Lets get you a live look right now from philadelphia where abc news expects the first drop of the morning there to come any minute now. Between now and 10 00 our time. Joe biden still holds nearly a 29,000 vote lead in pennsylvania. If he holds on, hed be the president elect of the United States. Lets zoom out to show you where the race to 270 currently stands, its been in hold for the past 48 hours, biden still with 253 electoral votes, the president with 214. Both campaigns are taking different approaches to the count. Abc 7 News Reporter matt boone starts us off with why the biden camp is feeling confident. Reporter all eyes were on wilmington, delaware as joe biden took the stage, still confident in his chances. Were going to win this race with a clear majority with the nation behind us. Reporter though he made it clear it was not his call to make. Never forget, the tallies arent numbers. They represent votes and voters. Men and women who exercise their fundamental right to have their voice heard. Reporter before biden hit the stage President Donald Trump tweeted this warning, quote, joe biden should not wrongfully claim the office of president. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning. Bidens path to victory, even clearer if he manages to hang onto pennsylvania and the 20 Electoral College votes there, he crosses the line to 270. Its over. He could also take nevada and arizona, that would bring him over the line as well. For President Trump to win he must clinch pennsylvania and at least three of the other remaining states. While some including the president continue to spew baseless claims of fraud, claims for which his team has not produced one iota of evidence, what we have seen in philadelphia is democracy, pure and simple. Reporter in pennsylvania biden had been behind in the vote count until he emerged as the leading candidate. Meanwhile in georgia, state officials are disputing claims by trump that their ballot counting operations are biased. The election apparatus in georgia is run by democrats. Reporter that statement, not true, georgias secretary of state oversees elections. Obviously im a republican, the secretary is a republican. The job of elections directors in this office is to count every legal vote. Reporter matt boone, abc 7 news. Of course the big question is still, when will we know . And we know the race in georgia is going to a recount in nevada new numbers will arrive sometime later today. We await that vote total update from arizona, specifically Maricopa County this morning. And in pennsylvania, results on some 80,000 outstanding ballots are expected periodically throughout the day. This the what is streets of new york city looked like last night as joe biden inched closer to a victory. People there dancing in the streets. But it was a different story in delaware, where supporters of the president clashed with biden supporters at a Biden Campaign event. You can see some people waving flags and holding up signs in favor of President Trump. Now, President Trump says joe biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the president. Those are his words. Abc news chief white house cor response Jonathan Karl has more now on what the president s most loyal allies are now saying. Reporter 24 hours after falsing declaring democrats were trying to steal the election. Theyre trying to rig an election, and we cant let that happen. Reporter President Trump is pondering his next move. His party is divided. House republican leader Kevin Mccarthy is echoing the president s false claims of voter fraud and declaring himself ready to fight. President trump won this election. Reporter but the senates Top RepublicanMitch Mcconnell is refusing to back up the president s unsubstantiated claims only tweeting, quote, every legal vote should be counted. Any illegally submitted ballots must not. Mcconnell made it clear he did not want to talk about the president. Ive already covered the subject. I told you, i sent out a tweet this morning which covers my view of where we are. Reporter even some of the president s most loyal allies said he needs to provide some sort of evidence to back up his allegations. Right now, there is none. In fact, local officials in both parties are, for the most part, saying the election went off without a hitch. Hes got to eventually make the case specifically that something bad happened and let the American People determine how credible that is. Reporter donald trump has never been one to admit defeat. You know, winning is easy. Losing is never easy. Not for me, its not. Reporter he released a statement vowing to, quote, pursue this process through every aspect of the law to guarantee that the American People have confidence in our government. But the statement made no mention of stolen votes or rigged elections. Jonathan karl, abc news, washington. And new this morning, opens landmarks theater is displaying the same marquee message from a very similar time, the gore and bush election of 2000. You can see that it reads this is america, every vote must be counted. Which is exactly what it said in november 20 years ago. Obviously the times are much different now, evident by that tesla stopped in front in the current photo. But very full circle from back then when the u. S. Supreme court decided floridas electoral votes would go to george w. Bush, giving him the presidency over al gore. Meantime, new developments this morning, abc news has learned now a seventh person with ties to the white house has tested positive for covid19. That does include President Trump trumps chief of staff, mark meadows. He was in close proximity to the trump campaign. Youre seeing video at trump headquarters on tuesday. And that same day meadows attended the white house election party. We have seen him on capitol hill not wearing a mask. We have seen him constantly, every once in a while he throws a mask on but he is somebody who seems to take some degree of pride in not wearing a mask. Its not clear when meadows first tested positive. But the trump campaigns battleground states director nick traynor has also tested positive as well as five other white house staffers. The white house has yet to respond to abc newss request for comment. The overwhelmingly blue bay area has a few locations where gop support is strong. Solano county is the largest proportion of Republican Voters in the bay area. Res lee brinkley went directly to voters about how they are feeling. Reporter Solano County is diverse, stretching from the bay deep into the central valley. We have 260,000 registered voters, 60,000 of those are registered as republican. Of Solano County is a stronghold with a Strong Military presence. Request Travis Air Force base. Reporter 30 of those who