• LightBox

Anxiety, Protest and Celebrations: TIME Photographers Reflect On a Long Election Week

9 minute read

It felt like the country held its breath over four long days, anxiously awaiting one of the presidential candidates’ electoral votes to reach 270. On the morning of Nov. 7, after the Associated Press finally called Pennsylvania for former Vice President Joe Biden, pushing his total vote count to 284, a divided America poured onto the streets.

Since Election Day, TIME’s photographers have been spread out across the country to capture it all. With limited access to the candidates at events due to pandemic-related precautions, they sought out creative ways to tell the story. In the end, it somehow feels closer to what we all experienced watching the election unfold on our screens — like Tony Luong’s photos of his dinner sitting before the TV in his hotel room. They saw the anxious faces over the long counting of absentee ballots in an election that saw the highest voter turnout in history.

On Saturday afternoon, jubilant celebrations sprang up in New York, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and California and went on into the night. That evening, crowds gathered around at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., to cheer and see President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris address the nation after their victory for the first time.

At the same time, since Election Day, President Donald Trump’s lawyers have been contesting the totals in many states in a series of lawsuits that have gained little traction so far. In states like Florida and Arizona, our image-makers documented protests making convoluted arguments over the tabulation process.

Here are their images and first-hand accounts of this historic moment in America.

USA. Washington DC. 7 November 2019. Celebrations for the election as President of Joe Biden. Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME
Biden-Harris supporters celebrate their win in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 7.Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME
Celebrations around New York City on Nov. 7, 2020, after news organizations projected Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the presidential election. Among the locations: Times Square, Columbus Circle and Washington Square Park.
Times Square in New York City on Nov. 7, after news organizations projected Biden defeated Trump.Malike Sidibe for TIME
Celebrations around New York City on Nov. 7, 2020, after news organizations projected Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the presidential election. Among the locations: Times Square, Columbus Circle and Washington Square Park.
Trump masks were frequent in celebrations of his defeat, like this one in New York City on Nov. 7.Malike Sidibe for TIME

As an African immigrant who just became a U.S. citizen—and as a first-time voter—the announcement of the results on Nov. 7 did not just mark a moment to celebrate, but it signaled the beginning of a time of recovery.

The last four years have been nothing but a series of television dramas. The President has brought nothing but a nightmare to the people who work very hard to build this country up, to make it what it is today. In New York — his hometown — it felt good walking down the street and exchanging a smile with New Yorkers again. I just hope that this feeling will last. —Malike Sidibe

2020. Washington DC. USA. A massive crowd gathered near the White House to celebrate the election of Joe Biden as President of the United States after days of tense waiting for the election to be called, with razor thin margins in several states.
Celebrations erupted near the White House in Washington, D.C., after Biden was declared the winner of the election.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME
USA. Washington DC. 7 November 2019. Celebrations for the election as President of Joe Biden. Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME
A reveler climbs a traffic light on Black Lives Matter Plaza while celebrating in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 7.Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME
USA. Washington DC. 7 November 2019. Celebrations for the election as President of Joe Biden. Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME
Confetti explodes as celebrations erupt in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 7.Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME
USA. Washington DC. 7 November 2019. Celebrations for the election as President of Joe Biden. Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME
A "USA IS BACK" sign is displayed near the Washington Monument.Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME
2020. Washington DC. USA. A massive crowd gathers around the White House in Black Lives Matter Plaza to celebrate the election of Joe Biden as President of the United States after days of tense waiting for the election to be called, with razor thin margins in several states.
Crowds of people at Black Lives Matter Plaza celebrate the result.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME

“These are fragments I remember from the long week: The President’s usually defined and controlled expressions dropping for a brief moment into melancholy and unease.

The nearly empty Black Lives Matter Plaza on election night at 4AM, a woman dressed as a clown dancing flamboyantly and taping anti-Trump signs to the asphalt.

The boarded up store-fronts and empty streets in a normally bustling neighborhood near the White House.

A young White House staffer in a small alley at night outside the West Wing, her face catching the light for a split second revealing a tear streaked-face before turning quickly back into the shadow.

The swell of a cheer from a small crowd, followed by a few car honks, then more honking then cheers from every direction, as Joe Biden was announced as President-elect.

