Biden urges Americans to 'bring down the temperature', pledges peaceful transition to Trump

Mr Biden was speaking from the Rose Garden at the White House after Democrat Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump

President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House (Susan Walsh/AP)

US President Joe Biden spoke to the nation on Thursday in what was his first appearance on camera after Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris.

"For over 200 years, America has carried on the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world.