On Saturday, November 7, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris made their first appearance since news of their victory, addressing the nation in Wilmington, Delaware.
Biden and Harris received the most votes ever cast for a U.S. presidential ticket, an especially impressive feat when you consider the election occurred in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ahead of Biden’s first address, Harris—who will be the first woman to hold the office of Vice President of the United States, as well as the first vice president who is Black and of South Asian descent, making history—wore all white, a nod to the suffragette movement.
“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Harris said to the crowd. “Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
“Dream with ambition,” she said to all the little girls watching. “Lead with conviction, and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before. But know that we will applaud you every step of the way.”
Watch the full speech below.
Biden took to the stage following Harris, declaring a “time of healing” for the American people.
“This is a time to heal in America. Now, this campaign is over. What is the will of the people? What is our mandate? I believe it’s this: Americans have called upon us to marshal the forces of decency, the forces of fairness, to marshal the forces of science, and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time. The battle to control the virus, the battle to build prosperity, the battle to secure your family’s healthcare. The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country. The battle to save our planet by getting the climate under control. The battle to restore decency, defend democracy, to give everybody in this country a fair shot. That’s all they’re asking for. A fair shot,” he said in the widely praised speech that touched on COVID-19, racial injustice, climate change, and bringing the country together.
Biden also spoke directly to those who voted for President Trump.
“Let’s give each other a chance,” he said. “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric. Lower the temperature. See each other again. Listen to each other again. And to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies, they are Americans.”
Biden also gave a mention to his wife, Dr Jill Biden—a full-time English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, who plans to continue teaching, potentially becoming the only first lady to hold a paid job outside the White House.
“Jill is gonna make a great first lady and I am so proud of her,” he said.
The President-elect also recognised the huge achievement of his running mate, Kamala Harris.
“The first black woman—woman of south Asian descent, of immigrant parents—elected in this country,” he said. “We are reminded tonight of so many people who fought so hard to make this happen. I can define America in one word—possibilities.”