voted by mail and 55 of those who went to the polls voted for President Trump here. This biden supporter was surprised to hear the numbers. I didnt realize there was that many Trump Supporters here. Reporter at this Grocery Store parking lot its not at all difficult to walk up to people, strike up a conversation and find Trump Supporters willing to talk. Some, even mentioned theyve gotten some backlash on social media for their views. And i never would have thought in a million years that i would get some of the commentary on me just having a different opinion. Me not being liberal. Reporter i supported trump. But a lot of people say thats racist, even though he did mention hes going to donate 500 plus billion towards black communities. People on facebook, they bad mouth trump, and i always say President Trump, hes our president. Tomorrow if biden is our president , i will say president biden. Reporter going into the weekend there could be more visible reactions. Im getting calls from organizers at the grassroots in napa, solano, calls in brynn county and Southern California. However the election ends up im not going to be protesting or be upset oriel at people that supported biden. At the end of the day everybody wants the country to be better. Reporter in Solano County, im leslie brinkley, abc 7 news. And if biden wins his Vice PresidentKamala Harris will be vacating her senate seat here in california. Harriss represented the state since 2017. Abc News Reporter luz pena explains the government picks her replacement and may already have names in mind. Reporter former Vice President joe biden and senator Kamala Harris have not won the 270 electoral votes, but in california talks for filling her senate seat have begun. The race is already on to replace Kamala Harris. Reporter under California Law governor gavin newsom will have the power to choose senator harriss replacement. Abc 7 news contributor and chronicle insider phil matier says newsom is considering multiple factors and San Francisco mayor london breed is one of the names that have been mentioned. Someone whos been with you in the past and someone you think is going to be with you in the future. Reporter in a poll published at the university of Southern California registered voters were asked the question if the governor were to make history with his choice which option should he consider . 14 said the first latino senator in california. In this case, the options are alex perdilla, secretary of state or xavier becerra. The attorney general. Reporter out of nearly 1,200 registered voters who participated in the poll 29 said they wanted someone with experience in washington and when asked to pick a name, the two top choices are bay area representatives. 11 said barbara lee, 8 said ro khanna. The east bay congresswoman had this reaction to the poll. Biden and harris, believe me, thats what ive been focusing on. Reporter do you think that theres a possibility that Governor Newsom might call you up and ask you to take that seat . I think there are a lot of great people out there. But what i hope is that the governor, whoever he picks, picks someone clearly with progressive views. Reporter in San Francisco, luz pena, abc 7 news. And others are also advocating for adam schiff. We will see what happens. It will be interesting as we wait for final results on the election, download the abc 7 news app, enable push alerts and that way when news breaks youll get an alert right on your phone. You can also follow us on social media, were on facebook, twitter and instagram. All right, we are moments away now from those new vote totals out of arizona, well have those for you in just a bit but first, a check of the weather with lisa argen. Very pretty out there this morning. The sun looks great behind you, liz. Good morning, everyone, we started out with cloud cover and a few sprinkles fell in parts of the bay area but the bulk of the system well away from the bay area. The showers were mainly offshore, and headed into the San Joaquin Valley now in Southern California but we do have some cloud cover here and were looking at the south bay, its 50 in the city. 52 in oakland with 50 in san jose. Temperatures havent moved much at all the past few hours, the camera moves there from our roof camera, nice and sunny with 40s in santa rosa, 43 by the delta. Chilly, the Livermore Valley at 48. Yesterday the temperatures plummeted, seven to 13 degrees colder so the cooling trend continues and thats a lovely view of santa cruz. So the clouds get scoured out, a lot of sunshine, the winds pick up, numbers well below average, maybe 60 if were lucky, warmest locations, sunday looks fairly similar, well talk about a slight chance of a shower, the warmup and then more shower chances for the week ahead. Liz . Lisa, thank you. Police and protesters clash in brentwood, another tense night in the neighborhood where a resident hung an effigy of a joe biden mannequin, using a noose. Plus, even though the election is dominating headlines, covid19 is climbing, and smashing records once again, putting a stop to states return to normal life. More on what states are doing, desper make your holidays happen. At ross surprise ahhh yes i love it you dont have to spend a lot to give a lot to the ones who mean the most. Youve got the holidays, and weve got you, with the best bargains ever. At ross. Yes for less youve got the holidays, and weve got you, yep get the gifts you love. Yesss . For everyone on your list. Youve got the holidays, and weve got you. With all the gift for less. At ross. Yes for less welcome back, arizonas conservative Maricopa County released a large amount of results just minutes ago. Joe biden now leads President Trump by more than 46,000 votes. Thats an increase of bidens lead from nearly 30,000 overnight. The county says there are still ballots yet to be counted that need additional time, including military and overseas. Braille and damaged and large print ballots. In the east bay police and protesters clash in brentwood, a second night of tension after a resident hung an effigy from his roof using a noose. The mannequin has since been taken down but that has not stopped demonstrators. Reporter amanda del castillo has the story. Reporter protesters were met with heavy Police Presence outside the home of eric harvey. The brentwood resident and President Trump supporter who hanged an effigy from his roof. Before being taken down thursday the dummy wore a sign that read sleepy joe cheater. Then friday this scene. Tense moments that at one point turned physical between officers and protesters. Black lives matter. Reporter about 100 people showed up for a march meant to bring attention to what they describe as blatant racism. But the homeowner says