In a speech delivered from the White House Rose Garden, the outgoing president promised a “peaceful and orderly” transition of power.
President Joe Biden walked out into the White House Rose Garden where supporters, staff, and a slew of press were waiting.
In his opening remarks, delivered on an unseasonably warm day in Washington, Biden praised two centuries of “the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world” – quickly adding “that’s not hyperbole”.
As he delivered his address to the nation, the outgoing president was calm, and surprisingly upbeat.
“We accept the choice the country made,” he said, promising to direct his “entire administration to work … to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition.”
“That’s what the American people deserve.”
‘A partner and a public servant’
Speaking the day after Vice President Kamala Harris gave her concession speech at Washington’s Howard University, Biden paid tribute to the Democratic candidate who took over the campaign from him in the summer.
Describing her campaign as “inspiring”, he expressed his pride that “everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much: her character.”
“She has a backbone like a ramrod.”
In his six-minute speech, which was not marred by any gaffes or missteps, the president made several references to election integrity, contrasting himself with his predecessor – and now successor.
Biden specifically thanked election workers across their country whom he said had “busted their necks and took risks” just to do their job, a reference to cases of intimidation mostly by far-right groups.
Biden was his most emphatic in a passage about electoral integrity.
“I also hope we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system,” he said. “It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.”
Towards the end of his remarks, Biden struck an optimistic and determined tone, telling supporters, “Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated.”
“The American experiment endures, and we’re going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged.”
The president will retire from politics in January 2025 after serving at a national level for over 50 years.
