Joe Biden edged ahead of President Trump in Georgia overnight as vote counting continued there and in the other critical swing states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada and North Carolina. According to elections data from Clayton County, which was part of the congressional district of the late civil rights icon John Lewis, Biden added 1602 votes and Mr. Trump 223, leaving Biden with a remarkably thin statewide lead of 917 votes.

Earlier, President Trump spoke as network evening news broadcasts were beginning and falsely claimed victory. He also baselessly accused his political enemies of stealing the election from him.

"If you count the legal votes, I easily win," the president falsely claimed. "If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us. If you count the votes that came in late, we're looking at them very strongly."