In his first public remarks since the 2024 election was called in former President Donald Trump’s favor, President Joe Biden on Thursday pledged to ensure an orderly transition of power to his predecessor and successor, and called for unity in America, a key theme of his own victory speech in 2020.
“I know for some people, it’s a time for victory, to state the obvious, for others, it’s a time of loss,” Biden said on Thursday of the 2024 election results. “We accept the choice the country made.”
“I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win; You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree,” Biden continued. “Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for, is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans.”
Speaking from the White House Rose Garden on a sunny Thursday morning in Washington, the president called on those who supported the campaign of his vice president, Kamala Harris, who had a whirlwind ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket after Biden suddenly dropped his own reelection bid in mid-July following his debate performance against Trump in late June, to “keep the faith.” It echoed Harris’ own message in her concession speech on Wednesday in which she told her backers not to despair, but to "roll up our sleeves" and get to work.
“Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable,” Biden said on Thursday before repeating the line again. “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 proclaimed. “That’s the story of America for over 240 years and counting.”
The president on Thursday also used his remarks to praise his vice president, who he endorsed immediately after dropping out of the race himself in July. Her campaign – which was historically short given the timing of Biden’s decision to exit the race – was “inspiring,” the president said. He went on to note she gave it her “whole heart and effort” and lauded her character, something Biden leaned into highlighting about the vice president in the rare moments he was in the public eye in the final days of the campaign.
“Everyone got to see something that I learned early on and respect so much – her character,” he said. “She’s got a backbone like a ramrod.”
Despite the repeated insistence from both Biden and Harris over the last four years that Trump is dangerous and a threat to America’s ideals and institutions, the president on Thursday sought to ensure the nation that democracy in the U.S. will prevail.
“The American experiment endures,” Biden declared. “We’re going to be okay. But we need to stay engaged.”
Biden emphasized the legitimacy of American elections no matter who wins as Trump has sowed doubt in the system for years. The former president has not acknowledged he lost the 2020 race to Biden, falsely claiming cheating took place. A group of his supporters also stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to disrupt the certification of results.
“I also hope we can later rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system,” he said. “It is honest, it is fair and it is transparent and can be trusted, win or lose,”
The president mentioned he spoke with the former president on Wednesday to congratulate him and pledge that he directed his “entire administration” to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power on inauguration day, Jan. 20.
During Thursday's White House briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden's chief of staff, Jeff Zients, reached out to Trump’s two transition co-chairs to talk about the process of handing over power. She said Trump’s team has yet to sign onto two memorandums of understanding that facilitate activities that help with a smooth transition and typically govern the process but noted that they previously said they intend to do so.
“They said that they were going to and so we’ll leave that to them,” Jean-Pierre said. “We’re here to assist, we want to have a peaceful transition of power.”
During the phone call on Wednesday, the president also invited Trump to the White House for a meeting to discuss the transition, something the Republican did not offer Biden when roles were reversed four years ago. Trump’s team quickly accepted the invitation and said such a meeting would take place shortly.
Harris conceded to Trump on Wednesday at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, where her election night watch party took place, after the former president and now president-elect secured a decisive victory in Tuesday’s election. The Associated Press has called five of seven battleground states for Trump with the remaining two currently on track to fall to him as well. Trump also appears to be likely to win the popular vote, something a Republican presidential nominee has not done since 2004.
The Rose Garden on Thursday was filled with Biden's cabinet members and top White House officials, who gave the president a standing ovation as he walked to the podium. The president also noted that one of his granddughters was there to see his remarks.