German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has described the process this year to be not as democratic as expected, and urged everyone to accept the result in a rare foreign reaction to highly-contested US elections.
“What is happening in America does not quite correspond to the democratic culture we know from the United States,” Maas tweeted on Thursday. “It is important that the result is then accepted by everyone. It's easy to be a winner, but sometimes it's hard to be a loser.”
Trump and Biden both insist that they are on track to win the presidency, even as counting continues in a number of key swing states. Biden currently leads Trump by 264 electoral votes to 214, according to calls by the Associated Press, meaning the former vice president needs only one more state to reach the threshold of 270.
However, these numbers are liable to change. President Trump has taken legal action to pause counting in Michigan, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania, and has requested a recount in Wisconsin. Trump has cited late-night “ballot dumps,” closed counting, and backdated mail-in ballots as proof of fraud, and promised to argue his case before the US Supreme Court if necessary.
Joe Biden will claim victory once his campaign believes it has reached 270 electoral votes, campaign adviser Anita Dunn told reporters on Thursday. However, a final tally may not be available in some areas until next week, and litigation by Trump may ensure that the true “winner” and “loser,” to quote Maas, may be unknown for longer still.
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