Washington: US President Joe Biden urged Americans on Thursday to reduce political tensions after Donald Trump’s landslide election victory over Kamala Harris, saying in a conciliatory address to the nation that he would ensure a peaceful transfer of power.
In a formal White House speech, Biden also said the result should “clear up” doubts about the integrity of the US electoral system that have been stoked by Trump’s refusal to concede his 2020 defeat to Democrats.
“The thing I hope we can do, no matter who you vote for, is look at each other not as enemies but as American citizens. Turn the temperature down,” Biden said.
Staff rose to their feet, cheered and clapped as Biden arrived at the famous Rose Garden.
The 81-year-old withdrew from the race against Trump in July and handed the Democratic nomination to Harris, his running mate.
Biden said he called Republican Trump to congratulate the twice-impeached former president and assure him that there would be a “peaceful and orderly” transition.
Biden, whose inauguration ceremony Trump refused to attend, said: “On January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.”
The outgoing president also urged his supporters not to lose hope after the re-election of Trump, who will likely dismantle many of Biden’s policies once he returns to the White House.
He added: “Remember that defeat does not mean that we are defeated.”
Biden’s comments stand in stark contrast to those of billionaire Trump, whose denial of his electoral defeat four years ago culminated in the violent attack launched by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, on the US Capitol building.
Biden invited Trump to meet at the White House, in their first meeting since Biden’s disastrous performance in the debate against Trump last June, which forced him to withdraw from the race.
World leaders quickly pledged to work with Trump, despite concerns in much of the world about his nationalistic “America First” approach and pledges to impose huge tariffs on foreign imports.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said that Beijing and Washington must find a way to “get along” in a letter to Trump, calling for “stable” bilateral relations.
“Staff selection”
Trump, who is at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, is now working on his transition team after the landslide victory, which promises a radically changed political landscape for the United States and the world.
“In the days and weeks ahead, President Trump will select individuals to serve our nation under his leadership,” his campaign said in a statement late Wednesday.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent figure in the anti-vaccine movement to whom Trump has pledged a “huge role” in health care, said NBC News On Wednesday, “I will not be taking anyone’s vaccines.”
But the former independent candidate, who dropped out of the race to support Trump, reiterated that the Trump administration would recommend removing fluoride from the US water supply.
It’s also possible that the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, could be a candidate for the job after his enthusiastic support of Trump. The next president said he will ask the heads of SpaceX, Tesla and X to audit the US government to cut waste.
Opinion polls after leaving the polls showed that American voters supported Trump’s far-right policies and rejected Biden and Harris’ record, especially with regard to the economy and inflation.
Trump’s victory makes him the first convicted felon and the oldest man to be elected president of the United States, and came after a tumultuous campaign in which he escaped two assassination attempts and navigated the transition from Biden to Harris.
Armed with a sweeping mandate, Trump 2.0 is set to dismantle huge parts of Biden’s legacy.
Trump could begin by halting the current president’s billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion in 2022, after previously indicating that he would pressure Kiev to reach a peace agreement.
Trump will also return to the White House as a climate change denier, ready to dismantle Biden’s green policies with his pledge to “drill, baby, drill” for oil.
Ultimately, Biden’s legacy was supposed to be a Harris victory that would keep Trump out of power — but many Democrats feel he waited too long to step down as his running mate.