Biden addresses nation in speech following Harris's loss: 'Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable'

President Biden addressed the nation from the White House on Thursday, a day after Vice President Kamala Harris conceded defeat in the race against Donald Trump.

This was the first time Biden publicly spoke since the 2024 election was called for Trump, although he did issue a statement praising Harris as “a tremendous partner and public servant full of integrity, courage and character.”

Speaking from the Rose Garden, Biden told reporters: "We accept the choice the country made."

"I've said many times: You can't love your country only when you win; you can't love your neighbor only when you agree," he said, reiterating that he will oversee a peaceful transition of power from his administration to Trump's.

Commenting on the election results and the voting process, Biden said, "It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent, and it can be trusted — win or lose."

Harris "has great character, true character," Biden said about his vice president of four years. "She and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran."

Both Biden and Harris called Trump to congratulate him on Wednesday afternoon. Biden also invited Trump to the White House to kick off transition preparations, although an exact date was unclear.

Biden told Democrats that "the America of your dreams is calling you to get back up — that's the story of America for 240 years and counting. It's the story for all of us, not just some of us. The American spirit endures."

"Together we’ve changed America for the better," Biden said about his presidency. "Now we have 74 days to finish the term, our term. Let’s make every day count."

The Associated Press called the presidential race around 5:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday after Trump won 276 electoral votes to Harris’s 223, although Trump declared victory at 2:30 a.m. ET during a speech to supporters at an election party in Florida.

"The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for," Harris told supporters on Wednesday from Howard University, her alma mater. "But hear me when I say — the light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting."

In the Rose Garden, Biden repeated the sentiment: "Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable."

In his statement Wednesday, Biden also emphasized how Harris launched her presidential campaign under “extraordinary circumstances” after he dropped out 107 days before the election because of pressure from the Democratic Party following his June debate performance.

Harris secured the Democratic nomination within two weeks but had about 100 days to sway voters compared with Trump, who announced his intention to run in November 2022 and clinched the Republican nomination in mid-March.