Speaking to the United States on Monday night after attaining the 270 electoral votes needed to become president, Biden urged Americans to not give election fraud or voter irregularities one further thought.
Biden said that the questions that were raised about election issues were “resolved through the legal processes.” He gave a civics lesson to America as to the nature of democracy, and criticized Trump’s efforts to secure a free and fair election.
Biden: "In America, when questions are raised about the legitimacy of elections, those questions are resolved through the legal processes. And that's precisely what happened here … all the counts were confirmed … none of this has stopped baseless claims." pic.twitter.com/ldVZ1y3ZmX
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 15, 2020
Biden claimed that the concerns that the Trump campaign and many GOP legislators had with regard to voter irregularities and election fraud were unwarranted. He endeavored to unify Americans, while discounting their concerns over voter fraud.
“More than 81 million of those votes were casts for me and Vice President-elect Harris. That too is a record. More than any ticket has received in the history of America,” Biden said.
“It represents a winning margin of more than 7 million votes over the number of votes cast for my opponent. Together, the Vice President-elect Harris and I earned 306 electoral votes, well exceeding the 270 electoral votes needed to secure victory.
“Three hundred six electoral votes is the same number of electoral votes that Donald Trump and Vice President Pence received when they won in 2016. At the time, President Trump calls the Electoral College tally a ‘landslide.’ By his own standards, these numbers represented a clear victory then, and I respectfully suggest they do so now.”
He said: “Even more stunning, 17 Republican Attorneys General, and 126 Republican members of the Congress, actually, they actually signed onto a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas,” Biden continued.
“It represents a winning margin of more than 7 million votes over the number of votes cast for my opponent. Together, the Vice President-elect Harris and I earned 306 electoral votes, well exceeding the 270 electoral votes needed to secure victory.
“Three hundred six electoral votes is the same number of electoral votes that Donald Trump and Vice President Pence received when they won in 2016. At the time, President Trump calls the Electoral College tally a ‘landslide.’ By his own standards, these numbers represented a clear victory then, and I respectfully suggest they do so now.”
He said: “Even more stunning, 17 Republican Attorneys General, and 126 Republican members of the Congress, actually, they actually signed onto a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas,” Biden continued.
Biden winds down his speech: "We have always set the example to the world for a peaceful transition of power. I know the task before us won't be easy. It is tempered by the pain so many of us are feeling today. Our nation passed a grim milestone. 300,000 deaths due to this virus" pic.twitter.com/hSDGAK6Pkg
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 15, 2020
“There’s a need for bold action to fight this pandemic,” newly minted President-elect told the nation. Through coughs and gurgles, Biden said “We’re still facing a very dark winter.
“There’s nearly 10 million COVID cases in the United States. Last week we topped a hundred and twenty thousand new cases on multiple consecutive days. Infection rates are going up. Hospitalizations are going up.”
Biden has said that upon taking office, he would ask all states to implement a mask mandate, forcing citizens to wear face coverings in public places and anyplace he has the authority to implement it.
Biden’s tone is a direct contrast to outgoing President Trump’s tone, who typically errs on the side of positivity and optimism to grim facts and asks for further sacrifice.
Story cited here.
