United States President-elect Donald Trump has called for national unity in an address to mark the Thanksgiving holiday.
In the wake of what he called a “long and bruising” election campaign he said emotions in the country were raw.
The time had come, he said, “to begin to heal our divisions” but added that “tensions just don’t heal overnight”.
Earlier he announced the appointment of two women to his cabinet, both of whom had been fiercely critical of him during the presidential campaign.
In his Thanksgiving address, Mr Trump acknowledged the bitterness still remaining after the bruising election campaign: “It doesn’t go quickly, unfortunately, but we have before us the chance now to make history together to bring real change to Washington, real safety to our cities, and real prosperity to our communities, including our inner cities.”
On Wednesday, Mr Trump announced that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was his pick for US ambassador to the United Nations, while Betsy DeVos has been chosen to be secretary of education.
Both are former critics of Mr Trump, with Mrs Haley once saying she was “not a fan”, and Mrs DeVos branding the Manhattan tycoon an “interloper”.
The appointments will need to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Mr Trump called Mrs Haley “a proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals”.
“She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage,” he added.
Mrs Haley said she was “moved” to accept the assignment and would stay on as South Carolina governor, pending her congressional confirmation.
During the Republican primaries, she supported Florida Senator Marco Rubio and then Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Mrs Haley also strongly attacked Mr Trump’s proposal to ban Muslim immigrants, describing it as “un-American”.
