Trump watches election returns from White House residence - live updates

WASHINGTON – After holding 14 rallies in three days, President Donald Trump is spending Election Day at the White House making calls, giving interviews, monitoring events and hoping for a come-from-behind victory over Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

Trump had a morning telephone interview on one of his favorite shows, "Fox & Friends." In the afternoon, he visited his re-election headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. He may also conduct interviews with local media outlets in key battleground states.

Trump and campaign aides plan to monitor election returns from the White House.

Officials also are planning an election night party at the White House with Trump's family, staff members, campaign officials and other supporters.

What we know: All eyes will be on these 6 states on Election Day 2020

Trump to speak later Wednesday

Trump said early Wednesday he will make a statement later in the morning about a "big win" in the presidential election, but he hasn't won anything yet: Too many states are still counting votes.

"We are up BIG, but they are trying to STEAL the Election," Trump tweeted. " We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Poles are closed!"

No state is trying to steal anything; states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia still counting votes.

Twitter flagged Trump's tweet, saying it was providing "misleading" information about the election.

Social media companies flag post: Facebook, Twitter label Trump post as potentially misleading

Trump's claim came after Democratic challenger Joe Biden said he feels he's "on track" to win the election because of support from mail-in votes, and he urged supporters to exercise patience while states count ballots.

"We feel good about where we are," Biden said. "We really do."

After Trump's tweet, Biden responded with a post of his own: "It's not my place or Donald Trump's place to declare the winner of this election. It's the voters' place."

Some analysts said Trump would be the one trying to steal the election if he goes to court to try and stop the counting of votes.

A Republican House member, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, tweeted at Trump: "Stop. Full stop. The votes will be counted and you will either win or lose. And America will accept that. Patience is a virtue."

During his campaign, Trump protested the very idea of counting ballots after Election Day and suggested possible legal action.

Officials in still-contested states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin said the need time to count the many absentee and mail-in votes produced this election because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

– David Jackson

Trump's re-election chances hang on 'Blue Wall'

Four years ago, Trump won the presidency by breaching what Democrats once called their "Blue Wall" of three states: Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Now those three states may decide whether he stays in office, and that could take days.

As midnight approached on Election Day, Trump advisers began bracing for long counts of absentee and mail-in ballots in those states, saying Trump will probably need to win two of the three states to stay in office, particularly Pennsylvania.

"Long long long ways to go here in Pennsylvania...but so far so good," tweeted campaign senior adviser Jason Miller.

Trump has objected to the post-election counting of mail-in votes in Pennsylvania and can be counted on to do so in the days ahead.

To be continued.

— David Jackson

'It's happening': Trump campaign adviser expresses confidence

Trump's campaign aides are getting increasingly confident, summoning the echoes of 2016 by pointing to leads in states ranging from Florida to Pennsylvania and Michigan.

"It's happening," tweeted Trump senior campaign adviser Jason Miller around 10:30 p.m. ET.

His tweet included an emoji of an exploding head, presumably a reference to Trump's liberal opponents.

Miller denied getting cocky, describing his tweet as a "data-driven observation."

There are still miles to go; Biden leads in Arizona and there are many votes yet to be counted in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

It could be a long night and a photo finish.

— David Jackson

Aides to Trump want media call Florida for him

The battle for Florida (and other states Trump carried in 2016) is creating angst within the White House and his re-election campaign.

Aides to Trump practically demanded that the Associated Press and networks call Florida for Trump as the 10 p.m. hour struck and he led by more than 3 percentage points with more than 90 percent of the vote counted.

"FACT: President @realDonaldTrump will WIN Florida," said press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on her personal Twitter account. "QUESTION: How long will it take for the media to acknowledge it."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also weighed in on Twitter, saying Trump "is up in Florida by almost 400,000 votes with more than 90% of precincts reporting. Why haven’t networks called the race? It’s a done deal and the refusal to recognize the obvious speaks volumes about the (lack of) objectivity of these outlets."

Florida was one of those states that Trump carried in 2016, but where he faced a tough challenge from Biden.

