How Obama and Biden’s post-election speeches compare after a Trump win

President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Thursday and offered words of hope and perseverance – a stark contrast to the statement made by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, following the loss of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris lost to Donald Trump in the 2024 election, which was announced in the early hours of Wednesday after he secured Wisconsin. After Harris’ campaign ended, Democrats promised a peaceful transition on January 20. Still, Biden told the American public they were not “defeated,” while Obama in 2016 spoke more about their “significant differences.”

“Setbacks are inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable,” Biden said Thursday. “We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character is how quickly we get back up, as my father would say. Defeat does not mean we are defeated.”

Biden, who withdrew from the presidential campaign in July to allow Harris to run, noted that for some people it is a “time of victory” but for others it is a “time of loss.”

“Campaigns are competitions between competing visions. The country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country has made,” Biden said. “I have often said that you can’t just love your country when you win. You can’t love your neighbor just by agreeing.”

Biden said he has spoken with both Trump and Harris since the results were announced. In his phone call with Trump, Biden said the president-elect had assured him that his administration would work with his team to “ensure a peaceful and orderly transition” during Trump’s inauguration.

However, the president spoke of lowering the “temperature” across the country and seeing each other not as “adversaries but as fellow Americans” and as people who should “stay engaged” and “carry on.”

“We lost this fight. The America of your dreams challenges you to get back up. This has been the story of America for over 240 years and counting,” Biden said. “It’s the story for all of us, not just some of us. The American experiment continues.”

Eight years ago: Obama and Trump

In 2016, Obama noted that “everyone is sad when their side loses an election.” He urged people to remember that they are “patriots first,” not their party affiliation.

“It’s no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences,” Obama said at the time, noting that the same was true between him and former President George Bush. “One thing you quickly realize in this job is that the presidency and the vice presidency are bigger than any of us…We all want the best for this country.”

Obama said in a phone call with Trump that they spoke of a “sense of unity, a sense of inclusion” and that he hoped Trump “maintains that spirit throughout the transition.”

Like Biden, Obama also promised a “peaceful transition of power”. However, he told his team to “keep their heads up.”

In his 2016 speech, he also addressed young people and urged them to “stay encouraged.”

“Don’t become cynical, never think you can’t make a difference,” Obama said. “Many of our fellow Americans today are highly praised, many Americans are less so, but that is the nature of electoral campaigns, that is the nature of democracy. It’s hard and sometimes controversial and loud, and it’s not always inspiring.”

Obama has been active in Harris’ campaign since it launched in July, releasing a video supporting her alongside his wife, former first lady Michelle. He had supported Harris in her efforts to become the Democratic candidate in the last month of the campaign. He held rallies, recorded candidate-specific ads and sent fundraising emails and direct mail. At the Democratic National Convention, both Obamas expressed support for Harris and encouraged Democrats to “do their part” to get her elected.

On Wednesday, Obama released a statement to series of questions”.