Joe Biden Says ‘We Accept the Choice the Country Made,’ Urging a Divided America to ‘Bring Down the Temperature’

President Joe Biden shared a message for Americans after Vice President Kamala Harris conceded to President-elect Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

On Nov. 7, Biden, 81, appeared in the Rose Garden of the White House on Thursday, Nov. 7, to speak for the first time since Trump defeated his vice president.

Early on in his address, Biden commended Harris, 60, for being a “partner and public servant,” saying, “She ran an inspiring campaign and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much: her character.”

The president then acknowledged that the election results have left voters across America feeling a range of emotions.

“I know for some people, it’s a time for victory, to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss,” he said. “Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made.”

Biden spoke about division in the United States, and asked Americans to work toward healing and to put their faith in the nation’s democratic system.

“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 I hope we can do no matter who you voted for is see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature,” he said.

“I also hope we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system,” the president continued. “It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.”

Biden — who took the high road on Wednesday by congratulating Trump in a call and inviting him to a transition meeting at the White House — affirmed that he will restore the tradition of attending his successor’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

“Now we have 74 days to finish the term, our term, let’s make every day count,” Biden told his staff and supporters during the White House speech. “Setbacks are unavoidable but giving up is unforgivable.”

The president’s comments come after Trump, 78, surpassed the 270 Electoral College votes necessary to secure the presidency in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Nov. 6.

Trump, who previously served as president from 2017 to 2021, clinched a rare non-consecutive term and became the first convicted felon and the oldest person elected to the highest office in the land.

Harris conceded to Trump in a call on Wednesday before delivering a heartfelt public address at her alma mater of Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Giving her final remarks of the election season, she voiced appreciation for her supporters and assured that the Biden-Harris administration will engage in a peaceful transition of power.

“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,” the history-making Democratic nominee said, in part.

“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 as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”

Elsewhere in her address, Harris acknowledged the disappointment that many Democrats were feeling and emphasized that it was essential for everyone to respect the voters’ wishes.

“Now I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now, I get it,” the vice president said with a laugh. “But we must accept the results of this election. Earlier today I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition.”

“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results,” Harris continued, seemingly referencing the unrest that followed Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. “That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.”

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Harris, who made history as America’s first woman vice president on the winning ticket with Biden in 2020, became the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major party’s presidential ticket.

In a Nov. 6 statement, Biden described choosing Harris as his VP in 2020 as “the best decision I made” and voiced his faith that she would continue to be a “champion for all Americans.”

Source people.com