WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden addressed the nation Thursday following Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, urging Americans to “accept the choice the country has made” and encourage his supporters ” to get up’.

“We accept the choice the country has made,” he said in brief remarks from the White House Rose Garden. ‘I have often said that you cannot love your country only when you win. You cannot love your neighbor unless you agree.”

Biden’s speech comes exactly four years after he was declared the winner of the 2020 election against Trump, who for years insisted those results were rigged and tried to overturn them.

“I will do my duty as president: I will fulfill my oath and I will honor the Constitution. On January 20, we will have a peaceful transition of power here in America,” Biden said Thursday, after encouraging voters across the political spectrum to “lower the temperature.”

Biden acknowledged that his administration’s achievements have not yet been felt by the American people and suggested it will take years for the effects to be felt. He said the legislation he signed into law is only now “really taking off,” adding that $1 trillion in infrastructure work will be done and change the lives of people in rural communities and other places experiencing hardship.

“It will take time to get this done,” he said, adding that he will be leaving “the strongest economy in the world” behind him.

He also urged Americans disappointed by Harris’s loss not to give up.

“Setbacks are inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable. We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my father would say, is how quickly we get back up. Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated.” Biden said. ‘We have lost this battle. The America of your dreams calls on you to rise again.”

Trump’s victory was a brutal blow to Democrats who hoped to elect Harris as the first female president. Instead, Trump expanded his base and captured several battleground states that Biden flipped in 2020: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Harris conceded to Trump by phone Wednesday morning and addressed her supporters in remarks later in the day at Howard University, her alma mater.

“Earlier today I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will assist him and his team in their transition and that we will achieve a peaceful transfer of power,” she said.

She added: “A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results.”

Biden also called Trump and congratulated him on his victory.

“President Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country closer together,” the White House said. “He also invited President-elect Trump to meet with him at the White House. Staff will coordinate a specific date in the near future.”