Washington- President Biden referred to Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election as a “setback” on Thursday morning, in his first address to the nation afterward Choice.

“Setbacks are inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable,” said President Biden. “A defeat does not mean we are defeated.”

He called on Americans to unite and said he accepted the election results.

“We accept the country’s decision,” he said. “I've said it many times: You can't just love your country when you win. You can’t just love your neighbor if you agree,” and he called for unity after the bitterly partisan election.

“I hope that no matter who you voted for, we can see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans,” he said. “Lower the temperature.”

He said he would direct his administration to work with the president-elect's team on a “peaceful and orderly transition of power.”

“For over 200 years, America has conducted the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world,” the president said in an address in the Rose Garden of the White House, continuing, “where the people, the people, vote and elect their own leaders and they do it peacefully. And where in a democracy the will of the people always prevails.”

The president also praised Harris' campaign in his brief remarks, which lasted about six minutes.

“She ran an inspiring campaign and everyone got to see something that I learned to respect so much early on — her character,” Mr. Biden said. “She has a backbone like a ramrod, she has great character, true character. She gave her whole heart and strength and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.”

It has only been four months since Mr. Biden was there is seeking re-election himselfbefore exiting the race and passing the baton to Harris. Now it will be handed over to Trump.

The president also said he hopes this election will dispel doubts about the integrity of poll workers and poll workers, a reference to Misinformation spread by Trump and Republicans about the 2020 election.

“I also hope that we can resolve the question of the integrity of the American electoral system – it is honest, it is fair and it is transparent,” Mr Biden said. “And you can trust him, win or lose.”

Mr. Biden spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris called her on Wednesday to congratulate her on her election campaign despite the defeat. In a statement Wednesday, as he endorsed her as a candidate, he said choosing Harris as his running mate was “the best decision I have made.”

In his conversation with Trump, the president said he also invited the president-elect to a meeting at the White House. The Trump campaign said the former president “looked forward to the meeting” and that Trump “really appreciated the call.”

During the campaign, Mr. Biden repeatedly portrayed a possible Trump return to the White House as a threat to democracy, and the two men have been bitter rivals since they met in the 2020 presidential election. After Mr. Biden's victory, Trump delayed the transition of power as he refused to accept the election results.

Harris officially admitted In a speech at her alma mater, Howard University, on Wednesday afternoon, she stressed the need to accept the election results while reaffirming her commitment to a peaceful transfer of power.

“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results,” Harris said. She said that this principle “distinguishes democracy from monarchy and tyranny.”

The vice president, the entered the campaign At the end of July, she said that while she admitted the election, “I don't admit the fight that fueled this campaign.”