he was upset about what happened wednesday night with the president ial voting count. Earlier friday sky 7 was overhead as the group first gathered at brentwood city park, the crowd later marching to police headquarters, opening the floor to those with any criticism of the police officers. Protesters then heading to harveys home. Whoever he is or whatever prop they are using, being hung is not okay. Because it brings a lot of trauma to the bipoc, the people of color. Reporter anticipating crowds, brentwood businesses are boarding up store fronts. Actions Community Activist kahn did not feel this is necessary. We are not here to riot. We are not here to break anything. We are here to just bring awareness and brentwood is a city that has not protested enough. Reporter according to the das office a crime was not committed but the department forwarded the case to the secret service. The heavy police present friday police say with any protest they preplan and add additional staffing. One protester was arrested for battery on an officer, adding others threw objects at the officers, but no one was seriously injured. Im amanda del castillo, abc 7 news. To the coronavirus. We are seeing another surge in cases. California reported more than 6,500 cases, marking the states largest singleday increase since august. The Johns HopkinsUniversity Covid tracker shows nearly 122,000 cases in the United States, thats a record for new cases in a single day. Worldwide the number of cases is at more than 49 million. Europe has been hit particularly hard with italy ordering a new lockdown, and france reporting a Record Number of cases. Nationally, covid19 continues to shatter its daily case records, while most of the country is focused on outcome of the election. Abc News ReporterStephanie Ramos is following the latest on how states are struggling to get the virus under control. Reporter this morning as the election drags on covid cases are surging across the country. A staggering 650,000 reported coronavirus cases this week alone. The air force, now sending medical teams to el paso, texas to help overwhelmed hospitals and icus. The city, now in lockdown, after reaching a 24 rolling positivity rate. The virus, spreading into every part of the country. In colorado, hospitalizations are up 40 . In new mexico, officials warn the state could run out of hospital beds within days. Many Health Care Workers pushed to the limits, some dying. In utah, nurse grossmans condition deteriorating in hours. It took from start to finish probably six hours for us to find out our mother was dead and we werent allowed to see her the entire time. We couldnt even go in. She was alone. Reporter in oklahoma Emergency Rooms reaching capacity, reeving Health Care Workers exhausted. Go into this environment where youre treating so many sick patients, and watching patients die, and then when you go home or maybe you go to the Grocery Store, you gas up your car, and its like, you know, it doesnt exist. Its really frustrating for Health Care Workers. Reporter covid tests in demand, this line of people waited to be tested in south dakota, wrapping around an urgent care. Officials in missouri alerting the public after learning a poll worker with covid reportedly showed up if for work, and passed away after election day. The exact cause of death so far is unknown. Five poll workers at an Early Voting Center in peoria, illinois tested positive. The county shut down the polling location. Last thing i remember saying i dont feel good and my vision went completely black. And i collapsed to the ground. Reporter there are desperate attempts to slow the surge all across the country. In massachusetts, the state enacting a 9 30 p. M. Curfew on restaurants, movie theaters and gyms as doctors brace themselves for a surge. Stephanie ramos, abc news, new york. And Royal Caribbean is getting ready to resume cruises but before it can set sail the cruise line needs to satisfy some requirements issued by the cdc and that could include recruiting volunteers to go on simulated voyages. The first sailings would go to coco cay, Royal Caribbeans privately owned island in the bahamas. So far the cruise line hasnt worked out dates, durations or how prospective volunteers can apply. New this morning after a long and dry offseason, snow has returned to the sierra. Youre seeing the very first snowfall hitting lake tahoe yesterday, just gorgeous there, ski resorts have been busy making snow for a couple of weeks, despite the warmer than normal conditions. Squaw valley opens on november 25th with several health and safety changes in place, like every other resort. But they are all expected to be back. Winter is coming, lisa, and you can tell with this crisp coolness we have this morning as well. Yeah, thats right. The moisture missed us, though. I had like one sprinkle on my windshield but its the cold air that you noticed yesterday, even colder today and were going to add in north westerly winds, thats going to be, once again, set the stage for your sunday. But there is yet another system arriving late tonight into sunday that could get our south bay hills wet, santa clara, santa cruz, into monterey. But for the bay area, its going to be another miss and well look for the end of the week to feature the possibility of more wet weather. Heres live doppler 7, a lot of sun out there right now. Theres the system that spread the showers over the ocean in parts of the south bay, picked up a couple hundredths. But Southern California picking up some pretty good rain in spots right now. It is sunny, mt. Tam has been in the 30s, the winds out of the north, r50 downtown, 52 in oakland, 50 in san jose, low 50s in half moon bay, chilly start out there, a lot of sun in the city. Well need it. Its a cool day today, numbers about five degrees cooler than average for downtown San Francisco, coming in, maybe at 60 degrees. Were in the 40s in santa rosa. In the 30s and we had strong northerly winds, above a thousand feet, that kept most of you out of the 30s, but you were in the 30s earlier this morning, 43 by the delta, 50 in concord, coming up to 48 right now in livermore, a back lit shot here from our roof camera, pretty view there of the Ferry Building and looking at not only the flags blowing there, but its going to tell you whats on the way, which is more of a breeze out there, a brisk autumn day, partly cloudy this morning, its chilly, and the weekend will feature, once again, more wind for your sunday, and more sunshine, were going to moderate our temperatures, it will be a frosty start on monday. By the end of the week, theres not only one system, theres several. Looks like we have a couple opportunities to see decent showers. As we look at the rest of your day today, it