After one of the most polarizing and drawn out presidential elections in U.

S.

History, the race was called for Democrat Joe Biden on Saturday.

Despite pending lawsuits from Republican incumbent Donald Trump, voters ultimately embraced Bidens promise of a renewed effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic, fix the economy and bridge America's political divide.

After four tumultuous years of Trump's leadership at 77 Biden became the oldest person ever to be elected to the nation's highest office and won the most votes ever cast For a president.

Winning the White House would be the pinnacle for any politician, but it's particularly special for Biden, says Reuters political correspondent James Oliphant.

This is somebody.

This is his 47th year in politics.

He run for president three times.

He really never got out of the starting gate the first two times.

There's a lot of vindication for a guy who was counted out a zillion times.

Even during the 2020 campaign, Biden's victory was driven by strong support from groups including women, African Americans, white voters with college degrees and city dwellers, and he was comfortably ahead of Trump in the nationwide popular vote.

Biden, who spent more than 30 years in the U.

S Senate and served as vice president under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.

Well, now look for ways to bring people together as he inherits a nation in turmoil.

Well, it sounds simple, but the first thing he will do is not be Donald Trump.

And and in that I'm not being fanciful.

I mean, he's not gonna be tweeting every day.

He's not gonna be trying to attract attention.

He's gonna be very low key.

When he makes pronouncements, they're going to be measured, you know that.

He's just gonna the temperature.

He's just gonna try to lower the temperature that z gonna be his first move.

Just not being so omnipresent in people's lives.

He brings with him running mate Kamala Harris, who is the first woman, the first black American and the first American of Asian descent to become vice president.

A lot of people are going to feel great deal of pride when she's sworn into office, and she's gonna you know her.

I mean, she's gonna reflect a lot of America looks like.

And so, you know, if you're looking at the fact that a 77 year old white guy got elected president and think that the country is maybe moving backwards after we just had Donald Trump.

Well, you know, ah, Vice President Harris does a lot to just a ah U S senator from California.

Harris has a track record of shattering glass ceilings.

She served a San Francisco's first female district attorney and was California's first woman of color to be elected attorney general.

Biden has said his first priority as president will be developing a plan to contain and recover from the pandemic, which has killed more than 230,000 people in the U.

S.

And cost Million's Mawr their jobs.

He has promised to improve access to testing and, unlike Trump, to heed the advice of leading public health officials and scientists, notwithstanding legal battles ahead.