In his first speech after securing the White House, President-elect Joe Biden made an appeal to supporters of President Donald Trump.
Vice president-elect Kamala Harris paid tribute to Black women who "so often prove they are the backbone of our democracy."
"For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight," Biden told the crowd of supporters late Saturday. "I've lost a couple times myself. But now, let's give each other a chance. It's time to put away the harsh rhetoric."
President-elect Joe Biden addresses the nation at the Chase Center November 07, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Trump has not conceded the race to Biden, pursuing legal challenges over ballot counts in several states.
Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, is the first woman to be elected to the vice presidency. She noted her ascension to the role comes 100 years after the 19th Amendment was ratified and 55 years after the signing of the Voting Rights Act, which expanded who could participate in American democracy.
Harris praised Biden for having "the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country" by selecting a woman as his running mate.
"Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a county of possibilities," Harris said.
The remarks were some of the most direct she has delivered about her history-making role as Biden's running mate. Harris said voters chose hope, unity, decency, science and truth in choosing she and Biden over President Trump.
Harris wore a white pantsuit in tribute to women's suffrage.
She also opened her remarks with a tribute to the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis, a Civil Rights icon, who said democracy is not a state but an act. Harris will also be the first Black woman to serve as vice president.
Biden pledged to be a president "who seeks not to divide but to unify."
Biden delivered his first remarks as president-elect at a victory party in Wilmington after he was officially declared the winner of the presidential election earlier Saturday. Biden jogged onto the stage while music played wearing a black suit, black mask and light blue tie. He pointed and waved at the screaming crowd gathered to hear him speak.
Echoing his campaign stump speech, Biden promised to be a president who "doesn't see red states or blue states, only sees the United States," and said he would work "with all my heart" to win the confidence of all Americans.
"I sought this office to restore the soul of America, to rebuild the backbone of this nation - the middle class - and to make America respected around the world again, and to unite us here at home," Biden added.
Biden touted the fact that he's won more votes than any presidential ticket in history, calling his win "a convincing victory, a victory for the people." He also said he was "surprised" by seeing the celebrations and an "outpouring of joy" in the wake of his win nationwide.
Biden said that "once again, America's bent the arc of the moral universe more toward justice."
