Obama: ‘I could not be prouder’; Hillary Clinton: ‘A new page for America’

Three former Democratic presidents and other Democratic notables have congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden and US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory in the 2020 US presidential elections.

Biden was widely projected Saturday to defeat US President Donald Trump after days of closely watched ballot-counting in a number of battleground states, effectively bringing the hotly contested election to an end.

Former president Barack Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president for eight years, said he “could not be prouder” to congratulate Biden and Harris.

In a statement Saturday, Obama said Biden has “got what it takes to be President and already carries himself that way,” and will enter the White House facing “a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming President ever has.”

Acknowledging that the election revealed the nation remains bitterly divided, Obama said, “I know he’ll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart, whether or not he had their vote.”

He added: “I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support.”

Biden reached out to the former president in one of his first calls as president-elect, according to his campaign.

Former secretary of state and first lady Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in 2016, lauded the “repudiation of Trump,” which she said would open “a new page for America.”

Her husband, former US president Bill Clinton tweeted, that “America has spoken and democracy has won.” The 42nd president also predicted Biden and Harris would “serve all of us and bring us all together.”

America has spoken and democracy has won. Now we have a President-Elect and Vice President-Elect who will serve all of us and bring us all together. Congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on your momentous victory!

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) November 7, 2020

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, said in a statement Saturday that he and his wife, Rosalynn, were “proud” of the Democrats’ “well-run campaign and seeing the positive change they bring to our nation.”

Harris will become the first woman to hold the vice presidency. Hillary Clinton was the first woman to be a major party nominee for president. She won almost 3 million more votes than Trump but fell short in key battleground states to lose the Electoral College.

The Biden-Harris ticket was able to flip several of those states, including Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, Michelle Obama took to Twitter to say that she was “beyond thrilled” that Biden had been elected president and that his running mate, Kamala Harris, is “our first Black and Indian-American woman” as vice president.

In a series of tweets, the former first lady said the pair would “restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House.”

I’m beyond thrilled that my friend @JoeBiden and our first Black and Indian-American woman Vice President, @KamalaHarris, are headed to restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House. Our country sorely needs it. pic.twitter.com/yXqQ3tYRoa

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 7, 2020

But Michelle Obama also warned supporters that voting in elections for candidates who win “isn’t a magic wand.”

“Let’s remember that tens of millions of people voted for the status quo, even when it meant supporting lies, hate, chaos and division,” she tweeted, in a swipe at Trump. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to reach out to these folks in the years ahead and connect with them on what unites us.”

Trump has yet to concede the election results, making unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud and the election being stolen from him, and vowing to take his fight to the courts.