President Joe Biden made his first address to the American people, his first public appearance since Vice President Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to President Donald Trump. Biden, both preceded and succeeded by Trump, will maintain the presidency until the inauguration on January 20, 2025. He released a statement after Harris’s concession speech Wednesday afternoon. Harris conceded the election race to Trump, but “not the fight” against Trump and everything he stands for, she told a crowd of weeping supporters. Speaking from the White House’s Rose Garden Thursday morning, Biden reiterated Harris’s comments to Trump the day before, “ensuring him” his government will “work together for a smooth transition.” He congratulated Harris and said he was proud of her and her campaign before he began speaking of the future, and his next 74 days in office. “We accept the choice our country made,” said Biden.“You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.” “Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for, is see each other, not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature.”Biden also confirmed, “There is no question about the integrity of the American electoral system,” and thanked election staff for “protecting the integrity of the election.”“It is honest, it is fair and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose,” said Biden. “On January 20, we’ll have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.” “The road ahead is clear, should we sustain it. There’s so much to get done.”“We lost this battle, but the America of your dreams is calling you to get back up.” “The American experiment endures. We’re going to be okay. But we need to stay engaged, we need to keep going. And above all, we need to keep the faith. “God bless you all, God bless America and may God bless our troops.”Among top complaints against the Democrats listed by voters in exit polls were the country’s failing economy and rising inflation, dissatisfaction with Biden’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and mass immigration, as well as unprecedented amounts of taxpayers' dollars going to fuel the war in Ukraine, reported the Associated Press. Harris ran her campaign largely on abortion. Biden, enduring apparent declining health, in July said he wouldn’t run for president. The announcement followed the president’s cringeworthy performance in a debate against Trump. Trump not only won the election and gained the presidency, but he led the Republicans in reclaiming Senater. He could also claim the House. The Supreme Court already leans conservative 6-3, with three justices named during Trump’s first term in office from 2016 to 2020.
