On Plugged In …
the American election …
and a projected President-elect:
[[SOT- President-Elect JOE BIDEN ]]
“I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but unify. Who doesn’t see Red and Blue states, only sees the United States.
[[GRETA VO]]
An American first ---
The Vice President-elect …
is a woman of color.
[[VP-ELECT HARRIS SOT]]
“But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
[[GRETA VO]]
Votes are still being counted …
And some may be re-counted …
As President Trump …
contests close elections …
in key states.
[[TRUMP – SOT]]
“If you count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us. If you count the votes that came in late, we are looking at them very strongly, but a lot of us came in late.
[[GRETA VO]]
The historic changes ahead …
to the balance …
of American political power …
Next on Plugged In …
US 2020 Decision.
[[GRETA OC]]
Hello and welcome …
to Plugged In.
I’m Greta Van Susteren …
reporting from Washington.
Joe Biden is projected …
to be the next president …
of the United States.
The tipping point came …
more than three days …
after the polls closed …
in the US.
The vote count was slow …
in some states ...
because of the massive number …
of mail-in ballots …
due to the coronavirus pandemic.
[[FS-ELECTORAL MAP]]
Once Biden was projected …
to win Pennsylvania …
he won enough states …
to be elected President.
Several states …
are still in doubt …
as local officials …
try to count …
all of the votes.
[[GRETA OC]]
President Donald Trump …
is moving ahead …
with legal challenges …
in several states …
where the vote count …
is close …
and mail-in ballots …
were heavily used.
We begin …
with VOA Senior …
White House Correspondent …
Patsy Widakuswara (WEE-dak-cue-swara)
[[TAKE PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
Jubilation on the streets in cities around the U.S. as Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden secured a path to the presidency,
((Biden walks in))
after news networks determined he had an insurmountable lead in key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Nevada.
((Joe Biden, President-elect))
“The people of this nation have spoken, delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for We the People.”
((Various of audience))
((NARRATOR))
Delivering remarks from his hometown in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden sought to heal a nation torn apart by months of bitter presidential campaign, urging his and President Donald Trump’s supporters to “give each other a chance.”
((Joe Biden, President-elect))
"Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end here and now.”
((Various of audience))
((NARRATOR))
Biden promised to be a president for all Americans, laying out the work ahead for the country and his administration.
((Joe Biden, President-elect))
“The battle to control the virus. The battle to build prosperity. The balance to cure your family's health care. The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country. And the battle to save our planet by getting climate under control. The battle to restore decency, defend democracy and give everybody in this country, a fair shot.”
((Electoral map GFX, ballot counting))
((NARRATOR))
With his wins in Pennsylvania and Nevada, Biden secured 279 electoral votes. As ballot counts continue in Georgia and Arizona, where Biden is leading, he may end up further adding to his total above the 270-vote threshold needed to win the presidency.
((https://app.frame.io/projects/ae30dd8f-b6c4-418a-b02d-530603115a58/9e82dad6-c062-4043-bd1d-e3ddc9473803TC 0:50))
((Radio track: David Redlawsk is a Political Science professor at the University of Delaware))
((David Redlawsk, University of Delaware))
“There's no question that the Biden campaign put together a broad coalition, they flipped several states that they had to flip in order to win this.”
((Trump entering WH from golfing, Trump tweet https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1325099845045071873 ))
((NARRATOR))
President Donald Trump left the White House to go golfing Saturday and otherwise did not make a public appearance, tweeting that he “won the election by a lot.”
((Tweets from world leaders))
Even as Trump shows no indication of conceding, world leaders congratulated Biden as president elect.
((https://www.donaldjtrump.com/media/statement-from-president-donald-j.-trump/))
The Trump campaign released a statement saying Biden is “rushing to falsely pose as the winner”, promising legal challenges to “ensure the rightful winner is seated”, a claim most experts say is unlikely to happen.
((Radio Bennett: Jeff Bennett teaches political communications at Vanderbilt University.))
((https://app.frame.io/projects/ae30dd8f-b6c4-418a-b02d-530603115a58/7628a2b9-da67-4c0a-b146-db483001310a TC 0:36))
((Jeff Bennett, Vanderbilt University))
“Even with some of the court edicts that could come down, it's just not enough to overturn anything that's happening with the election process right now.”
((Celebration in Wilmington))
((NARRATOR))
As Biden supporters celebrate over the coming weeks, electors will formally cast their votes for the new president and vice-president in mid-December. President Donald Trump remains in office until January 20 when Biden is inaugurated with Kamala Harris as his vice president.
((Kamala Harris, Vice President Elect))
“What a testament it is to Joe's character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exists in our country and select a woman as his vice president. While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.”
((Biden and Harris celebrate))
((NARRATOR))
Harris will make history as the first woman and person of color to ever hold the office of U.S. vice president.
((Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News))
[[GRETA OC]]
More than a week …
after the voting closed …
MOST votes …
have been counted.
But NOT all.
In some states …
the margins …
are still too close …
to project a winner.
[[ GRETA VO GRAPHICS]]
[[FS- ELECTORAL MAP – ZOOM ON GEORGIA]] [[POP-UP BIDEN 49.49% TRUMP 49.26%]]
A recount of votes has already been ordered in the Southern state of Georgia, where less than a half-percentage point separates Biden and Trump.
[[FS-ELECTORAL MAP – ZOOM ON WISCONSIN]] [[POP UP BIDEN 49.45% TRUMP 48.83%]]
And the Trump campaign plans to ask for a recount in the Midwestern state of Wisconsin, where the two are separated by less than one percent.
[[FS-ELECTION MAP – ZOOM ON ARIZONA]] [[POP-UP BIDEN 49.47% TRUMP 48.96%]]
The margin is also slim in Arizona where a Trump campaign lawsuit claims some voters on Election Day had their votes incorrectly rejected.
[[FS-ELECTORAL MAP – ZOOM ON PENNSYLVANIA]] [[POP UP BIDEN 49.69% TRUMP 49.02%]]
In Pennsylvania, litigation is pending about the status of mail-in votes that were postmarked by Election Day but arrived up to three days late. The Trump campaign says the three-day extension was granted illegally and is suing to get those votes thrown out.
