Joe Biden makes his victory speech in Delaware after election is called in his favor

8.4k

View
comments

Joe Biden proclaimed his victory over Donald Trump as he addressed the nation for the first time since the election was called in his favor on Saturday night saying: ‘The people have delivered us a clear victory.’

The 77-year-old president-elect took to the stage in Wilmington, Delaware after being introduced by Kamala Harris, his vice-president elect, to cheers from a crowd who had driven in to hear him. 

Biden called on Americans to come together after the election, making an appeal to Trump voters and offering a message of hope and sympathy to those who have suffered from the coronavirus pandemic and its resulting affect on the economy.  

Two hours after Biden spoke, there began to be signs of movement in the White House, as CNN reported that Jared Kushner had told his father-in-law it was time to concede, ending speculation about who would have to tell the president that it was time to end tweet after tweet of denial and defiance and let the peaceful transition of power begin. 

White House sources earlier told the Washington Post Trump’s team had begun playing the blame game for the president’s failed re-election bid, with Kushner being in the line of fire. 

In his 15-minute speech Saturday, Biden thanked his supporters, particularly African American voters who gave him the Democratic nomination and turned out in the general election, along with his campaign staff.

After his remarks, the entire Biden family – including his son Hunter with his new baby and the Biden grandchildren – came out on stage to join Joe and Jill. Confetti cannons fired and fireworks went off as ‘Bring Me a Higher Love’ played.

‘We’re seeing all over the nation, cities across the country, indeed across the world outpouring of joy and hope and renewed faith,’ Biden said in his address.  

‘Tomorrow will bring a better day. And I’m humbled by the trust and confidence you’ve placed in me. I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify. Who doesn’t see red states and blue states. Only sees the United States.’

Scroll down for video 

Biden reached out to the 71 million people who voted for President Trump, vowing to be a president for the entire country and calling on the nation to heal.

‘I said at the outset I wanted to represent this campaign to represent and look like America. We’ve done that. Now for all those of you who voted President Trump, I understand your disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself, but now let’s give each other a chance,’ he said as supporters honked their cars and cheered.

The 2020 presidential election was one of the most divisive in history. President Trump has yet to concede and vowed to launch of series of lawsuits in battleground states on Monday to contest the result.

But Biden said it was time to ‘stop treating our opponents as our enemies.’

‘It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again, and to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies. They are Americans. They are Americans. The bible tells us to everything there is a season, a time to build, a time to reap, and a time to sow and a time to heal,’ he said.

‘This is the time to heal in America,’ he added. ‘I will govern as an American president. I’ll work as hard for those who didn’t vote for me as those who did,’ Biden vowed.

Biden – whose primary campaign was salvaged in large part by African American support in South Carolina and other states – gave a prominent shout-out to black supporters.

‘The African American community stood up again for me. You’ve always had my back – and I’ll have yours,’ he said.

He also spoke of ‘the battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country.’

Harris the first woman and the first black woman to be elected vice president, also listed ended ‘systemic racism’ as a top administration priority.

Black supporters were critical to Biden’s narrow margin in Georgia, which is headed for a recount but still represents a major achievement for a Democrat. 

The president-elect spoke of the missed moments due to the coronavirus pandemic and said he’d have a plan ready to go.

Biden said on Monday that he would name a group of leading experts and scientists to a COVID-19 taskforce that would put together an ‘action blueprint’ ready to go on inauguration day.

‘I will spare no effort or any commitment to turn around this pandemic,’ Biden pledged.

Biden, who will become the second Catholic president in American history, also made his faith a part of his message.

‘We must restore the soul of America,’ was a line he used many times in his campaign speeches and one he repeated in his first address as the president-elect.

Biden, who goes to church nearly every Sunday morning and attended mass on Election Day, carries a rosary with him that belonged to his late son Beau Biden.

During his speech on Saturday night, as part of his appeal for the nation to come together after the presidential campaign, he quoted his favorite hymn: ‘On Eagles Wings.’

‘In the last days of the campaign, I’ve been thinking about a hymn that means a lot to me and to my family, particularly my deceased son Beau. It captures the faith that sustains me and which I believe sustains America,’ Biden said. 

He said he hoped it could bring comfort to the families who lost a loved one to COVID, which has taken the lives of more than 237,000 Americans. 

He then quoted the words of the song, which are based on Psalm 91, Book of Exodus 19, and Gospel of Matthew 13. Biden closed his speech by asking the country to come together.

‘And now, together — on eagle’s wings — we embark on the work that God and history have called upon us to do,’ he said. ‘With full hearts and steady hands, with faith in America and in each other, with a love of country — and a thirst for justice — let us be the nation that we know we can be. A nation united.’

As family members gathered onstage confetti cannons went off – then fireworks – and behind them the BIDEN campaign logo was spelled using drones in the sky. 

That transitioned into a map of the United States, president-elect, Harris and the number 46, as Biden will be the 46th US president. 

