-Hello, my fellow Americans and the people
who brought me to the dance, Delawareans.
I see my buddy Senator Tom Carper down there,
and I think Senator Coons is there,
and I think the governor's around.
Is that Ruth Ann?
And now former governor Ruth Ann Minner.
Most importantly, my sisters-in-law
and my sister Valerie.
Anyway.
Folks, the people of this nation have spoken.
They've delivered us a clear victory,
a convincing victory, a victory for we the people.
We've won with the most votes
ever cast for a presidential ticket
in the history of the nation, 74 million.
Well, I must admit it surprised me.
Tonight, we've seen all over this nation,
all cities in all parts of the country,
indeed across the world, an outpouring of joy,
of hope, renewed faith, and tomorrow bring a better day.
I'm humbled by the trust and confidence you've placed in me.
I pledge to be a president
who seeks not to divide but unify,
who doesn't see red states and blue states,
only sees the United States, and work with all my heart,
with the confidence of the whole people,
to win the confidence of all of you.
For that is what America, I believe, is about.
It's about people.
And that's what our administration
will be all about.
I sought this office to restore the soul of America,
to rebuild the backbone of this nation, the middle class,
and to make America respected around the world again
and to unite us here at home.
It's the honor of my lifetime
that so many millions of Americans
have voted for that vision.
And now the work of making that vision is real.
It's a task, the task, of our time.
Folks, as I said many times before,
I'm Jill's husband, and I would not be here
without her love and tireless support of Jill,
and my son Hunter and Ashley, my daughter,
and all our grandchildren and their spouses
and all our family.
They're in my heart.
Jill's a mom, a military mom, an educator.
She's dedicated her life to education.
But teaching isn't just what she does.
It's who she is.
For American educators, this is a great day for you all.
You're going to have one of your own in the White House.
And Jill's going to make a great First Lady.
I'm so proud of her.
And I'll have the honor of serving
with a fantastic vice president,
who you just heard from Kamala Harris,
who makes history as the first woman,
first Black woman, the first woman from South Asian descent,
the first daughter of immigrants ever elected in this country.
Don't tell me it's not possible in the United States.
It's long overdue.
And we're reminded tonight of those who fought so hard
for so many years to make this happen.
But once again, America's bent the arc of the moral universe
more toward justice.
Kamala, Doug, like it or not, you're family.
You've become an honorary Biden.
There's no way out.
To all those of you who volunteered and worked the polls
in the middle of this pandemic, local elected officials,
you deserve a special thanks from the entire nation.
To my campaign team and all the volunteers,
and all who gave so much of themselves
to make this moment possible, I owe you.
I owe you. I owe you everything.
And to all those who supported us,
I'm proud of the campaign we built and ran.
I'm proud of the coalition we put together,
the broadest and most diverse coalition in history --
Democrats, Republicans, independents, progressives,
moderates, conservatives, young, old, urban, suburban, rural,
gay, straight, transgender, white, Latino,
Asian, Native American.
I mean it, especially in those moments
and especially for those moments
when this campaign was at its lowest ebb,
the African-American community stood up again for me.
You've always had my back, and I'll have yours.
I said at the outset I wanted this campaign
to represent and look like America.
We've done that.
Now that's what I want the administration
to look like and act like.
For all those of you who voted for President Trump,
I understand the disappointment tonight.
I've lost a couple of times myself.
But now let's give each other a chance.
It's time to put away the harsh rhetoric,
lower the temperature, see each other again,
listen to each other again.
And to make progress,
we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies.
They are not our enemies.
They're Americans.
The Bible tells us to everything,
there's a season, a time to build,
a time to reap and a time to sow,
and a time to heal.
This is the time to heal in America.
Now, this campaign is over.
What is the will of people?
What is our mandate?
I believe it's this --
American have called upon us to marshal the forces of decency,
the forces of fairness, to marshal the forces of science
and the forces of hope in the great battles of our time,
the battle to control the virus, the battle to build prosperity,
the battle to secure your family's healthcare,
the battle to achieve racial justice
and root out systemic racism in this country
and the battle to save our planet
by getting climate under control,
the battle to restore decency, defend democracy,
and give everybody in this country a fair shot.
That's all they're asking for -- a fair shot.
Folks, our work begins with getting COVID under control.
We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality,
or relish life's most precious moments --
hugging our grandchildren, our children on our birthdays,
weddings, graduations,
all the moments that matter most to us --
until we get it under control.
On Monday, I will name a group of leading scientists
and experts as transition advisors,
to help take the Biden-Harris COVID plan
and convert it into an action blueprint
that will start on January the 20th, 2021.
