WASHINGTON: After Democratic party nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris urged unity in a concession speech on Wednesday following her defeat to Republican Donald Trump, US President Joe Biden broke his silence and congratulated his former rival.
In a statement issued by the White House late on Wednesday, Biden praised Harris as “a tremendous partner and public servant full of integrity, courage, and character.”
It was Biden’s first public comment in the aftermath of Trump’s victory.
The president also noted that Harris entered the campaign under “extraordinary circumstances,” a nod to his dropping out of the race 108 days before Election Day amid growing pressure from within his party after his cataclysmic debate performance against Trump.
Biden added that Harris “stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation that is more free, more just, and full of more opportunities for all Americans.”
The election results had also prompted foreign leaders to congratulate Trump and left Democrats downtrodden after the former president scored victories in swing states.
Trump’s victory was felt down ballot, with the GOP reclaiming control of the Senate by flipping seats in Montana, West Virginia and Ohio. In the House, Republicans and Democrats are still battling for the majority, with both party leaders exuding confidence.
Trump has vowed to shake some of democracy’s pillars
American presidential elections are a moment when the nation holds up a mirror to look at itself. They are a reflection of values and dreams, of grievances and scores to be settled.
The results say much about a country’s character, future and core beliefs. On Tuesday, America looked into that mirror and more voters saw former president Donald Trump, delivering him a far-reaching victory in the most contested states.
He won for many reasons. One of them was that a formidable number of Americans, from different angles, said the state of democracy was a prime concern.
Even as Trump prevailed, most voters said they were very or somewhat concerned that electing Trump would bring the US closer to being an authoritarian country, where a single leader has unchecked power, according to the AP VoteCast survey. Still, 1 in 10 of those voters backed him anyway. Nearly 4 in 10 Trump voters said they wanted complete upheaval in how the country is run.
Pence congratulates Trump after declining to endorse him
Former Vice President Mike Pence congratulated Trump for winning a second term in office, writing yet another awkward chapter in the relationship between the president-elect and his former running mate.
“The American people have spoken and Karen and I send our sincere congratulations to President-Elect Donald Trump and his family on his election as 47th President of the United States,” Pence wrote on behalf of him and his wife. The former vice president also congratulated Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who ran in place of Pence as Trump’s running mate.
“We will continue to pray for all those in authority and urge every American to join us in praying for our incoming president, vice president and elected officials at every level,” Pence concluded.
Pence’s relationship with Trump fractured after the former vice president declined to follow the Republican president’s wishes and went ahead with certifying the 2020 election. Trump did not hold back in his contempt for Pence, questioning his judgment and calling him “delusional” on the campaign trail. Pence, in turn, declined to endorse his one-time running mate.
Democrats promise ‘peaceful’ transition of power
Shortly after Harris’ concession speech, a series of Democratic leaders and lawmakers issued their first statements in response to the election results and promised to ensure a “peaceful” transition for the incoming Republican administration.
Former President Barack Obama, along with former first lady Michelle Obama, said the election’s result “is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for” but noted that “living in a democracy is about recognizing that our point of view won’t always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power.”
Congratulating Trump and Vance, the Obamas expressed pride for Harris and Walz, for both of whom they campaigned, calling them “two extraordinary public servants who ran a remarkable campaign.”
The Obamas cast forward with hope for a divided America, saying that the nation’s problems are solvable “only if we listen to each other, and only if we abide by the core constitutional principles and democratic norms that made this country great.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement late Wednesday, saying that “we all pray for America’s success under the next administration,” but did not make mention of Trump by name.
Pelosi was seen as the architect of the Democratic party’s strategic shift from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris as top of their ticket over the summer. The California Democrat has been Trump’s biggest critic, saying previously that her goal is to ensure Trump never enters the White House again.
“The peaceful transfer of power is the cornerstone of our democracy,” Pelosi said. “After every election, we all have a responsibility to come together and find common ground.”
“As deeply, deeply disappointed as I am by the results of the election, make no mistake: my Democratic colleagues and I — unlike many Republicans after the 2020 election — will uphold the will of the American people, fulfill our constitutional duty and do our part to ensure a peaceful transfer of power,” Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois said in a statement.
Transition talks have not yet begun in earnest, according to a person with knowledge of the Trump campaign. Instead, the president-elect was busy taking calls from leaders, domestic and international, donors and key supporters. Transition discussions are expected to ramp up later in the week, as attention turns to naming an inaugural committee and formal transition team. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Bernie Sanders calls for reckoning in Democratic Party
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders did not mince words in a scathing statement on Wednesday.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sanders, Vermont’s senior senator, said.
“First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well,” Sanders said.
Sanders won reelection to a fourth term on Tuesday. He singled out wealth inequality, a slipping standard of living in the US, a lack of full health care guarantees and support for Israel’s recent military campaigns as problems Democrats need to focus on. Sanders’s 2016 presidential run was a key factor in pushing the dialogue in the Democratic party to the left. Sanders has built his political career outside — and often criticizing — the Democratic Party, but he caucuses with Democrats in the Senate.