is dry out there, going into your late saturday into sunday, next system sets up, this is early tomorrow morning, once again, showers are over the ocean. Could see a few sprinkles in the south bay. But overall, this just will give us another reenforcing shot of cool air, you may see sprinkles in the hills to the south of us. So heres a look at the potential, which is pretty negligible as we look at your sunday evening. Some of the hills here, over in fremont, maybe a couple hundredths. We still have our winter storm warning in effect, about 4,000 feet, through tomorrow, up to 15 inches at our highest peaks. But above 4,000 feet, three to seven inches in the west slopes of the Sierra Nevada for the greater lake tahoe area, just a couple inches, three to possibly six inches, definitely feels like winter out there. Then with the snow in the mountains, 60 in oakland today as well as san jose, breezy to windy out there tonight, those winds will keep the numbers in the 40s, but its going to be chilly, the accuweather sevenday forecast, that slight chance tomorrow morning, cold mornings starting out on monday, milder afternoons, dry, but by the end of the week, slight chance, better chance of rain next friday into next weekend. Liz . All right, lisa, thank you. Just ahead, election stress, shopping, not surprising, its a thing. But until you hear how many dollars people are dropping. Plus a bay area Coffee Company is one of oprahs favorite things. Who it is and why oprahs list has a special meaning this y news election update. Now reporting, chief anchor george stephanopoulos. Good morning. We have breaking news. Results from the state of pennsylvania. Those results are in right now. Based on what we are seeing there, we can say that joseph biden is on track to win the state of pennsylvania, become the 46th president of the United States. Joe biden will have at least 273 electoral votes. Were still waiting for results from the state of arizona, nevada, and georgia, as well, likely to increase his lead even more. Based on what we are seeing now, even though we are not projecting a winner, we can say that joe biden is on track to be the next president of the United States of america. The 46th president of the United States. He has a fancy name for a guy who calls himself the boy from scranton. His political career began 50 years ago this week, elected to the council in delaware. Americas youngest senator, elected at 29. He served three decades in the senate, rose to chairman of the Senate JudiciarySenate Foreign relations committee. There you see the young man who would later become one of the senior senators in the United States. Seemed like it could have been the end of his career. Yet in 2007, he was tabbed by 2008, tapped biy barack obama t be his running mate and served two terms as Vice President of the United States. This is his third time running for the presidency. Third times charm. 1987 he ran, forced out after charges of plagiarism. Ran again in 2007. He was no match for Hillary Clinton and barack obama who, of course, got the nomination. Ran as president. This eleggs loection seemed to turn run at force, running into trouble in iowa and new hampshire. Fourth and fifth place finishes. Before the state of South Carolina saved the candidacy of joe biden. In fact, overwhelmingly backed by black voters. He won the state of South Carolina and moved on to be the nominee as the Democratic Party closed ranks behind him. He absorbed much pain and loss. The death of his wife and daughter weeks after he was elected to the senate in 1972. His son, beau, attorney general of delaware, died in the final year of bidens vice presidency from brain cancer. Biden himself in 1988, a brain aneurysm that almost killed him. Through all these experiences, he became a man of uncommon empathy, great resilience, a man of simple dekren cencydecency. Krark teravaincharacter traits bring to the office of the white house. He will occupy the oval Office Starting january 20th. The ultimate prize after a lifetime in politics. George, for joe biden, this is the end of a 30year quest for the presidency. As you say, not long ago, this was a race that was essentially written off. Joe biden fought back, running consistency on a message that this campaign, this election, was a battle for the soul of this country. We have seen him launch his campaign with the words charlottesville, virginia, arguing that it was the president s response to seeing White Supremacists march through the streets of that city that inspired him to run. For the last 562 days, joe biden has argued that this race is a judgment call on President Trumps administration. Of course, a referendum on his handling of this pandemic. George, i have to tell you, it is very fitting that it was pennsylvania that put him over the top. It is a sentimental win for joe biden. It is his home state. It is where his values were formed, his political life was born. It is where he formed that sk n scranton versus park avenue which was at the core of this race. Now, joe biden says that with this win, he will have a mandate to try and bring this country together. George, it is going to be a herculean task. One more point, regardless of politics today, this is a massive moment of historic significance in this country. We have had 48 Vice President s, george. 48 white men. Today, with Kamala Harris now set to become the next Vice President , it means that women across this country, young girls, young black and brown girls, Indian Americans will, for the first time, be able to look at the white house and see themselves reflected in the peoples house. Dramatic breakthrough right there. John carr, youve covered donald trump. This marks the end of what may be americas most uncommon presidency. George, this is the beginning of the end of a presidency unlike any that we have ever seen. Donald trump was the first person elected president who had never served a day in government. Not a day in the military. He saw the presidency as the worlds greatest reality tv show. He was a executive producer, the chief promoter, and the star of the trump show. He captivated the worlds attention unlike any other political figure weve seen in our lifetimes. Paraphrasing something john lennon said about the beatles, he said in recent days on the campaign trail that he is the most famous person in the world, besides jesus christ. He became not just the most famous person, but simultaneously, the most loved and the most loathed. He upended washington. He transformed the republican party. He disregarded political norms. From his love letters to kim jongun to the brutal photoop at st. Johns church, when the protesters were cleared out with tear gas, to his dramatic return from walter reed