Joe Biden has broken his silence on the US election result after Donald Trump’s resounding victory over Kamala Harris.
The 81-year-old withdrew from the race in July after a series of gaffes and a poor debate performance resulted in many questioning if he was capable of carrying out the task for another four years.
He praised Kamala Harris, who took the Democrat reins, saying she and her team should be “proud”, despite losing the Electoral College and popular vote.
The Democrat also said the election result was a "set back", but pledged to ensure a peaceful handover of power.
“We accept the choice the country made”, he said.
Joe Biden has broken his silence after a resounding loss for the Democrats
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“You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.
“Something you can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans and bring down the temperature.
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The US president said many are 'hurting' after the result
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“I also hope we can lay to rest the integrity of the American electoral system. It is fair, it is honest and it is transparent, and it can be trusted, win or lose.
“I also hope we can restore the respect for all our election workers who busted their necks and took risks from the outset. We should thank them for staffing voting sites and protecting the integrity of the election.
“Many of them are volunteers who do it simply out of love for their country. As they did their duty as citizens, I will do mine as president and fulfil my oath.
“On January 20th, we will have a peaceful transition of power in America. To all of our incredible staff, supporters, cabinet members and all the people who have been hanging out with me these past four years, God love you as my mother would say.
Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris in this week's US presidential election
Reuters“Thank you so much. You put so much into the past four years. I know it’s a difficult time and you’re hurting. Don’t forget all we accomplished. It’s been a historic presidency.“
Not because I am president, but because what I have done, what you have done. Much of the work we have done has already been felt by the American people.
“The vast majority of it will not be felt over the next 10 years. We have legislation we passed which is only just kicking in. We are going to see a trillion dollars worth of infrastructure work done changing people’s lives in rural communities and areas of real difficulty.
“So much more is going to take time, but it’s there. The road ahead is clear if we sustain it."
Democrats were left reeling after Donald Trump overcame Kamala Harris in both the Electoral College and popular vote.
He hailed a win "like we've never seen before" in his first speech.
“We have thousands of friends in this incredible movement. This was a movement like nobody has seen before”, he said.
“Frankly, I think this is the greatest political movement of all time. There has never been anything like this in this country."
