Biden promises to work for smooth transition to Trump administration

US President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Thursday after a stinging election defeat for his Democratic Party at the hands of Republican Donald Trump, whose stunning political comeback has reverberated around the world.

Biden urged Americans to "bring down the temperature" on Thursday following Republican Donald Trump's election victory and sought to console fellow Democrats who were alarmed by the former president's stunning comeback.

"Setbacks are unavoidable. Giving up is unforgiveable," Biden said at the White House Rose Garden as he addressed staff who were disappointed in Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat. "A defeat does not mean we are defeated."

 Biden said on Thursday that he will work to ensure that the transition from his own administration to the incoming Donald Trump administration will be a smooth one. 

“Yesterday, I spoke with president-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory, and I assured him that I direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve,” Biden said.

He added that he hoped Trump's recent win in the 2024 presidential election would put to bed his doubts on the validity of the 2020 election.

"You can't love your country only when you win. You can't love your neighbor only when you agree. Something to hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature," he said in a Rose Garden address. "I also hope we can lay to rest a question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair and it is transparent. It can be trusted, win or lose."

Biden, who was replaced in July as the Democrats' candidate in the race by Vice President Kamala Harris due to concerns about his mental acuity after a stumbling debate with Trump, will speak to address the nation, the White House said.

Harris sought on Wednesday to console the voters who had hoped she would become the first woman to win the White House. She, like Biden, has promised to aid Trump's transition between now and his inauguration on Jan. 20 but said she was not prepared to embrace his vision for the country.

Trump's campaign said Biden had invited him to a meeting at the White House at an unspecified time.

Former President Trump's victory, surprisingly decisive after opinion polls that had shown a neck-and-neck contest ahead of Tuesday's election, underscored how disenchanted Americans had become with the economy - in particular the effect of inflation on their standard of living - border security and the direction of the country and its culture.

Hispanics, traditionally Democratic voters, and lower-income households hit hardest by inflation helped fuel the victory. Harris' campaign had sought to press the message that Trump was unfit to serve again as president, as a convicted felon and one whose false claims of voting fraud after his 2020 election defeat spurred a mob to storm the US Capitol.

This time, Trump prevailed in five of the seven battleground states to push him past the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency and was leading in the remaining two, Arizona and Nevada, where votes were still being tallied.

He was also on track to become the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote since George W. Bush two decades ago.

Republicans wrested control of the US Senate from Democrats, ensuring Trump will control at least one chamber of Congress next year. It is unclear if they will retain their majority in the US House of Representatives, with dozens of races not yet called.

US stocks rallied to close at record highs on Wednesday after Trump's victory, with investors expecting lower taxes, deregulation, and a US president who is not shy to weigh in on everything from the stock market to the dollar. However, fresh tariffs could bring challenges in the form of a higher deficit and inflation.

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Trump will select personnel to serve under his leadership in the days and weeks ahead, his campaign said on Wednesday.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a prominent Trump donor, has been promised a role in his administration, as has former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson are seen as possible new entrants to his administration. At the same time, former Trump officials Robert O'Brien and Mike Pompeo could return to office.

On trade, Trump is expected to revive policies he favored during his first term, notably tariffs that he has called the "most beautiful word."

That could set him on a collision course with China, which has the world's second-largest economy, sow discord with allies, and roil global industries from automakers to chipmakers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent Trump a congratulatory message and said he hopes the two powers will coexist peacefully and achieve win-win cooperation, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was among the world leaders who congratulated Trump. But Trump has been critical of Biden's assistance for Ukraine in its war with Russia. He said he could end the war in 24 hours but did not offer a detailed plan.

The White House plans to rush billions of dollars in security assistance to Ukraine before Biden leaves office in January, sources said on Wednesday, hoping to shore up the government in Kyiv before Trump takes over.