America’s presidential election winner, Joe Biden has said it is “time to heal” the US in his first speech as president-elect, vowing not to divide but to unify the country.
“Let’s give each other a chance,” he said at an event in Delaware addressing those who did not vote for him.
Biden defeated incumbent President Donald Trump following a cliff-hanger vote count after Tuesday’s election.
President Trump has yet to concede and has not spoken publicly since his defeat was announced while he was playing golf.
The result makes Mr Trump the first one-term president since the 1990s. His campaign has filed a barrage of lawsuits in various states but election officials say there is no evidence that the vote was rigged against him, as he has claimed.
Celebrations erupted in major cities after media outlets announced Mr Biden’s victory on Saturday. Disappointed Trump supporters demonstrated in some cities but there were no reports of incidents.
Biden, who won more than 74 million votes so far, the most ever for a US presidential candidate – hailed the “diverse” support he gathered during the campaign, and thanked African-American voters in particular.
But he also reached out to Trump supporters directly. He said,
“It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again,” Mr Biden said, without mentioning his rival in the election. “And to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as enemies.”
