After four restless days of vote counting, American citizens finally got word that Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States. Days before the election, retailers from Rodeo Drive to Washington DC preemptively boarded up windows and increased security, expecting civil unrest. There weren’t any protests or riots immediately following the election results, but after President Trump’s fraud allegations, pro-Trump protests broke out in the  nation’s capital. Although many disagree with the outcome, Joe Biden will take over the White House this January. 

Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, made history this year by breaking the “glass ceiling” and becoming the first vice president woman of color. This milestone in American history, 231 years in the making, is a beacon of hope for minority communities. According to the Associated Press, Washington DC, a majority blue district, voted 93% democrat to a small minority of 5.4% republican. District of Columbia resident, Nicole Pohida, commented on the reaction of Biden’s win by saying, “The day the election results became final, DC residents flooded the streets celebrating that Joe Biden won. Supporters were honking their horns, waving around signs, ringing cowbells, and chanting his name.” 

The night of November 3rd, it seemed as though President Trump was going to win the election, and he falsely announced his win on Twitter. In the following days of vote counting, states began to flip blue. Trump’s reaction to this was to make baseless claims of fraud that were later found to have little to no evidence backing them up. While Americans awaited the outcome of the election, President Trump took to Twitter to reach his supporters saying, “STOP THE COUNT.” Joe Biden came back at this by tweeting, “The people will not be silenced, be bullied, or surrender. Every vote must be counted.”

After making claims of election fraud and filing multiple lawsuits, every federal judge on the Supreme Court has ruled that there is no evidence of voter fraud. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying, “This was the most secure election in American History.” Woodgrove Government teacher Mr. Bennett commented on this by saying, “Federal prosecutors assigned by Attorney General William Barr reported that there was no evidence of substantial fraud or irregularities. That does not mean there isn’t fraud; a man in Pennsylvania was charged with voter fraud after forging his daughters’ signature.”

Joe Biden has made his intentions clear to America by claiming he will “unify the nation” and “give everyone a fair shot.” With campaign pillars of tolerance, gender equality, and revised handling of the pandemic, Biden plans to stand in opposition to Trump’s agenda. “Joe Biden has already made it clear he will roll back all of President Trump’s executive orders,” said Bennett, “this includes orders on LGBTQ rights, environment, healthcare, and education.” Some Biden voters have made it clear they have “settled” for him, preferring Biden over Trump in the Oval Office, and those same voters plan to ensure that he acts adequately while president. “(Biden and Harris) are far from perfect, but they are by far the best option. Biden is clearly more prepared to lead the nation to fight for the most pertinent issues facing our country right now,” said Emma Garber in an editorial for the Daily Collegian.