Joe Biden told Americans that “Democracy prevailed” in a prime-time speech on Monday, as he criticized President Trump’s attempts to challenge the results of the 2020 race.

The president-elect — who gave his most forceful attack on Trump’s post-election tactics to date — repeatedly cleared his throat throughout the address, delivered hours after the Electoral College solidified his victory.

“Once again in America, the rule of law, our Constitution and the will of the people prevailed,” Biden said from his home of Wilmington, Delaware.

“Our democracy — pushed, tested, threatened — proved to be resilient, true and strong.”

With a record turnout of more than 155 million, the election “should be celebrated, not attacked,” Biden said.

“The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing — not even a pandemic or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame.”

The Democrat suggested that his Electoral College win of 306 — two more than Trump’s in 2016 — is a signal that his Republican opponent should finally accept his own defeat in this year’s election.

“At the time, President Trump called the Electoral College tally a landslide. By his own standards, these numbers represented a clear victory then,” Biden said, “and I respectfully suggest they do so now.”

The president-elect noted the “dozens and dozens and dozens of legal challenges” brought by the Trump campaign, saying: “They were heard.  And they were found to be without merit.”

“This election was honest. It was free and it was fair,” Biden said.

He specifically called out a lawsuit from Texas — struck down by the US Supreme Court on Friday — that had sought to overturn the certified votes of four swing states Biden won.

“It’s a position so extreme we’ve never seen it before,” Biden said. “A position that refused to respect the will of the people, refused to respect the rule of law, and refused to honor our Constitution.”

He added: “The Court sent a clear signal to President Trump and his allies that they would be no part of this unprecedented assault on our democracy.”

Biden also praised state and local officials and election workers for standing by the results despite facing political pressure and threats.

“We owe these public servants a debt of gratitude. They didn’t seek the spotlight, and our democracy survived because of them,” he said.

Biden ended the speech on a unifying note, vowing once again to be “a president for all Americans.”

“We may come from different places and hold different beliefs, but we share a love for this country. A belief in its limitless possibilities,” he said.

The US has “always set the example for the world for the peaceful transition of power,” Biden added, “We will do so again.”