I’ve never seen such joy and relief in such numbers in an American city in my life. It also made me think of all the people disconsolate that their beloved president had lost the race.” —Peter van Agtmael

Angelenos celebrate in downtown Los Angeles after Former Vice President Joe Biden was named President Elect 2020
Celebrations in downtown Los Angeles after former Vice President Joe Biden was named President-elect on Nov. 7.September Dawn Bottoms
A young girl celebrates Joe Biden's win in downtown Los Angeles
A young girl in downtown Los Angeles after former Vice President Joe Biden was named President-elect on Nov. 7.September Dawn Bottoms
Angelenos cheer from their windows after Former Vice President Joe Biden was named President Elect on Nov. 7
People cheer from windows in downtown Los Angeles after the projection that Biden beat Trump was announced.September Dawn Bottoms
Members of President-Elect Joe Biden’s staff celebrate Biden’s Presidential victory in Rittenhouse Square Park in Philadelphia, on Nov. 7, 2020.
Members of President-elect Joe Biden's staff celebrate his victory in Rittenhouse Square Park in Philadelphia on Nov. 7.Michelle Gustafson for TIME
Vance Edwards and his partner Vik Bathula stand for a portrait in the middle of Broad Street in celebration of President-Elect Joe Biden winning the presidency in Philadelphia, on Nov. 7, 2020.
Vance Edwards and his partner Vik Bathula stand for a portrait in the middle of Broad Street while celebrating Biden's victory on Nov. 7.Michelle Gustafson for TIME
USA. Washington DC. 7 November 2019. Celebrations for the election as President of Joe Biden. Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME
A man climbs a street lamp on Black Lives Matter Plaza while celebrating the election results.Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos for TIME

“I must admit that I don’t know much about the United States. This trip I have chosen to do right now, during one of the most polarizing moments in its history, is precisely to get to know this country better.

One of the things that surprised me was having these big rallies inside airports or in what look like shopping mall parking lots. I tried to return to these places at the end of the great events trying to make sense of it but without finding it.

In Italy or France, such a rally would probably take place in symbolic places like the Piazza del Popolo rather than in sterile places decorated for the occasion.

I found the election system particularly complicated, and am heartened by the fact that the current President is also finding it difficult to understand who won.

Although I am particularly happy to see my American friends and colleagues rejoice in Biden’s victory, as a photographer who has worked for many years in the Middle East, I hope that the United States, democratic or republican, will be more careful with their foreign policies.” —Lorenzo Meloni

A large crowd gathers outside the Chase Center while waiting for Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris and President-Elect Joe Biden to give a victory speech in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, November 7, 2020. (Michelle Gustafson for Time)
Supporters of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris await their remarks outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del., on Nov. 7.Michelle Gustafson for TIME
Amira Ferjani, 19, stands for a portrait while waiting for Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris and President-Elect Joe Biden to give a victory speech at Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, November 7, 2020.(Michelle Gustafson for Time)
Amira Ferjani, 19, waits for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and President-elect Joe Biden's remarks outside the Chase Center.Michelle Gustafson for TIME
Zach Rossetti, 25, holds a Biden flag on top of his car outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, November 7, 2020. Rossetti traveled from Scranton, Pennsylvania, the President-Elect’s hometown, to witness Biden’s Speech. “It’s not every day that the President-Elect is from your hometown,” he said. (Michelle Gustafson for Time)
Zach Rossetti, 25, holds a Biden flag on top of his car outside the Chase Center. Rossetti traveled from Scranton, Pa., to witness Biden’s speech. "It's not every day that the President-elect is from your hometown," he said.Michelle Gustafson for TIME
“Vote” nails are seen on Madison Kopie, 25, as she sits on her car outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, November 7, 2020.(Michelle Gustafson for Time)
"Vote" nails are seen on Madison Kopie, 25, as she sits on her car outside the Chase Center.Michelle Gustafson for TIME

“I had been sitting in a park in Philadelphia with a friend on Saturday morning, and all of a sudden, people around us started screaming, car horns honking, collective cheering, and a literal church bell ringing. It was a domino effect of people realizing Pennsylvania had been called for Biden.

There had been a cloud of anxiety and tension that was palpable in the city since Tuesday, but once it was announced, it was as if a dam had broken. I remember a band in Rittenhouse Square had been playing, and when the news came out, they started to play “When the Saints Go Marching In.” People were running out of their houses towards Broad Street and City Hall, dancing to someone’s stereo playing “Party in the USA.” The one word I heard the most in Philadelphia and later in Wilmington was “relief.”

