‘I Will Fulfill My Oath and I Will Honor the Constitution’: Biden Vows ‘Peaceful Transfer of Power’ on Jan. 20, 2025
President Joe Biden gave his first public remarks since the results of Tuesday’s election, offering his praise for Vice President Kamala Harris and vowing that there would be a “peaceful transfer of power” to President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2025.
Biden delivered his remarks from the Rose Garden before an audience that included many of his Cabinet members, White House staffers, and family members.
“For over 200 years, America has carried out the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world,” he began. “That’s not hyperbole. That’s a fact. Where the people, the people vote and choose their own leaders and they do it peacefully. And where in a democracy, where the will of the people always prevails.”
The president said that he spoke with Trump yesterday “to congratulate him on his victory, and I assured him that I’ll direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition,” because “that’s what the American people deserve.”
Biden also spoke with Harris, and praised her as “a partner and a public servant” who “ran an inspiring campaign,” adding that he “learned early on to respect so much” her “true character.” Harris “gave her whole heart and effort and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran,” he said.
He then addressed those who were disappointed in the election results as a “time of loss”:
Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made. I have said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree.
Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for: to see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature.
I also hope we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the electoral system. It is honest. It is fair and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.
He then added his hope to “restore the respect for all our election workers who busted their necks and took risks,” thanking them for their work “protecting the very integrity of the election.”
“As they did their duty as citizens, I will do my duty as president,” he vowed. “I will fulfill my oath and I will honor the Constitution. On January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.”
He thanked the “incredible staff, supporters, Cabinet members” who had “put so much into the past four years,” saying he know it was a “difficult time” and they were “hurting,” but urging them “don’t forget all that we accomplished.”
“Together we have changed America for the better,” he concluded, declaring his intention to “make every day count” for the remaining 74 days of “our term”:
That’s the responsibility we have to the American people. Look folks, you all know it. Setbacks are unavoidable. But giving up is unforgivable…We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my dad would say, is how quickly we get back up.
Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up.
That’s the story of America for over 240 years and counting. It’s the story for all of us, not just some of us. The American experiment endures. We are going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. And above all, we need to keep the faith. So proud to have worked with all of you — I really mean it. I sincerely mean it.
God bless you all. God bless America. And may God protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