last month. He had an instinct for the dramatic gesture. As he saw it, the more outrageous and divisive, the better. Reminder here, this presidency is not over. Donald trump has not conceded. Regardless, there are 74 days until joe bidens inauguration. We have not seen the finale of the trump show. I am sure that he has some ideas on that. No question about that. David muir, joe biden and donald trump, both white men in their 70s. Both life golf. Similarities end there. They do. This campaign has been a study in contrast, george, as you know. We know joe biden will be 78 in the next couple weeks, the oldest to be elected president here in the United States. Until this point, President Trump had been the oldest at 70 at his inauguration. These differences are deep. As mary bruce just pointed out, this Campaign Began and ended in pennsylvania. Joe biden reminding the country of his scranton roots, where he was born as a boy, where his father struggled to find work, joe senior. The family moved in with his mothers parents, grandparents, for a time before they moved to wilmington. There was one anecdote that joe biden shared through the years that landed with this outreach to the working class, the middle class, his messages in this campaign and all the campaigns prior. You know, his father worked as a manager for an auto dealership where they used to hand out silver coins as your bonus for good work. He tells the story of one christmas when all the workers had gathered there for the holiday party, where the owners of the dealership threw the silver coins on the floor and watched his employees scramble to get ahold of the silver coins. In that moment, he said his father got his wife and walked out and said, this is about the dignity of workers and the dignity of work. We know that President Trump followed in his fathers footsteps into the real estate empire that his father built. Was given what President Trump said was a Million Dollar head start, a gift from his father. Many have said it equated to millions of dollars. No wrrap on that, but it is different than joe bidens start. He first ran for president in the late 80s. This was his third time. This is a man who has carefully waited, did not plan on running, thought that this moment demanded that he run with what he saw in charlottesville and thereafter. Perhaps at 78 years old, we mentioned that hes an old white man here in america, and i know the Democratic Party was very happy with all of the candidates they saw on the stage. The future, perhaps, of the Democratic Party. But joe biden perhaps uniquely qualified for this moment, to find a leader who might, who might be able to unite this country in such a polarized time. Weve seen that with what hes been able to bring back into the democratic fold, at least in this election. White working class people all over the country. The blue wall reinforced in the south, in georgia, in the west in arizona, in nevada. Very unique moment in history. Says he wants to be a president for all americans. Lindsey davis, what a moment itll be when Kamala Harris takes the oath as Vice President of the United States. What a moment indeed. Im thinking about the future and history of it at the same time. Of course, this year we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendmenamendment. Giving some women the right to vote. In 1964, when harris was born, black women in the country couldnt vote. The magnitude of this moment certainly is not lost on black women. Likely many women in general. The idea of this dream deferred for far too long, for the likes of chism, the first black woman to run for president in 1972, and the countless and nameless others who dared to not even dream of it because they didnt think that it could happen. So im especially thinking about the little girls of all colors, but in particular, black and brown girls, because theres so much power, george, in seeing someone who looks like you. Being able to watch Kamala Harris achieve and excel and crack that second highest glass ceiling. And if theyre able to harness all of the possibility of that trajectory for themselves. Rachel scott. Thank you, lindsey. You saw the energy on the campaign trail with Kamala Harris. Reporter i did, george. She would often talk about how her story was the american story. She is the daughter of jamaican and indian immigrants, and she often would say that she would see herself in so many of the little girls out there that were coming out to watch her deliver her remarks. Her mother would always tell her that she may be the first to do a lot of things, but that she needs to make sure that she is not the last. I can tell you, george, that as we have waited for these results to come in, i have seen little girls come here, along the parameter, stand by these fences and try to peek through, trying to get a sense, trying to get a scene of senator Kamala Harris. It is those little girls and women of color all across this nation who felt counted out, who have felt like they have not been represented in politics, who have been told to just stand by and wait their turn. That will now feel like they have a seat at the table, and that is what makes this moment so much larger than politics, george. Rachel scott, thanks very much. Mary bruce, we have the first reaction from the Biden Campaign . Reporter we do, george. It is not from the president elect yet. It is from one of his top advisers, saying, character, justice, and decency were on the ballot. Character, justice, and decency won. I have to tell you, as we have sat here for the last four days, watching carefully, pouring over all these results, there has been just this growing excitement, enthusiasm within the Biden Campaign. The waiting game, i think, has been very difficult for many of them. Of course, as this whole country has been really on edge for much of this. Now, i can tell you with confidence, there is a lot of celebrating, a lot of relief, and a concept that there is a lot of hard work to come from the Biden Campaign. Mary bruce, thanks very much. Cecelia vegas, perhaps its fitting, given the last four years, as this announcement is being made. We have new tweets from President Trump as he heads to the golf course. Yeah, hes at the golf course, george. That is where the president is as this news is coming in about the fate of his the seeming fate of his reelection. You mentioned those tweets. He tweeted a number of times today. Nearly all these tweets weve heard from the president so far have been slapped with these misleading labels from twitter because he is continuing to carry on with this Conspiracy Theory that this election is being stolen from him. George, this was a referendum on President Trump, what we are seeing here today. He came