BY\u00a0BRIAN BENNETT<\/a>, <\/a>NOVEMBER 7, 2024 <\/p>\n\n\n\n President Joe Biden stepped into the Rose Garden Thursday to acknowledge Donald Trump\u2019s victory<\/a> over his Vice President Kamala Harris.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden has been here before. Eight years ago, he stood in the same spot next to outgoing President Barack Obama after the Democrats suffered a stinging defeat from Donald Trump. Then, Biden wore a red tie, an outward sign of civility toward Republicans. This time it was Biden\u2019s turn to be the gracious loser. \u201cIn a democracy, the will of the people always prevails,\u201d Biden said. He promised a \u201cpeaceful and orderly\u201d transition from his Administration to Trump\u2019s. \u201cThat\u2019s what the American people deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for Harris\u2019 loss, Biden praised her for running an \u201cinspiring\u201d campaign and said the country got to see what he had learned early on about Harris, that she has \u201ctrue character\u201d and \u201ca backbone like a ramrod.\u201d Biden said \u201cwe accept the choice\u201d the country made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More:<\/strong> How Trump Won<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden made a pointed rebuke to Trump\u2019s unwillingness to accept his electoral loss in 2020. \u201cYou can\u2019t love your country only when you win. You can\u2019t love your neighbor only when you agree.\u201d He implored his fellow Americans to \u201cbring down the temperature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden has invited Trump to meet him in the White House, as Obama did, and promised, in the interest of the country, to open up federal agencies to Trump\u2019s incoming team so they are prepared to take over when Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden\u2019s openness is in stark contrast to Trump\u2019s actions after Biden defeated him. Trump denied <\/a>he lost, launched scores of unfounded legal challenges, pressured state election officials to find him votes, created slates of fake electors, and encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol Building in a violent and failed attempt to overturn his loss on Jan. 6, 2021<\/a>. During Trump\u2019s manufactured turmoil, his Administration refused to allow Biden\u2019s team to be briefed on the work of the federal agencies, including critical national security agencies like the Pentagon, the CIA, and the Homeland Security Department charged with keeping the country safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But for Biden, the contrast is the point. A major reason Biden launched his run for President in 2019 was to restore faith in the country\u2019s democratic process that Trump had shattered. Biden ran on the promise that he would \u201crestore the soul\u201d of the country. Accepting the results of Trump\u2019s win, encouraging Democrats to follow suit, and working in the interest of the country to help Trump start his second Presidency with the information and preparation Trump had denied him, is all part of Biden\u2019s larger civic project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n