WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Joe Biden said Monday that US democracy proved “resilient” against Donald Trump’s “abuse of power” after the Electoral College confirmed him as the next president, shutting the door further on unprecedented efforts to overturn the results.
In his first extended attack on Trump since the election, Biden said in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, that the president and his allies “refused to respect the will of the people, refused to respect the rule of law, and refused to honor our constitution.”
Biden was referring to a Republican lawsuit, supported by Trump, that sought to overturn the results in several key states, before it was rejected unanimously by the Supreme Court last Friday.
Biden praised voters for casting ballots in record numbers on November 3 despite fears of Covid-19 and “enormous political pressure, verbal abuse and even threats of physical violence” against those running the election.
“The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power can extinguish that,” Biden said.
“Our democracy — pushed, tested, threatened — proved to be resilient, true, and strong.”
Biden said that Trump has had full opportunity to contest the results in court and “in every case no cause or evidence was found to reverse or question or dispute.”
With the Electoral College having formalized his victory just hours earlier, Biden told the bitterly divided country: “It’s time to turn the page.”
“I’m convinced we can work together for the good of the nation,” he said.
