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Biden said the people of America deserved an orderly and peaceful transition of power and praised Kamala Harris for an inspiring campaign.
Biden’s public remarks as he congratulated Trump on his election victory and praised Harris for an inspiring campaign. (AP)
US President Joe Biden made his first public comments in the White House on Thursday, where he offered assistance for a peaceful transition after Donald Trump’s stunning victory in the US presidential election and said America lives in a democracy where the “will of the people always prevails”.
“Over the last 200 years, America has been carrying out the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world. That’s not hyperbole, that’s a fact. People vote and choose their own leaders and they do it peacefully. We are in a democracy, the will of the people always prevails,” he said.
‘Yesterday, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory and 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 people deserve,” he added.
Donald Trump, who will become the 47th President of the US, won with a clear majority, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in a fiercely fought election with 295 electoral votes to her 226 so far. At 78, he will be the oldest President to set foot in the White House. He is also the second President to be elected after being defeated; the last one was Grover Cleveland who won his second term in 1893.
“On January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America. For our incredible staff, supporters, cabinet members, all of people who have been hanging out with me for the last 40 years: thank you very much,” Biden said in his farewell speech as the election results brought the curtains to his political career.
‘True Character’: Biden Praises Kamala Harris
Biden also heaped praises on Harris, calling her a “partner” with a “great character” who ran an inspiring campaign against Trump. “She gave her whole heart and effort. She and her whole team should be proud of the campaign they ran,” he said.
Biden’s remarks came after Kamala Harris called Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory and concede defeat. In a rousing speech at Howard University, Harris said she accepted her defeat but vowed to ‘not concede the fight that fueled this campaign’, in a stark contrast to Trump’s reaction to Biden’s victory in 2020.
“Hear me when I say: The light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting,” Harris said. “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
Harris was handed a resounding loss in the US election, with Trump winning a greater share of votes across most of the country compared with his performance in 2020 and Democrats failing to secure key battleground states that decide elections. Kamala’s campaign pitch on women and reproductive rights also failed to impress voters in a compressed timeline.
‘We Lost This Battle But…’: Biden
“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. A country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made. I have said many times – you can’t love your country only when you win,” Biden further said in his remarks.
He urged his supporters and Democrats to not forget what they had accomplished and called it a historic presidency. “Not because I was President, but what we have done. What you have done. Much of the work we have done is already being felt by the American people,” he remarked.
Biden said his administration is leaving behind the strongest economy in the world and changed America for the better. He asked Democrats to “let’s make every day count” as they had 72 days to wrap things up for the next President. “Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable… A defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling you to get back up,” Biden told the audience.
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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)