They counted the ballots for three days and three nights. And as of Monday, Joe Biden has 279 electoral votes – he needed 270 – while Donald Trump has 214. So far, Biden received 75,647,035 votes, 50.60%, compared to 71,257,581 votes or 47.6% for Trump – resulting in Biden’s election as the 46th president of the United States of America.

But as the vote figures show, the country is deeply divided. That is why, for the first time in recent history, so many people turned out to vote.

It is the first time that the winner – but also the losing candidate – received so many votes.

In his impressive speech on Saturday night, Biden did what the moment called for. He turned the clock back … to the ‘good America’ we knew.

He correctly prioritized the problems facing the country. The Coronavirus. The economy. The environment. He embraced whites, blacks, immigrants, the disabled, gays, etc. Everyone.

He offered humility, gentleness, decency, substance. But most importantly, he extended an olive branch to those who did not vote for him.

He understands that the unity of the people is paramount. Without it, everything else will not work.

“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, I understand the disappointment tonight. […] I’ve lost a couple times myself. But now, let’s give each other a chance. It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again,” he said. 

And he continued: “To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans. The Bible tells us that to everything there is a season – a time to build, a time to reap, a time to sow. And a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America.”

This is the highest service that the newly elected President can offer to the country.

If he ensures this: if each of us gives the other an ‘opportunity,’ then there will be nothing that this country cannot achieve. The first thing on our agenda: the defeat of the Coronavirus.