US presidential poll: Biden expands lead as Trump path narrows

• Purpose of our politics is not unending warfare, says Biden
• Don’t claim victory yet, Trump tells Biden

Democratic nominee Joe Biden has taken the lead in Georgia and Pennsylvania, two of the key states expected to decide the 2020 presidential election.

Joe Biden, on the brink of becoming the next president of the United States, addressed the American people from Delaware on Friday night, urging them to remain calm and to stay together.

He said, “Democracy works. Your vote will be counted. The purpose of our politics is not unending warfare.”

It comes at the end of another day of vote counting and frustration across America, with Donald Trump clinging to power despite the Democratic nominee’s lead increasing in critical swing states.

Despite reports that some White House aides were urging Trump to concede, even as others encourage him to fight on, the president himself shows no sign of backing down.

A winner in the battleground state of Pennsylvania is yet to be called because there are votes left to count.

Pennsylvania is among a handful of battleground states Trump and Biden are narrowly contesting.

Trump, who held a 675,000-vote lead early Wednesday, prematurely declared victory in the state earlier this week.

“We’re winning Pennsylvania by a tremendous amount. We’re up 690,000 votes in Pennsylvania. These aren’t even close. It’s not like, ‘Oh, it’s close,”‘ he said during an appearance at the White House.

But Biden pulled ahead in Pennsylvania on Friday and now leads the state by 28,833 votes, as mail-in ballots continue to be counted.

Mail-in ballots tend to favour the Democrats, who encouraged voters to use the system and avoid polling stations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

So far 96 per cent of the votes have been counted.

Democrats had long considered Pennsylvania a part of their “blue wall” – a trifecta that also includes Wisconsin and Michigan – that for years had served as a bulwark in presidential elections.

In 2016, Trump won each by less than a percentage point.

Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes would push Biden over the 270 he needs to win the presidency.

As of Saturday morning, the electoral college votes stood at 253 to 214 for Biden and Trump respectively.

President Trump on Friday said that Biden should not prematurely declare victory in the presidential election — something Trump himself did on election night.

“Joe Biden should not wrongfully claim the office of the President. I could make that claim also. Legal proceedings are just now beginning!” Trump tweeted.

Recount possibility in key states

The presidential race still remains too close to call as votes as counted in key states.

The exceptionally thin margins between the two candidates in many of these states could mean voting recounts – but what are the rules?

Georgia – Nominees can request a recount if the margin is lower than 0.5 per cent of votes cast. This request must come within two days of the result being certified. So far, this could be on the cards for Georgia as the race tightens. Biden led with 2,248 votes as of Saturday 11.45am Nigeria’s time.