PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — America has voted and in less than three months President-elect Donald Trump will be back in the Oval Office for a second time.
"I know for some people it's a time for victory — to state the obvious — for others, it's a time of loss," President Joe Biden said Thursday in a speech from the Rose Garden.
After a contentious campaign with pushback and protests, President Joe Biden said he's planning a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.
"You can't love your country only when you win," Biden said. "You can't love your neighbor only when you agree."
National Politics
Biden promises peaceful transition in address following Trump's victory
The president called the election honest, fair and transparent, saying he called Trump to congratulate him on his victory and commended Vice President Kamala Harris on her campaign.
"She's been a partner and a public servant," Biden said. "She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much: her character," Biden said. "She gave her whole heart and effort, and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran."
Harris conceded the election to Trump on Wednesday, congratulating him on his victory.
The election results were disappointing for the people who voted for Harris.
"At what point did you realize things weren't going your way?" WPTV reporter Joel Lopez asked Democratic voter Peyton Laporte.
"I went to bed around 10 o'clock," Laporte said. "I was done."
He feels the process of how Harris was selected as the Democratic nominee worked against her as well as the shorter time frame she had to campaign.
"I think Trump's economic systems are flawed," Laporte said. "He has more power in this year's election with winning the Senate and winning the House and he's already packed the judicial system, so I'm a little worried about what he's going to do with that."
Democrats are preparing for four years of Republican leadership at the White House. Only six of Florida's 67 counties voted for Harris, but two were in South Florida.
"Here in Palm Beach County, we won," Claudia Mendoza, the president of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus in Palm Beach County, said. "Most of the positions that we had on the slate won."
Mendoza said of the 27 Democrats they endorsed this election cycle, at least 17 won.
"It's important because that means our hard work paid off," Mendoza said.
Mendoza spent election night at the watch party for Joel Flores, who won Palm Beach County Commission District 3.
Harris beat Trump by less than 1% in Palm Beach County.
"She didn't win because the country is not ready. It's not ready for women," Mendoza said. "Being a woman is very hard, and we need to show up every day, and she was prepared."
Mendoza said it's time for Democrats to strategize and help elect more women to leadership roles.
"How do we fix that?" Lopez asked.
"How? Getting allies, getting people out of their comfortable zone," Mendoza said. "We need more women in power positions. We need more women supporting women. We need more women going to work without being criticized, without being bullied just because they're a woman."
Law enforcement in Palm Beach County and on the Treasure Coast said there have been no violent protests or other issues since Election Day.
Mendoza believes Democrats will remain peaceful as Biden's term ends.
"That's the voice of the people," Mendoza. "As you see, no one is saying 'Oh, somebody stole the election.' In the end, the president should be the president for everyone. ... We the community, we are here to keep going and look toward the future."
