Joe Biden legally won the 2020 presidential election

Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim Democrat Joe Biden did not legally win the 2020 presidential election. This is false; Biden defeated Republican Donald Trump -- a result certified by US states and affirmed by the Electoral College.

“Biden did not legally win everyone post and drive Facebook censors crazy,” says a December 15, 2020 Facebook post.

A screenshot of a Facebook post taken on December 16, 2020

Trump, his team and his supporters have repeatedly made unfounded claims of widespread election fraud, using them as a tool for fundraising.

A screenshot of a tweet taken on December 16, 2020

But in reality, the US president did not secure enough votes to win.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have certified their November presidential election results, and the Electoral College affirmed Biden’s win on December 14, 2020.

Map showing the 2020 US presidential election results by Electoral College votes per state (AFP Graphics)

Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell congratulated the Democrat the following day, after more than a month of refusing to recognize his victory.

Other false or misleading claims about the 2020 election that have been debunked by AFP Fact Check are available in English here.

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