In Wilmington, when the fireworks went off at the end of Biden’s speech, looking around at so many varieties of people in race, gender, and age, all chanting “USA! USA! USA!” together. You could feel this electric unity running through everyone in that crowd.” —Michelle Gustafson

Socks with President-Elect Joe Biden’s face are seen on Madison Kopie as she sits on her car outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Del. on Nov. 7, 2020.
Socks with Biden’s face are seen on Madison Kopie as she sits on her car outside the Chase Center.Michelle Gustafson
Mia Duran, 6, of Claymont, Del., outside the Chase Center in Wilmington on Nov. 7, 2020. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris delivered their victory speeches there that evening.
Mia Duran, 6, of Claymont, Del., outside the Chase Center in Wilmington while people wait for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to deliver their victory speeches.Michelle Gustafson for TIME
November 7th 2020- Demonstrators march and dance down Lake Street in South Minneapolis, Minnesota
Demonstrators march and dance in South Minneapolis on Nov. 7.Patience Zalanga for TIME
November 7th 2020-The Aztec  Indigenous dance group Kalpulli Ket
An Aztec dance group in South Minneapolis on Nov. 7.Patience Zalanga for TIME
People celebrate the victory of president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris, in the Hillcrest neighbored of San Diego, CA, April 28th 2018 (CREDIT: John Francis Peters) Copyright © John Francis Peters
Celebrations for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in San Diego on Nov. 7.John Francis Peters
A protester holding a sign with Christian and QAnon slogans at a pro-Trump rally in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov 7.Jamie Lee Curtis Taete

“Pretty much everyone I’ve spoken to in LA spent the days after the election in a weird state of limbo, where they were unable to get any work done, or read a book, or concentrate on TV, or even sleep. Election Day simultaneously feels like it was yesterday, and also three months ago. It was difficult for me to put together the captions for these photos just now because everything that’s happened since the election has just sort of melted together into one long anxiety dream.” —Jamie Lee Curtis Taete

Jacki Valencia (R) and Vanessa Kesso (L) at the Maricopa County Elections office in Phoenix, AZ on November 7, 2020
A group of Trump and Biden supporters made an effort to talk about unity and moving forward at the Maricopa County Elections Office in Phoenix on Nov. 7.Sinna Nasseri for TIME
A baby and a gun at the Maricopa County Elections office in Phoenix, AZ on November 7, 2020
Trump supporters rally at the Maricopa County Elections Office in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 7.Sinna Nasseri for TIME
2020. Washington DC. USA. Watching Biden’s first speech as President-elect at Joe’s Stone Crab. A massive crowd gathered near the White House in Black Lives Matter Plaza to celebrate the election of Joe Biden as President of the United States after days of tense waiting for the election to be called, with razor thin margins in several states.
Joe Biden's first speech as President-elect is broadcast at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 7.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME
Supporters of President Trump demonstrate and argue with members of the media and become hostile at the Cuban restaurant La Carreta in Miami on Nov. 7.Ruddy Roye for TIME

“It is here, in the center of a Trump supporters’ rally, that I found myself coming home, with Ruddy Roye in tow, only to be cast out by my community. The crowd last night outside La Carreta on Bird Road first turned on a cameraman for Telemundo before shifting focus toward running us out of the lot. They asked why we’d come here, and Ruddy answered: ‘Because I have always been interested in the eyes of the other.’

Four years ago, it was the eyes of the Democrats we looked into in order to understand how a nation carries on beyond the fervor of a national election. The lessons are in that disappointment. And these eyes in Florida betrayed the same pain we saw then — disenfranchisement, fear for moral values, work, culture and more. The community is raw, visceral and animalistic in its anger.

It’s important to come to know that insidious mistrust that would provoke someone to put hands on people they don’t know, who are just trying to do their jobs. To call through megaphones for the destruction of the ‘communists’ they claimed we were. To call for the truth and transparency Cuba’s dictatorship refused, only to then hunt down anyone there to hear it, using the Cuban flag as the banner under which to drive them out. As a community and as a culture, we have to ask ourselves what we fled for.” —Reported by Rebecca Lee Sanchez

A supporter of President Trump poses for a photograph in Miami on Nov. 7.Ruddy Roye for TIME
November 7th, 2020-Members of The New Black Panther Party make an appearance at George Floyd Square in South Minneapolis, Minneosta
Members of The New Black Panther Party make an appearance at George Floyd Square in South Minneapolis on Nov. 7.Patience Zalanga for TIME
November 7th 2020- A Black Trump supporter is upset with having his photo taken at a protest in front of the Minnesota Governor's mansion in St. Paul Minnesota. Trump supporters are protesting the outcome of the  2020 presidential election.
Trump supporters protest the outcome of the election in front of the Minnesota Governor's mansion in St. Paul, Minn., on Nov. 7.Patience Zalanga for TIME
Women pray on the ground at the Maricopa County Elections Department office in Phoenix, AZ on November 6, 2020
Women pray in the parking lot outside of the Maricopa County Elections Office in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 6.Sinna Nasseri for TIME

“Here in Phoenix, Trump supporters have been very vocal since the election, with protests each day and into the late evening. It’s a fascinating melange of the Trump faithful: evangelicals, internet provocateurs, heavily armed militia members and white nationalists. They don’t trust the election results and conspiracy theories fly around like MAGA flags in the wind.

