Biden acknowledges "variety of emotion" facing staff post-election, but says take pride in accomplishments

 President Joe Biden acknowledged the “variety of emotion” people are facing in the wake of the election, telling White House staff on a call Wednesday evening that they should take pride in what they’ve accomplished together, according to a source on the call.

Biden also praised Vice President Kamala Harris as a person of “extraordinary character, integrity, courage,” adding “she’s been the best vice president I could’ve hoped for.”

It marked the first time the president has spoken to a wide swath of staff since former President Donald Trump beat Harris in Tuesday’s election.

“While I am sure you’re all feeling a variety of emotion today, I hope there’s one emotion you didn’t lose sight of. That’s pride, pride in everything we’ve accomplished,” the president said.

The president ticked through a number of initiatives he believes will have lasting impact on the country, including recovering from the pandemic, lowering health care costs, climate change investments, the bipartisan infrastructure law, and restoring American leadership on the world stage.

“The work you’ve done here, the legislation, you’ve helped pass, changes you’ve helped make are going to have a gigantic impact,” he said, “not only now but for years and decades to come.”

“For the rest of our lives, I hope you look back with pride in all you’ve done to make a giant difference for America, the American people and for the world,” he added.

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients closed out the call by thanking staff for their work, saying they’ve “set a very high standard for effective government” that will be the standard for “decades to come.”

Zients said the teams will receive information about the next stages of the transition in the coming days.