President Joe Biden addressed the nation following President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. During the address, Biden pledged to peacefully transfer power to Trump, stating, “I will do my duty as president, I’ll fulfill my oath, and I will honor the Constitution. On January 20th we’ll have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.” Biden also said he spoke with Trump, congratulating him on his victory over Harris:
Yesterday I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory. And I assured him that I have directed my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve.
Others responded to Trump’s landslide victory, as well. Representative Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is among Democratic Party politicians pledging to oppose Trump, stating on X, “Not. Going. Quietly. You’re not either. Let’s get loud. And let’s get going.”
On February 17, Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) made remarks at the Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C. He said Democrats needed to play “defense and offense” in the 2024 presidential election, stating:
What can be put into the Constitution can slip away from you very quickly. The greatest example, going on right now before our very eyes, is Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which they’re just disappearing with a magic wand as if it doesn’t exist even though it could not be clearer what it’s stating. … They want to kick it to Congress, so it’s going to be up to us on January 6, 2025 to tell the rampaging Trump mobs that he’s disqualified. And then we need body guards for everybody, and civil war conditions all because the nine justices, not all of them, but these justices — who have not many cases to look at every year, not that much work to do, a huge staff, great protection — simply do not want to do their job and interpret what the great 14th Amendment means.
Raskin denied saying last week that “we won’t be certifying the election,” and that he would not accept the results of the 2024 presidential election, calling it a “fictional” quote. While not addressing the concern regarding his actual comments, he stated in a post on X:
This fictional “quote” is 100% fabricated. It’s one more lie in the stream of right-wing lies designed to undermine our election. Despite this actionable libel and all the disinformation, America is having a free and fair election and Congress will certify the winner.
