WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden said on Thursday there would be a peaceful transition of power after Republican Donald Trump won the White House and urged Americans to "bring down" the temperature.
"You can't love your country only when you win. You can't love your neighbor only when you agree. Something to 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," he said at the White House Rose Garden.
"I also hope we can lay to rest a question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair and it is transparent. It can be trusted, win or lose," Biden said.
"A defeat does not mean we are defeated," Biden said as he addressed staff who were disappointed in Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat.
He said Tuesday's election had proven the integrity of the US electoral system and said he would preside over an orderly tranfer of power - an implicit rebuke of Trump, who sought to overturn his 2020 defeat to Biden and raised baseless claims of fraud this year as well.
Some Democrats have blamed Biden, 81, for Harris' defeat, saying he should not have sought reelection. Biden only dropped his reelection bid in July after a disastrous TV debate with Trump raised alarm bells about his mental fitness.
Trump's campaign said Biden had invited him to meet at the White House at an unspecified time. In the weeks ahead, Trump will select personnel to serve under his leadership.
Harris sought on Wednesday to console supporters. Like Biden, she promised to aid Trump's transition before his inauguration but urged Democrats to continue to fight for what they believe in.
Some Democrats worried their loss in Tuesday's presidential election showed that their values - left-leaning, socially liberal - were now firmly a minority among Americans in a divisive campaign. Others were frustrated with the party's leadership, who they said had lost touch with much of the electorate who wanted help with the rising cost of living. Trump's victory, surprisingly decisive after opinion polls that had shown a neck-and-neck contest, underscored how disenchanted Americans had become with the economy - in particular inflation - along with border security and the direction of the country and its culture. Hispanics, traditionally Democratic voters, and lower-income households hit hardest by inflation helped fuel Trump's victory.
"You can't love your country only when you win. You can't love your neighbor only when you agree. Something to 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," he said at the White House Rose Garden.
"I also hope we can lay to rest a question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair and it is transparent. It can be trusted, win or lose," Biden said.
"A defeat does not mean we are defeated," Biden said as he addressed staff who were disappointed in Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat.
He said Tuesday's election had proven the integrity of the US electoral system and said he would preside over an orderly tranfer of power - an implicit rebuke of Trump, who sought to overturn his 2020 defeat to Biden and raised baseless claims of fraud this year as well.
Some Democrats have blamed Biden, 81, for Harris' defeat, saying he should not have sought reelection. Biden only dropped his reelection bid in July after a disastrous TV debate with Trump raised alarm bells about his mental fitness.
Trump's campaign said Biden had invited him to meet at the White House at an unspecified time. In the weeks ahead, Trump will select personnel to serve under his leadership.
Harris sought on Wednesday to console supporters. Like Biden, she promised to aid Trump's transition before his inauguration but urged Democrats to continue to fight for what they believe in.
Some Democrats worried their loss in Tuesday's presidential election showed that their values - left-leaning, socially liberal - were now firmly a minority among Americans in a divisive campaign. Others were frustrated with the party's leadership, who they said had lost touch with much of the electorate who wanted help with the rising cost of living. Trump's victory, surprisingly decisive after opinion polls that had shown a neck-and-neck contest, underscored how disenchanted Americans had become with the economy - in particular inflation - along with border security and the direction of the country and its culture. Hispanics, traditionally Democratic voters, and lower-income households hit hardest by inflation helped fuel Trump's victory.
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