President Trump says he’s already won the US election despite many uncounted votes in battleground states that could tip the balance either way.
“We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election,” he said in a televised speech from the White House.
A roster of tightly-fought states including Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan are yet to be called. Large numbers of votes, particularly in urban centres that favour the Democratic candidate, are still being counted.
Pennsylvania in particular is being hotly contested. With a high turnout and large numbers of mail-in ballots, the counting is expected to go on for days.
“Most importantly, we’re winning Pennsylvania by a tremendous amount of votes,” said Trump. “We’re coming into good Pennsylvania areas where they happen to like your president.”
Trump is currently leading there with 55.7% to Joe Biden’s 43% – with 74% of votes counted. However, Philadelphia, the largest city in the state, has only reported 48% – and it leans heavily towards Joe Biden.
It’s the same picture for the Midwestern states Michigan and Wisconsin which remain on a knife-edge.
“We’re winning Michigan,” said Trump. “And 65% of the vote is in. And we’re winning Wisconsin.”
Detroit, the largest city in Michigan, has a large number of votes outstanding. In Wisconsin, the Democratic-leaning city of Milwaukee has reported less than half of its votes.
What about the southern state of Georgia – is that still in play?
Trump said: “It’s also clear we have won Georgia”. However, although over 90% of the vote has been counted, it’s still a toss-up. There are still a significant number of votes to be declared in the state’s largest city Atlanta.
BBC