President Trump claimed to have as good as won the election even as ballots were still being counted across the country in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Appearing in the White House East Room, he said he would go all the way to the Supreme Court to stop any more votes being cast.
Trump claimed without any evidence that millions of people had been “disenfranchised” by his opponents.
“This is a fraud on the American public. This is an embarrassment to the country,” he told an audience of staff and supporters at the White House.
“We were getting ready to win this election. Frankly, we did win this election.”
A surge in early voting and record turnout have created a backlog of ballots that could take days to be counted. During the run-up to Election Day, Trump has repeatedly warned of the risk of fraud, laying the groundwork for a legal challenge to disputed results.
He spoke about an hour after Democratic nominee Joe Biden urged patience amid a tighter-than-expected race.
Fox News called the crucial battleground state of Arizona for Biden, much to the anger and suspicion of the president’s advisers.
“There are thousands and thousands of votes still to be counted in a state that we felt very good about,” said one.
Biden’s hopes of victory now lie largely with the Midwestern states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin won by Trump last time around.
The East Room was crammed with about 100 people who cheered as Trump, first lady Melania, Vice President Mike Pence, and his wife Karen took the stage. Trump’s sons, Don Jr. and Eric, and daughters Ivanka and Tiffany, joined the crowd moments before Trump appeared.
Although the podium was set up with teleprompter screens, the president appeared to deliver his remarks off the cuff.
He thanked the millions of people who voted for him as he described “phenomenal” early results.
“We were excited to celebrate outside,” Trump said. “We won states that we weren’t expected to win. We won Florida.”
“It is also clear that we’ve won Georgia,” which has not yet been fully counted. “They can’t catch us,” he added.
Among the Trump allies seated in the audience were former Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Jeanine Pirro, and former Fox News contributors Diamond and Silk.
Pence struck a softer tone when called on to speak and made an effort to qualify the president’s words.
“While the votes continue to be counted, we’re gonna remain vigilant, as the president said,” Pence said.
“The right to vote has been at the center of our democracy since the founding of this nation, and we’re gonna protect the integrity of the vote.”
Earlier, Biden addressed his supporters in his home state of Delaware.
“We feel good about where we are,” he shouted above the noise of supporters honking car horns. “We believe we’re on track to win this election.”
