Biden's popular vote margin over Trump tops 7 million

Biden's popular vote margin over Trump tops 7 million. By Kate Sullivan and Jennifer Agiesta, CNN

(CNN) -- President-elect Joe Biden's margin over President Donald Trump in the nationwide popular vote is now more than 7 million votes and may continue to grow as several states continue counting votes.

Biden's lead over Trump is the second largest since 2000, and is about two and a half times larger than Hillary Clinton's popular vote lead over Trump in 2016.

As of Friday morning, Biden had won about 81.2 million votes, the most votes a candidate has won in US history, and Trump had won about 74.2 million. Trump's vote count makes him the second-highest vote earner in American history.

Despite Biden's decisive victory and the Trump administration starting the formal presidential transition process, the President has refused to concede the race and continues to make baseless claims about widespread voter fraud.

Biden won 306 electoral votes, while Trump has 232. Two hundred and seventy electoral votes are needed to become president.

Americans voted by mail in record numbers this year to protect themselves from the coronavirus pandemic, and experts had warned that as a result, there would be a lengthy vote count that would likely not resolve until days or weeks after Election Day.

A number of states have certified their election results, including Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan.

The certifications have dealt significant blows to the Trump campaign's futile attempt to overturn the election results. The campaign has mounted legal challenges that have failed to gain any traction, with many of the cases being dismissed by judges for lack of evidence.

Despite Trump's refusal to concede, Biden has continued to build out his administration and has named several key nominees and appointees to top roles in his administration.

On Tuesday, Biden introduced a diverse economic team, including Janet Yellen, who would be the first woman as Treasury secretary if confirmed by the Senate. Last week, Biden named several members of his foreign policy and national security teams, including Avril Haines, who would be the first woman to lead the US intelligence community if confirmed.

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

Share this article: