Biden appeals for unity in speech on eve of Thanksgiving

President- elect asks us to ‘ steel our spines’ for fight against COVID- 19.

WILMINGTON, DEL. — In a time of plague and raw division, President- elect Joe Biden appealed for unity Wednesday in a Thanksgiving- eve address to the nation asking Americans to “steel our spines” for a fight against the coronavirus that he predicted would continue for months.

What happened

But even as he implored Americans to join in healing and common purpose, President Donald Trump asserted that the election should be overturned.

What Biden said

With COVID- 19 cases surging nationwide, Biden called on Americans to take precautions to try to stem the tide of the virus, by wearing masks and practicing social distancing. He said that he himself was t aking precautions around Thanksgiving and eschewing his traditional large family gathering, instead spending the holiday with just his wife, daughter and son- in- law.

“This is the moment when we need to steel our spines, redouble our effor t s and recommit ourselves to this fight,” Biden said in remarks in Wilmington on Wednesday. “We’re all in this together.”

Biden’s remarks came as COVID19 cases are surging nationwide. Hospitalizations, deaths and the testing positivity rate were also up sharply as the nation approached Thanksgiving, and public health experts have warned that the large family gatherings expected for the holiday are likely to extend and exacerbate the surge.

What’s next

Bi den has s ai d t urning t he tide of the pandemic will be the top priorit y of his administration once he takes office in January, and he’s made multiple public remarks urging Americans to embrace mask- wearing and social di st ancing guidel i n e s t o c o mbat the spread. The Democratic president- elect formed a coronavirus advisory board of scient i s t s , d o c t o r s and public health experts, and he plans to establish a COVID- 19 coordinator in the White House to lead his administration’s response.

This week, however, Biden focused beyond the crisis stateside and unveiled his national security team on Tuesday, including his nominees for secretary of state, director of national intelligence and U. S. ambassador to the United Nations. Drawing implicit contrasts with President Trump throughout the event, Biden said that the team “reflects the fact that America is back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it.” He’s also expected to name Janet Yellen as treasury secretary in the coming weeks.

The president- el ec t ’s t e am has begun the next phase of its transition preparations after the Trump- appointed head of the General Services Administration declared Biden the “apparent winner” of the election, removing a major roadblock to cooperation between Biden’s staff and their counterparts in the Trump administration.

Trump has refused to concede the election.

Joe Biden