President Biden praises U.S. electoral system, workers

President Joe Biden preached unity and positivity in post-election remarks from the White House’s Rose Garden Thursday morning.

He thanked election workers for their service and underlined the integrity of the American electoral system as honest, transparent, fair, and trustworthy. Biden said his team whole team would work with President-elect Trump on a peaceful and orderly transition, and that he had personally told Trump so yesterday. 

The president also discussed what he called the struggle for the soul of America — something he said was ongoing ever since the county was founded. But he called for a reduction in the temperature of the fight. 

“You can’t love your country only when you win,” he said. “You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree.”

How did we get here? The speech was his first since the Democratic Party lost the presidential election. Biden in July stepped aside as the party’s presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris replaced him as the Democratic nominee. In a statement posted on social media Wednesday evening Biden said selecting Harris as his running mate in 2020 was the best decision he made. He praised her character and said she will continue to fight for Americans, echoing Harris’ promise during her concession speech earlier in the day.

Has the president spoken to Trump? Biden on Wednesday called President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory, according to a statement from the Trump campaign. Biden also invited Trump to the White House and promised to facilitate a smooth transition of power. Neither Trump’s team nor the White House have said when the president-elect will meet with Biden.

Dig deeper: Read Hunter Baker’s opinion piece about five takeaways from the Trump victory.