WASHINGTON — President Biden grinned and cheerfully greeted staff before proclaiming “setbacks are unavoidable” in his first public remarks since Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election in spectacular fashion.
Biden, 81, touted his own legacy and blew a kiss to his outgoing team Thursday morning — while not dwelling on Harris, 60, coming up short against President-elect Donald Trump after the incumbent was forced to step aside by fellow Democratic leaders who questioned his mental acuity.
He also called on Americans to come together — despite his own heated rhetoric last week calling Donald Trump’s supporters “garbage.”
“Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my dad would say, is how quickly we get back up,” Biden said in the 7-minute speech in the Rose Garden.
“Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling on you to get back up.”
Biden hailed his own legacy during his address, saying that many of the impacts of infrastructure and environmental spending packages would not be felt fully until a decade from now.
“You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree,” Biden said — despite his own offensive language about the Republican nominee’s supporters last Tuesday.
“Something I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans and bring down the temperature,” Biden said.
“We accept the choice the country made,” he said.
Biden said that Harris ran an “inspiring” campaign and “gave her whole heart and effort.”
“She and her entire campaign should be proud of the campaign that she ran.”
Biden was forced to give up the Democratic presidential nomination in late July — giving Harris an abbreviated 107-day campaign that began strong in polling and fundraising before flopping in all seven swing states.
The outgoing president bitterly clung to power and refused to stand aside after a dismal June 27 debate with Trump — but former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and former President Barack Obama and their allies ultimately forced him out.
