Americans' mandate is to marshal forces of decency, hope: Joe Biden

In his maiden public address as President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden on Saturday (local time) said that the mandate of the American people was to marshal the forces of decency, fairness, science, and hope.

"Americans have called upon us to marshal the forces of decency, the forces of fairness and marshall the forces of science, and the forces of hope in a great battle of our time. The battle to control the virus, the battle to build prosperity, the battle to secure your families healthcare, the battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism," he said.

"The bible tells us to everything there is a season, a time to build, a tie to reap and a time to sow, and a time to heal. This is the time to heal America," said the former Vice President.

He further said that he understood the disappointment of those who had voted for President Donald Trump, but now it was time to put the harsh rhetoric behind and come together as a nation.

"Those who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment. I have lost a couple of times myself. But now let's give each other a chance. It is time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again, and to make progress. We have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies, they are not our enemies, they are Americans," he added.

Biden on Saturday became the President-elect of the United States after victory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania which took him past the electoral college threshold of 270 votes.

The Democratic presidential candidate defeated President Donald Trump in a closely contested election and will be the 46th president of the United States.