President Joe Biden told fellow Democrats, distraught at Vice-President Kamala Harris' stunning defeat on Thursday, that "everybody gets knocked down" and the real test of character is "how quickly we get back up".
The President also had words for the Republicans, but did not name them. "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, see each other, not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans, bring down the temperature," he said.
Biden said the American electoral system is sound, can be trusted and transparent, contrary to what President-elect Donald Trump and his allies have sought to drill into American voters since his 2020 election.
" I also hope we can later restate the question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent and it can be trusted, win or lose.
President Biden first addressed the nation a brief, less than six minutes from the White House, carrying a clear message in bringing down this political divide.
"A country chooses one or the other," he said. "Campaigns are contests of competing visions.".
The President said he had called President-elect Trump to congratulate him and on January 20 the transfer of power will take place peacefully as it is meant to. He did not mention, but hurting and angry by his defeat in 2020, Trump had skipped Biden's inauguration and left straight for his Florida home.
Harris also received a word of praise from Biden. "She's been a partner and a public servant. She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect her character so much. She has a backbone like a ram. She has great character, true character. She gave her whole heart and effort, and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.".
She was thrown into the presidential race in July after Biden had to resign following a disastrous presidential debate with Trump. She took over the Biden campaign and funds, but she built her campaign primarily in less than four months.
The President spoke about his administration's achievements, seeing that not all results are visible this point in time.
It's been a historic presidency, not because I'm present but because what we've done, what you've done, is a presidency for all Americans. Much of the work we've done is already being felt by the American people, with the vast majority of it will not be felt over the next 10 years. We have legislation that we passed". Only now and really only just kicking in, we're going to see more than a trillion dollars worth of infrastructure work done, changing people's lives in rural communities, and communities that are a real hard slog because it takes time to get it done, and so much more it's going to take time, but it's there, he said.
He said that going forward, pretty clear on what we can do, assuming we carry on from here, he adds, so much which can get done and will be done, based on the way the legislation was passed, truly historic.
"You know, we leave behind the strongest economy in the world. I know people are still hurting, but things are changing rapidly together we've changed America for the better, now we have 74 days to finish the term, our term," he said.
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