The US president addressed the nation after his rival’s election victory
President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Thursday following the election that saw Vice President Kamala Harris lose to Republican Donald Trump. Biden stated that while the US will have a peaceful transfer of power in January, the Democrats intend to make the most of their remaining time in office.
Biden said, “We accept the choice the country made,” and added, “You can’t love your country only when you win.”
Biden also stated he had called Trump and assured him that his administration would work with Trump’s team “to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition.”
“On January 20, we’ll have a peaceful transfer of power here in America,” the sitting president said.
Addressing his staff, Biden stated “it’s going to be OK” and that they have been part of a “truly historic presidency” whose full impact will be felt in the coming years due to the enacted laws.
“Together we’ve changed America for the better. Now we have 74 days to finish the term, our term. Let’s make every day count,” Biden said.
According to Biden, this election proved the US election system is honest, fair, transparent, and trustworthy. This was a subtle jab at Republican criticisms of the 2020 election that led to his victory over Trump.
Biden urged the victorious Republicans to “bring down the temperature” and “see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans.” He had repeatedly called Trump a danger to democracy, while Harris compared her rival to Adolf Hitler.
Biden also expressed his appreciation for Harris, stating she has “great character” and ran a good campaign. He noted that he called her on Wednesday before her concession speech.
In July, Biden faced pressure to drop out of the race, leading to Harris becoming the Democrats’ presidential nominee without going through the primary process. She inherited Biden’s campaign funds and saw a surge in popularity after the party convention.
Harris was chosen as Biden’s running mate in 2020 as part of a deal with top Democrats to secure support for Biden’s nomination. She had previously campaigned for the presidency but dropped out before the first primaries due to a lack of funds and interest from the party base.
The Biden-Harris ticket received 81 million votes in 2020, in a surprise defeat for Trump’s reelection bid. Harris-Walz received almost 68 million votes this time around, compared to Trump’s 72.5 million.