[[VO-VOTING AND VOTE COUNTING]]
For the lawsuits to succeed the number of votes in question must be large enough to affect the outcome of the election.
[GRETA OC]
While the race …
for president ...
has been projected,
the balance of Power...
on Capitol Hill...
remains somewhat uncertain.
Republicans picked up seats …
in the House of Representatives...
And hold a 50-to-48 lead ...
in the Senate.
Two Senate seats ---
both of them …
from the state of Georgia ---
will be decided ...
by a runoff election …
in January.
For more on what to expect ...
in the weeks …
and months ahead,
I spoke to George Will ...
Pulitzer Prize winning ...
political columnist …
for the Washington Post.
[[SOT/WILL INTERVIEW]]
George Will: First we have the highest voter turnout in more than a century. Now social scientists will argue whether that is a sign of national health or national distress-I tend to cite, think a high voter turnout indicates unhappiness more than contentment. I believe that Joe Biden will wind up with a higher percentage of the vote that George W Bush got in 2000 before, defeating John Kerry. So, the election indicated what we already knew, which was that the country's divided, passionate, and has decided that on balance, Donald Trump is just too exhausting.
Greta Van Susteren: He got he had about 72 million votes which about 10 million more than last time and Vice President Biden and we're still counting that as about at least 76 or 77 million right now is, is that a mandate to Vice President, or is a country closely divided that he really has to temper some of the goals of the far left part of his party?
George Will: I think it's, it's quite clear when you look at the Republicans so far, we should wait and see what happens to the two run offs on January 5 in Georgia. But the fact that the Republicans gained seats in the House, whereas the Democrats were quite confident they were going to increase their house majorities -- that indicates that this is still a center right country. And if you don't like that description, at least it's not a semi-socialist progressive country hankering for a kind of democratic revolution.
The country flinched from defund the police that and other kinds of radicalism
Greta Van Susteren: OK, if let's assume that when the votes are officially counted and Vice President Biden becomes President Biden and President Trump is no longer president, who is the head of the Republican Party.
George Will: That’s an excellent question. There will be a mad scramble beginning almost immediately, in fact, it's already begun, for the 2024 nomination, with the usual gaggle of senators who –it's famously said every senator looks in the mirror in the morning, applying her makeup or shaving sees a president looking back. So they will be scrambling. But until then, but Donald Trump will remain a tremendous presence in the Republican Party, if only because his astonishing use of social media particularly tweeting will make him such a force that Republicans everywhere will be looking over their shoulders, eager not to arouse the, I was gonna say sleeping giant, I'm not sure he ever sleeps since he's tweeting at 2am in some mornings. But he will remain I think a very important presence in republicans thinking.
Greta Van Susteren: You know it’s interesting, people that who I spoke to, a number of Republicans where I grew up in the middle part of the country Wisconsin said, “I like what President Trump has done. I don't like his social media, I don't like the way he acts.”
George Will: I think that's right, that if he had managed to subdue his behavior, as many people urged him to do, all unavailingly I think he might have been reelected. I think it's very likely that he would have been easily re -elected but for the pandemic, which cratered the economy which was one of his big arguments that was economic strength, But also showed that he was simply incapable of showing the kind of empathy and steadiness that people wanted to see as deaths past 200,000.
Greta Van Susteren: You mentioned coronavirus which kept a lot of people indoors and at home and out of business the past eight or nine months but it also kept Vice President Biden, off the campaign trail but it didn’t keep President Trump off the campaign trail. Do you have a sense that, that the Vice president was sort of almost invisible on the campaign trail, to the extent that President Trump was running against himself, and that he lost this, it wasn't the wasn't a vice president won this?
George Will: I think the pandemic forced Mr Biden into a prudent campaign. That is, there's an old saying in the in the armed services, I think it started with Napoleon, when your opponent is destroying himself don't interfere. And I think the Biden people felt that the more people saw Trump careening around the country, disregarding his own administration's public health protocols-- in the closing weeks of the campaign, he was attacking LeBron James the most popular athlete on the planet, and promising to fire the nation's leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Fauci. To put this politely message discipline was not Donald Trump's strength.
Greta Van Susteren: It will be interesting to watch what's gonna happen the next four years. I don't think President Trump is going away. I don't know if he'll run again he would be but 78 years old, which is Vice President Biden's age now. But I don't think he's gonna vanish from the political, I don't think he's gonna ignore Vice President Biden and let him be president for four years, do you?
George Will: No, I don't. Don Trump Jr evidently has aspirations to be the 47th President of the United States. There's no shortage of senators and governors looking at this, and the one thing they will all agree on is that Donald Trump had his day and it's their turn.
Greta Van Susteren: When the rest of the world looks at our election this year, can we Americans so far, can we be proud that you know that it may have been messy but it was done well or should we be embarrassed on how this has been handled?
George Will: It was messy this year, no question about it but remember the United States conducted a presidential election in the midst of the carnage of an extremely violent Civil War. We've done, we've conducted between the 1860 and 1864 elections we had off-year elections, no interruption whatever. This year in the midst of a pandemic with 50 different jurisdictions 51, if you count the District of Columbia with their own procedures and laws, I think, on balance the United States gets much higher than just passing grade.
Greta Van Susteren: George, thank you, always nice to talk to you.
George Will: Glad to be with you.
[[GRETA OC]]
For nearly half a century, Joe Biden ...
has been a prominent figure...
in Washington political circles...
He will need to draw …
on that experience …
to meet his next challenge …
of bringing together …
a divided nation …
facing a pandemic …
and economic distress.
VOA’s Mike O’Sullivan …
looks at how ...
Joe Biden got to this point …
of his political career.
[[PKG/O’SULLIVAN]]
((NARRATOR))
The election came down to a few states, including the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where the separation in the vote was razor thin.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS))
The sitting president and his supporters claim there were vote irregularities which, they say, may reverse the current results.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF BIDEN AT CHASE CENTER IN DELAWARE))
But after American news networks projected Democrat Joe Biden had an insurmountable lead, he declared victory and sought to bridge the country’s political divisions.
(( Biden MRT SOT (1:00) https://app.frame.io/player/0bd326a6-b948-4ff7-a976-ec017e99257f ))
((Joe Biden, President-Elect))
“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight, Ive lost a couple times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance.”
