Donald Trump seemed to concede the election after he laid the ground for delegitimising the result in an explosive speech this morning.
Calling it a “major fraud on the nation” the President vowed to drag the US election into the courts as he falsely claimed he beat Joe Biden to win the presidency – even though the knife-edge vote is still too close to call.
Paving the way for a legal battle amid fears of unrest on the streets of America, Mr Trump gave a speech in the White House to say there was a “massive fraud” in the election and accuse a “very sad group of people” of trying to disenfranchise his supporters.
“This is a fraud on the American public, this is an embarrassment to our country,” he said.
“We were getting ready to win this election – frankly we did win this election.
“So our goal now is to ensure the integrity for the good of this nation. This is a very big moment.
“We want the law to be used in a proper manner. So we will be going to the US supreme court, we want all voting to stop.”
The early reaction has been fierce, with Piers Morgan – a friend of the President’s – calling it an “absolute disgrace”.
US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for all the votes to be counted, calling premature claims of victory “illegitimate, dangerous and authoritarian”.
Others warned that authoritarianism is “on the rise against Democracy”:
Related: Even if voters reject Trump, they have not rejected Trumpism
