WashingtonA smiling Joe Biden has appeared at the White House to acknowledge Donald Trump‘s victory. “You can’t love your country only when you win,” said the still-democratic president, referring to Trump’s electoral denialism four years ago. The president, aware that this is also one of his last appearances before completely abandoning politics, has wanted to turn the defeat into a lesson in democratic principles and a reconciling message to Trump’s “internal enemy” vengeful that will sit in the Oval Office from January 20.
“We accept the decision the country has made. I’ve said many times that you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree with him. Something I hope we can do regardless whoever you voted for, is to see us not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans,” said Biden, who, like Kamala Harris did yesterday from Howard University, also sent a message of hope: ” Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated.”
Biden has referred to the overwhelming victory of Trump, who has a Supreme Court with a conservative majority and a Senate in Republican hands, as a “setback”. The president is aware of the dark times facing the country and the internal crisis brewing within the Democratic party in the wake of the defeat. “We will be fine, but we have to stay committed. We have to keep going. And above all, we have to keep the faith. I am very proud to have worked with all of you,” the president said.
More than a hundred days after he resigned from the candidacy amid pressure from the party, Biden is the first to be pointed out by his own as possibly responsible for the defeat. The Democrat’s stubbornness to run again for a second term and the fact that he held on to the candidacy until the last moment made it necessary to try to re-launch a new candidate with just over ninety days until the election. Harris was received with joy and enthusiasm, and the euphoria she unleashed among the Democrats returned the hopes of the party to be able to defeat Trump. But the polls have shown that it is not enough to just talk about hope and optimism: a defined agenda is needed.
Harris’ lack of definition could be explained by the speed with which the Democrats had to rebuild the candidacy, but it also stems from wanting to speak from the left with centrist speeches and policies. Two years ago, Harris was chairing a White House panel discussion and introducing herself by introducing her pronouns. A gesture of deference towards trans people. The campaign’s Harris had veered toward the center, saying on TV sets that she has a Glock at home and promising in speeches the “deadliest army” in the world.
Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders gave the following analysis of the defeat: “It shouldn’t surprise us too much that a Democratic Party that has abandoned the working class finds that the working class has abandoned it. While Democratic leaders defend the status quo, the American people are angry and want change.”
Biden appeared the day after Kamala Harris did to accept defeat from Howard University in Washington. More than 100 days after Biden resigned from the candidacy amid internal party pressure, the president recalled yesterday in a statement that choosing Harris “was the best decision I made.” The sentence is the same statement he already made in Chicago when he passed the testimony to Harris. This Wednesday she also praised her vice president again: “she has been a colleague and a public servant. She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone could see what I learned from the beginning to deeply respect: her character , an unshakable integrity”.
