Wisconsin recount adds 87 votes to Biden’s victory over Trump

Trump campaign paid $3m for the recount

A recount of the 2020 election results in two of the largest counties in Wisconsin has confirmed that Joe Biden won the state by more than 20,000 votes over Donald Trump.

The Trump campaign, which requested the recount, spent $3m to fund it, per state rules. The recount actually added 87 more votes to Mr Biden’s lead than was initially reported.

Milwaukee County completed its recount on Friday. Dane County, which includes the state capital of Madison and is the second-most populous county in the state, completed its recount on Sunday.

News networks called the Wisconsin presidential contest for Mr Biden weeks ago, but Mr Trump has been pushing unsubstantiated election fraud claims while questioning the results in Wisconsin and other key swing states that delivered Mr Biden his victory in the Electoral College.

Federal courts in the Badger State, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, and elsewhere have thrown out challenge after challenge to the election results from the Trump campaign’s legal team being led by Rudy Giuliani.

On Sunday, in his first public interview since his 2020 defeat, Mr Trump let loose a torrent of discredited conspiracy theories about a stolen 2020 election and lamented that his position as president doesn’t give him special privileges in the courts.

“I wanted to file one suit — Donald J Trump, President of the United States against … you know,” the president said in his interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, unable to name who the defendant would actually be in such a suit.

“Put everything into one simple suit. And they say, 'Sir, you don't have standing.' I say, 'I don't have standing? President of the United States — I don't have standing?' What kind of a court system is this?” Mr Trump said.

Wisconsin election officials had informed the Trump campaign that if they wanted a recount of the entire state it would cost them $7.9m. The campaign then opted for the two counties — Dane and Milwaukee — where they felt they had their best odds.

The state is scheduled to certify its election results on Tuesday.