(CN) — As the country waits for the final votes to be counted in a handful of states, former Vice President Joe Biden delivered a speech to the nation Friday night voicing confidence that he will win the presidency.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Wilmington, Delaware, with running mate Kamala Harris at his side, Biden began his roughly 7-minute address by maintaining that while nothing was official yet, he was well on track to amassing enough electoral college votes to be declared the next president-elect of the United States. He pointed to Pennsylvania and Georgia, where his leads over President Donald Trump steadily increased throughout Friday, and said that his path to victory was clear.
“We don’t have a final declaration of victory yet, but the numbers tell us a clear and convincing story — we’re going to win this race,” Biden said.
The candidate also pointed to his lead in the popular vote count that shows him well ahead of Trump and asserted that he will win the race with a clear majority and a supportive nation.
Biden said that the American people should stay calm as votes continue to be tallied, adding that the process needs to play itself out.
“We have to remain calm,” Biden said. “Patient. Let the process work out as we count all the votes.”
He assured Americans that every vote will be rightfully counted and every voice will be heard when all is completed and said that he will not let efforts to stop the vote count prevail.
Biden’s confidence that he will prevail in this highly contentious and unusual election seems to be supported by the numbers and trends being reported as Friday.
In the races yet to be called, he is currently leading in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, and his behind in North Carolina. Biden currently has 253 electoral votes, and could win the presidency if he nabs Pennsylvania or a combination of the other states.
Trump, for his part, has to virtually run the board in the remaining states in order to secure a second term in the White House, a feat that is becoming increasingly difficult as Biden’s leads continue to widen.
Biden said Friday that with the numbers going in the direction they are, he has been given a clear mandate by the American people to lead the nation in its time of arguably unprecedented crisis.
“They’ve given us a mandate for action on Covid, the economy, climate change, systemic racism,” Biden said. “They’ve made it clear they want the country to come together, not continue to pull apart. The people spoke. More than 74 million Americans, and they spoke loudly for our ticket.”
Biden told supporters that while the official and final results of the presidential election have not been determined, he and Senator Harris are already preparing for their possible new roles. Biden said that on Thursday, he and Harris held meetings with public health and economic crisis experts.
Harris, while initially scheduled to speak during Friday night’s speech, ultimately did not make her own remarks during the relatively brief address.
Biden concluded the address by saying that he plans on being the president for all Americans, not just those that voted for him. He told supporters that civil discourse and disagreements were a healthy and natural aspect of any thriving democracy and that he remains hopeful of America’s future as it navigates a time of such uncertainty.
He ended his address by thanking those in attendance and said he hoped to be speaking to them again on Saturday.
Trump, who was not name-checked once during Biden’s speech, did not immediately make any comments about Biden’s address.
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