Joe Biden was elected president of the US, winning the battleground state of Pennsylvania to reach the 270 votes needed to secure a majority in the electoral college. Donald Trump rejected the outcome, saying his opponent was “rushing to falsely pose as the winner”.

Mr Trump has won North Carolina. Georgia, where initial results show Mr Biden leading by 14,000 votes, is recounting every ballot by hand.

Mr Biden also won Nevada, Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona, according to race calls by the Associated Press. Mr Trump carried Florida, Texas, Ohio and Iowa.

Some states’ counts have taken long to complete because of the large number of postal votes cast in the election. More than 100m Americans voted early or by post.

Control of the Senate will come down to two Georgia elections that will be decided in run-offs on January 5. Democrats’ hopes of gaining control of the Senate faded after Republicans held on to closely fought seats in South Carolina and Iowa.

The Democrats have maintained control of House of Representatives with a reduced majority.