Donald Trump: this is an 'embarrassing' fraud on the American people

The president remains upbeat about his chances as results still too close to call

US President Donald Trump speaks during election night in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks at a drive-in election night event as Dr. Jill Biden looks on at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP

Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden watch election results outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. AFP

US Vice President Mike Pence speaks flanked by US President Donald Trump during election night in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

Supporters pose with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, center, following his victory speech after winning another term in office, in Columbia, S.C. AP Photo

Biden supporter Lala Walker reacts to early election results in Houston, Texas. REUTERS

President Donald Trump supporter Loretta Oakes reacts while watching returns in favor of Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, at a Republican election-night watch party, in Las Vegas. AP Photo

People gather to watch results in the presidential election on a screen in Times Square in New York, New York. EPA

Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee election commission is escorted by police from the central count location where absentee ballots were being counted carrying the final count in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AFP

Election officials count absentee ballots in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AFP

Los Angeles Police Department officers form a line in front of demonstrators during the 2020 Presidential election in Los Angeles, California. Bloomberg

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaks during a news conference at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg

A woman poses for a photo during an election night watch party organized by a group called "Villagers for Trump" in The Villages, Florida. AFP

People celebrate a win for incumbent candidate Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at Graham's election night watch party in Columbia, South Carolina. AFP

Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden worry as they watch the election results unfold on a giant screen in a square near the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

People react as they watch early results on T.V as they gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House during Election Day in Washington. Reuters

Martina Brown celebrates after being the last voter to cast her ballot at a polling station inside Knapp Elementary School on Election Day in Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin. Reuters

A Code Enforcement officer asks to a supporter to stop placing US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence campaign signs in the limits of a polling station during the 2020 US presidential election in Palm Beach, Florida. Reuters

Democratic congressional candidate Ilhan Omar speaks at the DFL election night watch party in St. Paul, Minnesota. Reuters

Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is joined by his wife Elaine Chao as he speaks at a press conference following his projected senate race victory at the Omni Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. EPA

Cairo Messenger newspaper publisher and editor Randy Fine, center, calls out election results as Steve Reagan writes them on the board on the front wall of the newspaper for the voters gathered in the street in Cairo, Georgia. AFP

Electoral workers at curbside voting in St. Charles County for voters who have coronavirus disease during Election Day in Missouri. Reuters

A election worker collects mail-in ballots at the Clark County election office in Las Vegas, Nevada. EPA

A woman wears a mask depicting US President Donald Trump at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, DC. EPA

Biden supporters face off a Trump supporter outside of a polling site, on Election Day in Houston, Texas. Reuters

Florida election results are displayed on a screen in Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 Presidential election in Washington, DC. Bloomberg

First timer voter Jessica Henderson shows her "I Voted!" sticker after casting her ballot in-person on Election Day outside the Ruben F. Salazar Park recreation center, an official vote centre in East Los Angeles. AP Photo

Carolyn Fieles, left, Suzy Meredith-Orr, Frieda Wallison, and Judy Dunn open ballots in the Pitkin County Administration Building on Election Day in Aspen, Colorado. AP

Election workers organise ballots at the Multnomah County Elections Division Tuesday in Portland, Oregon. AP Photo

A supporter for Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) looks on during an Election Night party at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta In Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP

Volunteers gather at Detroit Branch NAACP Tuesday evening before polls closed in Detroit, Michigan. EPA

People gather in Times Square as they await election results in New York City. AFP

A woman helps an elderly voter put on headphone to follow directions as she casts her ballot at the Salazar Park polling location in Los Angeles, California. EPA

In a nail-biting race, Donald Trump accused rivals of fraud and said he would seek the US Supreme Court to stop the vote count for early ballots in key states where he led the race.

He doubled down on his unsubstantiated claims that Democrats are attempting to steal the election through fraud.

Extolling his results in key states in Florida, Texas and elsewhere, he pointed to races like Arizona where he said “somebody” was calling for the Democrats.

He said he was on course to win but then “it suddenly stopped”.

“A very sad group of people is trying to disenfranchise” the millions of people who voted for Mr Trump, the Republican president said at the White House.

“We will win this. As far as I’m concerned, we already have,” he said.

“Most importantly, we’re winning Pennsylvania by a tremendous amount,” the president said. “We’re up 690,000 votes in Pennsylvania – this isn’t even close with 64 per cent of the vote in, it’s not even close … We’re winning in Michigan by 300,000 votes, I saw it and said ‘wow … we don’t even need all of them.’”

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.

Mr Trump said the American public were victims of fraud.

“We were getting ready to win this election – frankly, we did win this election.”

A subdued president said he would press the Supreme Court to rule on the counting of ballots cast early, and demanded that officials ensure the integrity of the election process – without any evidence of widespread fraud that could have affected the outcome.