Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware on the 2020 Election

[As prepared for delivery]

My fellow Americans.

Yesterday, we once again proved that democracy is the heartbeat of our nation.

Just as it has been for more than two centuries.

Even in the face of a pandemic, more Americans voted in this election than ever before.

Over 150 million votes were cast.

That is just extraordinary.

If we had any doubts, we shouldn't any longer:

Government of, by, and for the people is very much alive in the United States of America.

Here, the people rule.

Power can't be taken or asserted.

It flows from the people.

It is their will that determines who will serve as the President of this great nation.

And their will alone.

And now, after a long night of counting, it is clear we are winning in enough states to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

I am not here to declare that I have won.

I am here to report that when the count is finished, I believe I will be the winner.

With all the votes counted, we have won Wisconsin by 20,000 votes — virtually the same margin President Trump won the state by four years ago.

In Michigan, we lead by over 35 thousand votes and growing — a substantially bigger margin than President Trump won with in 2016. Michigan will complete its count soon.

I feel good about Pennsylvania. Virtually all the remaining ballots to be counted were cast by mail, and we are winning 78% of the votes by mail in Pennsylvania.

We have flipped Arizona and the 2nd Congressional District in Nebraska.

Of special significance to me is that we have won with a majority of the American people. And every indication is that majority will grow.

We have a popular vote lead of nearly 3 million votes.

And every indication is that will grow too.

Indeed, Senator Harris and I are on track to win more votes than any ticket in the history of this country has ever won for President and Vice President.

Over 70 million votes.

I am very proud of our campaign.

Only three Presidential campaigns in the past century have defeated incumbent Presidents. When it's finished, God willing we will be the fourth.

That's a major achievement.

This has been a long and difficult campaign. In a hard and difficult time for our country. But we have had hard campaigns before. We have faced hard times before.

So once this election is finalized and behind us it will be time for us to do what we have always done as Americans.

To put the harsh rhetoric of the campaign behind us. To lower the temperature. To see each other again. To listen to each other again. To hear each other again. To respect and care for one another again.

To unite. To heal. To come together again as a nation.

I know this won't be easy. I'm not naïve. Neither of us are. I know how deep and hard the opposing views are in our country on so many things.

But I also know this as well: To make progress we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy.

We are not enemies.

What brings us together as Americans is stronger than anything that can tear us apart.

So, let me be clear:

I campaigned as a Democrat, but I will govern as an American president.

The Presidency itself is not a partisan institution.

It is the one office in this nation that represents everyone.

It demands a duty of care. For all Americans.

And that is precisely what I will do.

I will work as hard for those who didn't vote for me as I will for those who did.

Now every vote must be counted. No one is going to take our democracy away from us. Not now. Not ever.

America has come too far. America has fought too many battles. America has endured too much to let that happen.

"We the People" will not be silenced. "We the People" will not be bullied. "We the People" will not surrender.

My friends, I'm confident that we will emerge victorious.

But this will not be my victory alone. It will be a victory for the people. For our democracy. For America.

There will be no red states and blue states if we win. Just the United States of America.

May God bless you and may God protect our troops.