Joe Biden said late Friday that he was set to win the presidency based on the election results so far, and ready to start work.
He declared that the American people had given him and his Democratic running mate, Kamala Harris, a “mandate for action” on the most pressing issues the country faces.
Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, as he stood only one state away from the required 270 electoral votes to win, Biden said he was all but certain to win and was already getting to work on issues ranging from climate change to the coronavirus.
It was his first public address since overtaking President Donald Trump’s lead in the key states of Georgia and Pennsylvania on Friday morning.
Still, Biden emphasized the importance of waiting for the final tallies and urged confidence in the electoral system — a sharp contrast to claims of mass fraud from Trump.
In a sign that his mind is already focused on a presidential transition, Biden emphasized the need to get the coronavirus pandemic under control and made an allusion to his economic recovery plan, Politico reports.
He mentioned that he and Harris had already met with health policy and economic experts to find the best course to solve the myriad issues facing his would-be administration.
“While we’re waiting for the final results, I want people to know we’re not waiting to get the work done,” Biden said.