Trump is also trying to hold onto other 2016 states, including North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

— David Jackson

Trump tries to hold onto Trump states in the South

Trump's people still felt good about things as of 8 p.m., but acknowledged they are struggling to hold early reporting states essential to their victory strategy: Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

Those are all states Trump carried four years ago, and losing any one of them would likely make it impossible for Trump to prevail, given his challenges in states like Michigan and Wisconsin, officials said.

Campaign officials said they are focusing now on Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Secure those states first, they said, and then they'll worry about places like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Texas and Arizona.

– David Jackson

Some last-minute spin: Trump campaign aides tout 'ground game'

Trump's campaign aides are getting in a last bit of spin as state polls start to close across the country for the rest of the evening.

Their pitch: The campaign's get-out-the-vote machine will make the difference for Trump in Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Arizona and other states he needs to carry to prevail in the Electoral College.

"We feel very, very good about our ground game, we feel very good about where we’re turning out," senior adviser Jason Miller told reporters on a conference call.

Trump aides also made much of claims by Biden's team that the Democratic candidate could lose the states of Florida and Pennsylvania but still win a majority of electoral votes.

"You're not going to magically be bad in Pennsylvania and Florida, but then way over-perform in Arizona and North Carolina and sweep the upper Midwest," Miller said.

Of course, the Biden campaign is also confident.

Speaking with reporters in Delaware, Biden himself touted the turnout of young people, women, African Americans, senior citizens and other parts of his coalition.

"The things that are happening bode well for the base that has been supporting me," Biden said. "So we'll see."

— David Jackson

Trump to watch election returns from the White House residence

Trump plans to hang out in the residential portion of the White House on Tuesday, watching television coverage of the election returns with top aides and members of his family, officials said.

"We’re ready to see these results,” said White House communications director Alyssa Farah, speaking on Fox Business.

It's not exactly another campaign "war room." Trump and his associates won't be looking at computer screens and crunching numbers.

That's being done at the campaign war room across the street at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Some aides over there will be shuttling to the White House residence to brief Trump and his group.

No word yet on when – or if – Trump will address the election night reception being held in the East Room.

It depends on what those results say.

— David Jackson

As Americans vote, Trump, his family and his friends hit airwaves

Trump plans to call a few radio talk shows on Tuesday — the White House did not release a specific schedule — while his family and friends fan out across the media spectrum.

Donald Trump Jr., for example, is doing at least 27 media appearances on Election Day, from Rush Limbaugh's syndicated radio show to local television and radio outlets.

Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, had at least 21 local interviews lined up, including outlets in key states like Michigan, Ohio, Florida and Nevada, his campaign said.

Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, said in an interview with Fox News that the entire campaign has been a political family affair.

"The Republican Party, our entire family, has been spread out all across the country over the past several months, working hard," she said.

— David Jackson

Trump visits campaign headquarters: 'Winning is easy. Losing is never easy'

Trump’s last stop in his 2020 re-election race was a fitting one on Election Day: He traveled the short distance from the White House to his national campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

Arriving more than an hour late after returning to the White House at 3 a.m. Tuesday, Trump was greeted shortly after 1 p.m. by a few dozen supporters waving signs and flags.

“I think we’re going to have a great night” and “a great four years,” Trump said once inside. “I think you’re going to see some tremendous results.”

Trump spoke for about 13 minutes to mostly young staffers and volunteers, nearly all of them wearing masks (the president did not). He claimed the campaign was doing well in terms of turnout in key southern states, including Florida, Texas and Arizona.

Asked by reporters if he was working on an acceptance speech or a concession speech, Trump said neither one – yet.

“I’m not thinking about concession speech or acceptance speech yet,” he said, adding, “Winning is easy. Losing is never easy – not for me it’s not.”

— Richard Wolf

Trump campaign sets up election night 'war room' next to White House

The Trump campaign's election night "war room" will not be in the White House, but next door in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, officials said.

Campaign aides will use an EEOB office to monitor vote totals and determine if the campaign is hitting its get-out-the vote targets, officials said.

"War room" denizens will also relay information to Trump, who will spend the day and night shuttling between the White House residence and the Oval Office.

