USA Biden: Peaceful transfer of power to Trump on January 20

Following Donald Trump's election victory, US President Joe Biden has promised a peaceful handover of power on January 20. "I will fulfill my duty as president. I will fulfill my oath, and I will honor the Constitution. There will be a peaceful transfer of power here in America on January 20th." He intends to make full use of his last days in office.

Trump had refused to recognize the result after his defeat against Biden four years ago. He tried unsuccessfully to challenge it in court and also stayed away from Biden's inauguration. Now Trump has accepted Biden's invitation for a meeting at the White House.

"Giving up is unforgivable"

At the same time, Biden encouraged the supporters of his Democrats after the devastating defeat of their candidate Kamala Harris against Trump. "Setbacks are inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable," said the President in the Rose Garden of the White House. "Defeat does not mean we have been defeated." You have to keep fighting for the America you dream of, he said.

Trump clearly prevailed against Harris and also won a clear majority of the votes cast nationwide for the first time: According to US media, the Republican received at least just under 73 million votes based on the count so far. Harris received almost five million votes less, around 68 million.

"Electoral system is honest, fair and transparent"

Biden also took the opportunity to emphasize the reliability of the democratic process in the USA. "I hope that we can finally put the question of the integrity of the American electoral system to rest. It's honest, it's fair and it's transparent, and you can trust it - win or lose," said the Democrat.

During the election campaign, Trump had repeatedly cast doubt on whether the vote would be conducted correctly and accused the Democrats of trying to cheat.

SDA