WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress on Thursday certified enough Electoral College votes for Democrat Joe Biden to hand him the victory in the Nov. 3 presidential race over Republican President Donald Trump.
With Congress approving Vermont’s votes, Biden now has at least the 270 Electoral College votes that are the minimum for claiming the presidency. Congress’ review of the states’ Electoral College votes, which was interrupted on Wednesday by Trump supporters storming the Capitol Building, was nearing an end.
Meanwhile, President Trump is pledging an “orderly transition” after Congress affirms Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. The President has released a statement saying even though he disagreed with the outcome of the election, “nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.”
The statement also hinted at another run for the White House for Trump, who stated, “While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again.”
(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Eric Beech)
