By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-06 20:41:54 | Updated at 2024-11-06 22:46:19
2 hours ago
President Joe Biden has called Donald Trump to congratulate him for his dominant victory over Kamala Harris and invited him to the White House.
The 81-year-old commander-in-chief extended the olive branch to the president-elect a week after calling his supporters 'garbage' and hours after he was confirmed as his successor.
The White House confirmed Biden and Trump spoke on the phone on Wednesday afternoon and 'emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together' as well as a 'smooth transition'.
It was a similar tone Kamala Harris took when she called the 78-year-old to finally concede the election after Trump swept the majority of the swing states.
Trump and Biden frequently exchanged very personal jabs during the campaign, with the Republican targeting the president's decline and the Democrat saying he was the sort of person he would like to 'smack in the a**'.
Biden has said he will go to Trump's inauguration, after the president-elect skipped his in 2020 and instead flew straight to Mar-a-Lago.
Harris had a warning for the president-elect, lecturing him even as she congratulated him.
President Joe Biden has called Donald Trump to congratulate him for his dominant victory over Kamala Harris and invited him to the White House
'She discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans,' a senior Harris aide said.
Harris, during her campaign, repeatedly vowed to a be a president 'for all Americans.'
She will concede to the nation at Howard University later today - almost 12 hours after the election was called for her Republican rival. Trump is spending the day at his home at Mar-a-Lago.
The calls came hours after Trump was declared the winner, leaving Democrats reeling and in shock.
Harris's concession call, which was confirmed shortly before 2 pm ET, came after Michigan was called for the president-elect, giving him the third state in the 'blue wall' of states that would decide the election.
Trump's team confirmed the Harris call and said the president-elect acknowledged Harris' 'professionalism' and 'tenacity.'
The 81-year-old commander-in-chief extended the olive branch to the president-elect a week after calling his supporters 'garbage' and hours after he was confirmed as his successor
Trump and Biden met on the debate stage in June in a performance that sparked the litany that forced the Democrat to drop out of the race
Kamala Harris called Trump 78-year-old to finally concede the election on Wednesday, hours after her defeat was confirmed
'President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier today where she congratulated him on his historic victory,' Trump communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
'President Trump acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country.'
Trump now has 292 electoral votes to Harris' 224. It takes 270 to win the presidency.
Harris is on track to do worse than Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential election. She could even be on pace to have the worst Electoral College result of any Democrat since the 1988 race.
Democrats were counting on the 'blue wall' to give Harris the White House. But Trump won the trio of states - Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
