Joe Biden addressed the United States as president-elect for the first time Saturday evening in Wilmington, Delaware, hours after he was projected to win the presidential election.
Throughout the speech he thanked his wife, Jill, and the rest of his family, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and all his volunteers, while also singling out the support he received at the polls throughout the Democratic primary and general election from Black Americans. He then emphasized that he and Harris would immediately get to work on building a plan to control the coronavirus pandemic so they could hit the ground running in January.
A good portion of the speech was dedicated to finding some sort of middle ground in what many consider a deeply divided nation. Biden spoke directly to Americans who voted for President Trump (though he steered away from direct references to Trump himself) at one point, telling them: "Let's give each other a chance." He made it clear he intends to work with people across the aisle during his time in the Oval Office. "This is the time to heal in America," he said. Tim O'Donnell
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.
-
Jamaicans reeling from Hurricane MelissaSpeed Read The Category 5 storm caused destruction across the country
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
‘We feel closer to their struggles and successes’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
