US president Joe Biden has said there would be a peaceful transition of power after Republican Donald Trump won the US presidential election and urged Americans to “bring down” the temperature.
“You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree. Something to 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 in a Rose Garden address at the White House.
“I also hope we can lay to rest a question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair and it is transparent. It can be trusted, win or lose.”
Mr Biden noted he had spoken with Mr Trump on Wednesday to congratulate the president-elect on his victory and promise his administration’s full co-operation to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. “That’s what the American people deserve,” he added.
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Mr Biden delivered his remarks to a crowd of senior administration officials and family members, including his granddaughter Finn, who all greeted him with an extended round of applause as he approached his podium. In a speech that combined reflectiveness with surprising optimism, he suggested the end of one of the most bitter presidential contests in US history should serve as an opportunity for building unity among the American people.
“Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other, and we accept the choice the country made,” he said.
After Kamala Harris’s devastating defeat that left many of her supporters distressed over the country’s trajectory, Mr Biden took a moment to commend his vice-president on an exemplary campaign. Ms Harris had had roughly 100 days to win the White House, after Mr Biden withdrew from the presidential race in July. Although she fell short, Ms Harris offered an important example of true public service, the president said.
“She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much: her character,” Mr Biden added. “She gave her wholeheart[ed] effort, and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.”
The president similarly applauded the thousands of poll workers who ensured a safe and smooth election day, pointing to their work as an example of the country’s “honest”, “fair” and “transparent” election system. Mr Trump and his allies have repeatedly raised baseless doubts about the integrity of the US election system, although they were notably quiet on that subject after Republicans’ strong performance on Tuesday.
Mr Biden did not shy away from addressing Democrats’ disappointment and sorrow over the election results, which gave Republicans control of the White House and the Senate. The House of Representatives remained too close to call on Thursday afternoon, but Republicans expressed confidence that they would maintain their narrow majority in the lower chamber.
Mr Biden told Democrats: “I know it’s a difficult time. You’re hurting. I hear you and I see you, but don’t forget, don’t forget all that we accomplished. It’s been a historic presidency, not because I’m president, because what we’ve done, what you’ve done,” he said.
He appeared to defend his own policies, saying: “Much of the work we’ve done is already being felt by the American people, but the vast majority of it will not be felt … over the next 10 years … We have legislation we passed that’s just only now, just really kicking in. We’re going to see over a trillion dollars’ worth of infrastructure work done, changing people’s lives in rural communities and communities that are in real difficulty.”
However, Mr Trump and his Republican allies in Congress could vote to undo the incumbent’s legislative accomplishments – something the Democratic president nodded to. “The road ahead is clear, assuming we sustain it,” he said. – Reuters/Guardian
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