In a speech from the White House on Thursday, President Joe Biden said that he has spoken with President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election win and to ensure that a peaceful transfer of power will occur when he takes office on Jan. 20.
“I assured him that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve,” Biden said.
On Tuesday, Trump handily won the presidency with Wisconsin pushing him over 270 electoral vote threshold. Biden said in his speech that he also spoke with Harris after her defeat.
“Yesterday, I also spoke with Vice President Harris,” he said. “She’s been a partner and a public servant. 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. She has great character, true character. She gave her whole heart effort, and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.”
Biden also offered words of wisdom and comfort for those upset with the result of the election and a reassurance that democracy will remain intact under a Trump presidency. During both Biden and Harris’ White House runs in this election cycle they said that Trump represents a threat to democracy.
“The struggle for the soul of America since our very founding has always been an ongoing debate and still vital today,” Biden said. “I know for some people, it’s 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. I’ve said many times, ‘You can’t love your country only when you win.’ You can’t love your neighbor, only when you agree. Something that I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other, not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans.”
More to come…
English (US) ·