President Joe Biden delivered remarks to the nation Thursday in what was his first appearance on camera following Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris.
“In a democracy, the will of the people always prevails,” he said near the beginning.
Biden said he had spoken with Trump and assured him that he would direct his administration to ensure a “peaceful and orderly transition,” because that’s what the people deserve. Biden was subtly nodding to how Trump, in 2020, refused to accept he lost the election. Trump was reelected this week.
“The struggle for the soul of America since our very founding has always been an ongoing debate and is still vital today,” the President 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.”
Biden added, “Something I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans.”
President Biden spoke from the Rose Garden at the White House after Democrat Kamala Harris lost this week to Donald Trump, speaking to his supporters and Americans.
The president reiterated that the U.S. election system “is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.”
He closed by saying that defeat doesn’t mean one is defeated.
“America endures,” he said. “We’re going to be ok, but we need to stay engaged.”