The hard core supporters here don’t seem like they’re going anywhere. They’re distrustful of the legitimacy of the process, and I don’t see them accepting the results.” —Sinna Nasseri

A man wears a white privilege shirt at the Maricopa County Elections Department office in Phoenix, AZ on November 6, 2020
A Trump supporter at the Maricopa County Elections Office in Phoenix on Nov. 6.Sinna Nasseri for TIME
2020. Washington DC. USA. The White House press room as the city and the country wait for the results of the 2020 Presidential Election.
An empty White House Press Briefing Room room after the President delivered remarks on Nov. 5.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME
2020. Washington DC. USA. Black Lives Matter Plaza. Scenes in downtown Washington DC as the city and the country wait for the results of the 2020 Presidential Election.
A building's revolving door, boarded up as a precaution amid potential unrest related to the presidential election, in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 5.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME
2020. Washington DC. USA. Count the Vote rally in Washington DC three days after the 2020 election with the victor still unannounced.
A "Count the Vote" rally in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 6.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME
2020. Washington DC. USA. The White House grounds, four days after the 2020 presidential election has not determined a definitive winner.
The White House grounds on Nov. 6, when the results were still uncertain.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME
2020. Washington DC. USA. President Trump gives a speech in the East Room on election night on the still undecided results of the 2020 election.
President Trump enters the East Room of the White House on Nov. 4 to deliver remarks as results of the election remained unclear.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME
2020. Washington DC. USA. Performance artist outside the White House on Black Lives Matter Plaza on the the night of the Election.
A performance artist at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., in the early hours of Nov. 4.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME
A news reporter and protestors on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4Elizabeth Bick for TIME
Artist Connor Czora breaks a ceramic MAGA hat sculpture during protests on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 3Elizabeth Bick for TIME
A woman at a street party celebrating the projected election loss of County District Attorney Jackie Lacey in Los Angeles on Nov. 4.Jamie Lee Curtis Taete
ELECTION DAY IN PORTLAND
People watch Black Lives Matter protesters march through a residential area in Portland, Ore., on Election Day.Rian Dundon for TIME
ELECTION DAY IN PORTLAND
Black Lives Matter protesters march through a residential neighborhood in Portland, Ore., on Election Day.Rian Dundon for TIME
A scene outside the voting station at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Nov. 3.Jamie Lee Curtis Taete
A man at a pro-Trump rally in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 3 wears a shirt printed with an image from 2016 of a woman crying after learning that Hillary Clinton had lost the election.Jamie Lee Curtis Taete
Violetta Smith holds portrait balloons of Harris and Biden at an outdoor election-night event in Wilmington, Del.
Violetta Smith holds portrait balloons of Harris and Biden at an outdoor election-night event in Wilmington, Del.Tony Luong for TIME
Nazaaha Hassan-El and Tacoma Austin look at an American flag on the other side of the partition fence that was set up around Vice President Joe Biden's election event at the Chase Center in Wilmington, on Nov. 3.
Nazaaha Hassan-El and Tacoma Austin look at an American flag on the other side of the partition fence that was set up around Vice President Joe Biden's election event at the Chase Center in Wilmington, on Nov. 3.Tony Luong for TIME

I saw and felt an overall sense of calm in Wilmington on Election Day, consisting of equal parts of nervousness and confidence. From 7AM to 7PM, I drove all around Wilmington through various neighborhoods, both urban and suburban. Folks were commuting to their jobs, kids playing in their yards, construction workers resuming their projects, and lastly, voters waiting to vote. I saw Biden/Harris signs every few houses or so.I didn’t see any agitators at any polling locations or major gathering areas, nor did I see any rallies or conflicts between Trump and Biden supporters. Still, the one thing I did feel was this sense of anticipation that couldn’t be outwardly expressed within the wait for the results to come in.

One moment that stood out to me was in the evening at the Chase Center, where President-elect Biden held his event. As everyone waited for the first states to begin calling their vote counts, a few Biden supporters began to trickle in hopes of seeing the President-elect speak or even being let in. That was impossible due to the coronavirus and restrictions. I walked along the barricade and noticed this mother and her daughter quietly staring at the massive American flag that hung from the cranes inside the event area. There was something hopeful and incredibly quiet about that, being on one side of the fence gazing at a symbol of freedom and hope. It seemed to sum up the voices of everyone in the country and where it was headed and how we were going to move forward regardless of the outcome. — Tony Luong

Dinner in a hotel room watching Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden on Election night, Nov. 3
Dinner in a hotel room watching former Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden on Nov. 3 as election results began to stream in.Tony Luong for TIME

Correction, Jan. 4
A caption in the original version of this story misstated the date of a photograph showing a smashed MAGA hat sculpture. It was taken on Nov. 3, not Nov. 4.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com