With a speech meant to establish himself as the nation’s next president, Biden did not even mention the legal battle with President Trump over the vote count.

It was a stunning contrast to the president – who spent the day tweeting about unfounded allegations of election fraud, claimed he ‘won’ by ‘a lot,’ boasted of his own 71 million ‘legal’ votes without mentioning Bidens, and claimed his observers weren’t allowed into counting rooms.

In previous statements since Tuesday, Biden called for patience and allowing remaining votes to be counted. He didn’t mention that either.

Instead, he kept his comments referencing President Trump vague. He called to ‘restore decency to politics’ and spoke of a battle between our ‘better angels’ and worst impulses.

‘What presidents say in this battle matters,’ Biden said. ‘It’s time for our better angels to prevail.’ 

President Trump spent Saturday night in the White House with first lady Melania Trump after spending the day at his Virginia golf course. 

It’s unclear if he watched Biden’s remarks and whether any of his adult children were with him. 

He did not tweet while Biden spoke. 

Across America, millions stopped to tune in to Biden’s victory speech as it aired on jumbotrons in the streets  and television screens at bars and restaurants. 

In New York City, thousands of Biden supporters toting American flags and Biden-Harris campaign banners gathered in Times Square to watch the next US president address his people. 

Many were overcome with emotion, hugging and crying tears of joy as they welcomed the next four years of a Democratic leader. 

Harris and Biden’s speeches were the culmination to a historic day in the United States that saw street parties and celebrations erupt in cities across the country. 

Earlier, Biden’s grandchildren had told him he had the won the election when it was called for by at 11.25am Saturday – then hugged him with his son Hunter. 

Naomi Biden, Hunter’s daughter, tweeted a picture of the moment they celebrated the end of a rollercoaster election and count, as in cities across America crowds took to the streets. 

In contrast Trump finally reacted to the presidential election being called after almost six hours Saturday – unleashing an all-capitals tirade on Twitter saying: ‘I WON THE ELECTION.’

As thousands partied outside the White House, he Tweeted a barrage of complaints – all without evidence – that ‘bad things happened.’

Trump had learned his fate on his own golf course, and been sneaked back in to the White House by a side gate to avoid the celebrations outside about two hours before his tweet.

The election was called for Biden at 11.25am Saturday morning by television networks and the Associated Press as he passed a 30,000 lead in Pennsylvania, an agonizing four days after the polls closed. 

CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, the AP and USA Today all made the call and Fox News followed suit 10 minutes later after Biden picked up more votes in Philadelphia, where officials had been working through mail-in ballots for days. 

Pennsylvania, with its 20 electoral college votes, finally pushed Biden over the line. Nevada was called for him shortly afterwards. Now, only Arizona, Alaska and North Carolina remain uncalled but none can alter the election outcome now. 

Within minutes of the call being made, spontaneous celebrations broke out in major cities as people cheered, danced and honked horns in the streets. 

Trump has no immediate plans to invite Biden to an Oval Office meeting, a tradition between outgoing and incoming presidents, CNN reported. Then Barack Obama hosted Trump for such a meeting on Thursday, November 10, 2016, two days after that year’s presidential election. 

Votes in Philadelphia pushed Biden’s margin in must-win Pennsylvania to 34,558, more than 0.5%, just after 11am – putting the result in the state beyond doubt. That took him to 273 electoral votes –  putting the 77-year-old on a clear path to the White House. Less than an hour later Nevada was called by networks, putting him on 279.

The states of Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina were still to be called.  Biden was ahead in all but North Carolina, and if he stays that way he will have 302 electoral college votes, the same as Trump in 2016.

Kamala Harris, his running mate, becomes the first female vice president, and the first black and Asian-American vice president. She was out for a run when the call came.

Biden tweeted: ‘America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country. The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans — whether you voted for me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.’ 

Jill, when tweeting the picture of them, said: ‘He will be a President for all our families.’ 

Donald Trump’s aides start the blame game and immediately focus on Jared Kushner for election loss as ‘black’ mood in COVID-hit White House turns ugly

Donald Trump‘s team has begun the blame game for the president’s failed re-election bid and the early fire is aimed at Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who serves as a senior adviser in the White House.

Kushner wears many hats in the Trump world – de facto chief of staff, keeper of the president’s moods, front man on the Middle East, coordinator on the coronavirus plus the brains behind the re-election effort.

He made it clear from the beginning he was involved in all major campaign decisions when it came to securing the president a second term. Brad Parscale, the former campaign manager who ran the campaign in the early days, reported to Kushner and was a loyalist to the presidential son-in-law.

Kushner is a constant presence at the president’s side.

He was with Trump on his final, two-day, seven-state, 10 rally campaign swing. The president brought him up on stage at one rally and pointed him out during several others but, most of the time, the Kushner stood backstage, focused intently on the scene of thousands of supporters cheering on Trump, few with facial masks and no social distancing. Unlike other aides, Kushner didn’t join them in dancing the ‘YMCA’  – the song that closed out Trump rallies.