((SHOW cheers and wide shot))
((SHOW REUTERS SHOT OF PEOPLE IN LONG LINE, AFP SHOT OF PROTESTERS KICKING FENCE, AP SHOT OF BIDEN WEARING MASK IN FACTORY))
During the election campaign, President Trump emphasized social unrest and law and order, while Biden criticized Trump for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF TRUMP’S FINAL MICHIGAN RALLY))
President Trump trailed in the polls throughout. He mounted high-energy rallies in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where voters were seen as divided.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF BIDEN AND OBAMA ON STAGES, SHOW AP SHOT OF BIDEN AS VP IN SENATE))
((NARRATOR))
For eight years, Biden was Barack Obama’s vice president and played a major role in his administration.
((SHOW AP PHOTO OF YOUNG BIDEN AND WIFE, BIDEN WITH SADAT))
In contrast to President Trump, a political newcomer when elected in 2016, Biden is an experienced politician, a fact he hammered home on the campaign trail.
((Joe Biden, President-Elect))
“I’m going to say something outrageous. I know how to make government work.”
First elected to the Senate at age 29, Biden has held elected office for almost 50 years. Assuming current returns will be certified, at 78, he will be the oldest person sworn in as U.S. President.
((Larry Sabato, University of Virginia))
((MANDATORY CG: Skype))
“He is bland, and the blandness normally would hurt him more than it does against Donald Trump. It actually gives people a very sharp, distinct choice.”
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF BIDEN SPEAKING))
((NARRATOR))
Biden was chosen as the Democratic Party candidate after beating more liberal presidential contenders in primaries. One was the person who will be his vice president, Kamala Harris.
((SHOW AFP PRESIDENTIAL 10/22 DEBATE CLIP))
((NARRATOR))
With Biden doing little in-person campaigning because of coronavirus pandemic concerns, the campaign was ultimately about the sitting president.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF BIDEN WALKING ON STAGE IN PITTSBURG))
In a public appearance in the swing state pf Pennsylvania, Biden spoke the day before the Nov. 3 election.
((Joe Biden, President-Elect))
"Tomorrow we can put an end to a presidency that has failed to protect the nation. tomorrow we can put an end to a presidency that has fanned the flames of hate across this nation."
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF WISCONSIN TRUMP RALLY))
Also the day before the election, Trump expressed confidence in Wisconsin.
((President Donald Trump))
"Remember what I said four years ago, I am your voice and we will all together make America great again. That's what we're doing, that's what we've done."
((SHOW AP SHOTS OF PRIMARY MAIL IN VOTERS, AP CLIP OF BALLOTS BEING COUNTED))
((NARRATOR))
Voters turned out in unprecedented numbers for a U.S. election – as high as 90% of eligible voters. The narrowness of the victory shows how divided the U.S. electorate is. Legal challenges mean that the election could ultimately be decided in court.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS CHANTING))
The difficult task ahead: to unify a divided country.
((Mike O’Sullivan, VOA News, Los Angeles))
[[GRETA OC]]
Former Vice President Biden …
is wasting little time …
following-up on …
campaign promises.
He announced …
a 13-member ...
coronavirus task force ...
led by former Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy.
((FS-w/REVEALS))
Aides to Biden say …
in his first days in office ...
he plans to reverse …
President Trump’s decision …
to withdraw from the …
World Health Organization ...
And he will seek to rejoin …
the Paris climate accord …
And Iran nuclear deal.
Biden also plans …
to repeal a ban …
on almost all travelers ...
to the United States ...
from several Muslim-majority countries.
He also plans to re-instate …
the program to allow children …
brought to the U.S. illegally ...
to stay in the country …
without fear of deportation.
[GRETA OC]
A projected …
Biden-Harris administration ...
marks a new milestone ...
in American politics.
Kamala Harris …
is the first woman …
Vice President-elect.
Her Black …
and South Asian heritage …
adds historic significance …
and a new chapter …
to American history.
For more …
on the importance …
of this moment ...
and the historic voter turnout …
in this election...
I spoke to …
Peniel (PRONO: Pen-NEEL) Joseph
a University of Texas professor ...
and frequent commentator ...
on issues of race and democracy ...
in the United States.
[[SOT/JOSEPH INTERVIEW]]
Peniel Joseph: So we saw a record turnout. And I think one of the reasons you saw that record turnout is that we increased the youth vote, we increased the black vote, the LatinX vote. And when I say we, I mean America, we increased that vote just for democracy right? So on some levels, you want as many people to vote as possible. And if Republicans or Democrats can get people of color, voters to the polls based on their platforms or agendas, the better off our democracy is.
Greta Van Susteren: You know, sort of interesting, looking at the at the map of the United States and South Florida which has a huge Cuban-American, Hispanic or Latin population. That tends to be conservative Republican in that state, of course just eked by for President Trump over vice president former Vice President Biden, but that had a lot to do with where they came from with Cuba didn't it?
Peniel Joseph: Yeah. And you know when we think about Cuba, Cubans have always been more conservative especially the Cuban committee, Cuban committee community that has come out of the 1959 Cuban revolution and sought asylum. So they've been obviously anti-Castro. They certainly are anti socialism, as we define it by by Fidel Castro, which is different from Scandinavian social democracy. So that community has always been much more conservative than what we think of as other parts of the Hispanic community.
Greta Van Susteren: Some of the Democrats were disappointed because I think President Trump got one of the highest percentages of minority votes than any Republican has gotten since 1960. Not a huge number, I might add but he got the highest percentage. Why would that be?
Peniel Joseph: Well I think it's a couple of reasons. I think one reason is that there's more ideological diversity among what we call the black or African-American community and what people are calling the Latin X or Hispanic community, sometimes they get pigeonholed as just being predominantly liberal, predominantly progressive and their views are just more complicated than just that label. The other especially for black men and we saw this with certain rappers come out for President Trump, is that President Trump's hypermasculine style which some people would criticize as toxic masculinity, does have truck in certain parts of black and LatinX communities where they like the the macho posturing
(00:01:28 - 00:02:35) and they they voted for him in part because they found that entertaining.
