
Democrat Joe Biden was declared the president-elect on Saturday, four days after election day. The Associated Press and other media outlets finally called the election after it became clear that Biden had won the 20 electoral votes from Pennsylvania. Trump had originally led the race there, but as absentee votes were counted, Biden eventually overtook the president.
Image: Andrew Harnik/AP Photo/picture alliance
First female vice president
Kamala Harris has become the first-ever women vice president in the history of the United States. The daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrant parents, the former California senator is also the first person of color to take the role of vice president. She dedicated her win to the civil rights movement.
Image: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
'You're fired!'
Jubilant crowds gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C., in front of the White House. Democrat supporters took to the streets from New York to LA, with many ecstatic about the end of Donald Trump's presidency. "You're fired!" — a phrase famously used by Trump in his TV series The Apprentice — was a common sight among the crowds.
Image: picture alliance/Kyodo
Unbelievable loss
Many Trump supporters have expressed disbelief at the fact that their preferred candidate lost the election. Across the country, people protested what they claimed to be a stolen election, as seen here in Beverly Hills, California. Supporters have repeated claims made by the president that ballots counted after Election Day are "illegal", although no evidence has yet been given.
Image: helenhhww/REUTERS
Giuliani claims foul play from parking lot
To much ridicule, Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, led a press conference from the parking lot of a Philadelphia gardening center called Four Seasons after the campaign failed to successfully book the luxury hotel by the same name. Giuliani and Trump alike have refused to concede the election, pinning their hopes on a series of legal actions against what they claim is electoral fraud.
Image: Eduardo Munoz/REUTERS
Harris: A new role model
Younger voters were overwhelmingly in favor of the Biden-Harris ticket. The president and vice president-elect both expressed their gratitude to minorities, especially the Africa American community, for coming out in their millions to vote and help them win.
Image: Mark Makela/REUTERS
Tight race concluded
Joe Biden was elected with the largest number of votes in US history. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, many of those votes were sent in by mail, posing a challenge for electoral workers who had to count the unprecedented number of ballots. The delay in counting led to the early appearance of victory for Trump in several key states that Biden eventually won, such as Pennsylvania.
Image: Brandon Bell/REUTERS
International celebration
Locals from the Indian village of Painganadu in Tamil Nadu state celebrated the election of Kamala Harris as vice president. Harris' maternal grandfather was born in the neighboring village of Thulasendrapuram, south of Chennai. Biden and Harris have also been congratulated by an increasing number of politicians and heads of state from across the world.
Image: Aijaz Rahi/picture alliance/AP Photo
Relief in Berlin
Marianne Hoenow, an American woman from Connecticut, celebrated the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in front of the Brandenburg Gate, next to the US embassy in Berlin. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also congratulated the election winners, calling the relationship between Berlin and Washington "indispensable."
