Vice President Mike Pence confirmed early Thursday that Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump, officially ending the 2020 presidential race that Trump has refused to concede and after a violent day at the U.S. Capitol.
Pence officially declared Biden the winner at 3:41 a.m. EST. Not long after, Trump released a statement through a White House social media account, acknowledging Biden’s win, a first. “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” Trump’s statement said.
The conclusion capped unprecedented hours of chaos and rare violence in the halls of Congress after a mob stormed the Capitol to disrupt what is normally a largely symbolic proceeding to formalize the presidential results.