POOL

Wilmington, Delaware - 14 December 2020

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Biden, U.S. President-elect:

"And once again in America, the rule of law, our Constitution and the will of the people prevailed. Our democracy - pushed, tested, threatened - proved to be resilient, true and strong. The electoral college votes which occurred today, reflect the fact that even in the face of a public health crisis unlike anything we have experienced in our lifetimes - the people voted. They voted in record numbers. More Americans voted this year than have ever voted in the history of the United States of America. Over 155 million Americans were determined to have their voices heard and their votes counted."  

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Biden, U.S. President-elect:

"In the start of this pandemic, this crisis, many were wondering how many Americans would vote at all? But those fear proved to be unfounded. We saw something very few predicted, or even thought possible. The biggest voter turnout in the history of the United States of America. A number so big that this election now ranks as the clearest demonstration of the true will of the American people. One of the most amazing demonstrations of civic duty we've ever seen in our country. It should be celebrated, not attacked."

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Biden, U.S. President-elect:

"What beats deep in the hearts of the American people is this: democracy. The right to be heard, to have your vote counted, to choose leaders of this nation, to govern ourselves. In America politicians don't take power. People grant power to them. 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 flame."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASHES++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Biden, U.S. President-elect:

"One of the extraordinary things we saw this year was that every day Americans, our friends and our neighbors, often volunteers, Democrats, Republicans, independents, demonstrating absolute courage. They showed a deep and unwavering faith in and a commitment to the law. They did their duty in the face of a pandemic. And then they could not and would not give credence to what they knew was not true. They knew this election was overseen, was overseen by them and was honest. It was free and it was fair. They saw it with their own eyes and they wouldn't be bullied into saying anything different was truly remarkable because so many of these patriotic Americans are subject to so much enormous political pressure, verbal abuse and even threats of physical violence. Oh, we all wish that our fellow Americans in these positions will always show such courage and commitment to free and fair elections. It is my sincere hope we never again see anyone subjected to the kind of threats and abuse we saw in this election. It's simply unconscionable."

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4301815

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden tells Americans on Monday that democracy "prevailed" as electors across the country cast votes affirming his victory in last month's election.

"And once again in America, the rule of law, our Constitution and the will of the people prevailed," Biden said in a speech from his longtime home of Wilmington, Delaware.

Biden hoped to guide Americans past the tumult of the campaign and President Donald Trump's refusal to accept defeat.

"What beats deep in the hearts of the American people is this: Democracy," Biden said. "The right to be heard. To have your vote counted. To choose the leaders of this nation. To govern ourselves."

After garnering a record of more than 81 million votes, Biden is trying to build momentum as he prepares to assume the presidency on Jan. 20. But he's faced headwinds as Trump has refused to concede and has instead pursued baseless legal challenges that have been roundly rejected by judges across the political spectrum, including the justices at the Supreme Court.

Though Trump's actions have threatened core democratic norms, including the peaceful transfer of power, Biden will argue that America's system of government remains in tact.

"In America, politicians don't take power — the people grant it to them," Biden will say. "The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing — not even a pandemic — or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame."

Whether his message of unity will have any effect remains to be seen. Republicans have mostly continued to back Trump and his unsubstantiated claims of a rigged election and, even once Biden takes power, are unlikely to give him any of the traditional honeymoon period.