(Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
As of Thursday morning (Nov. 7), President-elect Donald Trump is up 295 electoral college votes, while Vice President Kamala Harris has stalled at 226, per the Associated Press. President Joe Biden has already released a statement praising Harris and held a congratulatory phone call with Trump.
However, on Thursday, he addressed the nation in a six-minute speech outside the White House. It marked his first on-camera appearance since Trump’s decisive victory. According to the AP, Biden was not present at Kamala Harris’ concession speech but reportedly watched from the West Wing of the White House.
Biden delivered his remarks from the Rose Garden and began by acknowledging America’s self-government system. He then confirmed his reported phone call to President-elect Trump and revealed that he assured Donald there will be a “peaceful and orderly transition.”
Biden echoed a key message in Kamala Harris’ concession speech. On Wednesday (Nov. 6), while speaking from Howard University, Harris emphasized the importance of a peaceful transfer of power. In his speech on Thursday, President Joe Biden also assured Americans his administration will peacefully transition out. “That’s what the American people deserve,” Biden stated.
“Yesterday, I also spoke with Vice President Harris; she’s been a partner, a public servant. She ran an aspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much her character,” Biden said, calling Kamala’s character “great” and “true.”
President Joe Biden added that Harris and her team should be proud of the campaign they ran. He then explained that the fight for America’s soul has been on ongoing struggle from the country’s start. Biden acknowledged that the presidential election is a “time for victory” for some. But, he urged those who are feeling defeated to accept “the choice the country made.”
“I’ve said this 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.”
Additionally, President Joe Biden clarified the “integrity” of the American voting system. “It is honest, it is fair, it is transparent, and it can be trusted. Win or lose,” Biden said.
