He officially surpassed numbers of former President Barack Obama's 2008 popular vote at around 8 am US time on Wednesday November 4.

With a number of states still to be counted fully, Biden has a running total of 69,629,972, according to the Associated Press. Trump has also surpassed the tally he achieved in 2016 against Hillary Clinton.

Former President Barack Obama won in 2008 with 69,498,516, which was the highest ever recorded.

A late burst of votes in Michigan and Wisconsin has given Biden a small lead in those states.