Greta Van Susteren: We're still counting votes, states have not officially certified their their elections, but there's a high expectation it would be President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who obviously a woman, first black woman to ascend to that, first woman to ascend to vice president. What does that mean? What does that mean to the world?
Peniel Joseph: The fact that we have a woman of color who's whose parents were immigrants from Jamaica and from India is hugely, hugely profoundly important And I think it shows the best aspects of American democracy and what's possible when people struggle and organize to shatter these these glass ceilings.
Greta Van Susteren: Well it's interesting this glass ceiling that's been broken in the United States now in the year 2020. Yet women have been have led countries. All over the world, you've had prime ministers Margaret Thatcher in England back in the 1980s. Angela Merkel has been there the entire life of many people who have lived to the age of twenty five or 30 They've only known a woman ahead of their country. So it's interesting is that, you know, the US has been a little bit late to the game on this one.
Peniel Joseph: Absolutely. I think we hopefully we don't do this with Kamala Harris but too easily we've demonized women in a bipartisan fashion whether it's Nikki Haley or Hillary Clinton. I think the, the political atmosphere we have here, we expect too much out of women in some kind of perfectionism. And their flaws are really highlighted. And I think we saw that with former first lady and Senator Clinton when she ran, Secretary of State Clinton, she ran as probably the most qualified person ever to run for president. And she she lost not the popular vote but she did lose resoundingly in the Electoral College. I think part of that had less to do with policies and more to do with how we don't necessarily give women a fair shake in our politics.
Greta Van Susteren: Do you expect more women are going to step up and run for office? is this the start of a wave?
Peniel Joseph: Yeah we're already seeing it both Democratic women and Republican women. All across the country, we had record numbers of women just running for local for state and federal office. And I think we should. Women are over 50 percent of the population in the United States. They’re over 50 percent of the electorate. And there are not they are not represented at the federal and the state and the local level based on their numbers. So I think having more women in politics is good because it reflects the diversity of our country.
Greta Van Susteren: Do you think that, assuming that it becomes President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, what's the --we know we have a good idea how we think it's going to impact the United States but what about what about the rest of the world Foreign policy? These these continents are so important to us whether it's Africa or Asia, I mean the whole world What does it mean to the world?
Peniel Joseph: So I think people look to us as liberty’s surest guardian. I think the interesting aspect of the world is that whether or not people criticize the United States they look to the United States for leadership and we can trace that back to World War Two and the greatest generation We can trace it back earlier. But certainly people look to us for leadership. And I think that people are very very excited about the United States taking that proactive leadership role in the world again.
Greta Van Susteren: Thank you sir. Nice to talk to you.
Peniel Joseph: Nice to talk to you, Greta.
[[GRETA OC ]]
Once Joe Biden …
was projected winner …
of the election …
leaders from around the world...
offered congratulatory messages ...
to the President-elect.
The leaders of Brazil, China, and Russia ...
have remained silent ...
citing multiple legal challenges ...
by President Trump’s campaign.
VOA’s Henry Ridgwell ...
tells us more from London.
[[PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
In Europe, perhaps the biggest celebrations were held in Ballina, Ireland, despite the coronavirus lockdown – the home of President-elect Joe Biden’s great-great-great-grandfather.
((Laurita Blewitt, Joe Biden’s Third Cousin))
"It just hit us out of the blue, so it was exciting. But we're absolutely thrilled and just can't really put it into words really.”
((NARRATOR))
Biden has often spoken of his pride in his Irish roots. He has warned Britain that its exit from the European Union must not jeopardize peace in Northern Ireland – and last year called British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a ‘clone’ of Donald Trump.
Boris Johnson said Sunday he was looking forward to working with the new administration.
((Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister))
“I think that there is far more that unites the government of this country and the government in Washington any time, any stage, than divides us.”
The European Union also welcomed the election of Joe Biden.
((Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (in English) ))
“Together we will address pressing global challenges: the corona pandemic and its economic consequences, climate change and the loss of biodiversity, the necessary rulebook for the digital economy and society, global security and the reform of the rules-based multilateral system.”
((NARRATOR))
But Europe should not necessarily expect an easy ride, says analyst Inderjeet Parmar of City University London.
((Inderjeet Parmar, Professor of International Politics at City University, London))
((cg. Mandatory Skype logo))
“Given the increasingly competitive environment, I think the U.S. will continue to drive hard bargains. The trade agreement(s) with the E.U. and Britain will not be easy. And I think NATO – yes, I think they will demand the Europeans step up a lot more.”
((NARRATOR))
German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared to acknowledge those challenges Monday.
((Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (in German) ))
“America is and remains our most important ally. But it expects us, and rightly so, to make stronger efforts to take care of our security.”
((NARRATOR))
Europe hopes that Joe Biden will seek to re-join the Iran nuclear deal. Israel is vehemently opposed. In a video message congratulating Joe Biden, the Israeli Prime Minister did not mention the agreement.
((Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister (in Hebrew) ))
“I know him as a big friend of the state of Israel.”
((NARRATOR))
Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter: ‘Trump’s gone in 70 days. But we’ll remain here forever. Betting on outsiders to provide security is never a good gamble. We extend our hand to our neighbors for dialog to resolve differences.’
((NARRATOR))
China is in the midst of a trade war with Washington. Chinese state media said the election of Joe Biden offered more predictability.
In Hong Kong – where pro-democracy protests continue against Beijing – some fear a softer approach from the United States.
((Hoi, Hong Kong Resident (in Cantonese) ))
“I think at a time when totalitarian governance is rising in many countries, Biden's approach, though more peaceful or less forceful, is too gentlemanly.”
((NARRATOR))
Both Beijing and Moscow have yet to give official comment on Joe Biden’s victory – noting that there are ongoing legal challenges to the result by incumbent Donald Trump.
((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London.))
[[ GRETA OC ]]
That’s all the time...
we have for now.
Thank you to my guests...
Washington Post columnist...
George Will...
And University of Texas professor...
Peniel (PRONO: Pen-neel) Joseph.
Stay up to date...
with our website...
VOANews.com
And follow me...
on Twitter @Greta.
Thank you for being
Plugged In.
