'We're going to win this race': Biden

US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has once again addressed the nation, saying he is going to win the presidency as incomplete returns from the presidential election showed the Democrat close to an insurmountable lead.

“My fellow Americans, we don’t have a final declaration of victory yet, but the numbers tell us it’s clear. Tell us a clear and convincing story. We are going to win this race," Biden said on Friday night in a short address to the American people, which he had expected would be a victory speech before vote counts dragged on. 

Biden added that he and his running mate Kamala Devi Harris were already meeting with experts as they prepare for the White House.

However, he called on the American people to be patient and wait for all the ballots to be counted. He stressed that the purpose of American politics should be solving problems, and not fanning the flames of conflict.

The former vice-president was speaking from his hometown state of Delaware. He is currently widening his vote numbers in Pennsylvania and Georgia.

Biden is leading Trump in the key states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Arizona, while the president is ahead in Alaska and North Carolina. He is widening his vote numbers in Pennsylvania and Georgia.

Biden has so far secured 264 out of 270 electoral votes needed for him to become the 46th US President. Trump has obtained 214.

Biden said Americans had given him a mandate to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the struggling economy, climate change and systemic racism.

“They made it clear they want the country to come together, not continue to pull apart,” he said.

Biden vowed to end the "total, unrelenting, unending warfare" of Trump-era politics.

He also vowed to act against the coronavirus pandemic on "day one" if he wins the presidential election as the United States reported record new COVID-19 cases for the third day in a row on Friday.

"I want everyone, everyone to know on day one we're going to put our plan to control this virus into action," the Democrat said.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has filed several lawsuits with the states to complain about voting irregularities and call for a stop to ballot counting. Biden and his supporters, however, say every vote must be counted.

According to Reuters, Trump's campaign and Republicans have planned to raise at least $60 million to fund legal challenges brought by President Trump over the election's results.

 Two sources familiar with the matter told this to the Reuters news agency on Friday.

 “They want $60 million,” said a Republican donor who received requests from the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee.

MG