Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images
President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Rose Garden outside the White House on Thursday (November 7). Biden used his speech to stress the importance of a peaceful transfer of power as President-elect Donald Trump prepares for a second term in office.
"For over 200 years, America has carried out the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world, and that's not hyperbole, that's a fact, where the people, the people vote and choose their own leaders, and they do it peacefully. And we're in a democracy; the will of the people always prevails," Biden said at the start of his speech.
"Yesterday, I spoke to President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory, and I assured him I'd direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition," Biden said. "That's what the American people deserve."
Biden said that while people may have different feelings about the results of the election, it is time for Americans to come together.
"I know for some people it is a time for victory, to state the obvious. For others, it's a time of loss. Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other, we accept the choice the country made," Biden said.
"You can't love your country only when you win," he added. "You can't love your neighbor only when you agree. Something I think you can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans. "
President Biden then reaffirmed a commitment to a peaceful transfer of power.
"On January 20th, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America."
Biden also touted his accomplishments over the last four years and vowed to keep working in the final months of his presidency.
"You're hurting. I hear you, and I see you. Don't forget. Don't forget all that we accomplished," Biden said. "It's been a historic presidency, not because I'm president, but because what we've done —‚what you've done."
"Much of the work we've done is already being felt by the American people," he added. "But the vast majority of it will not be felt — will be felt over the next 10 years."
"We have legislation we passed that's just, only now, just really kicking in," Biden said.
"Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgettable," the president said. "We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my dad would say, is how quickly we get back up," he said.
"Remember," Biden said, "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 American spirit endures," Biden said.