President Joe Biden addressed the nation Thursday morning from the Rose Garden. Originally scheduled to appear at 11 a.m. ET, Biden showed up at 11:25 – not quite a half-hour late. His remarks followed Donald Trump’s electoral victory over Kamala Harris.
“For over 200 years, America has carried on the greatest experiment in self-government,” the president said in his opening remark. His remarks focuses on unity and accepting the results of an election and respecting the process, win or lose. “You can’t only love your country when you win,” Biden said, “and you can’t only love you neighbor when you agree.”
WATCH: President Joe Biden to speak on the 2024 election results.https://t.co/EKC2QV0DQ2
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He then assured America that he would honor his oath and the Constitution by having a peaceful transfer of power on January 20. He reached out to those who are “hurting” because of the election results with comforting words about what they had accomplished. He touted his own legacy, saying, “together we’ve changed America for the better,” and he promised to not let the last 75 days of his administration go to waste. He closed with his classic “keep the faith” line and his thanks, ending his remarks at 11:31 after just six minutes.
The administration had announced on Wednesday that President Biden had called President-elect Trump to congratulate him and invite him to the White House to discuss the smooth transition of power. Trump, who spent the day receiving congratulatory phone calls from his opponent, President Biden, and other leaders from around the world, kept a fairly low profile the day after his big win. But his communications director, Steven Cheung, did respond to the news of Biden’s invitation.
“President Trump looks forward to the meeting, which will take place shortly, and very much appreciated the call,” he told reporters Wednesday. Transition discussions are expected to ramp up later in the week, though. The president-elect has 75 days before Inauguration Day, January 20, and he has around 4,000 government positions to fill. About 1,200 of those require Senate confirmation, which should be a smoother process since the Republican Party has taken the majority in the upper chamber.
