‘Waiting for this day’: Americans erupt with joy to Biden win

Supporters of president-elect Joe Biden celebrate on Black Lives Matter Plaza across from the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2020, after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. – Joyous celebrations erupted in Washington on Saturday after Joe Biden was declared winner of the US presidency, as several people poured into the streets of the US capital — some of them chanting, cheering and singing in front of the White House. (Photo by Olivier DOULIERY / AFP)

 

by Issam Ahmed with Andrew Marszal in Los Angeles, Julia Benarrous in Phoenix and Leila Macor in Miami
Agence France Presse

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — From coast to coast, Americans jubilant over Joe Biden’s presidential win on Saturday rushed into the streets, dancing, hooting, honking horns and singing on a day many had longed for after four turbulent years under President Donald Trump.

In spontaneous outbursts after news broke of the Democrat’s win following nearly four nail-biting days of vote counting, they gathered outside the White House singing “goodbye” to Trump, celebrated outside Trump Tower in the president’s native and very Democratic New York, and danced in the streets across the country in Los Angeles.

Trump was away golfing in neighboring Virginia when the news broke, and Biden supporters lined the streets of Washington as he returned to the White House. Trump, ever defiant, has not conceded defeat.

The Republican spent the morning tweeting inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims about voter fraud. But that did nothing to dampen enthusiasm in the US capital, where drivers honked horns, residents banged pots and pans, and people out in parks and hiking trails cheered and hooted.

“I’m here to celebrate,” said Jack Nugent, a 24-year-old software engineer as he walked to Black Lives Matter Plaza, a newly christened area near the presidential mansion that was the epicenter of protests this summer about racial injustice, on an unusually hot and sunny November day.

“I’m really happy with the outcome. It’s been so many years waiting for this day to happen.”

Many people turned out with their loved ones, friends — and even pets.

Yannh Djedjro, a 32-year-old who works in software and came to BLM Plaza with his fiancee and baby daughter, said: “I think it’s amazing. People are ecstatic, everyone is happy, the people have spoken.”

Like Washington itself, the crowd was ethnically diverse and included people of all ages.

It was a moment of catharsis for many who felt marginalized under Trump, with flags from the LGBT community, BLM and others flying.

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 07: Thousands gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House to celebrate the announcement that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will be the 46th President of the United States on November 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. As votes continue to be counted in the race against incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump, people have begun to congregate in cities across America after news outlets announced Joe Biden had reached the number of electoral votes needed to win the election. Samuel Corum/Getty Images/AFP

“I’m Venezuelan but I’ve been living here for 10 years so it means a lot for me,” said Rafael Contreras, 28.

“I think it’s a hope for a better future for this country, especially for immigrants who have been feeling for the past four years that they’re not welcome and they’ve been rejected by this country.”

Music blasted from loudspeakers, while the crowd sang in unison a song often used at protests: “Na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, good bye!”

Many signs turned Trump’s catchphrase on the hit show “The Apprentice” against him: “Hey Trump…You’re Fired!”

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 07: Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden celebrate in Union Park after several major news outlets declared Biden the winner in the 2020 presidential race against incumbent President Donald Trump on November 07, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. Supporters are taking to the streets around the country to celebrate after news outlets have declared Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden winner over President Donald Trump in the U.S. Presidential race. Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP

The atmosphere stood in complete contrast to the empty streets and despondency seen four years ago, when the heavily Democratic capital overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton — but she lost to Trump.

In New York, revelers cheered in Manhattan, including hundreds gathered outside Trump Tower. In Los Angeles, drivers blared their horns and people danced in the streets.

People celebrate at Times Square in New York after Joe Biden was declared winner of the 2020 presidential election on November 7, 2020. – Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House, US media said November 7, defeating Donald Trump and ending a presidency that convulsed American politics, shocked the world and left the United States more divided than at any time in decades. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

Californians said they were proud that their senator Kamala Harris would be the first woman to become vice president, as well as the first Black person.

“That’s huge as well — personally because I’m a person of color, and I’m an immigrant, and she’s the daughter of immigrants,” Christian Barron, 38, said from Santa Monica boulevard in West Hollywood.

– Trump supporters see fraud –
While America’s big cities celebrated, in other parts of the country, Trump supporters reacted with disbelief and denial, with many repeating the president’s unsubstantiated claims of a stolen vote.

At the Maricopa County Elections Department in Phoenix, Arizona, Sharron Morris, a 51-year-old trauma recovery life coach, said: “I want my voice heard. It’s wrong to win elections by fraud.

“Winning elections peacefully and honesty is the American way and I believe in that, but that is not what is happening here.”

In Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, some said they still believed the US Supreme Court would overturn the result.

Maria Teresa Chao, an 86-year-old Cuban American, said the election felt like a long baseball game which hadn’t yet entered its final inning.

“The Supreme Court is the one that has to decide and is going to hit that home run. The evidence against Biden is overwhelming,” she said.


© Agence France-Presse

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