How Obama and Biden’s Post-Election Speeches Compare after a Trump Win

President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Thursday, giving words of hope and perseverance, a stark contrast to his predecessor former President Barack Obama’s statement after Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss.

Harris lost to Donald Trump in the 2024 election, which was announced in the early hours of Wednesday after he secured Wisconsin. After Harris’ campaign came to an end, Democrats have promised for a peaceful transition on January 20. Even still, Biden told the American public they are not “defeated,” while Obama in 2016 shared more about their “significant differences.”

“Setbacks are unavoidable but giving up is unforgivable,” Biden said Thursday. “We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character is how quickly we get back up, as my dad would say. Defeat does not mean we are defeated.”

Biden, who had stepped down from the presidential campaign in July to allow for Harris to run, noted that while it is a “time for victory” for some people, it’s a “time of loss” for others.

“Campaigns are contests of competing visions. the country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made,” Biden said. “I said many times you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree.”

Biden said he spoke with both Trump and Harris since the results have been announced. In his call with Trump, Biden said the presidential elect assured him that his administration will work with his team “to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition” during Trump’s inauguration.

The president, however, spoke of bringing “down the temperature” throughout the country, and not seeing each other as “adversaries but as fellow Americans,” as well as people to “stay engaged” and “keep going.”

“We lost this battle. The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up. That’s the story of America for over 240 years and counting,” Biden said. “It’s the story for all of us, not just some of us. The American experiment endures.”

Eight years ago: Obama and Trump

In 2016, Obama noted that “everybody is sad when their side loses an election.” He called for people to remember they are “patriots first” rather than their party affiliations.

“Now, it is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences,” Obama said at the time, noting that the same was true for him and former President George Bush. “One thing you realize quickly in this job is that the presidency and the vice presidency is bigger than any of us…We all want what’s best for this country.”

Obama said in a call with Trump they spoke of a “sense of unity, a sense of inclusion” and that he hoped Trump “maintains that spirit through transition.”

Like Biden now, Obama had also promised a “peaceful transition of power.” He did tell his team, however, to “keep their heads up.”

He also spoke to young people in his speech in 2016, calling for them to “stay encouraged.”

“Don’t get cynical, don’t ever think you can’t make a difference,” Obama said. “A lot of our fellow Americans are exalted today, a lot of Americans are less so, but that’s the nature of campaigns, that’s the nature of democracy. It is hard and sometimes contentious and noisy and it’s not always inspiring.”

Obama had been active in Harris’ campaign since she launched in July, releasing a video endorsing her with his wife former first lady Michelle. He had joined Harris in her pursuits as the Democratic nominee during the last month of campaigning. He held rallies as well as recorded candidate-specific ads and issued fundraising emails and direct mail outs. At the Democratic National Convention, both Obamas expressed their support for Harris and encouraged Democrats to “do their part” to get her elected.

On Wednesday, Obama released a statement to X, formerly known as Twitter, expressing that the election results were “obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues.”