in as an outsider with no track record. In part, thats how he won the white house. People wanted someone from the outside, particularly someone who was running against an insider like Hillary Clinton. But this time around, he had a track record that he had to campaign on. That is not what sold america on a reelection campaign. For so many people, they felt like he ran the last four years based on some of the ugliest parts of our country, on racism, frankly, and lies, and mistruths. For others, he spoke to what many believe is a forgotten america. They found someone in him who was finally speaking their language. He needed this race to be about anything other than him. Yet, time and time again, what we saw from this president , in terms of an undisciplined campaign style, was he could not shake that. This was not a race about anything other than donald trump. He always turned it into himself. Now, here we are, as this news is coming down, with 140,000 record cases in the coronavirus, again, yesterday alone, a new outbreak inside the white house. His chief of staff contracting it. A number of Campaign Officials and white house aides contracting it. The irony of that, george, as america voted, a referendum on his handling of the coronavirus, so much of america, the majority of america, not happy with the way he handled it. Were now looking at yet another outbreak at the white house again today. Thats right. Seven cases at the white house right now. Chris christie on the phone. Chris, picking up on cecelias point right there, you said throughout this campaign that donald trump has to make it a choice election, not a referendum election. He never succeeded in doing that. Well, george, i dont think until the very end excuse me i dont think until the very end he really tried. I think in the last ten days or so, when he was running around the country in his rallies, he started to show the contrast, the videos of Vice President biden on energy and other issues. I really think thats when he began to get traction, when people started to think, all right, well, this is a choice. Its not just about donald trump. It obviously was too late. Ive been talking about this since the summer. Theres only the only way for him to win this election was to make it a choice between he and Vice President biden, not a referendum on himself, especially in the midst of a Global Pandemic and an economic recession that was the result of the pandemic. And racial strife across the country. When he didnt do that, when he chose to run the same campaign in 16 that he ran in 20, he made it much more difficult on himself. Still amazingly made it as close as he did, given what the projections were beforehand. But in the end, a referendum election for an incumbent during difficult times not what you want on your hands. Chris christie, youre a graduate of the university of delaware. Known joe biden more than 30 years, i think. What kind of a president do you think hell be . You know, its really hard to tell, george. I can tell you this, the man that hes portrayed himself as during this campaign, compassionate and caring and a good heart, is certainly the guy that mary pat and i have known the last 30 years. He is a good man who cares about doing the right thing and caring about people. As ive said though, in terms of what president he is going to be, he has a fundamental decision to make now. Does he want to you night tunit country or the Democratic Party . I dont think he can do both. He has to decide, is he going to be a centrist president who will attempt to work with republicans and try to get things done, or will he play to the more extreme, sanders, aoc, the Elizabeth Warren wing of the party, which will divide this country even more perhaps than it is divided now, because itll be on issues that people deeply care about. So its going to be up to him. Does he have the capacity to do it . He sure does. The question is, will he have the strength to do it . Chris christie, thanks very much. Hard to imagine that someone who spent 47 years in washington is actually the candidate of change, but when you look at the ticket as a whole, that is true. I think thats right. First of all, we have to remember what were escaping. I want to use the word esca escaping today, what were transitioning from. Joe biden, being the person were talking about, when you think about tone and tenor, its a big deal. There are a lot of people excited about the future. Kamala harris represents that. I think shes someone we feel like we can work with and talk to. I think she can be a unifier. I think shes strong. I think shes powerful. I think we need that. So at the end of the day, i think the combination of the ticket is exactly what we need right now. Its the best we could have expected, i think, today. Were hopeful. At the end of the day, i do want to respond to what governor christie said. Looking at the map, democrats showed up, black and brown people, progressives showed up. What i hope the biden harris presidency does is not ignore those people. Because once you lose those people, you cant get them back. They showed up. They showed up through a pandemic. They want real change, and they want it now. Dont miss those cries. The republicans dont get to decide who democrats are, who this president is. They showed up for their person. Republicans time and time again, they get into leadership, then they only serve their people first. They dont come to democrats and say, lets be bipartisan. They serve their folks first. As soon as democrats get into leadership, republicans are like, we need to work together. You need to not walk or work to the people who got you to the party. My hope is well have a lot of conversations Going Forward about how we actually serve americans in this country. The reality is that Donald Trumps voters came out, as well. Republican voters came out, as well. Donald trump had the second highest vote total of any president ial candidate in american history. Right now, republicans, not sure whether theyll maintain control of the senate. We have two seats out in georgia. Decent night, picking up seats in the house, as well. This is going to create a challenge for Vice President biden, but also a challenge for the republican party. Well, sure it is. You know, the question is, where is the party going from here . Still the Minority Party with the president or will be the Minority Party with the president in office. You know, i look at this election, and what is so striking to me, is we saw something tuesday that almost never happens in american politics. If theres any question about this country being a centerright country, in my mind, it still is. Republicans had a good night. They actually had a great night. They picked up a governor, picked up the house seats you mentioned, likely will remain control of the senate. We do have runoffs. This was a repudiation of donald trump as a person, not his policies. His policies on the ballot did very well. He underperformed these congressional candidates in many congressional districts. That rarely happens in american politics. So when you step back and look at this, donald trump only has himself to blame. Sarah, thanks very much. I imagine there are going to be debates over whether this is a center right or center left country. One thing for sure, it is a divided country as you look at state after state after state. 