The 2020 American election results are yet to be declared, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been a rollercoaster of emotions so far. Donald Trump has won key battleground states and is doing better than polls predicted, but with Joe Biden stealing once staunchly red states too, it's far too close to call still. That hasn't stopped them both from practically declaring their win though, with tension bubbling over in America and protests already beginning.
If you're trying to wade through the chaos and mass of information and sums, here's your need to know...
There’s a reason everyone's talking about Pennsylvania's election results
Throughout the night, Florida’s election results were the key focus. As a perennial swing state, there was hope that if it the election results in Florida favoured Joe Biden, Donald Trump would be at a major disadvantage. Unfortunately, Florida election results show Donald Trump is projected to win with many pointing to the Cuban-American support in Miami-Dade country.
But there was a win for Biden too, election results Arizona were expected to favour Donald Trump as a majority republican state since 1996. However, after Biden went after young progressive Latinos living there, Joe Biden has made strides. While Arizona’s election results aren’t fully counted yet, Biden is currently leading in this major swing state. He’s also leading in Nevada’s election results, a huge swing state.
As such, attention has turned to the election results in Pennsylvania where postal vote counts are behind schedule and a final election result not expected for days. The New York Times has declared it the epitome of ‘division, loyalty and shifting political currents’ as the strong Republican loyalty in its rural center fights the urban and suburban areas where Democrat sentiment is stronger than ever.
Another major swing state to pay attention to is Wisconsin’s election results, where a ton of postal votes are still yet to be counted.
Trump Twitter: Twitter Hides Donald Trump’s ‘Big Win’ Tweet, Says It’s Misleading
Despite there being no final election result yet, President Donald Trump tweeted 'We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!’ leading Twitter to censor the tweet and include a notice that read; ‘Some or all of the content shared in this tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or civic process.’
The social media platform had previously warned it would be clamping down on posts that declared any kind of victory ahead of an official result.
The tweet from Trump came just after Joe Biden spoke in Delaware.
Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden gave speeches suggesting they’d won the US election - Trump says he'll take the election 'to the Supreme court'
Joe Biden was the first to give a speech suggesting he was going to win the US election.
Joe Biden said: 'We knew this was going to go long, but who knew we would go into maybe tomorrow morning, maybe even longer.
'But we feel good about where we are. I'm here to tell you tonight we believe we're on track to win this election. I'm optimistic about this outcome.
'It ain't over until every vote, every ballot is counted.'
He ended: ‘Keep the faith guys, we’re going to win this.’
As you’d expect, after his Twitter issues, Donald Trump also gave a speech from The White House. Also claiming he knew he was going to win the US election and that he would take his fight to the Supreme Court.
READ MORE: Still No Result In The American Election This Morning
While we still awaited the Pennsylvania election results, what appears will be a key battle alongside the Arizona election results, Trump said: ‘This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to our country.’
He added: ‘We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election.’
He also said: ‘We will be going to the US supreme court. We want all voting to stop.’
We could have to wait days for a result, with key swing states continuing to count ballots.
The Many Coats Of The US Election
While Twitter was flooded with discussion about the emerging election results, a number of people decided to take a moment to declare their love for Jill Biden’s pink coat, which she wore to accompany her husband onto stage as he addressed his supporters in Delaware. One tweet read: ‘I know how unimportant this is considering the scale of this morning’s events but I LOVE @DrBiden coat!’ while another said ‘Jill Biden SERVED that pink coat.’
Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump wore a Republican red coat which, while clearly a political decision, also happens to be a huge trend for autumn/winter (one which may have beenpredicted by our very own Duchess of Cambridge). Tiffany Trump joined Ivanka in a lilac coat, making for quite the colour clash.
There Have Already Been Some Protests In Washington DC
While the US was preparing for protests across the country, there were some early demonstrations in Washington DC as the initial election results started to come in. At Black Lives Matter Plaza in the city, protestors carried signs, chanted and danced to music while members of the police used bicycles to block some of them. Some worry that more protests will emerge across the country as the world waits for the final result.
