Vote Count Continues In Key States As President Trump Receives Pushback Against False Election Claims

While a winner has not been declared in the presidential race, President Donald Trump is reiterating unfounded claims that Democrats are trying to “steal” the election from him. He did not back up his claim with any details or evidence, and state and federal officials have not reported any instances of widespread voter fraud.

Trump spoke from the White House briefing room on Thursday, and had harsh criticism of pre-election polling that showed him trailing Democrat Joe Biden and claiming without evidence that the ballot-counting process is unfair and corrupt. He also renewed his criticism of widespread use of mail-in balloting in the pandemic. 

The ballot-counting is ongoing in several battleground states. With 71 electoral votes in the balance. the biggest prize — Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes — could be awarded soon when election officials predicted most of the 250,666 outstanding ballots would be tabulated. Besides Pennsylvania, the race remained too close to call in Arizona with 11 electoral votes, Nevada with six, Georgia with 16, North Carolina with 15 and Alaska with three. 

Biden’s electoral count stands at 253 to Trump’s 213; it takes 270 to win.