'We accept the choice the country made. I've said many times you can't love your country only when you win,' says outgoing president
President Joe Biden said Thursday that Americans deserve a "peaceful and orderly transition" after President-elect Donald Trump secured a second White House term.
Biden said he spoke with Trump to assure him that he has directed his staff to do just that, but acknowledged the pain felt by many of his fellow Democrats.
"I know for some people, it's 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. I've said many times you can't love your country only when you win," he said in remarks in the Rose Garden.
"I know it's a difficult time. You're hurting. I hear you and I see you, but don't forget, don't forget all that we accomplished. It's been a historic presidency, not because I'm president, because what we've done, what you've done, a presidency for all Americans," he added.
With 74 days left in his term, Biden pledged to make each day count.
"That's the responsibility we have to the American people," he said. "Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable."
Trump claimed a blowout victory against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris following the Nov. 5 polls, far surpassing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. He also became the first Republican nominee to win the popular vote in two decades.
The president-elect currently holds 295 delegates to Harris' 226.
The states of Nevada and Arizona remain undeclared, though both are leaning in Trump's favor.
Trump's victory marks an historic and improbable comeback after he failed to be reelected to a second consecutive term in 2020, one in which he claimed without substantiation that the election was rigged and tried unsuccessfully to overturn the results.
He became the first former president to be charged with state or federal crimes in four separate indictments and was convicted earlier this year in the state of New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an alleged affair with Trump.
Trump will be inaugurated for a second White House term on Jan. 20, 2025. Harris, as vice president, is slated to oversee the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol.
