President Joe Biden addressed Americans and asked the nation to "bring down the temperature" on Thursday following Republican Donald Trump's election victory. The President also did his best to console fellow Democrats and others who were stunned and alarmed by Trump's stunning comeback, echoing the shared feeling after the 2016 election results.
The President has always been good at keeping a calm temperament amid high tensions. "Setbacks are unavoidable. Giving up is unforgivable," President Biden said at the White House Rose Garden as he addressed staffers who were disappointed in Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat. "A defeat does not mean we are defeated."
The same could be said of the Democratic response to the election results, which many are already questioning as not adding up. Angry Twitter users trended "#Recount2024" as they blasted Trump's obvious collusion with Elon Musk.
President Biden seemed well aware of the suggestions that Trump had cheated--mainly because Trump and his surrogates had been indicating all along they were going to cheat.
The President praised Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign.
President Biden also pledged an orderly transfer of power - an implicit rebuke of Trump, who sought to overturn his 2020 defeat to Biden and baselessly claimed it was fraud during this year's campaign as well.
"Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for is to see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans, bring down the temperature," President Biden said. "I also hope we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose."