US President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Americans to “turn down the temperature” and pledged to “make every day count” throughout the remainder of his term before handing control of the White House and the country to President-elect Donald Trump next year. .
Speaking for the first time since fellow Democrats suffered a crushing defeat to Trump in the US election on Tuesday, Biden sought to console Americans frustrated by the loss of Vice President Kamala Harris and defend his legacy, despite voters’ strong rebuke of his presidency.
“We are leaving behind the most powerful economy in the world,” Biden said in his short remarks from the Rose Garden outside the White House, addressing his government and his staff. “I know people are still hurting, but things are changing quickly.
“Together, we have changed America for the better. Now we have 74 days to end the semester. Our term. Let’s make every day count.”
Biden will leave office having led the United States out of the COVID-19 pandemic, galvanized international support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion and passed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that will impact communities for years to come.
Biden himself acknowledged that the impact of this legislation and other measures passed during his administration may take “the next 10 years” to be felt, and is now “really starting to be felt.”
But polls after Tuesday’s election showed that the vast majority of voters were dissatisfied and even angry with the state of the country under Biden, and many said they were in worse financial shape than they were four years ago — suggesting they can’t wait for that future. . Effects.
Inflation, a global phenomenon brought on by the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and other factors, has eroded Americans’ standard of living and made them thirsty for change.
Trump exploited this economic dissatisfaction in his successful campaign, tapping into areas of traditional Democratic support by promising to turn things around. Harris — who was drafted by Democrats to replace Biden with just over 100 days to turn around the party’s fortunes — has tried to portray herself as a candidate for change with policies focused on affordability, but she has often been left defending the Biden administration in which she served.
A potential turning point raised in post-election analysis by commentators was Harris’ appearance on ABC The view In September, she could not decide on which decision to separate herself from Biden.
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“Nothing comes to my mind,” Harris said, giving the Trump campaign a good preview that she replayed during Election Day.
Although votes were still being counted on Thursday, Trump was on pace to win the national popular vote for the first time in his three presidential campaigns.
Some Democrats blamed the 81-year-old Biden’s decision to seek re-election, despite public concerns about his age, for the party’s poor performance. At the very least, they said the president should have ended his campaign early to allow for a proper primary, rather than crowning the untested Harris.
“The brunt of this loss falls on President Biden,” Andrew Yang, who ran against Biden in 2020 for the Democratic nomination and endorsed Harris’ unsuccessful candidacy, told The Associated Press. “If he had resigned in January instead of July, we might have been in a very different place.”
On Thursday, Biden did not acknowledge the finger-pointing among Democrats, but he stressed the need for America to come together despite the bitterness of the campaign and the fears of some about what a second Trump presidency would bring.
“The thing I hope we can do, regardless of who you voted for, is look at each other not as enemies, but as American citizens,” he said. “Reduce the temperature.
“Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated. We have lost this battle. The America you dream of demands that you rise again.”
Having run four years ago against Trump to “restore the soul of the country,” Biden will give way after just one term to his immediate predecessor, who overcame two impeachments, a felony conviction and an attack on the U.S. Capitol launched by his supporters to try to remove him. Overturning his electoral loss.
Trump pledged to radically reshape the federal government and cancel many of Biden’s priorities. This includes not only domestic issues such as tax policy and the fight against climate change, but also puts continued US support for Ukraine into question and raises the possibility of further tensions with China and Iran.
China’s Xinhua News Agency reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Trump and said he hoped the two powers would coexist peacefully.
Republicans are preparing to control the White House and the Senate. Control of the House of Representatives has not yet been determined.
Biden said he called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory and promised to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.
Biden’s office said he also invited Trump to attend a meeting at the White House, and the Trump campaign said the president-elect accepted.
The president praised Harris for running an “inspirational campaign.”
“It has a backbone like a stern,” he said. “She has a great personality, a genuine person. She gave her heart and soul, and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.”
-With files from The Associated Press
&Copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
