Barack Obama Reacts to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's "Groundbreaking" Win

"The election results at every level show that our country remains deeply and bitterly divided."

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(Image credit: Patrick Smith)

Joe Biden is officially the president-elect of the United States, with Kamala Harris set to step into the role of Vice President. Former President Barack Obama released a statement on Twitter celebrating the news, and congratulating Biden and Harris.

"Congratulations to my friends, @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris — our next President and Vice President of the United States," he tweeted. Obama wrote in his statement, "I could not be prouder to congratulate our next President, Joe Biden, and our next First Lady, Jill Biden." He continued, "I also couldn't be prouder to congratulate Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff for Kamala's groundbreaking election as our next Vice President."

"In this election, under circumstances never experienced," he wrote, "Americans turned out in numbers never seen. And once every vote is counted, President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris will have won a historic and decisive victory."

Obama also praised Biden's fortitude: "Because when he walks into the White House in January, he'll face a series of extraordinary challenges no incoming President ever has — a raging pandemic, an unequal economy and justice system, a democracy at risk, and a climate in peril."

Obama also urged everyone, whether they voted for Biden or not, to support the new President. "So I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend him your support. The election results at every level show that our country remains deeply and bitterly divided."

Finally, Obama signed off with a note of encouragement: "Our democracy needs all of us more than ever. And Michelle and I look forward to supporting our next President and First Lady however we can."

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Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.