The president-elect emphasized how he would handle the pandemic response.
Joe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump. ABC News characterized Joe Biden as the apparent winner of his home state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 vote threshold needed to capture the presidency.
The hard-fought battle against the president was set against the backdrop of racial unrest and the coronavirus pandemic and bitter divisions among the electorate.
Trump had falsely declared on election night, when he held a lead in several key states, that he won the contest and alleged without evidence, after the count started to swing the other way, that the election was being stolen from him and that fraud had been committed.
Painting the election as a "battle for the soul of the nation," Biden won on a message of unity over division, compassion over anger, and reality over what he called Trump's "wishful thinking" as the coronavirus pandemic cast a heavy shadow over the campaign.
The 2020 election has shattered voting records with votes totaling 147 million and counting, surpassing the 138 million who voted in 2016.
When Biden concluded his remarks, his family joined him on stage, followed by Harris and her relatives.
"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 -- and I hope it can provide some comfort and solace to the ... Americans who have lost a loved one through this terrible virus this year," he said.
"'And he will raise you up on eagles' wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, and make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand,'" Biden said, quoting "On Eagles Wings." "And now together on eagles' wings, we embark on the work that God and history have called 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."
Biden promised not to divide, but to unify.
"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," he said to cheers, applause and car horn honks.
"The refusal of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another, it’s 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," he continued.
"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, he told us 'yes, we can,'" he added. "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."
Biden then returned to the message he used to kick off his campaign.
"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," he said. "Tonight, the whole world is watching America. And I believe at our best, America is a beacon for the globe."
Biden wasted no time in making his first promise as president-elect, saying he would form a team to work on defeating COVID-19 on Monday. He said it would begin to implement its plan on Jan. 20, the day of his inauguration.
"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 20, 2021," he said. "That plan will be built on bedrock science."
While on the campaign trail, Biden often set out to show the difference between his approach to the coronavirus pandemic and President Donald Trump's inconsistent approach that often antagonized science. The U.S. set records for most cases each of the last three days, crossing 100,000 cases each time.
"Folks, our work begins with getting COVID under control," Biden said. "We cannot repair the economy, restore our vitality or relish life's most precious moments, hugging our grandchildren, our children, our birthdays, weddings, graduations, all the moments that matter most to us until we get it under control."
