US election live: Joe Biden wins and says ‘It’s time for America to unite’

The prime minister of Australia, one of the US’ closest allies, has offered his congratulations to the president-elect and vice-president elect.

Scott Morrison, a conservative who has built a strong relationship with Donald Trump during his term, said Australia wished the incoming administration “every success in office”.

“The Australia-US alliance is deep and enduring, and built on shared values. I look forward to working with you closely as we face the world’s many challenges together.”

Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 US presidential election has been celebrated by athletes across America.

Trump has been involved in several clashes with high-profile athletes, such as NBA superstar LeBron James and World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe, during his presidency and the former was quick to react to the news that Joe Biden will take power in January.

James tweeted a video of himself smoking a victory cigar alongside a link to More Than A Vote, a campaign he has headlined to harness the power of black voters. The 16-time All-Star also posted a photo of one of the most famous moments of his glittering career, when he pulled off a spectacular block of Andre Iguodala during the 2016 NBA finals.

However, in Saturday’s tweet he had superimposed Biden’s head on his body with Trump as Iguodala. “Your pettiness level is through the roof and I’m here for it,” wrote WNBA star A’ja Wilson in response.

James, one of the most famous athletes in America, has repeatedly tangled with the president. James has been critical of Trump throughout his term in office. In September 2017, James called Trump a “bum” for rescinding his invitation to the Golden State Warriors to celebrate their NBA championship with a visit to the White House.

Meanwhile, shortly after Saturday’s result came in Rapinoe tweeted a thank you to “Black Women”, who voted overwhelmingly for Biden in this year’s election. Rapinoe was one of the first white athletes to kneel during the US national anthem and has called Trump sexist and misogynistic. Before the 2019 World Cup she said she would not go to the White House celebrations if the US lifted the trophy, a promise she kept.

The Guardian’s Tom Phillips reports from Rio de Janeiro:

Latin American leaders, including the presidents of Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay, have started offering their congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

But so far there has been a deafening silence from Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who was one of Trump’s most fervent international supporters and had been openly rooting for his reelection.

Sources with Brazil’s presidential palace told the Estado de São Paulo newspaper Bolsonaro was waiting for a “concrete situation” before making any comment.

Foreign policy experts believe Biden’s victory will force Bolsonaro to replace his pro-Trump foreign minister, Ernesto Araújo, who has described the outgoing US president as a Godly “saviour” of western civilisation.

Hello, Oliver Holmes here, logging on to run the Guardian live blog following a peaceful transfer of power with my colleague, Joan E Greve.

It is just after 4pm US Eastern Time, 1pm US Pacific Time, and 9pm UK time.

Joe Biden has won the White House, and Donald Trump refuses to concede.

Our reporters across the US – and the world – will be keeping you updated with the latest.

Joe Biden’s win means the White House will once again be home to a first pet – or in this case two. The Biden family includes two German shepherds: Major, a young rescue dog, and Champ, who lived in the vice presidential residence during Barack Obama’s administration.

Donald Trump bucked tradition by being the first president since 1897 to not have a pet while in office. He explained why at a February 2019 rally in Texas.

“I wouldn’t mind having one, honestly, but I don’t have any time,” Trump said. “How would I look walking a dog on the White House lawn?”

While we will likely never have an answer to that question, we do know a little bit about the two new presidential pets.

Champ has been in the Biden family since late 2008. Jill Biden promised Joe that they would get a dog after the election and, according to Politico, “would tape pictures of different dogs on the back of the seat in front of Biden on his campaign plane.”

The Bidens adopted Major, a German Shepherd, in November 2018 from the Delaware Humane Association (DHA) after fostering him for about eight months.

In February, New Hampshire’s Union Leader asked the Democratic candidates why their pets were important to them.

“Dogs remind you to live in the present,” Biden said. “They love unconditionally and they savor every moment with you. When I’m with Champ and Major, I get to live in the “now” for a moment with them, enjoy the simple act of throwing a ball around or taking a walk.”

Biden also guessed the pup pair would be happy at the White House.

Donald Trump is back at the White House now, after completing a round of golf as Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election.

As the lame-duck president returned, the White House was surrounded by exuberant crowds, enjoying Washington’s biggest party for years.

Black Lives Matter Plaza is filled and so are the streets leading up to it. It is a far bigger crowd than even the summer protests that gave their name to this section of 16th Street leading up to the front door of the White House.

And there is no comparison in the mood, of course. I talked to about 10 people and nine of them used the word “elated” and half of them said they were experiencing emotions they had not felt in four years, as if a dam had been broken.

“For the first time in four years I feel like I can breathe,” Wendy Ellis said. When the result was called, she heard the cheer go up in the street outside her apartment and rushed out to join the flow of people making their way down towards the White House, joining a crowd relishing Trump’s eviction from the building.

“I hope he embarrasses himself and they have to send in the guards and drag him out kicking and screaming. That would be quite a scene,” Egbert Ospina said, before adding with more of a note of caution.

“I feel that maybe we are singing the Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead song and celebrating a bit too early.”

At one point the crowd began singing YMCA, the Village People hit that was the mainstay of Trump election rallies.

It was a mass outpouring of Schadenfreude, like the many placards emblazoned with the president’s least favourite word: “loser”.

Tunde Akinnade thought it would be no problem levering Trump out of the White House. “He has been voted out clearly, and he will leave with his tail between his legs and he will be gone.”