Biden: When all the votes are counted, we will be the winners

Democrat Joe Biden said Wednesday he was confident of winning the presidency once all votes are counted, saying he was leading Donald Trump in the remaining swing states that will determine the election's outcome.

"When the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners," Biden said in his hometown of Wilmington, as he stressed that "every vote must be counted," contravening President Trump, whose campaign has asked a court to suspend the tabulation of votes in Michigan.

"We the people will not be silenced," Biden said, as his running-mate Kamala Harris stood by his side.

Minutes after he spoke, US networks projected a win for him in the crucial battleground state of Michigan, meaning the former vice-president has flipped another state won byTrump in 2016.

CNN and NBC News projected the win for Biden in the Midwestern state, which unexpectedly went to Trump by less than half a percentage point in 2016 in one of the stunning state defeats suffered by Hillary Clinton.

With Michigan's 16 electoral votes, Biden now has a total of 264 – six shy of the magic number of 270 needed to win the US presidency, according to US network projections.

As it stands, there are five states still left uncalled, including major prizes such as Pennsylvania, and key small state Nevada -- meaning both Trump and Biden still have a path to victory.

US media outlets have projected wins for the Republican incumbent in 23 states including big prizes Florida and Texas, as well as Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio – all states he won in 2016.

Biden has captured 22 states including his home state Delaware and big prizes California and New York, as well as the US capital.

The former vice president has flipped three states won by Trump in 2016 – Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Nebraska split its electoral votes between the two – four for Trump and one for Biden. Maine was won by Biden, but he seized only three of the four electoral votes on offer, with the last allocated to Trump.

So far, that gives Biden 264 electoral votes and Trump 214.

If Biden were to win in Nevada, he would in theory have the necessary 270.

– TIMES/AFP