###
the American election …
and a projected President-elect:
[[SOT- President-Elect JOE BIDEN ]]
“I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but unify. Who doesn’t see Red and Blue states, only sees the United States.
[[GRETA VO]]
An American first ---
The Vice President-elect …
is a woman of color.
[[VP-ELECT HARRIS SOT]]
“But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
[[GRETA VO]]
Votes are still being counted …
And some may be re-counted …
As President Trump …
contests close elections …
in key states.
[[TRUMP – SOT]]
“If you count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us. If you count the votes that came in late, we are looking at them very strongly, but a lot of us came in late.
[[GRETA VO]]
The historic changes ahead …
to the balance …
of American political power …
Next on Plugged In …
US 2020 Decision.
[[GRETA OC]]
Hello and welcome …
to Plugged In.
I’m Greta Van Susteren …
reporting from Washington.
Joe Biden is projected …
to be the next president …
of the United States.
The tipping point came …
more than three days …
after the polls closed …
in the US.
The vote count was slow …
in some states ...
because of the massive number …
of mail-in ballots …
due to the coronavirus pandemic.
[[FS-ELECTORAL MAP]]
Once Biden was projected …
to win Pennsylvania …
he won enough states …
to be elected President.
Several states …
are still in doubt …
as local officials …
try to count …
all of the votes.
[[GRETA OC]]
President Donald Trump …
is moving ahead …
with legal challenges …
in several states …
where the vote count …
is close …
and mail-in ballots …
were heavily used.
We begin …
with VOA Senior …
White House Correspondent …
Patsy Widakuswara (WEE-dak-cue-swara)
[[TAKE PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
Jubilation on the streets in cities around the U.S. as Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden secured a path to the presidency,
((Biden walks in))
after news networks determined he had an insurmountable lead in key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Nevada.
((Joe Biden, President-elect))
“The people of this nation have spoken, delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for We the People.”
((Various of audience))
((NARRATOR))
Delivering remarks from his hometown in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden sought to heal a nation torn apart by months of bitter presidential campaign, urging his and President Donald Trump’s supporters to “give each other a chance.”
((Joe Biden, President-elect))
"Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end here and now.”
((Various of audience))
((NARRATOR))
Biden promised to be a president for all Americans, laying out the work ahead for the country and his administration.
((Joe Biden, President-elect))
“The battle to control the virus. The battle to build prosperity. The balance to cure your family's health care. The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country. And the battle to save our planet by getting climate under control. The battle to restore decency, defend democracy and give everybody in this country, a fair shot.”
((Electoral map GFX, ballot counting))
((NARRATOR))
With his wins in Pennsylvania and Nevada, Biden secured 279 electoral votes. As ballot counts continue in Georgia and Arizona, where Biden is leading, he may end up further adding to his total above the 270-vote threshold needed to win the presidency.
((https://app.frame.io/projects/ae30dd8f-b6c4-418a-b02d-530603115a58/9e82dad6-c062-4043-bd1d-e3ddc9473803TC 0:50))
((Radio track: David Redlawsk is a Political Science professor at the University of Delaware))
((David Redlawsk, University of Delaware))
“There's no question that the Biden campaign put together a broad coalition, they flipped several states that they had to flip in order to win this.”
((Trump entering WH from golfing, Trump tweet https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1325099845045071873 ))
((NARRATOR))
President Donald Trump left the White House to go golfing Saturday and otherwise did not make a public appearance, tweeting that he “won the election by a lot.”
((Tweets from world leaders))
Even as Trump shows no indication of conceding, world leaders congratulated Biden as president elect.
((https://www.donaldjtrump.com/media/statement-from-president-donald-j.-trump/))
The Trump campaign released a statement saying Biden is “rushing to falsely pose as the winner”, promising legal challenges to “ensure the rightful winner is seated”, a claim most experts say is unlikely to happen.
((Radio Bennett: Jeff Bennett teaches political communications at Vanderbilt University.))
((https://app.frame.io/projects/ae30dd8f-b6c4-418a-b02d-530603115a58/7628a2b9-da67-4c0a-b146-db483001310a TC 0:36))
((Jeff Bennett, Vanderbilt University))
“Even with some of the court edicts that could come down, it's just not enough to overturn anything that's happening with the election process right now.”
((Celebration in Wilmington))
((NARRATOR))
As Biden supporters celebrate over the coming weeks, electors will formally cast their votes for the new president and vice-president in mid-December. President Donald Trump remains in office until January 20 when Biden is inaugurated with Kamala Harris as his vice president.
((Kamala Harris, Vice President Elect))
“What a testament it is to Joe's character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exists in our country and select a woman as his vice president. While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.”
((Biden and Harris celebrate))
((NARRATOR))
Harris will make history as the first woman and person of color to ever hold the office of U.S. vice president.
((Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News))
[[GRETA OC]]
More than a week …
after the voting closed …
MOST votes …
have been counted.
But NOT all.
In some states …
the margins …
are still too close …
to project a winner.
[[ GRETA VO GRAPHICS]]
[[FS- ELECTORAL MAP – ZOOM ON GEORGIA]] [[POP-UP BIDEN 49.49% TRUMP 49.26%]]
A recount of votes has already been ordered in the Southern state of Georgia, where less than a half-percentage point separates Biden and Trump.
[[FS-ELECTORAL MAP – ZOOM ON WISCONSIN]] [[POP UP BIDEN 49.45% TRUMP 48.83%]]
And the Trump campaign plans to ask for a recount in the Midwestern state of Wisconsin, where the two are separated by less than one percent.
[[FS-ELECTION MAP – ZOOM ON ARIZONA]] [[POP-UP BIDEN 49.47% TRUMP 48.96%]]
The margin is also slim in Arizona where a Trump campaign lawsuit claims some voters on Election Day had their votes incorrectly rejected.
[[FS-ELECTORAL MAP – ZOOM ON PENNSYLVANIA]] [[POP UP BIDEN 49.69% TRUMP 49.02%]]
In Pennsylvania, litigation is pending about the status of mail-in votes that were postmarked by Election Day but arrived up to three days late. The Trump campaign says the three-day extension was granted illegally and is suing to get those votes thrown out.
[[VO-VOTING AND VOTE COUNTING]]
For the lawsuits to succeed the number of votes in question must be large enough to affect the outcome of the election.
