Two days after Election Day, President Donald Trump on Thursday called for vote counting to be stopped in key states that could soon determine the election's outcome -- contradicting his campaign's argument that vote counting in battleground Arizona -- where he was leading -- should continue because winning that state would give him a viable path to keep the White House.
"STOP THE COUNT!" Trump tweeted bluntly, in all capital letters.
Shortly after, in a message since flagged by Twitter as potentially misleading, he added, "ANY VOTE THAT CAME IN AFTER ELECTION DAY WILL NOT BE COUNTED!"
Highlighting the polarized views of the candidates, former Vice President Joe Biden made a brief on-camera statement Thursday afternoon urging patience with the process, while saying he has "no doubt" that he will prevail when all the votes are counted.
"So I ask everyone to stay calm, all the people to stay calm. The process is working," Biden said.
Coming off Biden's projected wins Wednesday in "blue wall" states Michigan and Wisconsin critical to his path to victory, attention shifted Thursday to a handful of battleground states with slim margins, including Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Georgia where new vote counts could reveal a lot about where the race stands.
Sources close to President Trump told ABC News the path ahead is "narrow" and it is increasingly looking "tough."