Joe Biden to Deliver Address to Nation as Donald Trump Plans Cabinet Selections | US News
US President Joe Biden is set to address the nation this afternoon following Donald Trump’s surprising victory in an extraordinary political comeback.
Mr Biden, who was replaced as the Democrats’ presidential candidate by vice president Kamala Harris due to concerns about his mental fitness, will speak at 4pm (UK time) according to the White House.
He has already released a statement praising Ms Harris for her leadership in a historic campaign that embodied strong moral values and vision for the nation.
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Today will mark the first appearance of the president addressing the country directly.
Mr Biden reached out to Mr Trump to congratulate him on his resounding victory in the US presidential election on Wednesday.
He has also extended an invitation to the man he succeeded in the White House four years ago for a meeting in the Oval Office to facilitate the transition of power.
Both the current president and the president-elect will collaborate as the administrations undergo the leadership change process.
Ms Harris reached out to Mr Trump to concede the election and congratulate him last night. She expressed her pride in the campaign they ran but emphasized the importance of accepting the election results in a speech in Washington.
Mr Trump, who views his return to power as the beginning of a “golden age of America”, has maintained a low profile and refrained from public appearances after declaring victory to supporters in Florida yesterday morning.
The 78-year-old made history as the first defeated president in over a century to be reelected to the Oval Office, as well as the first president with a criminal conviction to win a second term.
He is also facing additional criminal and civil charges.
Experts predict that his election win could halt the criminal cases against him for the duration of his presidency.
Despite refusing to concede defeat four years ago, inciting a violent insurrection at the US Capitol, being convicted of felonies, and surviving assassination attempts, the real estate mogul and former reality star told his supporters that he believes God has spared him for a reason.
He stated, “This victory is a remarkable one for the American people and will enable us to ‘make America great again’.”
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Contrary to most predictions and polls, Mr Trump secured over 270 Electoral College votes and secured a second term with key victories in five swing states: North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
He is also leading in Arizona and Nevada (which are yet to be called), according to Sky’s US partner NBC News, and is on track to win all seven swing states.
Upon his election as president-elect, Mr Trump received congratulatory calls from world leaders and will now begin the process of selecting his administration for his second term in the White House.
He may consider significant shifts in US foreign and domestic policies.
Mr Trump has previously expressed intentions to resolve Russia’s conflict in Ukraine if given another term in office.
He has also been a vocal critic of NATO, suggesting that the US may withdraw from the alliance.
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