US election news you missed overnight: Jubilant scenes and Biden reaches out to Trump voters in speech

New president-elect calls on Americans to set aside their political differences

Celebrations sprung up around the world after Joe Biden was declared the next US president on Saturday, following his victory over Donald Trump in the state of Pennsylvania.

Many people took to the streets to mark the occasion, with jubilant scenes in places like Washington DC and Biden’s ancestral village in Ireland. 

The main event, however, took place in Wilmington, Delaware, where Mr Biden and his running partner Kamala Harris gave their victory speeches on Saturday night.

In his address, the president-elect once again called for unity and for the setting aside of differences, while anticipating an end to America’s “grim era of demonization”.

Ms Harris, who will be the country’s first ever woman to serve as vice president, said that voters had delivered “a clear message”, one which favoured “hope and unity, decency, science, and the truth”.

She also quoted the late civil rights icon John Lewis that “democracy is not a state. It is an act.”

Here’s some of the news you might have missed:

Biden reaches out to Trump supporters in speech

The man elected as the 46th US president had a conciliatory message for Americans in his first speech as president-elect.

After acknowledging that Trump supporters would be disappointed by the result, Mr Biden called on both sides of the political divide to give each other a fresh start: “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric. To lower the temperature. To see each other again.”

“To listen to each other again. To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans,” he added.

Kamala Harris gives historic speech

Mr Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, made history on Saturday by being elected as the first woman, and the first woman of colour, to serve as vice president.

Ms Harris expressed her optimism for the next era of US politics in a speech given outside the Chase Center in Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

“We, the people, have the power to build a better future,” she said. “And when our very democracy was on the ballot in this election, with the very soul of America at stake and the world watching, you ushered in a new day for America.”

Her remarks were met with a chorus of cheers and car horns.

Party starts near the White House

Jubilant Biden supporters poured out into the streets of Washington DC to celebrate the 77-year-old’s election victory and the imminent end of the Trump administration.

One speaker system set up near the White House was playing “We Are the Champions”, with a loud chorus chanting the lyrics “no time for losers” in reference to Mr Trump, who was playing golf when Biden’s victory was declared.

Biden and Harris’ ancestral homes celebrate

Although Mr Biden’s great-great-great-grandfather left the village of Ballina 200 years ago, locals turned out to celebrate his descendant’s win in the US election.

The town, which is situated to the north-west of Dublin in County Mayo, had planned ahead, with US flags flying in preparation for a Democratic victory.

Ireland’s Taoiseach was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Mr Biden, tweeting that he looked forward “to welcoming him back home when the circumstances allow”.

Elsewhere, Ms Harris’s ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram, located 215 miles from the coastal city of Chennai in India, was equally proud.

One resident wrote in coloured powder on the wall of her home: "Congratulations Kamala Harris. Pride of our village. Vanakkam (Greetings) America.”

Ms Harris’ maternal grandfather left the village, which now has a population of 350 people, to migrate to the US.

SNL opens with ‘Macho Man’ Trump’s loss and Biden-Harris victory speeches

In the first Saturday Night Live episode since the US election results were announced, Jim Carrey and Maya Rudolph parodied the new president-elect and vice-president-elect.

Playing the new president-elect, Mr Carrey said: “We did it. Can you believe it? I honestly kind of can’t. It’s been so long since something good happened. … I’ve never felt so alive, which is ironic because I’m not that alive."

Alec Baldwin, who has played Mr Trump on the show since 2016, gave viewers a mock concession speech from the incumbent president,  before signing the Village People’s song “Macho Man."