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US President Joe Biden will deliver a wrenching address to the nation on Thursday, promising a peaceful transfer of power to Donald Trump after his political nemesis won a stunning election victory against Kamala Harris.

In what is expected to be an agonizing moment for Biden, he will speak in the White House Rose Garden at 11 a.m. (4:00 p.m. GMT) to discuss “the election results and the transition” to Trump's second term.

The 81-year-old dropped out of the race against Trump in July, handing the Democratic nomination to Vice President Harris – but his legacy is now likely to be destroyed by the Republican's stunning comeback.

However, Biden appears determined to create a stark contrast with Trump, whose refusal to accept his own election defeat to Biden in 2020 culminated in the violent attack by Trump supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump falsely claimed election fraud, also refused to attend Biden's inauguration and did not allow an orderly transition.

The White House said Biden spoke with Trump on Wednesday and “expressed his commitment to a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together.”

Biden, meanwhile, struck a presidential tone by calling Trump and inviting him to a meeting at the White House, despite their long history of bitter hostility.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said Trump “looks forward to the meeting that will take place shortly and appreciated the call.”

It would be the first time they had met since Biden's disastrous debate performance against Trump in June, which forced him out of the race.

The United States and the world face a radically changed political landscape following Trump's stunning victory.

US voters supported Trump's hard-right policies and rejected Biden and Harris's record, particularly on the economy and inflation, exit polls showed.

World leaders quickly pledged to work with Trump, despite concerns in much of the world about his nationalistic “America First” approach and pledges to impose high tariffs on foreign imports.

Trump's decisions for his own White House team will be in the spotlight, with the world's richest man, Elon Musk, and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. both in line for the roles.

The Trump campaign's transition team said Wednesday that Trump would be looking for the “best people” “in the coming days and weeks.”

Equipped with a broad mandate, Trump 2.0 promises to be more unhindered than his first chaotic presidency – and could dismantle large parts of Biden's legacy.

Trump could begin by cutting off the incumbent's billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine's fight against Russian invasion in 2022.

He has repeatedly suggested he would end the war by pressuring Kiev to make territorial concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin, a man Trump has repeatedly praised.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him and call for a “just peace.”

Trump will also return to the White House as a climate change denier, ready to destroy Biden's green policies with his promise to drill, drill, drill for oil.

Ultimately, Biden's legacy should be a Harris victory that would keep Trump out of power – but many Democrats believe he waited too long to step aside for his running mate.

He paid tribute to Harris after her concession speech on Wednesday, saying: “What America saw today was the Kamala Harris that I know and deeply admire.”

However, Biden and Trump have one thing in common: age.

Trump, already 78, is on track to break Biden's record as the oldest president ever to serve during his four-year term. He will overtake Biden, who will step down in January at the age of 82.