Actions

Biden addresses supporters: 'Keep the faith' and 'have patience'

There may not be any presidential candidate speeches Tuesday night
Posted at 6:13 PM, Nov 03, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-04 11:13:24-05

Former Vice President Joe Biden told supporters Tuesday night to "keep the faith" and have patience, as results trickle in from around the country.

Biden spoke from his Delaware home just before 1 a.m. ET

Car horns could be heard during his short speech, a familiar sound from Biden's drive-in rallies during the final weeks of the campaign.

"We feel good about where we are," Biden told supporters, referencing recent projected wins in Minnesota and what Biden says are positive trends in Pennsylvania and other battleground states.

Biden also repeated a sentiment he had shared earlier in the day, as he thanked supporters for their patience.

“Presidents don’t decide what votes are counted and not counted; voters determine who’s president.”

His comments were a little bit of a surprise, given several key states had not been called yet and Biden's comments earlier in the day.

When asked if he would give a speech Tuesday night, Biden simply told reporters, “If there’s something to talk about tonight, I’ll talk about it,” according to the Washington Post.

Shortly after Biden's speech, Trump addressed the nation from the White House and falsely claimed victory, and vowed to take the outcome to the Supreme Court should the results prove he lost. In a statement, Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon called the comments "outrageous, unprecedented and incorrect."

There had been some questions earlier in the day whether Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden would give any speech Tuesday night. There have been warnings all week that it could take longer for states to count record levels of mail-in ballots and in-person votes, and there may not be a winner projected in the presidential race Tuesday night.

During a stop at his campaign headquarters, President Donald Trump said he was not thinking about any speeches Tuesday night yet.

When asked if he had prepared one, he said, “No, I’m not thinking about a concession speech or acceptance speech yet. Hopefully we’ll only be doing one of those two. And you know, winning is easy, losing is never easy, not for me it’s not.”

However, Tuesday night, Kellyanne Conway told ABC News the president is planning on giving a speech.

"You will hear from the president tonight," Conway said when asked if Trump would talk. "The President is expected to address the nation later from the East Room of the White House," Conway explained, adding that four years ago, Trump gave his speech at around 3 a.m.

No word what time the president will talk.