Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was planning to declare himself president-elect in a Friday night speech in his hometown Wilmington, Del., however he exchanged up the arrangement after his campaign had just set up balloons and celebratory fireworks.
Fox News, referring to a nearby law enforcement source in Wilmington, reported that Biden won’t claim victory unless major networks pronounce him victor by 10 pm.
That could possibly occur as absentee ballots cause delays in vote-counting after the Tuesday political decision.
The source told the news channel that if networks pronounce Biden victor by 10 pm, he and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) will speak outdoors by 11:30 pm.
If the major networks do not declare a winner by 10 pm, Biden will appear alone indoors in the 11 pm hour. It’s unclear what he would say to reporters.
Biden pulled ahead of President Trump in crucial swing states Friday and leads in unofficial results in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania, which would give him a 306-232 Electoral College victory.
But the margins are thin across the battlegrounds and many ballots remain to be counted. The Associated Press and major networks have not declared a winner in the national election, though some smaller news outlets have projected a Biden win.
In Pennsylvania, Biden leads by 18,904 votes. As of Friday evening, he’s ahead by 36,835 in Arizona, 3,911 votes in Georgia and 22,657 votes in Nevada.
Trump warned Biden not to declare himself the winner, tweeting on Friday evening, “Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!”
As his campaign pursued litigation in swing states, the president claimed in a defiant Thursday night press conference that “if you count the legal votes, I easily win.”
Trump’s adviser and 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said in a Fox News appearance on Friday night that Trump has no plans to concede.
“I did speak to the president. He is ready to fight until every last legal vote is counted,” Lewandowski said.
