On a day that started with U.S. President Donald Trump heading to Virginia for a round of golf and ended with his opponents, the Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, delivering victory speeches, there was a palpable sigh of relief for a little more than half of a tense, divided nation.
But no matter who called it — every major American news organization, for the record — the sitting president would not accept defeat, instead continuing to tweet baseless claims of victory, and of voter fraud for which his team has produced no evidence.
Here is a snapshot of the day Trump became that which he feared most — a loser.
Coming up just a little short, one Biden supporter attempts to high-five another one — wearing stilts — in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Trump left the White House Saturday morning for his Trump National Golf Club in nearby Sterling, Virginia, as ballots were still being counted. While golfing, he learned that he’d lost reelection.
Crowds of Biden supporters filled the streets around Times Square in New York City Saturday afternoon.
What’s that they say about going out with a whimper? Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, holds a press conference in front of a north Philadelphia landscaping company on Saturday to talk about the president’s legal challenges to the vote count. Trump caused a great deal of confusion Saturday morning when he tweeted that Giuliani would speak to the media at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia. But he didn’t mean the luxury hotel in the center of the city; he meant Four Seasons Total Landscaping, which is adjacent to an adult bookstore and a crematorium. Just minutes before Giuliani began speaking, all the major television networks called the election for Trump’s opponent.
People celebrate in the fountain at Washington Square Park in New York City Saturday after Joe Biden’s victory.
A young boy holds two American flags aloft as traffic comes to a standstill in the streets surrounding the White House on Saturday once networks called the presidential election for Joe Biden.
One Biden supporter greets Donald Trump’s motorcade with two one-fingered salutes as others wave and take pictures. Trump was on his way back to the White House Saturday afternoon after learning of his defeat at his golf course in Virginia.
A downcast President Trump returns to the White House after his round of golf on Saturday, during which major media outlets called the race for his opponent, Joe Biden.
Washingtonians gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House as celebrations of Biden’s victory over Trump swelled near sunset on Saturday.
Enthusiastic Democrat supporters hit the streets in New York City after news that Joe Biden had been declared winner of the presidential election after five days of vote counting.
A man waves an American flag in Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington on Saturday.
A man wearing an anti-racism hat dances with fellow Biden supporters in the streets of San Francisco on Saturday.
Supporters of the Democratic party celebrate Saturday by banging on pots and pans as they drive through Miami.
Biden supporters celebrate by holding campaign signs aloft in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Saturday, as a Donald Trump punching bag shows signs of defeat.
A man dressed as Uncle Sam celebrates Biden’s victory outside City Hall in Philadelphia on Saturday. Pennsylvania was the state that put Biden over the top of the Electoral College vote threshold to win the election.
One of many Black Lives Matter protesters holds a Donald Trump mask aloft in Detroit on Saturday.
Biden supporters take to the streets in the Venice Beach neighborhood of Los Angeles late Saturday.
Chicago’s Trump Tower serves as an appropriate backdrop for Biden supporters celebrating the president’s defeat late Saturday.
Supporters at a West Village bar in New York cheer as Joe Biden takes the stage for his victory speech in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday night.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris waits for applause to die down before speaking to supporters in Wilmington, Delaware, Saturday night.
Biden supporters at the Abbey, a gay bar in West Hollywood, California, cheer as the president-elect takes the stage to address the nation Saturday night.
Standing behind bullet-proof glass, President-elect Joe Biden points to the crowd as he arrives at his campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday night.
Biden supporters watch fireworks light up the night sky near the White House in Washington on Saturday.
President-elect Joe Biden gestures to the crowd after delivering his acceptance speech Saturday night in Wilmington, Delaware.
Jailyn Banks cheers as President-elect Joe Biden addresses the nation Saturday in Wilmington, Delaware.
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and their families wave to the drive-in crowd at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday after they addressed the nation as its newly-elected president and vice president.
President-elect Joe Biden embraces his 14-year-old grandson, Robert “Hunter” Biden II, as they watch fireworks following Joe’s speech in Wilmington, Delaware.