Research community breathes a sigh of relief as Biden beats Trump

Former vice president Joe Biden will be the next US president, a result which has brought palpable relief to America’s research community. While vote counting continues in a handful of statesand recounts are expected in some of them, Biden has secured enough Electoral College votes to win the election. President Donald Trump will depart the White House on 20 January.

‘It is a very good thing, and very promising,’ says Glenn Ruskin, a spokesperson for the American Chemical Society (ACS). ‘The current president has demonstrated, through the budget proposals that he has submitted to Congress and other actions, that he is not supportive of science,’ Ruskin continues. ‘Now you have a new president who comes in who has publicly said how much he values science … that bodes very well.’