President-elect Joe Biden addressed the country on Monday night after the Electoral College finalized his victory, saying the election was "honest, free, and fair" and "once again, the American rule of law, our Constitution, and the will of the people prevailed. Our democracy — pushed, tested, threatened — proved to be resilient, true and strong."
Biden celebrated that "more Americans voted this year than have ever voted in the history of the United States of America," with over 155 million people "determined to have their voices heard and their votes counted." This "clear victory" should be "celebrated, not attacked," Biden said. Politicians are granted power by the voters, and "the flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. We now know nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power, can extinguish that flame."
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 touched on President Trump's dozens of attempts to overturn the election, saying more than 80 judges heard from his lawyers and "in every case, no cause or evidence was found to reverse or question or dispute the results." He called out the Republican attorneys general and members of Congress who signed onto the Texas election lawsuit, which was unanimously shot down by the Supreme Court. This was "a position so extreme, we've never seen it before," Biden said, and was "immediately and completely rejected."
The president-elect called for unity, and asked people to work with him to "lower the temperature" so the country can move forward amid the pandemic. "Faith in our institutions held," he said. "The integrity of our elections remains intact. And so, now it is time to turn the page. To unite. To heal."
-
Judge rejects top state charges in Mangione caseSpeed Read If convicted, Mangione faces up to life in state prison
-
UN panel finds Israeli genocide in GazaSpeed Read The report found that Israeli leaders had committed ‘four of the five “genocidal acts”’ prohibited under the U.N. Genocide Convention
-
Trump allies reportedly poised to buy TikTokSpeed Read Under the deal, U.S. companies would own about 80% of the company
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
