Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden addressed Americans on Thursday, acknowledging that the results of yesterday’s presidential election may stir different emotions across the nation. Biden emphasized the importance of respecting the “will of the people” after Donald Trump secured more than the required 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
“I know for some people it is a time for victory, to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss. Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other, we accept the choice the country made,” Biden said in his first public statement since Trump’s victory was announced.
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Biden urged Americans to see one another not as opponents but as “fellow Americans,” calling for unity. “You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree. Something I think you can do no matter who you voted for is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans, bring down the temperature,” he added.
Additionally, Biden assured the American public of a “peaceful and orderly” transition of power, following Trump’s win in the polls. “For over 200 years, America has carried out the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world,” Biden stated from the White House. “That’s not hyperbole. That’s a fact. Where the people, the people vote and choose their own leaders, and they do it peacefully. And we’re in a democracy. The will of the people always prevails.”
Biden mentioned a recent conversation with President-elect Trump, saying, “Yesterday, I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory, and I assured him that I’d direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve.”
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The outgoing president also praised Vice President Kamala Harris for her resilience and integrity, saying, “She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much, her character. She has a backbone like a ramrod and she has great character, true character.” He added, “She gave her whole heart and effort. She and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.”
Trump’s victory represents a notable comeback, as he previously lost his re-election bid in 2020 to Biden. Winning key battleground states, Trump has achieved a second term as the 47th President of the United States. In this election, Trump, the Republican candidate, secured 295 electoral votes, while his Democratic rival Kamala Harris garnered 226 votes. Notably, since 1892, no U.S. president who had previously lost an election has returned to win a non-consecutive second term.
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