Joe Biden lambasts Trump for defying Constitution, says US Supreme Court delivered clear message

After the US Electoral College certified President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the Presidential Election, Biden on Monday (local time) said that President Donald Trump refused to respect and accept the will of the people by not conceding.

Biden in a virtual address said that the Supreme Court of the United States 'made it clear' that the Apex court in the country would not be a part of Trump's "unprecedented assault" on democracy.

"It's a position so extreme, we've never seen it before. And the position that refused to respect the will of the people, refused to respect the rule of law and refused to honor our Constitution. Thankfully, a unanimous Supreme Court immediately and completely rejected this effort," he added.

"For the past few weeks, officials in each state, commonwealth and district -- without regard for political party or preference -- have certified the winning candidate. Today, members of the Electoral College representing the certified winner, cast their vote for President and Vice President of the United States. Once again, the rule of law and our Constitution prevailed. Our democracy was pushed, threatened but proved to be too resilient and strong," Biden said.

The former Vice-President turned President-Elect said that the Electoral College votes which took place on Monday reflect that even as the US is the worst-affected by the pandemic, "the people voted -- they voted in record numbers".

"More Americans have voted this year than, they 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. We saw something that even a few predicted, saw possible. This election now ranks as the clearest demonstration of the true will of the American people. It should be celebrated, not attacked," he added.

Biden clinched 306 electoral votes, well exceeding the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the White House -- which was the same number of electoral votes that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence received when they won in 2016 against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"At the time, President Trump calls the Electoral College tally a landslide. These numbers represented a clear victory then, and I respectfully suggest they do so now. If anyone didn't know before, they know now," Biden said.

He added, "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."

The President-elect further went on to attack Trump saying that in the US it is not the politicians who take power but "people grant power to them" further rubbishing his claims of a "corrupt election" by saying, "It was honest, it was free and it was fair."

"The Trump campaign brought dozens and dozens and dozens of legal challenges to test the result. They were heard again and again, and each of the time they were heard, they were found to be without merit," Biden said.

"The Court sent a clear signal to President Trump that they would be no part of an unprecedented assault on our democracy. Even President Trump's own cybersecurity chief, overseeing our elections, said it was the most secure election in American history, and summarily is let go," he added.

The President-elect said that in the battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed "faith in our institutions held, the integrity of our elections remains intact."

Biden pledged that he would work "just as hard" for those who did not vote for him as much as those who did.

"There's urgent work in front of us. Getting this pandemic under control and getting the nation vaccinated against this virus, delivering immediate economic help so badly needed by so many Americans who are hurting today, and then building our economy back better than it ever was," he added.

Biden expressed condolences as the US passed the grim milestone of 300k COVID-19 deaths. "My heart goes out to each of you in this dark winter of the pandemic, about to spend the holidays and the new year with a black hole in your hearts, without the ones you loved at your side," he said.

The final Electoral College results are 306 for Biden and 232 for Trump. The electoral votes will be sent to the US Congress for verification at a joint session, the final stage of the election, which is scheduled for January 6.

(ANI)

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