President-elect Joe Biden accepted the job Saturday night in a speech from his home state of Delaware, promising to rebuild a country torn apart by multiple crises after four years of chaotic rule from President Donald Trump.
“I pledge to be a president who does not seek to divide, but unify, who doesn’t see red states or blue states, only sees the United States,” Biden said, adding later: “The Bible tells us that to everything there is a season — a time to build, a time to reap, a time to sow. And a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America.”
Biden made clear in the speech that he has two major priorities: slowing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as reuniting a country torn apart by heavily polarized politics and Trump’s harsh rhetoric. He promised to unveil a task force of top advisers on the pandemic on Monday, and has previously promised to aggressively expand testing capacity once in office.
Biden boasted he had put together the “broadest, most diverse coalition in history” in order to win key swing states including Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and suggested he would use his time in office to combat climate change, improve health care coverage and battle systemic racism.
He also directly addressed Trump supporters: “I understand your disappointment tonight. I’ve lost a couple of times myself,” Biden said. “But let’s give each other a chance.”