Joe Biden secures Democratic presidential nomination

Joe Biden secures Democratic presidential nomination

Joe Biden has officially clinched the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, setting him up to meet Donald Trump for the leadership of a country beset by the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest.

Mr Biden said in a statement: “It was an honour to compete alongside one of the most talented groups of candidates the Democratic party has ever fielded, and I am proud to say that we are going into this general election a united party.” The former vice president has been his party’s presumptive nominee since rival Bernie Sanders ended his campaign in April.

But he needed to secure a sufficient number of delegates from elections this week in seven states and the District of Columbia, with a surge in mail ballots making his position official late on Friday.