Biden urges unity and an end to 'warfare' in politics

A confident Joe Biden declared late Friday night that it's "clear we're gonna win this race," thanks to "a record number of Americans" of all races and religions who "chose change over more of the same."
Speaking from Wilmington, Delaware, Biden touted the fact that the Democratic ticket has already received a record 74 million votes and is "on track to over 300 electoral college votes," but stopped short of declaring victory. Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), are leading President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Arizona. "These tallies aren't just numbers," Biden said. "They represent votes and voters, men and women who exercised their fundamental right to have their voice heard."
Those voters have "given us a mandate for action on COVID, the economy, climate change, and systemic racism," Biden continued. He shared that yesterday, his team met with public health experts to discuss the pandemic and the country's economic crisis, and while "we can't save any of the lives that have been lost, we can save a lot of lives in the months ahead."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden also said it's clear that people "want the country to come together, not continue to pull apart." People are entitled to their own political beliefs, he added, and "strong disagreements" are a healthy part of democracy, but "we're not enemies. We're Americans."
He called for an end to politics being more about "warfare" than actually getting things done for the country, and also dismissed Trump's calls to stop the counting of votes. "The way democracy works, your vote will be counted," Biden declared. "I don't care how hard people try to stop it. I will not let it happen. The people will be heard."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
How Canadian tariffs could impact tourism to the US
In the Spotlight Canadians represent the largest group of foreign visitors to the United States. But they may soon stop visiting.
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Entitlements: DOGE goes after Social Security
Feature Elon Musk is pushing false claims about Social Security fraud
By The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Amazon Bond
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Arab leaders embrace Egypt's Gaza rebuilding plan
Speed Read The $53 billion proposal would rebuild Gaza without displacing Palestinian residents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Germany's conservatives win power amid far-right gains
Speed Read The party led by Friedrich Merz won the country's national election; the primary voter issues were the economy and immigration
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia frees US teacher Marc Fogel in murky 'exchange'
Speed Read He was detained in Moscow for carrying medically prescribed marijuana
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Hamas pauses Gaza hostage release, upending ceasefire
Speed Read Hamas postponed the next scheduled hostage release 'until further notice,' accusing Israel of breaking the terms of their ceasefire deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Baltic States unplug from Russian grid, join EU's
Speed Read Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are disconnecting from the Soviet-era electricity grid to join the EU's network
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
At least 11 killed in Sweden adult ed school shooting
Speed Read The worst mass shooting in Swedish history took place in Orebro
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published