Republicans acknowledged that Joe Biden would be the next US president on Monday in a decisive break with Donald Trump after the Democrat secured the 270 Electoral College votes formally required to win the White House.
Several high-profile Republican senators — including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas and Chuck Grassley of Iowa — acknowledged for the first time that Mr Biden was US president-elect after electors met to cast their ballots in 50 state capitals and the District of Columbia.
After the vote Mr Biden, who will be inaugurated next month, delivered a speech that roundly rejected Mr Trump’s refusal to concede defeat and attempts to overturn the election’s results.