George W. Bush congratulates President-elect Joe Biden on his victory

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Former President George W. Bush congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday, sending a clear signal to other Republicans, including President Donald Trump, who are questioning the election results.

“Although there are political differences, I know that Joe Biden is a good man who won his chance to lead and unify our country,” Bush said in a statement. “The president-elect has reiterated that while he is running as a Democrat, he will judge all Americans. I have offered him the same thing I have shown Presidents Trump and Obama: My prayers for his success, and my pledge to help in any way I can.”

Bush, a Republican who also served as Governor of Texas, said he had spoken with the Democratic president-elect and thanked Biden for his “patriotic message last night” in his acceptance speech. He also said that he called Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Bush said Biden “has garnered the votes of more than 70 million Americans,” but indicated that Trump had the right to “request a recount and pursue legal appeals.”

“The American people can have confidence that these elections were fundamentally fair, that their integrity will be preserved and their results are clear,” Bush said. “The challenges facing our country require the best of President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris – and the best of all of us. We must come together for the sake of our families and our neighbors, for the sake of our nation and its future.”

Trump refused to compromise, saying the election was stolen and had made unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud. The president’s campaign has filed several legal challenges to challenge election results in the conflicting states. The judges in two of those cases – at Michigan And the Georgia The lawsuits were canceled because the campaign failed to provide evidence of a breach of laws. A federal judge The campaign request was also rejected To stop counting votes in Philadelphia, but he has ordered election officials to increase the number of people allowed in the room.