Gallery: Washington D.C. celebrates Biden’s presidential victory
November 8, 2020
A view of the Washington Monument from Saturday’s celebration.
A Washington D.C. man displays a “You’re Fired” sign.
Washington D.C. residents celebrate Joe Biden’s victory at Black Lives Matter Plaza in November 2020
A group celebrating in front of a wall of signs.
Celebrators display a large “Biden” banner.
A woman displays a homemade “Vote Him Out” sign.
Two Washington D.C. residents clad in masks.
A woman sporting a “Southern Belles 4 Biden” hat at Black Lives Matter Plaza.
WASHINGTON D.C.—The streets of Washington D.C. erupted into raucous applause on Saturday, as the nation’s capital celebrated the news that it would soon have new residents in the White House.
The Associated Press called the 2020 presidential election in favor of Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris, Saturday morning. Biden, who served 36 years in the Senate, will be the oldest sitting President ever to serve in the office. Harris’ election makes her the first woman Vice President-elect, as well as the first Asian American and Black woman to serve in the office.
While the election was contentious and dragged on for days, the District of Columbia was called fairly quickly on Tuesday night. Since the U.S. granted D.C. a say in Presidential elections in 1961, its population has voted for the Democratic candidate in every election. Despite the certainty of D.C.’s three electoral votes going to Biden, there was a nervous tension radiating throughout the district while the election was still in question.
On Saturday, that tension was released. Cars honked, children banged pots and pans together with youthful glee, and people sang N-Sync’s turn of the century hit “Bye, Bye, Bye” outside of the White House as champagne bottles were popped and sprayed.
The celebration spilled out onto Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area in front of the White House that District Mayor Muriel Bowser renamed after the social movement in June. Residents celebrated an election carried by Black activists, organizers, and voters, and danced on top of the words spurred from years of protest.
