Joe Biden, this Friday in his message from Wilmington (Delaware) .KEVIN LAMARQUE / Reuters
The announcement as Joe Biden's speech to the nation, the probable message of proclamation of victory, lowered his expectations this Friday to become the third appeal for calm and the legality of the vote in three days.
Seventy-two hours after the polls closed, an injection of joy, pride and relief shook Wilmington this Friday once the advantage of the Democratic candidate over his rival was confirmed, but the tone of the appearance fell like a jug of cold water on his followers, concentrated in the same inhospitable parking lot of a convention center to whose stage, sheltered by a gigantic American flag, the more than likely president-elect of the United States got up three hours late on the scheduled time.
A disappointment for his faithful, who since four in the afternoon, local time (six hours more on the peninsula), had been gathering in the place to hear him sing victory.
Wilmington looks forward to finally crowning one of his own president-elect.
“We are going to win this race.
We are not going to declare ourselves winners yet, we are going [first] to win in Pennsylvania, we already control Arizona and Nevada, but the numbers are clear, we are going to win this race with a clear majority, on the path of 300 electoral votes, "said Biden, thirty more than the 270 needed to be proclaimed winner (this Friday had 253).
In a message more institutional than the previous ones, Biden affirmed that he will face the pandemic, economic recovery, climate change and systemic racism without waiting for the final result to get to work.
"From day one [at the White House] we will apply our plan to control the pandemic, which is becoming more worrying by the day, but we will also address the economic recovery, which is slowing down," he added.
"I hope to be able to address the Americans tomorrow [for this Saturday]" to announce the final result, he added, not without throwing a glove at his belligerent rival, stating "it is time for us to unite as a nation to heal" the wounds of a process convulsed by Trump's fraud accusations, his demands against scrutiny in some states and his refusal to accept defeat.
“We are opponents, not enemies, we are Americans, and it doesn't matter who you voted for.
We can leave behind hatred and demonization [of the opponent].
It's not going to be easy, but when I rule, I will do it for all Americans. "
Shy applause crowned his speech, in which he was flanked by Kamala Harris, likely future vice president.
The lateness of the hour, and the long wait for his supporters, had made a dent in the minds of the spectators.
The enthusiasm with which floods of people, mostly families, lined up in the early afternoon between traffic cuts and police checks in the Chase Center parking lot, could only be understood “because here 99.9% of people know him, to him or to a member of his family, ”explained Christina, who runs an NGO that supports breast cancer research.
“We have a lot of contact with [his wife] Jill, who is very involved in our initiative and whose defense we have been told that she will take over as first lady, along with other causes.
We knew [Biden's late son] Beau a lot, we had a lot of contact during his time as Delaware attorney general, and the little girl, Ashley, who works in an NGO against the death penalty, we have seen her grow up.
He is one of ours, we are tremendously proud to see him in the White House and that he carries the Wilmington and Delaware names around the world.
They will know us everywhere! ”.
"I got a high from the moment the red tide [Republican Party color] started to turn blue [Democratic] as the scrutiny progressed, that's where the party started," said Kevin Morgan, a young African-American computer scientist who should his training, he assured, to one of the scholarships promoted by Biden. "I don't know if there will be a great celebration tonight, probably not because of the pandemic.
But never mind, I'm so proud our neighbor is making it to the White House!
He is the leader that this country needs just when we should be a reference and model for the rest of the world in the fight against the pandemic, and yet we have given an embarrassing show because of Trump ... Biden's victory shows that even the most difficult is possible".
Indeed, there was no party, but the celebration was on the inside.
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