WASHINGTON, D.C. — As celebrations of Joe Biden’s projected win broke out across the country, perhaps none was so striking as the one outside the very residence he’ll come to occupy in January. A sense of joy was palpable throughout Washington, D.C. on Saturday, including among a large crowd that immediately grew just outside the White House on the recently-minted Black Lives Matter Plaza.
The celebrations began with car honks and cheers throughout the capital city when the Associated Press and major television networks first projected the win Saturday morning. That quickly turned into music echoing through the streets, the popping of champagne, calls of “Black Lives Matter!” and chants rebuking President Donald Trump.
“I felt relief, I felt closure,” said Aaron Xavier Wilson, who held a sign on Black Lives Matter Plaza. “Finally, I felt this relaxation, like every muscle in my body just relaxed a little bit.”
The gatherings shut down streets surrounding the White House, sending much of D.C.’s traffic into a gridlock throughout the afternoon and evening.
“I live in the greatest country in the world, and this is what democracy looks like,” said David Gaspar, who held a sign depicting President Trump next to the words “You’re fired.”
“This is a historical moment I wouldn’t want to miss for the world. I’m going to tell my grandkids.”
Supporters outside the White House danced to Ariana Grande, Lizzo, and “YMCA,” the song President Trump often danced to at his final rallies of the campaign. On the National Mall, people played cornhole, frisbee and picnicked, many wearing Biden-Harris shirts and hats.
The first issue supporters want Biden to address? The coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m looking forward to, more than anything, trying to get a hold of the coronavirus so we can get back to some sort of normal life,” Wilson said. “We’re going to have to come together and try and move forward as a country after this, but the first step of that is getting back to some kind of normal.”
Gaspar echoed that priority: “The first thing that he’s going to do is tackle [coronavirus] and bring our economy back.”
Biden’s win and the large crowds across the country come as the U.S. sets another record for new coronavirus cases in a single day, with more than 128,000 cases reported Saturday, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
More than 236,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, with at least another 100,000 projected by February.
Biden has said he’d address the pandemic on “day one” of his presidency. He and vice president-elect Kamala Harris received a briefing on the pandemic this week.
While most gatherings in the city were socially-distanced, the one outside the White House was not, even though most wore masks. After racial justice protests over the summer, city health officials didn’t find a significant number of coronavirus cases linked to the gatherings.
“I haven’t been in a crowd of happy people in ... I can’t even remember,” Wilson said. “I want people who looked at America the last four years and didn’t recognize us to know that we are exactly who we’ve been. For good or for worse, we’re moving forward.”
The city of Washington, D.C. overwhelmingly votes for Democratic candidates, and Biden earned 93.3 percent of the city’s votes compared to President Trump’s 5.2 percent.
Still, some Biden supporters out in D.C. today said they hoped the race wouldn’t be as close as it was.
“I think we had hoped that there would be more of a shift across the country, but I think it’s a good beginning,” said Kirsten Teumer, who was on the National Mall with her 13-year old daughter Maggie.
President Trump’s supporters also gathered in smaller groups in the city, including one next to the Washington Monument.
As of Saturday night, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department had not reported any violence or arrests. Prior to the election, city officials had warned of possible street closures in much of the area closed off Saturday night.