Biden Accepts Presidential Victory During Primetime Speech

Speaking from Wilmington, Delaware, vice president elect and now former senator from California, Kamala Harris, began the evening by accepting victory, citing the late Congressmen John Lewis of Georgia about the importance of the U.S. democratic process. She thanked the people of the U.S. for turning out to vote in record numbers, as well as the poll workers for counting every last vote.

Harris claims that the U.S. people made their voices heard by choosing science, dignity, truth and Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. Harris honored the women—Black, Latina and Native American—who are often overlooked but serve as the backbone of U.S. democracy and, more importantly, have historically protected the people's right to vote. 

RELATED:

Live Update: Despite Biden Victory, Trump Claims Fraud, Victory

Harris, who is now the highest serving woman, and, more specifically, African- and Asian-American woman, in U.S. history, admitted that the road ahead will not be easy, but that Biden and she are ready for the challenge.

After Harris' introduction, Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic candidate for the U.S. presidency, confirmed the electoral victory Saturday, thanking his supporters for their ongoing dedication to his campaign and for delivering him a clear victory.

During his victory speech, Biden reminded the U.S. people that he received the most votes for president in U.S. history, an unprecedented 74 million. Biden said he pledged to "not divide, but unify," and to "win the confidence of all people." Biden thanked his wife Jill, a lifelong educator, for her tireless love and support, as well as from the rest of his extended family, including his deceased son Beau.

Biden further thanked the local officials and polls workers who toiled countless hours in the midst of the pandemic, as well as his campaign team and volunteers for building "the broadest and most diverse campaign ever."

Biden said that it's time to stop treating our opponents as enemies, but rather as Americans, and that now is the time to heal and see one another again in the United States. He mentioned the need to root out systemic racism, to restore our planet and to give everybody a democratic and fair shot at equal opportunities.

Biden said it's important to get COVID-19 under control, a first and essential step before getting the economy back on track. He announced that he will name a team of transition advisers on Monday, essentially a group of sceitnists and experts, built on "bedrock science and compassion," in order to get COVID-19 under control and turn around the course of the pandemic. 

Biden said that the mandate of the U.S. people is for political cooperation, and that he will call on Congress to act upon this mandate, and work across the aisle with both Democrats and Republicans alike. 

In his speech, Biden invoked past U.S. presidents such as Abraham Lincoln, FDR, JFK and Barack Obama, reminding that he continues on their legacies by seeking to restore the "soul of America," reminding the audience that the whole world is watching, which sees the U.S. as a "beacon for the globe."