[GRETA OC]
While the race …
for president ...
has been projected,
the balance of Power...
on Capitol Hill...
remains somewhat uncertain.
Republicans picked up seats …
in the House of Representatives...
And hold a 50-to-48 lead ...
in the Senate.
Two Senate seats ---
both of them …
from the state of Georgia ---
will be decided ...
by a runoff election …
in January.
For more on what to expect ...
in the weeks …
and months ahead,
I spoke to George Will ...
Pulitzer Prize winning ...
political columnist …
for the Washington Post.
[[SOT/WILL INTERVIEW]]
George Will: First we have the highest voter turnout in more than a century. Now social scientists will argue whether that is a sign of national health or national distress-I tend to cite, think a high voter turnout indicates unhappiness more than contentment. I believe that Joe Biden will wind up with a higher percentage of the vote that George W Bush got in 2000 before, defeating John Kerry. So, the election indicated what we already knew, which was that the country's divided, passionate, and has decided that on balance, Donald Trump is just too exhausting.
Greta Van Susteren: He got he had about 72 million votes which about 10 million more than last time and Vice President Biden and we're still counting that as about at least 76 or 77 million right now is, is that a mandate to Vice President, or is a country closely divided that he really has to temper some of the goals of the far left part of his party?
George Will: I think it's, it's quite clear when you look at the Republicans so far, we should wait and see what happens to the two run offs on January 5 in Georgia. But the fact that the Republicans gained seats in the House, whereas the Democrats were quite confident they were going to increase their house majorities -- that indicates that this is still a center right country. And if you don't like that description, at least it's not a semi-socialist progressive country hankering for a kind of democratic revolution.
The country flinched from defund the police that and other kinds of radicalism
Greta Van Susteren: OK, if let's assume that when the votes are officially counted and Vice President Biden becomes President Biden and President Trump is no longer president, who is the head of the Republican Party.
George Will: That’s an excellent question. There will be a mad scramble beginning almost immediately, in fact, it's already begun, for the 2024 nomination, with the usual gaggle of senators who –it's famously said every senator looks in the mirror in the morning, applying her makeup or shaving sees a president looking back. So they will be scrambling. But until then, but Donald Trump will remain a tremendous presence in the Republican Party, if only because his astonishing use of social media particularly tweeting will make him such a force that Republicans everywhere will be looking over their shoulders, eager not to arouse the, I was gonna say sleeping giant, I'm not sure he ever sleeps since he's tweeting at 2am in some mornings. But he will remain I think a very important presence in republicans thinking.
Greta Van Susteren: You know it’s interesting, people that who I spoke to, a number of Republicans where I grew up in the middle part of the country Wisconsin said, “I like what President Trump has done. I don't like his social media, I don't like the way he acts.”
George Will: I think that's right, that if he had managed to subdue his behavior, as many people urged him to do, all unavailingly I think he might have been reelected. I think it's very likely that he would have been easily re -elected but for the pandemic, which cratered the economy which was one of his big arguments that was economic strength, But also showed that he was simply incapable of showing the kind of empathy and steadiness that people wanted to see as deaths past 200,000.
Greta Van Susteren: You mentioned coronavirus which kept a lot of people indoors and at home and out of business the past eight or nine months but it also kept Vice President Biden, off the campaign trail but it didn’t keep President Trump off the campaign trail. Do you have a sense that, that the Vice president was sort of almost invisible on the campaign trail, to the extent that President Trump was running against himself, and that he lost this, it wasn't the wasn't a vice president won this?
George Will: I think the pandemic forced Mr Biden into a prudent campaign. That is, there's an old saying in the in the armed services, I think it started with Napoleon, when your opponent is destroying himself don't interfere. And I think the Biden people felt that the more people saw Trump careening around the country, disregarding his own administration's public health protocols-- in the closing weeks of the campaign, he was attacking LeBron James the most popular athlete on the planet, and promising to fire the nation's leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Fauci. To put this politely message discipline was not Donald Trump's strength.
Greta Van Susteren: It will be interesting to watch what's gonna happen the next four years. I don't think President Trump is going away. I don't know if he'll run again he would be but 78 years old, which is Vice President Biden's age now. But I don't think he's gonna vanish from the political, I don't think he's gonna ignore Vice President Biden and let him be president for four years, do you?
George Will: No, I don't. Don Trump Jr evidently has aspirations to be the 47th President of the United States. There's no shortage of senators and governors looking at this, and the one thing they will all agree on is that Donald Trump had his day and it's their turn.
Greta Van Susteren: When the rest of the world looks at our election this year, can we Americans so far, can we be proud that you know that it may have been messy but it was done well or should we be embarrassed on how this has been handled?
George Will: It was messy this year, no question about it but remember the United States conducted a presidential election in the midst of the carnage of an extremely violent Civil War. We've done, we've conducted between the 1860 and 1864 elections we had off-year elections, no interruption whatever. This year in the midst of a pandemic with 50 different jurisdictions 51, if you count the District of Columbia with their own procedures and laws, I think, on balance the United States gets much higher than just passing grade.
Greta Van Susteren: George, thank you, always nice to talk to you.
George Will: Glad to be with you.
[[GRETA OC]]
For nearly half a century, Joe Biden ...
has been a prominent figure...
in Washington political circles...
He will need to draw …
on that experience …
to meet his next challenge …
of bringing together …
a divided nation …
facing a pandemic …
and economic distress.
VOA’s Mike O’Sullivan …
looks at how ...
Joe Biden got to this point …
of his political career.
[[PKG/O’SULLIVAN]]
((NARRATOR))
The election came down to a few states, including the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where the separation in the vote was razor thin.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS))
The sitting president and his supporters claim there were vote irregularities which, they say, may reverse the current results.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF BIDEN AT CHASE CENTER IN DELAWARE))
But after American news networks projected Democrat Joe Biden had an insurmountable lead, he declared victory and sought to bridge the country’s political divisions.
(( Biden MRT SOT (1:00) https://app.frame.io/player/0bd326a6-b948-4ff7-a976-ec017e99257f ))
((Joe Biden, President-Elect))
“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight, Ive lost a couple times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance.”