5049. 4949. 4948. It is a divided country. One wonders if there is some kind of consensus in the middle. Joe biden is going to go look for it. Because while donald trump won the presidency in 2016 by saying make America Great again, harking back to an american yesteryear, in this race, in many ways, joe biden was the throwback candidate, right . He is an oldfashioned, handshaking, backslapping man who k loo looks at the divide a, i made deals all my life. Maybe i can do something here. He doesnt tweet. Donald trump, for all of his make America Great again, is a 21st century figure. He is a master of social media. He was one of the most powerful figures on the newest media in the world. Let me stop you. You say master of social media, and that is true. He saw that as his major communication device. May have been his undoing. Exactly, thats what im saying. The country looked at the guy who was the reality tv star, the social media guy, wanting to reinvent the grand old party into a 21st century nationalist movement. They wanted to go with something safer, quieter. Maybe a throwback to a different ideal of manhood. The strong, silent, decent type, rather than the braggard. Cecelia vega, we have a statement from the Trump White House . Bare with me, we just got it and im reading through it. It is full of falsehoods, as you might imagine. What they say, quote, we know why joe biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him. They dont want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is the election is far from over. They say joe biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone in highly contested states. They lay out their claim, particularly in pennsylvania. They say that their legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Just a quick factcheck there, there were trump Team Observers allowed in the canvassing process within 6 feet. They wanted to be closer. They said they couldnt see some of the ballots being counted. They say, to foreshadow whats coming, beginning monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld, and the rightful winner is seated. American people are entitled to an honest election. They go on to basically say that the court fight goes on. That is what we know has been happening behind the scenes. The legal team has been gearing up for this, that the trump team has appointed a conservative activist, david bossie, to run this legal team Going Forward. You know, i just keep going back to what we heard the president say in recent weeks in the lead up to this election, george. Which is that he doesnt like to lose. He had been complaining for weeks, back as far as 2016 campaign, complained that the election would be rigged. He sort of speculated, what would it mean if he lost against someone like joe biden . He couldnt even fathom the possibility of losing to someone like joe biden. Ill remind you, in our reporting, you know, those around him, republicans that i talked to in washington in the lead up to this election, had tried so hard to get him to focus in this campaign, to do anything other than to focus on these dark and ugly law and order themes. The ugly things about housing going up in the suburbs, that was not the winning strategy. People saw it coming. To focus on how he could bring the economy back in the wake of the coronavirus. Time and time again, he went to that base. He went to that gut. It seems that this is not the Winning Ticket for thanks. You wanted to follow on the statement . What i learned was the extreme reach President Trump has. This ehad he had it as a candidate. Were talking about unifying the country, and joe biden has a tough job ahead, but part of unifying the country has a lot to do with President Trump. Until he comes out and says, joe biden is the winner of this election, its going to be very, very hard. Because his movement is post fox news. Fox news just called joe biden the next president. His movement is post fox news. It is directly from President Trumps mouth. Until the president can say, listen, america, i lost this election fair and square. Its time to move on, its going to be difficult for that one part. Its also going to hurt the republican party. Because every candidate on the republican ticket that runs is going to be asked by reporters, did joe biden, fair and square, win this election, and theyll have to answer that question. The maga crowd is going to be listening. I want to take that to martha radda raddatz. You spent time talking to the maga supporters. Does that movement survive a loss . I think they survive in some ways. We dont know how exactly theyll survive. Just to toms point right now, im actually getting texts from some of those maga supporters, saying, look, this isnt certified. The media has no right to do it. So exactly right, until they hear from donald trump, theyre just not going to accept it. Others said they are looking at joe biden as a leader. They are deeply disappointed that donald trump didnt win. But they see a softness in joe biden, a leadership softness. There is no starker difference that i can remember between an outgoing president and an incoming president. That boils down to what you said at the very beginning. That kind of simple decency. That is a huge change. No matter what your policies are. Thats what people will look for. The transition, frankly, could be pretty simple. Joe biden has been in that white house before. Many of the people he will bring into that white house have been there before. But it will be a matter of character and kind of calming the country down. I, frankly, think that is joe bidens first up. You can talk about the politics. You can talk about the infighting in the Democratic Party and, boy, itll be there. But if the Republican Senate remains, joe biden has to work with them. This eh rehas to rea he has to reach out. The maga supporters will see that. Joe biden has to show everyone america is already great. Maybe not pay all that attention to politics for a little while. Exactly. David, let me bring you in. Donald trump was elected by a divided america four years ago. Hes been defeated