John Bolton in an op-ed Saturday railed against President Trump's attempt to falsely cast the election of Joe Biden as one stolen through fraud, saying the "Republican Party now faces a character test," as it responds to the president's "deeply troubling" behavior.
The big picture: Bolton, who has been a critic of Trump's since leaving the White House last year, called on Republicans to reject the president's false election claims. "The party’s leaders can either reject Trump’s false claims and insist that he provide actual evidence in court, or join in his fantasia and forever tar their own reputations, and that of the party," the former national security adviser wrote in the Telegraph.
President Trump made it clear Saturday he won't concede to Joe Biden or accept his projected win, saying the election is "far from over."
What's next: In a statement, Trump said the campaign will begin "prosecuting our case in court" on Monday. The Trump campaign has already launched a series of baseless legal claims against 2020 voting, including lawsuits in Georgia and Michigan that were quickly dismissed. His allegations of voter fraud have been made without evidence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been silent on the U.S. elections, and unlike many world leaders still hasn't congratulated President-elect Joe Biden.
What they're saying: Netanyahu aides say he is "waiting for the official results."
Senator Kamala Harris of California will become the first woman, Black American and Indian American to serve as vice president.
The big picture: No woman has served as U.S. president, but Harris' ascent will put a woman first in the line of succession for the first time in history, in a year marking the 100th anniversary of women obtaining the constitutional right to vote.
The Associated Press projects Joe Biden has been elected the 46th president of the United States, ousting President Trump after a single term marked by impeachment, constant battles, a disastrous response to the deadly coronavirus pandemic and an unexpectedly close election.
Kamala Harriswill join him as the first woman and first female person of color to be elected vice president — a historic breakthrough largely overshadowed by the turmoil surrounding the election. The news drew cheering crowds to the White House, while Biden made plans to address the nation at 8 pm Eastern.
President-elect Joe Biden said he will be a "President for all Americans," after news networks projected him the winner of the race to the White House on Saturday.
What he's saying: "America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country," Biden tweeted.
Joe Biden has won Nevada, a battleground state that has swung increasingly to Democrats in recent elections, AP projects.
Why it matters: Biden collected the state's six electoral votes and was declared the winner of the presidential election on Saturday morning, defeating President Trump.
This is Axios Special Election 2020 coverage. Joe Biden wins the presidential election, AP projects, after winning Pennsylvania Saturday morning. We talk to Axios reporters Hans Nichols and Jonathan Swan to find out what’s next for both Biden and Donald Trump.
Joe Biden plans Monday to name a 12-member task force to combat and contain the spread of the coronavirus, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: By announcing a COVID task force even before unveiling his senior White House staff or a single cabinet appointment, Biden is signaling that addressing the coronavirus will be the immediate priority for his transition, and then his potential administration.
As hard-fought and drawn-out as the final stages of the election have been, the violence many experts feared hasn't materialized so far.
Why it matters: Perhaps it shouldn't be much cause for celebration that the world's oldest continual democracy managed to get through an election without bloodshed. But as divided as the 2020 election showed Americans are, the vast majority of us respected the process — and each other.
America remains on standby Saturday as states including Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina continue to tally their votes in the 2020 presidential election.
The state of play: While Joe Biden took the lead in Pennsylvania and Georgia on Friday, election officials are waiting to declare an official win for the former VP against incumbent President Trump. As of Saturday, Biden is six electoral college votes shy of winning the presidency.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has tested positive for the coronavirus, Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs first reported Friday night.
The state of play: Meadows traveled with the president in the run-up to Election Day and was most recently seen in public Wednesday morning, per AP. The diagnosis comesroughly a month after President Trump, members of the Trump family and others close to the president tested positive for COVID-19.
If President Trump is on his way out the door, he'll have almost limitless power to reward his friends, settle scores and stack boards and commissions with his allies during his final days in office.
Why it matters: After defeat, there are no constraints on ordinary presidential powers between the election and the inauguration. Trump has shown a willingness to stretch the norms of what has been done and what can be done. So expect him to go out the way he came in.
Joe Biden appears close to an electoral win that will likely be narrower than election forecasts projected, and the initial sense that he underperformed expectations, which were themselves off base, could color his election and perhaps his presidency.
The big picture: We can't help but judge events based on whether they exceed or fall short of our expectations for them — but those expectations often aren't grounded in reality.
Some of President Trump’s own supporters are not convinced he won the 2020 election, with one in 10 of them saying they think Joe Biden will be the next president, according to a new poll from a bipartisan group focused on strengthening democratic institutions.
Why it matters: With mail-in voting expanding Biden's lead and the president promising legal battles in several states, perceptions of the results are starting to form, according to the survey by Citizens for a Strong Democracy. The group is led by former Department of Homeland Security secretaries from both parties.
Joe Biden said late Friday that while "we don't have a final declaration of victory yet," vote counts across the U.S. "tell us a clear and convincing story: We're going to win this race."
Why it matters: Biden is closing in on the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat President Trump, according to AP projections, with the critical battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin now called for the former vice president.
Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) will go to a Jan. 5 runoff contest after failing to win 50% of the popular vote in the race against Democrat Jon Ossoff, AP reports.
Why it matters: No winner has been declared in either of Georgia's two Senate battles, which means we likely won’t know which party will hold the Senate majority until 2021.
Pennsylvania Republicans asked the Supreme Court on Friday to reiterate the rules for counting mail-in votes in the state, while acknowledging that they have no evidence to suggest those rules aren't being followed. The court granted the request late Friday.
The big picture: The Trump campaign has been clear that it wants to get the election before the Supreme Court somehow or another, but this new effort, as the results in Pennsylvania become clearer, is still highly unlikely to make much of a difference.
