WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden delivered a public speech from the Rose Garden Thursday morning in his first on-camera appearance since Donald Trump's election victory.
“In a democracy, the will of the people always prevails,” he said near the beginning.
Biden said he had spoken with Trump and assured him that he would direct his administration to ensure a “peaceful and orderly transition,” because that’s what the people deserve. Biden was subtly nodding to how Trump, in 2020, refused to accept he lost the election. Trump was reelected this week.
Biden spoke from the Rose Garden at the White House after Democrat Kamala Harris lost this week to Donald Trump, speaking to his supporters and Americans.
The president reiterated that the U.S. election system “is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.”
He closed by saying that defeat doesn't mean one is defeated.
“America endures,” he said. “We’re going to be ok, but we need to stay engaged.”
Biden struck a similar tone as Harris when she conceded to President-elect Trump on Wednesday. Harris urged unity in her concession speech at Howard University, but told supporters the fight wasn't over.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” Harris said. “But hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright, as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
Harris went on to highlight that she would engage in a peaceful transfer of power and thanked her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, President Joe Biden and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
"A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results," Harris said. "That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it."
Biden, in a call to Trump on Wednesday, invited the man he ousted from the presidency four years ago to a meeting soon at the White House.
“President Trump looks forward to the meeting, which will take place shortly, and very much appreciated the call,” said Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung.
Biden's chief of staff later Wednesday nudged the Trump team to sign the required federal agreements necessary to begin an orderly presidential transition, a White House official said.
Biden will leave office after leading the United States out of the worst pandemic in a century, galvanizing international support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and passing a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that will affect communities for years to come.
But having run four years ago against Trump to “restore the soul of the country,” Biden will make way after just one term for his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an insurrection launched by his supporters. Trump has pledged to radically reshape the federal government and roll back many of Biden's priorities.