President Joe Biden promised to work with Donald Trump to secure a peaceful transition and urged the country to come together an as he broke his silence on the election.
The 81-year-old commander-in-chief spoke with a smile from the White House Rose Garden on Thursday afternoon in his first public appearance since Trump’s landslide win in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The outgoing president told the nation to be positive and accept the devastating results for Democrats after his Vice President Kamala Harris ran an ‘inspiring campaign’.
Biden walked out of the Oval Office to applause from a crowd including cabinet members, staff and his granddaughter Finnegan and jogged to the podium.
As he wrapped up his remarks he blew a kiss to the audience insisted his administration should be proud of its record.
‘I know it’s a difficult time. You’re hurting. I hear you and I see you,’ he said.
‘A country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country makes.
‘You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.
‘A defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. But we can get back up’ he added.
He watched the results come in with family and close friends at the White House late on Tuesday evening, sitting in the residence as Republicans took control of the White House and the Senate. Control of the House of Representatives has yet to be determined.
Biden called both Harris and Trump on Wednesday. He’s also called Democrats who have won election to the House and Senate.
He congratulated Harris on her historic campaign, and invited President-elect Trump to meet with him in the White House.
He expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition to power.
But he had his own warning for the president-elect, telling him about ‘the importance of working to bring the country together.’
Biden will attend Trump’s inauguration. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, before the election, said Biden would attend it for whoever won the presidency.
It’s now Biden’s legacy on the as the president bracketed by Trump’s terms.
He and his team will likely spend the three months leading up to Inauguration Day trying to shore up as many as their initiatives as they can – secuing more funding for Ukraine, pushing for a ceasefire in the Middle East, and doing what they can to protect federal workers, who Trump has vowed to target.
Biden will also have to weigh any pardons he may want to give, including whether he wants to give one to his son Hunter.
Trump has been a heavy critic of Biden’s Justice Department and vowed retribution for what he sees as unfair government persecution of himself.
Trump spent his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from his defeated opponent, world leaders and Biden as he began the process of turning his election victory into a government.
Harris formally conceded her campaign on Wednesday with a public speech at her alma mater, Howard University.
The emotional vice president admitted ‘this is not what we wanted’ as she took the stage almost 12 hours after the race was officially called for the former president.
Harris, however, also vowed to help with the peaceful transfer of power even as she said she would continue the battle after Trump’s dominant victory.
‘While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,’ she said.
Her voice shook at times as she addressed a massive crowd of supporters at her alma mater.
‘My heart is full today. Full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me. Full of love for our country and full of resolve,’ she said in her first appearance since voters rejected her vision for America.
‘The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say, hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright,’ she said.