That plan will be built on bedrock science.
It will be constructed out of compassion,
empathy, and concern.
I will spare no effort, none, or any commitment
to turn around this pandemic.
Folks, I'm a proud Democrat,
but I will govern as an American president.
I'll work as hard for those who didn't vote for me
as those who did.
Let this grim era of demonization in America
begin to end here and now.
The refusal of Democrats and Republicans
to cooperate with one another
is not some mysterious force beyond our control.
It's a decision, a choice we make.
And if we can decide not to cooperate,
then we can decide to cooperate.
And I believe that this is part of the mandate
given to us from the American people.
They want us to cooperate in their interests,
and that's the choice I'll make.
And I'll call on Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike,
to make that choice with me.
The American story is about slow yet steadily
widening the opportunities in America.
And make no mistake --
too many dreams have been deferred for too long.
We must make the promise of the country real for everybody,
no matter their race, their ethnicity, their faith,
their identity, or their disability.
Folks, America has always been shaped by inflection points,
by moments in time where we've made hard decisions
about who we are and what we want to be --
Lincoln in 1860 coming to save the Union,
FDR in 1932 promising a beleaguered country a new deal,
JFK in 1960 pledging a new frontier,
and 12 years ago when Barack Obama made history
and told us, "Yes, we can."
Well, folks, we stand at an inflection point.
We have an opportunity to defeat despair,
to build a nation of prosperity and purpose.
We can do it. I know we can.
I've long talked about the battle for the soul of America.
We must restore the soul of America.
Our nation is shaped by the constant battle
between our better angels and our darkest impulses,
and what presidents say in this battle matters.
It's time for our better angels to prevail.
Tonight, the whole world is watching America,
and I believe, at our best,
America is a beacon for the globe.
We will lead not only by the example of our power,
but by the power of our example.
I know I've always believed, and many of you heard me say it,
I've always believed we can define America in one word --
possibilities.
That in America everyone should be given an opportunity
to go as far as their dreams
and God-given ability will take them.
You see, I believe in the possibilities of this country.
We're always looking ahead,
ahead to an America that's freer and more just,
ahead to an America that creates jobs with dignity and respect,
ahead to an America that cures diseases like cancer
and Alzheimer's,
ahead to an America that never leaves anyone behind,
ahead to an America that never gives up, never gives in.
This is a great nation.
It's always been a bad bet to bet against America.
We're good people.
This is the United States of America.
And there's never been anything, never been anything,
we've been not able to do when we've done it together.
Folks, in the last days of the campaign,
I began thinking about a hymn that means a lot to me
and my family, particularly my deceased son, Beau.
It captures the faith that sustains me
and which I believe sustains America.
And I hope it can provide some comfort and solace
to the 230,000 Americans who've lost a loved one
due to this terrible virus this year.
My heart goes out to each and every one of you.
Hopefully, this hymn gives you solace, as well.
And it goes like this.
"And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
and make you just shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of His hand."
And now together on eagle's wings,
we embark on the work
that God and history have called upon us to do.
With full hearts and steady hands,
with faith in America and in each other,
with love of country, a thirst for justice,
let us be the nation that we know we can be,
a nation united, a nation strengthened,
a nation healed, the United States of America.
Ladies and gentlemen, there's never,
never been anything we've tried and not been able to do.
So, remember, as my grandpappy said
when I walked out of his home,
when I was a kid up in Scranton, he said, "Joey, keep the faith."
And our grandmother, when she was alive,
she yelled, "No, Joey.
Spread it."
Spread the faith.
God love you all.
May God bless America and may God protect our troops.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
♪ Your love lifting me ♪
♪ higher than I've ever been lifted before ♪
♪ So, keep it up Quench my desire ♪
♪ And I'll be at your side forever more ♪
♪ You know your love ♪
♪ Your love keeps lifting me ♪
♪ Keep on lifting Love keeps lifting me ♪
♪ Higher Lifting me ♪
♪ Higher and higher ♪
♪ I said your love ♪
♪ Your love keeps lifting me ♪
♪ Keeps on ♪
♪ Bring me a higher love ♪
♪ Oh Bring me a higher love ♪
♪ Where's that higher love I keep thinking of? ♪
♪ Bring a higher love, love ♪
♪ Bring a higher love ♪
♪ Bring a higher love, love ♪
♪ Bring me a higher love ♪
♪ Bring a higher love, love ♪
♪ Bring a higher love ♪
♪ Bring a higher love, love ♪