WASHINGTON: Joe Biden was confirmed as the next US president on Monday when the Electoral College formalized his victory over Donald Trump, all but closing the door on the incumbent’s efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election.

With California’s 55 electors voting for Biden, the nation’s largest state pushed the Democrat over the threshold of 270 electoral votes to cement his victory, in a process given added significance given Trump’s refusal to acknowledge his own defeat.

The state’s electors burst into applause when the presiding officer announced the tally of 55 votes for Biden.