US President Joe Biden is set to address Americans, vowing a peaceful transfer of power to Donald Trump after his election win over Kamala Harris.
Mr Biden will speak in the Rose Garden of the White House at 11am (4pm Irish time) to “discuss the election results and the transition” to Mr Trump’s second term.
The 81-year-old dropped out of the race against Mr Trump in July and handed the Democratic nomination to his vice president Ms Harris – but is now likely to see his legacy dismantled by the Republican’s stunning comeback.
Mr Biden is however apparently determined to draw a stark contrast with Mr Trump, whose refusal to accept his own 2020 election defeat by Mr Biden culminated in the violent 6 January 2021 assault by Trump supporters on the US Capitol.
Falsely claiming voter fraud, Mr Trump also refused to attend Mr Biden’s inauguration and did not allow a proper transition.
The White House said Mr Biden spoke with Mr Trump yesterday and “expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasised the importance of working to bring the country together.”
Mr Biden is meanwhile striking a presidential tone by calling Mr Trump and inviting him to meet at the White House.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said Mr Trump “looks forward to the meeting, which will take place shortly, and very much appreciated the call.”
It would be the first time they had met since Mr Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Mr Trump in June that forced him out of the race.
Read More:
Trump secures White House comeback victory, defeating Harris
Kamala Harris concedes US Election but vows to fight on
Why Ireland should be worried about Trump 2.0
Zelensky lauds Trump as win plunges Ukraine war into uncertainty
The United States and the world face a radically transformed political landscape after Mr Trump’s overwhelming victory.
US voters backed his hardline right-wing policies and rejected Mr Biden and Mr Harris’s record, specially on the economy and inflation, exit polls showed.
World leaders swiftly pledged to work with Mr Trump, despite concerns in much of the globe about his nationalist ‘America First’ approach and pledges to slap huge tariffs on foreign imports.
Mr Trump’s choices for his own White House team will be in the spotlight, with the world’s richest man Elon Musk and vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr both in line for roles.
The Trump campaign’s transition team said that “in the days and weeks ahead” Mr Trump would be seeking the “best people.”
Armed with a sweeping mandate, the second Trump administration promises to be more untrammelled than his first chaotic presidency – and could dismantle huge chunks of Mr Biden’s legacy.
Mr Trump could start by halting the incumbent’s billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s 2022 invasion.
He has repeatedly suggested he would end the war by pressuring Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a man Mr Trump has repeatedly praised.
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
(Above: People near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home react to election win)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Mr Trump yesterday to congratulate him and urge a “just peace.”
Mr Trump will also return to the White House as a climate change denier, poised to take apart Mr Biden’s green policies with his pledge to “drill, baby, drill” for oil.
Ultimately Mr Biden’s legacy was supposed to be a Harris victory that would keep Mr Trump out of power — but many Democrats feel he waited too long to step aside for his vice president.
He paid tribute to Ms Harris after her concession speech, saying that “what America saw today [Wednesday] was the Kamala Harris I know and deeply admire.”
One thing Mr Biden and Mr Trump do have in common, however, is age.
Already Mr Trump, 78, is on course to break Mr Biden’s record as the oldest-ever sitting president during his four-year term. He will surpass Mr Biden, who is set to step down in January at the age of 82.