LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe has reacted to the news that Joe Biden has become the new president of the United States, saying he hopes hope “this terrible atmosphere that has hung over America for the last four years will begin to lift.”

Biden amassed 273 Electoral College votes after winning Pennsylvania’s 20 electors, surpassing the 270 needed to win the White House and defeat President Donald Trump.

Earlier today, Blythe posted a photo he took at a “Stop The Steal” protest in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, and he included the following message: “‘Empathy’ 11.07.2020, Richmond, VA. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC, CBS… all the major news networks have just called the 2020 Presidential election for Joe Biden & Kamala Harris. Although these are just projections by media outlets (nothing is official until the members of the Electoral College cast their votes on Dec. 14th, 2020, then announced by a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021), & although there will be a lot of lawsuits brought forth by Donald Trump who will not concede anytime soon (or ever?), it’s obvious that it’s OVER- Joe Biden will be the 46th President of the United States.

“At this time, I would like to encourage everyone, no matter who you voted for, to behave with some class; to speak & act with some empathy.

“This country has been consumed by a toxic polarity- it is time for that toxicity to end, because it is not sustainable & it does not accomplish anything.

“We are all tired. We all have strong feelings. It is time to act like adults with correctly calibrated moral compasses.

“My feelings about President Trump (& politicians in general, for that matter) are well known, but I have zero reason to gloat. That is childish, & it accomplishes nothing. Instead I will choose to act with empathy, & hope that some level of civility will return to American discourse across the board.

“I just came back from a ‘Stop the Steal’ rally near the VA State Capitol, where I shot these photos. No one was rude to me, & they announced from the beginning that it would be a peaceful protest- that is their right, & although I disagree with them, I support their right- they are my countrymen & women.

“These people are going to be very upset today- I will show people like this empathy in the hope that we can find common ground somehow, & that this terrible atmosphere that has hung over America for the last 4 years will begin to lift. It HAS to, or we all are screwed.

“Please- let’s all start talking to each other again.

“I hope you all have a good day- now, I’m going surfing. Peace.”

Prior to becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Biden served as vice president under former President Barack Obama. He is also Delaware’s longest-serving senator.

Before Biden‘s win was made official, Trump was seen arriving at his golf course in Virginia Saturday. He later tweeted several unsubstantiated allegations of massive voter fraud and irregularities, writing: “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!”

Following Biden‘s win, Trump issued a statement saying: “The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.

“Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated,” Trump added.

In a recent interview with Holland’s FaceCulture, Blythe‘s LAMB OF GOD bandmate John Campbell described Trump as “a murderous sociopath” and accused the president of “killing people” by holding large rallies while “there’s a deadly virus going around.”

Asked if he thought this year’s presidential election would matter, Campbell said: “I don’t know. I remember back when George Bush was elected a second time. That’s when I realized that the bad guys sometimes win important things. And then I remember, shortly before Trump was elected, talking to my parents, and they were, like, ‘There’s no way he’s getting elected. Don’t worry.’ And I was, like, ‘Ehhh. I kind of remember this from before. He could win.’ And he did.

“Regardless of the outcome of the election, leading up to it, I think it’s just gonna get more and more chaotic; there’s gonna be more violence stoked by the president. If he loses, he will [contest] the election and try and tie it up in court. He may try to incite his followers to violence to keep him in office somehow. I really have no idea what’s gonna happen. It’s crazy times we’re living in, and people are very aggravated and divided.”

Like Blythe and Campbell, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton has been an outspoken critic of America’s 45th president. Back in July, the guitarist blasted Trump over his claim that the United States is only seeing a spike in new coronavirus infections because more testing is being carried out.

This past April, Blythe told Consequence Of Sound that he didn’t write the lyrics for band’s recently released self-titled album specifically about Trump.

“My disdain for him is no secret,” Blythe said. “Before he ever got elected, people would ask me in the press, ‘What do you think about Trump being president?’ And [I would say], ‘The man’s a fucking idiot, and he’s a criminal.’ All you have to do is research his real estate dealings in New York City; it’s a matter of public fucking record. So it’s not like I’m scared to say, ‘Oh, fuck Trump,’ or something. But I think he’s just a symptom of a larger sociological problem.”

LAMB OF GOD‘s latest LP was released on June 19 via Epic Records in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Records in Europe.

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