WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden is scheduled to address the nation on Thursday after a shocking election defeat for his Democratic Party at the hands of Republican Donald Trump, whose return to the White House has echoed around the world.
The White House said that Biden, who stepped aside in July in favour of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee due to concerns about his mental acuity following a challenging debate with Trump, will speak at 11:00 am (1600 GMT).
Biden’s response is expected to highlight his contrasting approach to Trump, who had famously refused to accept his own 2020 election loss, a stance that contributed to the violent January 6, 2021, Capitol assault by his supporters.
Biden called to congratulate Donald Trump on his presidential election victory and invite him to meet at the White House. In a statement after Trump’s victory, the White House said Biden also committed “to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together.” Biden has also spoken with Harris, the White House added.
Republican former president Donald Trump won the United States presidential election 2024 bagging 277 electoral votes, Fox News reported. Rival Democrat Kamala Harris won 226 electoral votes, according to the report.
Trump’s victory also has significant implications for the judiciary. He has already appointed three US Supreme Court justices. According to the Associated Press, in his second term, the president-elect could well have a chance to name two more, creating a high court with a Trump-appointed majority that could serve for decades.
The decisive election outcome spares the court from having to wade into election disputes. It also seems likely to change the tenor of cases that come before the justices, including on abortion and immigration, AP reported.
Also Read: Trump’s Second Term: Major Shifts Ahead for Trade, Wars, Climate, Immigration?
The two eldest justices — Clarence Thomas, 76, and Samuel Alito, 74 — could consider stepping down knowing that Trump, a Republican, would nominate replacements who might be three decades younger and ensure conservative domination of the court through the middle of the century, or beyond.
Trump’s US presidential election victory has sent shockwaves through Black American communities, which voted overwhelmingly for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris despite a campaign by her Republican rival to court Black men.
While Trump made gains among Black Americans in North Carolina and some in the community celebrated his win, nationally his vote share among Black voters was unchanged in the Tuesday vote from 2020, according to an exit poll conducted by Edison Research, which showed a much larger swing towards Trump among Hispanic voters.
