Biden congratulates Trump and promises a ‘peaceful and orderly’ transfer of power

President Biden addressed the nation from the Rose Garden on Thursday after his Vice President, Kamala Harris, conceded the 2024 presidential election to President-elect Trump.

In brief remarks, Biden announced that he spoke with Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory and assure him that the entire Biden administration will work with his team “to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition.”

“This is what the American people deserve,” Biden said.

He also praised Harris for running “an inspiring campaign,” saying she has “a great character” and “the backbone of a ramrod.”

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President Joe Biden arrives to speak during an address to the nation in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. Biden declared that he accepts the choice the country made after former President Donald Trump beat out of Vice President Kamala Harris to become the 47th President of the United States. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump will triumphantly return to the White House in January after more than 72 million Americans voted for him, securing at least 295 Electoral College votes and a majority of the national popular vote. Harris claimed 226 Electoral College votes, winning at least 68 million votes. Ballots are still being counted in several states.

The results were the culmination of a tumultuous campaign in which incumbent Biden won the Democratic primary, only for him to withdraw from the race at the urging of his party after a disastrous debate performance against Trump in June. Harris was then nominated by the Democrats to carry their standard without competition and without earning a single primary vote.

During the campaign, both Harris and Biden called Trump a “fascist” and argued that his re-election to the presidency would threaten democracy and prove dangerous to the American people.

But after Trump’s decisive victory, Biden changed his tune to emphasize unity. On Thursday, the president spoke of political campaigns as a “contest of competing visions.”

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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Mint Hill, NC (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“A country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country has made. I have said many times, you cannot only love your country when you win. You cannot only love your neighbor when you agree. Something I hope we can do, regardless of who you voted for, is that you don’t see each other as adversaries, but as fellow Americans.”

He also said he hopes the 2024 election will “resolve the question of the integrity of the American electoral system.”

“It’s honest, it’s fair, and it’s transparent, and it can be trusted. Win or lose.”

BIDEN SAYS PICKING HARRIS AS RUNNING COLLEGE WAS ‘BEST DECISION I MADE’ AFTER VP’S CONCESSION SPEECH

President Joe Biden leaves the Rose Garden after speaking about the 2024 election in the Rose Garden on November 7, 2024 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The televised speech comes after Harris conceded to Trump on Wednesday. The vice president made her first public comments about the race at Howard University, her alma mater, saying that “while I concede this election, I don’t concede the struggle that fueled this campaign.”

In a staff memo earlier, her campaign manager and Biden ally Jen O’Malley Dillon called the defeat “painful beyond belief.”

“This will take a long time to process. But the work to protect America from the effects of a Trump presidency starts now,” she promised.

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Biden said in his speech that “setbacks are inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.”

“We all get knocked down. But the measure of our character, as my father would say, is how quickly we get back up. Remember, defeat doesn’t mean we’re defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling you to rise again.”