Biden speaks after Harris’ loss to Trump: “We accept the choice the country made”

Washington — President Biden referred to Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat by Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election as a “setback” Thursday morning, in his first remarks on the election.

“Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable,” President Biden said. “A defeat does not mean we are defeated.”

He urged Americans to embrace unity, and said he accepted the results of the election.

“We accept the choice the country made,” he said. “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,” and he called for unity after the bitterly partisan election.

“Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for is see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans,” he said. “Bring down the temperature.”

He said he’d direct his administration to work with the president-elect’s team for a “peaceful and orderly transition” of power. 

“For over 200 years, America has carried on the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world,” the president said in an address in the White House Rose Garden, continuing, “where the people, the people vote and choose their own leaders and they do it peacefully. And where in a democracy, the will of the people always prevails.”

The president also praised Harris’ campaign during his brief remarks, which lasted about six minutes.

“She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much — her character,” Mr Biden said. “She has a backbone like a ramrod, she has great character, true character. She gave her whole heart and effort, and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.” 

It was only four months ago that Mr. Biden was seeking reelection himself, before exiting the race and passing the baton to Harris. Now, he’ll be handing off to Trump. 

The president also said he hopes this election quiets doubts about the integrity of the election and election workers, a reference to misinformation spread by Trump and Republicans about the 2020 election. 

“I also hope we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system — it is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent,” Mr. Biden said. “And it can be trusted, win or lose.” 

Mr. Biden spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris over the phone on Wednesday to congratulate her on her campaign, despite the loss. In a statement Wednesday he said when he backed her to become the nominee that selecting Harris as his running mate was “the best decision I made.”

In his conversation with Trump, the president said he also invited the president-elect to a meeting at the White House. The Trump campaign said the former president “looks forward to the meeting” and that Trump “very much appreciated the call.”

Throughout the campaign, Mr. Biden repeatedly framed a possible Trump return to the White House as a threat to democracy, and the two men have been bitter rivals since they faced off in the 2020 presidential election. After Mr. Biden’s victory, Trump stalled the transition of power as he refused to accept the results of the election. 

Harris formally conceded the race Wednesday afternoon in a speech delivered from her alma mater, Howard University, where she stressed that the results of the election must be accepted while reiterating her commitment to a peaceful transfer of power.

“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results,” Harris said. She said that principle “distinguishes democracy from monarchy and tyranny.”

The vice president, who stepped into the campaign in late July, said that though she conceded the election, “I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”