We don’t know who has won the US President Election 2020 – but we are counting the small wins…
While we await finding out who wins election 2020 in the USA, we have had plenty of results to celebrate so far. Outlets like The Lily have been keeping an eye on the wins for diversity in American elections. Sarah McBride has become the first openly transgender person ever elected to a state senate seat in the United States, winning her election for the Delaware state Senate.
Taylor Small became the first openly transgender person elected to Vermont’s legislature – she has a drag persona called Nikki Champagne.
Cori Bush -an activist, nurse and pastor - became the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress. She made her name leading protests following the death of unarmed Black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014.
Michele Rayner-Goolsby became the first openly queer Black woman elected to Florida’s state legislature.
Maureen Turner became the first non-binary state lawmaker in US history and first Muslim person elected to the state’s legislature in Oklahoma.
READ MORE: The Best Donald Trump Memes And Jokes For When You're Feeling Overwhelmed By Election Night Tensions
AOC And The Rest Of The Squad Win Re-Election
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the four freshmen Democratic congresswomen known collectively as ‘The Squad’, have won re-election in last night’s vote.
Following the New York election results, AOC took to Twitter to thank her constituents and celebrate her victory.
Since the 2018 election, when more than 100 women joined the House of Representatives, AOC and the rest of The Squad have been at the forefront of the progressive movement taking over the House and the Democratic Party itself.
Donald Trump has attacked the group of women several times during his presidency, including a series of tweets from the president in 2019 in which he told the women, all women of colour and American citizens, to ‘go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.’
The president again vilified the women at the second presidential debate earlier this year, speaking on Joe Biden’s climate change plans and stating, ‘If you look at what he wants to do, you know if you look at this plan, you know who developed it? AOC plus three.’
‘They know nothing about the climate. I mean, she’s got a good line of stuff, but she knows nothing about the climate. And they’re all hopping through hoops for AOC plus three.’
AOC was quick to react to the president’s claims, writing on Twitter, ‘If someone told me 3 years ago, while I was waitressing to help my family stay afloat, that in a few short years an unhinged President of the United States would be repeatedly saying my name at the 2020 debate, I would’ve brought them some water and told them to sober up.’
Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib have also celebrated The Squad’s victory on Twitter, with Omar — one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress alongside Tlaib two years ago — summing it up well: ‘our sisterhood is resilient.’
Mitch McConnell Wins Re-Election
Republican Mitch McConnell, the US Senate majority leader, has won re-election following the Kentucky election results, despite a bid by democrat Amy McGrath to unseat him.
In a speech following his victory, McConnell, who will be in his seventh term, said, ‘This is no time to tear down statues of our founders and heroes. This is the time to follow their example.’
McConnell, 78, who had to deny health problems following concerning bruising and discolouration to his hands at an event in Washington DC last week, has been in the news recently for bringing forward the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg in September.
During his time as a Senator, McConnell has opposed healthcare reform, gun control and climate change measures, specifically the Green New Deal and Medicare For All. He stated that if he was still Senate majority leader following this election, ‘none of those things are going to pass the Senate.’
Kanye West voted for himself… then conceded he won’t be President.
It’s estimated that Kanye West won more than 50,000 votes in the 2020 US election – one of which, was of course, his own.
He tweeted: ‘Today I am voting for the first time in my life for the President of the United States, and it’s for someone I truly trust…me.’
He also continued to say he would run to be US President in 2024.
His wife Kim Kardashian said that she’d voted… but didn’t say if she’d also opted to cross next to Kanye.
Honourable Extra Half Mention: Is It Just Us Or Do You Miss The Fly?
Remember the fly which became the biggest talking point of the vice presidential debate? Yeah, we miss that fly today. After Donald Trump's speech, Vice-President Mike Pence then took to the stage, stating how Great Again Trump has made America. All we longed for in that moment? The Fly, who remains the most interesting candidate in this election.