by a divided america right now. Perhaps its appropriate he is going out as he came in. The initial statement in response to joe biden being projected as the winner, a litany of lies. The crazy has to stop. America has to take a deep breath and have some sense of relief. A man of truly bad character is now gone. President ial races also means something about the way we live our lives and our futures and our childrens future, and the transition from trump to joe biden has to mean something for the environment. It has to mean something about the strength and durability of democratic processes. It has to mean something about radical incomine inine ining equality. Its what weve been talking about our whole lives. Joe biden has before him, i hope, a moment to take a breath, and i hope that he will instill some sense of decency and calm in the country, which so, so sorely needs it. At the same time, we just face gigantic issues of Public Health and the environment. So much else. His task before him, particularly without a majority in the senate, is going to be vast and demand everything of him. And everything of us as citizens, as well. No question about that. David, thanks. Mary bruce, a new statement now from former Vice President biden . We have the first reaction from the president elect. Im going to go ahead and read this statement in full. Joe biden saying, im honored and humbled by the trust the American People have placed in me and in Vice President elect harris. In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a Record Number of americans voted, proving once again that democracy beats deep in the heart of america. He says, with the campaign over, it is time to put the anger and harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It is time for america to unite and heal. He concludes by saying, we are the United States of america, and there is nothing we cant do if we do it together. Mary bruce it is a statement thanks very much. I want to bring that to rahm emanuel. You said that should be the lead message coming out of the president elect. Its time to heal, bring the country together again. Youve also served in president ial elections. Appointed chief of staff to president obama just days after his election. How does president elect bide anne broach these challenges right now. Of course, i think showing respect, both to the process and the people that didnt vote for him, is the first step of healing. I think joe, the Vice President and president elect biden, has the character that people dont get angry about. It doesnt elicit hatred. Thats the first step, number one. Number two, you have to immediately move on all fronts, at every level. You have to get your team up on the virus, what it is going to do. As he said, im going to arrest the virus, not the economy. Number three, hes got to move and bet the Economic Team and the white house staff operating. That is going to get a whole team in place from the Economic Team to domestic policy, propose a set of ideas quickly that gives a sense of energy, purpose, focus, and determination. Part of that white house, part of the Economic Team and Coronavirus Team and former policy team is then to bring in the leaders and put it on them. We wear the american jersey together. You have a role to play in solving this problem and actually to turn the page and begin the next step. He does that with a sense of purpose, direction, and vigor. I do think it is important that the calm he calls for is not just calm thats patience, but he underscores the respect he has for all americans. As he said from day one, im going to be a president for all of america. Go ahead. I think it is a temperament as well as a message, that he stays within that wheelhouse. Its true. I keep coming back to this. That is who Vice President biden is. The closer you are to be authenticity of not only your message but your character, and the two line up, the stronger it is going to be for you. Campaigns reveal who candidates are. The white house reveals who president s are. I want to go to our white house produc producer, who is wired into the trump world. It feels as if the president is going through the seven stages of grief right now. How are those around him going to get him to acceptance . George, what ive been told is that theyre going to give the president the weekend. They know he wanted to clear his head, and hes doing that right now. Hes at his golf course just a few miles from the white house. What im told is let him get through the weekend, then monday, there would be that come to jesus conversation, if you would, with the president. That this is not going his way. What aides have told me, really, is that, you know, very slowly over the last few days, there has been that realization within the west wing, within the president s family and campaign, that this was not going to be a second term for donald trump. The turning point there, george, was when the numbers started to tighten in georgia. We obviously havent called that race, but it is certainly not looking good for the trump team there. You know, for this president , george, i mean, this is something that he really felt in the last couple days and Chris Christie made this point donald trump started to act more like he was ready for a second run in the last ten days. I think it had a lot to do with donald trump being back on the campaign trail. He dismissed the polls as something he ignores, doesnt believe in them, but the crowds he does. He felt it. I mean, aides i was talking to on the road said, we felt the enthusiasm. We believed we would be back for another round. Obviously, now, thats not going their way, george. Thanks. What youre seeing right there are crowds gathering in front of st. Johns church in lafayette square. Of course, that was the site of the moment where President Trump went across that street, as protesters were out there for the black lives matter movement, to brandish a bible surrounded by military leaders and members of his cabinet, including the attorney general william barr. Pierre thomas, racial issues bubbled beneath the surface all through the presidency, bubbled up above the surface at charlottesville and so many protests across the country this summer. It will be joe bidens job to heal those divisions, as well. Absolutely right, george. Im thinking, as this race gets called, that joe biden put together one of the most diverse voting blocks that the country has ever seen. He got more votes than any other candidate. Yes, we have to support law enforcement. If you think there is not systemic racism in law enforcement, then youre probably wrong. And the country seemed to agree with that. The other thing, george, that strikes me about this announcement today is that,