Ethics groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington say the campaign team should not be anywhere near the White House, and that Trump is illegally using government property for political ends.

Trump spokesman Tim Murtaugh said the campaign is paying for the computers, WiFi, and other war room equipment, and no White House staff is involved in the project. He added that the White House Counsel's office approved the arrangement.

"The war room needed to be in close proximity to the President," Murtaugh said, "and there is no expense whatsoever to American taxpayers for the use of a room in the EEOB, where events like prayer services and receptions for outside groups frequently occur."

— David Jackson

Trump begins Election Day with interview on 'Fox & Friends,' says he won't declare victory prematurely

Less than five hours after returning to the White House from the campaign trail, Trump phoned in to Fox & Friends – late – to say he is "feeling very good" about Election Day.

"It's been a great run," Trump told the Fox hosts in a phone interview.

While predicting victory, Trump spent part of the interview disparaging Vice President Joe Biden, predecessor Barack Obama, and congressional Democrats who have been "mean" to him during his term in the White House.

Trump also said he would not declare victory prematurely because "there's no reason to play games" as states take time counting votes, including mail-in ballots. Trump predicted he would win more than 306 electoral votes.

Promoting his campaign one last time, Trump sounded tired and had a scratchy voice. Fox scheduled the interview for 7 a.m., but Trump did not get on the phone until 7:45 a.m. The interview lasted until 8:20 a.m.

Trump said he planned to spend they day making a "big series of calls" to supporters and local media outlets.

Predicting victory in a variety of key states, Trump again attacked "suppression polls" that show him trailing Biden in a number of key states. He said critics have "been mean" during his presidency, and said domestic enemies have been harder to speak with than hostile foreign leaders.

"The most difficult country to deal with is the U.S.," Trump said at one point.

Trump also complained, again, about news coverage, including Fox News – but not the morning program "Fox & Friends." Citing his frequent appearances on the morning program, Trump told the hosts: "This has been a very special show for me."

— David Jackson

White House plans an Election Night party (whether it's a victory party remains to be seen)

The White House is planning to hold an Election Night party tonight, but it is not on President Donald Trump's schedule, at least not yet.

Why? There's no way to tell if it will be a victory party.

Still, an ever-hopeful White House is planning to host hundreds of administration officials, campaign aides, and assorted friends of Trump at an event to be held in the East Room.

"We will be together," press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News. "We'll be there at the White House."

The planned party has drawn criticism from ethics groups who say Trump is again using the White House improperly for campaign purposes, just as he did in August with his Republican convention acceptance speech on the South Lawn.

"Donald Trump has used his nearly four years in federal office to break down the concept of federal office," said Jordan Libowitz, communications director for the organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).

Trump's methods, he said, range from "using the White House as a prop for political rallies" to "senior administration officials using their official positions to campaign for him" – and to an election party in the East Room.

The president's team considered holding the election night event at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., but the city's COVID-19 restrictions on crowd sizes forced them to scrap the idea. Those restrictions do not apply to the White House, where Trump has had several large events.

— David Jackson

Pence does swing state interviews

Pence did several radio and TV interviews with stations in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Florida, including local conservative talk radio and Spanish media in Florida.

Hitting familiar campaign themes, Pence told WISN, a Milwaukee talk radio station, “the choice is clear” and accused Biden of being “overtaken by the radical left.”

Pence’s final media appearance of the day, for Miami station WAQI or “Radio Mambí,” will air at 7:00 p.m. ET, when polls will close in the state.

— Matthew Brown

First lady Melania Trump casts her ballot in Florida

First lady Melania Trump voted in-person at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center on Election Day, at around 10 a.m. local time.

The first lady was wearing a white dress with a gold chain pattern, sunglasses and pumps. She did not have on a face mask, but security surrounding her did.

Her face was serious except for a quick smile and wave to reporters and photographers as she walked by them. On her way back out, she stopped briefly for photos and spoke to reporters, saying she was feeling "great," according to the pool report.

When asked why she didn't vote with her husband last week, she said, “It’s Election Day, so I wanted to come here to vote today for the election.”

— Sara Moniuszko

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump watching election results from White House: Live updates