President Obama, Trump, Clinton unite for peaceful power transfer

It was a vote for national interest yesterday as Democrat Hillary Clinton congratulated victorious Republican Donald Trump and pledged to work with the president-elect to lift the United States.

In her concession speech, amid thunderous applause by her supporters, Clinton said: “Last night I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for, and I’m sorry we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country.

“But I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built together. This vast, diverse, creative, energized campaign. You represent the best of America, and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honours of my life.

“I know how disappointed you feel, because I feel it too. And so do tens of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this effort. This is painful, and it will be for a long time.

“But I want you to remember this.
Our campaign was never about one person, or even one election. It was about the country we love and building an America that is hopeful, inclusive, and big-hearted. We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But I still believe in America, and I always will. And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.”

In the speech reported by the Voice of America (VOA), the former Secretary of State noted: “Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power. We don’t just respect that. We cherish it. It also enshrines the rule of law; the principle we are all equal in rights and dignity; freedom of worship and expression. We respect and cherish these values, too, and we must defend them.”

Addressing his supporters after his victory, Trump, in a report by Reuters, said: “I’ve just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us on our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very hard-fought campaign. I mean, she fought very hard.

“Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country. I mean that very sincerely.

“Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division; have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me.

“For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country.”

Donald Trump will visit the White House today to meet with President Obama, who phoned his successor yesterday morning to offer congratulations.

“From the White House residence, the president phoned Donald Trump to congratulate him on his victory early this morning,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a report by Reuters.

“The president invited the president-elect to meet with him at the White House on Thursday, November 10th, to update him on the transition planning his team has been working on for nearly a year,” Earnest added.

It is standard practice for the outgoing president to meet the president-elect shortly after the election is decided in order to smoothen the transition process.

“Ensuring a smooth transition of power is one of the top priorities the president identified at the beginning of the year and a meeting with the president-elect is the next step,” Earnest added.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Trump on his victory in the presidential election.

Other Nigerian leaders who congratulated Trump include the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.