((SHOW cheers and wide shot))
((SHOW REUTERS SHOT OF PEOPLE IN LONG LINE, AFP SHOT OF PROTESTERS KICKING FENCE, AP SHOT OF BIDEN WEARING MASK IN FACTORY))
During the election campaign, President Trump emphasized social unrest and law and order, while Biden criticized Trump for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF TRUMP’S FINAL MICHIGAN RALLY))
President Trump trailed in the polls throughout. He mounted high-energy rallies in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, where voters were seen as divided.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF BIDEN AND OBAMA ON STAGES, SHOW AP SHOT OF BIDEN AS VP IN SENATE))
((NARRATOR))
For eight years, Biden was Barack Obama’s vice president and played a major role in his administration.
((SHOW AP PHOTO OF YOUNG BIDEN AND WIFE, BIDEN WITH SADAT))
In contrast to President Trump, a political newcomer when elected in 2016, Biden is an experienced politician, a fact he hammered home on the campaign trail.
((Joe Biden, President-Elect))
“I’m going to say something outrageous. I know how to make government work.”
First elected to the Senate at age 29, Biden has held elected office for almost 50 years. Assuming current returns will be certified, at 78, he will be the oldest person sworn in as U.S. President.
((Larry Sabato, University of Virginia))
((MANDATORY CG: Skype))
“He is bland, and the blandness normally would hurt him more than it does against Donald Trump. It actually gives people a very sharp, distinct choice.”
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF BIDEN SPEAKING))
((NARRATOR))
Biden was chosen as the Democratic Party candidate after beating more liberal presidential contenders in primaries. One was the person who will be his vice president, Kamala Harris.
((SHOW AFP PRESIDENTIAL 10/22 DEBATE CLIP))
((NARRATOR))
With Biden doing little in-person campaigning because of coronavirus pandemic concerns, the campaign was ultimately about the sitting president.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF BIDEN WALKING ON STAGE IN PITTSBURG))
In a public appearance in the swing state pf Pennsylvania, Biden spoke the day before the Nov. 3 election.
((Joe Biden, President-Elect))
"Tomorrow we can put an end to a presidency that has failed to protect the nation. tomorrow we can put an end to a presidency that has fanned the flames of hate across this nation."
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF WISCONSIN TRUMP RALLY))
Also the day before the election, Trump expressed confidence in Wisconsin.
((President Donald Trump))
"Remember what I said four years ago, I am your voice and we will all together make America great again. That's what we're doing, that's what we've done."
((SHOW AP SHOTS OF PRIMARY MAIL IN VOTERS, AP CLIP OF BALLOTS BEING COUNTED))
((NARRATOR))
Voters turned out in unprecedented numbers for a U.S. election – as high as 90% of eligible voters. The narrowness of the victory shows how divided the U.S. electorate is. Legal challenges mean that the election could ultimately be decided in court.
((SHOW AFP SHOT OF TRUMP SUPPORTERS CHANTING))
The difficult task ahead: to unify a divided country.
((Mike O’Sullivan, VOA News, Los Angeles))
[[GRETA OC]]
Former Vice President Biden …
is wasting little time …
following-up on …
campaign promises.
He announced …
a 13-member ...
coronavirus task force ...
led by former Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy.
((FS-w/REVEALS))
Aides to Biden say …
in his first days in office ...
he plans to reverse …
President Trump’s decision …
to withdraw from the …
World Health Organization ...
And he will seek to rejoin …
the Paris climate accord …
And Iran nuclear deal.
Biden also plans …
to repeal a ban …
on almost all travelers ...
to the United States ...
from several Muslim-majority countries.
He also plans to re-instate …
the program to allow children …
brought to the U.S. illegally ...
to stay in the country …
without fear of deportation.
[GRETA OC]
A projected …
Biden-Harris administration ...
marks a new milestone ...
in American politics.
Kamala Harris …
is the first woman …
Vice President-elect.
Her Black …
and South Asian heritage …
adds historic significance …
and a new chapter …
to American history.
For more …
on the importance …
of this moment ...
and the historic voter turnout …
in this election...
I spoke to …
Peniel (PRONO: Pen-NEEL) Joseph
a University of Texas professor ...
and frequent commentator ...
on issues of race and democracy ...
in the United States.
[[SOT/JOSEPH INTERVIEW]]
Peniel Joseph: So we saw a record turnout. And I think one of the reasons you saw that record turnout is that we increased the youth vote, we increased the black vote, the LatinX vote. And when I say we, I mean America, we increased that vote just for democracy right? So on some levels, you want as many people to vote as possible. And if Republicans or Democrats can get people of color, voters to the polls based on their platforms or agendas, the better off our democracy is.
Greta Van Susteren: You know, sort of interesting, looking at the at the map of the United States and South Florida which has a huge Cuban-American, Hispanic or Latin population. That tends to be conservative Republican in that state, of course just eked by for President Trump over vice president former Vice President Biden, but that had a lot to do with where they came from with Cuba didn't it?
Peniel Joseph: Yeah. And you know when we think about Cuba, Cubans have always been more conservative especially the Cuban committee, Cuban committee community that has come out of the 1959 Cuban revolution and sought asylum. So they've been obviously anti-Castro. They certainly are anti socialism, as we define it by by Fidel Castro, which is different from Scandinavian social democracy. So that community has always been much more conservative than what we think of as other parts of the Hispanic community.
Greta Van Susteren: Some of the Democrats were disappointed because I think President Trump got one of the highest percentages of minority votes than any Republican has gotten since 1960. Not a huge number, I might add but he got the highest percentage. Why would that be?
Peniel Joseph: Well I think it's a couple of reasons. I think one reason is that there's more ideological diversity among what we call the black or African-American community and what people are calling the Latin X or Hispanic community, sometimes they get pigeonholed as just being predominantly liberal, predominantly progressive and their views are just more complicated than just that label. The other especially for black men and we saw this with certain rappers come out for President Trump, is that President Trump's hypermasculine style which some people would criticize as toxic masculinity, does have truck in certain parts of black and LatinX communities where they like the the macho posturing
(00:01:28 - 00:02:35) and they they voted for him in part because they found that entertaining.