Kushner also was with the president on Election Day, joining him on a visit to campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and spending the evening watching returns with him and other members of the first family in the residence at the White House. 

‘The only constant in this campaign, from Day One, to the very last day, was Kushner,’ a Trump ally told The Washington Post. ‘So if the president wins, Kushner deserves credit, but if he loses, Kushner deserves the blame.’ 

But a senior administration official defended Kushner’s work, saying without it the result from the 2020 contest would be much worse. 

‘The expectation was the campaign would beaten by a large margin and, thanks to the infrastructure Jared set up, it came down to a few thousand votes in a few states,’ the senior administration official told DailyMail.com.

Votes are still being tallied but Biden carried battleground states like Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada by a few percentage points. 

Also garnering some blame was Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr who ran the campaign’s fundraising operation. Trump was outraised by Biden and struggled to stay on the airwaves in the final weeks of the campaign.

Campaign aides told Politico that Guilfoyle’s operation ‘underperformed and was an HR nightmare.’

Trump, meanwhile, spent his Saturday morning on the golf course at his club in Sterling, Virginia, which is where he was when the race was called for Biden. 

After he played 18 rounds, he stopped to take a photo with a bride getting married there as supporters cheered him on, according to video posted to Twitter. 

He’s shown no signs of conceding and, in a statement released by the campaign, vowed it wasn’t over.

‘The simple fact is this election is far from over,’ Trump said.

Additionally, the president won’t be making a concession call to Biden. 

‘No scheduling updates,’ deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere told DailyMail.com when asked if such a conversation would happen.

Kamala Harris delivers historic first speech as vice-president elect saying Americans chose ‘hope, unity and decency’ – and tells crowd ‘I may be the first woman in this office, but I won’t be the last’  

Kamala Harris put her place in history at the center of her first speech as Vice President-elect, as she joined President-elect Joe Biden on stage to celebrate their victory over President Donald Trump on Saturday.

Harris spoke first, outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware – the town where Biden centered his 48-year political career. She entered the stage dressed all in white while Mary J Blige’s track Work That played. 

‘Good evening, good evening, good evening,’ she said, over the sound of honking car horns at the drive-in rally.

Harris said voters had chosen ‘hope, unity, decency, science, and, yes, truth,’ in choosing her and Biden over President Donald Trump.

She also made reference to her history-making role as Biden´s running mate, saying: ‘While I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last.’

Harris noted her ascension to the role comes 100 years after the 19th Amendment was ratified and 55 years after the signing of the Voting Rights Act, which expanded who could participate in American democracy.

She praised Joe Biden for having ‘the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country’ by selecting a woman as his running mate.

‘Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a county of possibilities,’ Harris said.

Harris opened her first speech as Vice President-elect with a tribute to civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis, who died in July.

‘Congressman John Lewis before his passing wrote: ‘Democracy is not a state, it is an act.’ Democracy is not guaranteed. It is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it.

‘It takes struggle, it takes sacrifice, but there is joy in it and there is progress because we the people have the power to build a better future.

‘When our very democracy was on the ballot in this election, the very soul of America at stake, and the world watching, you ushered in a new day for America.’  

She also thanked the poll workers, saying ‘you have protected the integrity of our democracy.’ Never before had there been such focus on the count.

She thanked her family for their support, thanking her husband Doug, children Cole and Ella, and sister Maya.

 She also paid tribute to her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris, saying she is ‘most responsible for my presence here today.’

She added: ‘When she came here from India at the age of 19, maybe she didn’t quite imagine this moment.’

‘But she believed so deeply in an America where a moment like this is possible. So, I’m thinking about her and about the generations of women — Black Women, Asian, White, Latina, and Native American women throughout our nation’s history who have paved the way for this moment tonight.

‘Women who fought and sacrificed so much for equality, liberty, and justice for all, including the Black women, who are too often overlooked, but so often Prove that they are the backbone of our democracy.’

In the hours leading up to Biden and Harris’ arrival to the Chase Center, spontaneous cheering broke out and Lady Gaga – who headlined Biden’s final rally in Pennsylvania – loudly played.

Hundreds of cars filled the parking lot – drive-in movie theater-style – and more than 1,000 people sat on the roofs of their vehicles or milled around in small groups nearby, many cheering and waving American flags or Biden campaign signs.

Supporters were gathered in and around their cars and even more people had clustered outside the perimeter security to cheer on the soon-to-be president.

After the speeches Kamala and Doug joined the Biden family on stage as the fireworks went off and music played.

Harris brought her four-year-old great-niece, Amara Ajuga – the daughter of Harris’s niece, Meena Harris – to the forefront. Biden bent down to talk to the young girl and later the president-elect held his youngest grandchild, Hunter’s baby boy, while ‘Simply the Best’ played.

The two families, wearing face masks, waved to the cheering and honking crowd of supporters. Only Biden removed his mask.

The group enjoyed every moment of their victory – screeching in delight and pointing when the fireworks spelled out ‘Biden’ and hugging each other.