Friday Briefing: Biden promises a peaceful transition

Briefing|Friday Briefing: Biden promises a peaceful transition

Biden promised an orderly transition to Trump

President Biden urged Americans to accept the election of Donald Trump and vowed that there would be an orderly transfer of power.

“The American experiment endures,” Biden said at the White House yesterday. “We’re going to be OK, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going, and above all, we need to keep the faith.”

After his victory, Trump shifted his focus to filling positions in his new administration with loyalists ready to deliver on his campaign promises. His expansive agenda would reshape government, foreign policy, national security, economics and domestic affairs as broadly as any modern president has before him.

After winning the Senate, Republicans inched closer to keeping control of the House with three victories in Pennsylvania. Control of both chambers in Congress would give Trump an easier path to carrying out sweeping new proposals.

Meanwhile, Democrats faced a largely powerless future as party leaders grappled with how deeply they underestimated Trump’s hold on the nation. In interviews, lawmakers and strategists tried to explain Vice President Kamala Harris’s defeat, pointing to misinformation, the war in Gaza, a toxic Democratic brand and the party’s approach to transgender issues.

More on the election result

• Australia’s ambassador to the U.S. has deleted posts on X that were critical of Trump.

• China is bracing for a new phase of rivalry with the U.S., though its economic problems may limit its options for pushing back.

• In 2016, social media was awash in calls to protest Trump’s victory. After his win this time, many said it seemed like business as usual.

• After Trump’s victory, the mood is shifting in Russia. Some see an opportunity for President Vladimir Putin.

• Elon Musk gave Trump his money and time on the campaign trail. What does he expect in return?

• From Opinion: Our columnists break down what the worst version of a second Trump administration would be.