In his first speech since Kamala Harris lost the presidential race to Donald Trump, President Joe Biden vowed a peaceful transition of power and said that many of his administration’s accomplishments would be felt over the next decade.
In his Rose Garden address to staffers and cabinet members, Biden also tried to sound a note hope, as Democrats look to tears in the political wilderness and worry about the future of democracy under Trump.
“Setbacks are unavoidable,” Biden said, “but giving up is unforgivable. We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my Dad would say, is how quickly we get back up. Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up.”
The president called on Americans to “bring down the temperature” following the bruising, and at times very ugly, campaign.
Biden said that Harris “ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect: Her character. She has a backbone like a ramrod. 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.”
Seeking to contrast himself to the way that Trump denied the election results in 2020, Biden also said that he hopes “we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair and it is transparent, and it can also be trusted, win or lose.” He also called for restoring the “respect for all our election workers who busted their necks and took risks at the outset.”
In the post-mortem, Biden has been criticized by some Democrats and pundits for running for reelection in the first place, denying the party a traditional primary process. Instead, Biden dropped out in July, weeks after a disastrous debate performance.
His presidency now has 74 days, and Biden told his staff to “make every day count.
“I know people are still hurting, but things are changing rapidly,” Biden said. “Together, we’ve changed America for the better.”
