Former President Barack Obama (D) is celebrating with President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris after being declared the winners of the election against President Donald Trump.
Obama congratulated Biden and Harris in a statement he issued on Twitter.
He acknowledged Harris’s “groundbreaking election as our next Vice President.”
“In this election, under circumstances never experienced, Americans turned out in numbers never seen. And once every vote is counted, President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris will have won a historic and decisive victory,” Obama said.
He added, “We’re fortunate that Joe’s got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way. Because when he walks into the White House in January, he’ll face a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming President ever has – a raging pandemic, an unequal economy, and justice system, a democracy at risk, and a climate in peril.”
Congratulations to my friends, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris — our next President and Vice President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/febgqxUi1y
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 7, 2020
Obama urged Americans to back Biden and called for unity amid a deeply divisive time.
“I know he’ll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote. So I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support,” Obama said.
He continued, “The election results at every level show that the country remains deeply and bitterly divided. It will be up to not just Joe and Kamala, but each of us, to do our part – to reach out beyond our comfort zone, to listen to others, to lower the temperature and find some common ground from which to move forward, all of us remembering that we are one nation, under God.”
The former president expressed his appreciation for those who “worked, organized, and volunteered” for Biden’s campaign.
He encouraged Americans to “stay engaged” because it is crucial for “this democracy to endure.”
Obama argued, “Our democracy needs all of us more than ever. And Michelle and I look forward to supporting our next President and First Lady however we can.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Biden to offer him their congratulations, as IJR previously reported.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took to twitter to praise Biden and Harris.
“The voters have spoken, and they have chosen [Joe Biden] and [Kamala Harris] to be our next president and vice president. It’s a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Onward, together,” Clinton said.
The voters have spoken, and they have chosen @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris to be our next president and vice president.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 7, 2020
It's a history-making ticket, a repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Onward, together. pic.twitter.com/YlDY9TJONs
Trump has yet to accept the results of the election, as IJR previously reported.