The voting was over. The counting was not.
But even with a mountain of ballots left to tally in crucial states, President Trump falsely and prematurely claimed victory over Democrat Joe Biden early Wednesday, urged an end to the counting of ballots, and vowed to take his battle to the Supreme Court.
“This is a fraud on the American public … frankly we did win this election,” he said about 2:30 a.m. from the White House — an unprecedented claim that was not yet true, and confirmed the fears of opponents who have worried he would try to strong-arm his way to a second term.
Trump and Biden were locked in a close race as the bitter presidential campaign drew to a close, a contest that smashed voting records, divided the nation, and unfolded amid a pandemic that has cost more than 230,000 American lives.
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