Joe Biden has won election as president of the United States, defeating incumbent Donald Trump in a combative campaign set against the backdrop of a pandemic and racial unrest.

The Associated Press called the race for Biden Saturday morning, four days after Election Day, when it put Pennsylvania into his ‘win’ column. Votes still are being counted in many states, but Biden appears to have reached a tipping point in the race for electoral votes that Trump cannot overcome.

Biden also leads Trump in the popular vote by more than 4 million votes nationwide.

Biden and running mate Kamala Harris plan to speak to the public at 7 p.m. tonight. In a statement earlier, Biden said time for the nation “to unite and to heal.”

“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation,” he said. “There’s nothing we can’t do if we do it together.”

Trump in a tweet this morning said, “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” He also issued a statement from his Virginia golf course that said he would fight the election results in court and would “not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands,” the Associated Press reported.

Alabama’s U.S. senator-elect, Tommy Tuberville, had not issued a statement today, but on Friday he urged his followers on Twitter to donate to a fund to pay legal costs for Trump to sue over election results.

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., issued a statement congratulating Biden.

“Joe is the right person to begin to heal the deep divisions that have been exposed and exploited over the past several years,” Jones said in his emailed statement. “But more than that, I know he is a man of integrity to his core and cares deeply about our country and its people. And when he says that he will represent all Americans – even those who didn’t vote for him – I know from personal experience that he means it.”

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Selma, tweeted: “The Biden Harris victory is a victory for UNITY! We are not Blue America or Red America — WE ARE the United States of America! Now it is time for US to unite for All Americans!!”

The Washington Post also called the race for Biden, crediting him with 279 electoral votes, nine more than needed to claim the presidency, as did the New York Times. Fox News chalked up 290 electoral college votes for Trump.

Spontaneous celebrations of Biden’s win broke out in cities across the country, including in front of the White House, according to media reports. Trump supporters also gathered at capitols in key electoral states for planned “Stop the Steal” protests as well as showing up spontaneously in some cities to protest the election.