Greta Van Susteren: We're still counting votes, states have not officially certified their their elections, but there's a high expectation it would be President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who obviously a woman, first black woman to ascend to that, first woman to ascend to vice president. What does that mean? What does that mean to the world?
Peniel Joseph: The fact that we have a woman of color who's whose parents were immigrants from Jamaica and from India is hugely, hugely profoundly important And I think it shows the best aspects of American democracy and what's possible when people struggle and organize to shatter these these glass ceilings.
Greta Van Susteren: Well it's interesting this glass ceiling that's been broken in the United States now in the year 2020. Yet women have been have led countries. All over the world, you've had prime ministers Margaret Thatcher in England back in the 1980s. Angela Merkel has been there the entire life of many people who have lived to the age of twenty five or 30 They've only known a woman ahead of their country. So it's interesting is that, you know, the US has been a little bit late to the game on this one.
Peniel Joseph: Absolutely. I think we hopefully we don't do this with Kamala Harris but too easily we've demonized women in a bipartisan fashion whether it's Nikki Haley or Hillary Clinton. I think the, the political atmosphere we have here, we expect too much out of women in some kind of perfectionism. And their flaws are really highlighted. And I think we saw that with former first lady and Senator Clinton when she ran, Secretary of State Clinton, she ran as probably the most qualified person ever to run for president. And she she lost not the popular vote but she did lose resoundingly in the Electoral College. I think part of that had less to do with policies and more to do with how we don't necessarily give women a fair shake in our politics.
Greta Van Susteren: Do you expect more women are going to step up and run for office? is this the start of a wave?
Peniel Joseph: Yeah we're already seeing it both Democratic women and Republican women. All across the country, we had record numbers of women just running for local for state and federal office. And I think we should. Women are over 50 percent of the population in the United States. They’re over 50 percent of the electorate. And there are not they are not represented at the federal and the state and the local level based on their numbers. So I think having more women in politics is good because it reflects the diversity of our country.
Greta Van Susteren: Do you think that, assuming that it becomes President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, what's the --we know we have a good idea how we think it's going to impact the United States but what about what about the rest of the world Foreign policy? These these continents are so important to us whether it's Africa or Asia, I mean the whole world What does it mean to the world?
Peniel Joseph: So I think people look to us as liberty’s surest guardian. I think the interesting aspect of the world is that whether or not people criticize the United States they look to the United States for leadership and we can trace that back to World War Two and the greatest generation We can trace it back earlier. But certainly people look to us for leadership. And I think that people are very very excited about the United States taking that proactive leadership role in the world again.
Greta Van Susteren: Thank you sir. Nice to talk to you.
Peniel Joseph: Nice to talk to you, Greta.
[[GRETA OC ]]
Once Joe Biden …
was projected winner …
of the election …
leaders from around the world...
offered congratulatory messages ...
to the President-elect.
The leaders of Brazil, China, and Russia ...
have remained silent ...
citing multiple legal challenges ...
by President Trump’s campaign.
VOA’s Henry Ridgwell ...
tells us more from London.
[[PKG]]
((NARRATOR))
In Europe, perhaps the biggest celebrations were held in Ballina, Ireland, despite the coronavirus lockdown – the home of President-elect Joe Biden’s great-great-great-grandfather.
((Laurita Blewitt, Joe Biden’s Third Cousin))
"It just hit us out of the blue, so it was exciting. But we're absolutely thrilled and just can't really put it into words really.”
((NARRATOR))
Biden has often spoken of his pride in his Irish roots. He has warned Britain that its exit from the European Union must not jeopardize peace in Northern Ireland – and last year called British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a ‘clone’ of Donald Trump.
Boris Johnson said Sunday he was looking forward to working with the new administration.
((Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister))
“I think that there is far more that unites the government of this country and the government in Washington any time, any stage, than divides us.”
The European Union also welcomed the election of Joe Biden.
((Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (in English) ))
“Together we will address pressing global challenges: the corona pandemic and its economic consequences, climate change and the loss of biodiversity, the necessary rulebook for the digital economy and society, global security and the reform of the rules-based multilateral system.”
((NARRATOR))
But Europe should not necessarily expect an easy ride, says analyst Inderjeet Parmar of City University London.
((Inderjeet Parmar, Professor of International Politics at City University, London))
((cg. Mandatory Skype logo))
“Given the increasingly competitive environment, I think the U.S. will continue to drive hard bargains. The trade agreement(s) with the E.U. and Britain will not be easy. And I think NATO – yes, I think they will demand the Europeans step up a lot more.”
((NARRATOR))
German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared to acknowledge those challenges Monday.
((Angela Merkel, German Chancellor (in German) ))
“America is and remains our most important ally. But it expects us, and rightly so, to make stronger efforts to take care of our security.”
((NARRATOR))
Europe hopes that Joe Biden will seek to re-join the Iran nuclear deal. Israel is vehemently opposed. In a video message congratulating Joe Biden, the Israeli Prime Minister did not mention the agreement.
((Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister (in Hebrew) ))
“I know him as a big friend of the state of Israel.”
((NARRATOR))
Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter: ‘Trump’s gone in 70 days. But we’ll remain here forever. Betting on outsiders to provide security is never a good gamble. We extend our hand to our neighbors for dialog to resolve differences.’
((NARRATOR))
China is in the midst of a trade war with Washington. Chinese state media said the election of Joe Biden offered more predictability.
In Hong Kong – where pro-democracy protests continue against Beijing – some fear a softer approach from the United States.
((Hoi, Hong Kong Resident (in Cantonese) ))
“I think at a time when totalitarian governance is rising in many countries, Biden's approach, though more peaceful or less forceful, is too gentlemanly.”
((NARRATOR))
Both Beijing and Moscow have yet to give official comment on Joe Biden’s victory – noting that there are ongoing legal challenges to the result by incumbent Donald Trump.
((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, London.))
[[ GRETA OC ]]
That’s all the time...
we have for now.
Thank you to my guests...
Washington Post columnist...
George Will...
And University of Texas professor...
Peniel (PRONO: Pen-neel) Joseph.
Stay up to date...
with our website...
VOANews.com
And follow me...
on Twitter @Greta.
Thank you for being
Plugged In.
###
