Biden projected to be the next US President, Microsoft joins rest of world in telling Trump: It looks like... you're fired

Orange is the new sacked

American media, including Fox News, and the international press this morning called the 2020 US presidential election for Joe Biden, signalling President Donald Trump's impending defeat.

The decision came after the Democrat contender for the White House secured enough votes in key battleground Pennsylvania to take him over the finishing line in the electoral college system, following Election Day on November 3.

This also means Biden's running mate Kamala Harris is set to be the country's first woman, Black, and South Asian American vice-president.

"I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country," said Biden on today's news. "The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not."

While the final few ballots are still being counted, world leaders lined up to applaud the Democrat, who also won the popular vote in this election race. "On behalf of the Government of Canada, I congratulate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their election as the next President and Vice President of the United States of America," said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"I look forward to working with President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Harris, their administration, and the United States Congress as we tackle the world's greatest challenges together."

"Congratulations to Joe Biden on his election as President of the United States and to Kamala Harris on her historic achievement," added British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "The US is our most important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security."

"The Americans have chosen their President," chimed in France's Emmanuel Macron. And so on and so forth.

The Americans have chosen their President

Even Microsoft president Brad Smith was quick on the draw, glad-handing the projected incoming President at a time when technology giants have been in and out of hot water with politicians and government officials. In a memo he outlined how super-corporations like Microsoft, funnily enough, are indispensable in today's coronavirus-hit, internet-reliant world.

"We offer today our congratulations to the new President- and Vice-President-Elect: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris," said Smith, adding: "Election Day this year turned into a very long and tense election week, with many Americans glued to their screens anxiously awaiting the outcome.

"It has been commonplace to hear pundits speculate that we have seldom seemed such a divided country. If true, this also makes a different proposition even more self-evident. If we are to move forward as a nation, we must build new bridges to close the gaps that divide us."

Facebook's veep of global affairs, and former UK Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg also congratulated Biden, adding, "now the hard work begins," which is an incredible quip given the antisocial media giant's earlier reluctance to tackle Trump's lies about Biden and the Democrats during the election campaign.

There's a lot at stake, tech-wise, in America. Work visas, such as the H-1B, for brainy foreigners are facing tough yet arguably necessary reform; Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives internet platforms more-or-less blanket immunity from any legal repercussions for what their users share online, is also facing an overhaul; net neutrality keeps popping up; and so on. Biden's team has signaled he will seek to overturn Trump's previous executive orders, such as America leaving the World Health Organization next year and crackdowns on skilled immigration.

The election result is not yet official, and whoever will be the next President – highly likely to be Biden – will be sworn in at the end of January. President Trump has not conceded. ®