Obama congratulates Biden, Harris after race is called, urges Americans to ‘stay engaged’

Former President Obama congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the vice president-elect, on Saturday after they were projected to win the race for the White House against President Trump and Vice President Pence. 

Obama lauded the pair on social media, noting “Kamala’s groundbreaking election as our next Vice President.” Harris is the first female vice president-elect, first Black vice president-elect and first Asian American vice president-elect.

“In this election, under circumstances never experienced, Americans turned out in numbers never seen. And once every vote is counted, President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris will have won a historic and decisive victory,” Obama said

Congratulations to my friends, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris — our next President and Vice President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/febgqxUi1y

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 7, 2020

Biden has won the most votes for any presidential candidate in U.S. history, garnering more than 74 million votes as of Saturday afternoon.

The Associated Press, NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS and other news outlets called the race for Biden on Saturday morning.

Obama in his Saturday statement said “We’re fortunate that Joe’s got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way. Because when he walks into the White House in January, he’ll face a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming President ever has – a raging pandemic, an unequal economy and justice system, a democracy at risk, and a climate in peril.

“I know he’ll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote. So I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support,” he continued. “The election results at every level show that the country remains deeply and bitterly divided. It will be up to not just Joe and Kamala, but each of us, to do our part – to reach out beyond our comfort zone, to listen to others, to lower the temperature and find some common ground from which to move forward, all of us remembering that we are one nation, under God.”

The former president, whom Biden served with as his vice president, also thanked volunteers and organizers who worked with Biden’s campaign. Obama called on all Americans to “stay engaged” following the election and added that “our democracy needs all of us more than ever.”

Former first lady Michelle Obama also took to social media to congratulate Biden and Harris, saying that the officials “are headed to restore some dignity, competence, and heart ad the White House. Our country sorely needs it.”

The former first lady also called on Americans to stay engaged, tweeting that “voting in one election isn’t a magic wand, and neither is winning one.” 

“Let’s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division. We’ve got a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us,” she tweeted, in an apparent swipe at the Trump administration.

I’m beyond thrilled that my friend @JoeBiden and our first Black and Indian-American woman Vice President, @KamalaHarris, are headed to restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House. Our country sorely needs it. pic.twitter.com/yXqQ3tYRoa

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 7, 2020

Let’s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos, and division. We’ve got a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us.

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 7, 2020

Trump on Saturday signaled that he would not accept Biden being projected as the winner of the presidential election and vowed to fight the results in court.