Joe Biden: ‘We Must Restore the Soul of America’ (Full Transcript)

Full text of President-elect Joe Biden’s acceptance and victory speech in Wilmington, Delaware on November 7, 2020. Joe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States.

Best quote from this speech:

‘I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify, who doesn’t see red states or blue states but who only sees the United States.’

Listen to the MP3 Audio here:

TRANSCRIPT:

Joe Biden – 46th President of the United States of America

Hello, my fellow Americans, and the people who brought me to 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?

[Audience: Yes, it is!]

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.

And 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. 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. And 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.

I’ll have the honor of serving with a fantastic vice president. 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 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. They’re Americans.