Biden is trying to reassure dejected Democrats as he promises a smooth transition of power to Trump

Washington
CNN
—

President Joe Biden on Thursday acknowledged Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election, seeking to comfort Americans fearful of the prospect of another Trump term while his own legacy remains in doubt.

“Setbacks are inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable,” the president said in the Rose Garden during his first public remarks since Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. “We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my father would say, is how quickly we get back up.”

“Remember,” Biden said, “defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling you to rise again.”

Instead of using his final 10 weeks in office to cement his promise to serve as a generational bridge and tout his signature accomplishments, Biden finds himself in one of the worst possible positions: A president who acknowledges the loss of a race, where he was pushed out and is preparing to be ousted by a man whom he has for years posed as an existential threat to democracy in America.

Throughout the 2024 campaign, Biden often repeated a line intended to underscore Trump’s refusal four years ago to concede his own loss and commit to a peaceful transfer of power. When Biden conceded his vice president’s loss on Thursday, that line had a different meaning: “You can’t love your country when you’re winning.”

Biden, in his remarks, was deliberate in his efforts to support the sanctity of the election and acknowledge Trump’s resulting victory. Within a day, both Biden and Harris conceded defeat and congratulated Trump, with efforts underway for the former and now future president to visit the White House — all of which Trump never did in the four years after his loss to Biden.

“I also hope that we can put to rest the question of the integrity of the American electoral system,” Biden said. “It’s honest, it’s fair, and it’s transparent, and it can be trusted—win or lose.”

What comes next for Biden’s political legacy is uncertain. Trump is threatening to withdraw from some of the relationships with foreign powers that Biden had spent years personally developing during his time on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Few of Biden’s signature achievements cannot be undone by his successor.

Rather than being remembered for his infrastructure bill, his student loan forgiveness program, or his leadership through the country’s recovery from the pandemic, Biden’s legacy may depend on how history judges his decision to stay in the race as long as he did. thus depriving Harris of the chance to introduce himself to the country much earlier.

Even as he sought to project a sense of optimism during his brief remarks, Biden betrayed a hint of doubt about the future.

“The way forward is clear,” Biden said, “provided we maintain it.”

This is a breaking story and will be updated.