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VICE President Kamala Harris has conceded the 2024 election but vowed to continue fighting following her crushing landslide defeat to Donald Trump.
Harris chose not to speak to supporters on election night despite the early voting results indicating Trump was on pace to sweep the vice president in key battleground states, including those located in the “Blue Wall” region.
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The upbeat vice president emerged on stage at the campus of Howard University on Wednesday afternoon, hours after she reportedly began composing her concession speech despite votes in Arizona and Nevada still being counted.
Harris walked out on stage waving and smiling to the crowd as her campaign theme song, Freedom by Beyoncé, played through the speakers.
“My heart is full today. Full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me,” Harris told her supporters at the Washington DC university campus grounds.
“Full of love for our country and full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for.
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“But hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright. As long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
Harris paid tribute to her husband, Doug Emhoff, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, and her running mate, Tim Walz.
I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.
Kamala Harris
Walz and his family emerged on the campus grounds minutes before Harris took the stage.
The Minnesota Governor, 60, was seen crying with his hand over his heart as Harris thanked him for his services.
Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, was also seen wiping tears from her eyes in the crowd.
“I am so proud of the race that we ran and the way that we ran it,” Harris continued.
“Over 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions.
“Bringing people together from every walk of life and background. United by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future.”
Harris pleaded with the crowd to accept the election results despite feeling a range of disheartening emotions.
“Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory,” she added as the crowd erupted in boos.
“I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.”
Harris and Trump spoke on the phone hours before her remarks, which NBC News reported only “lasted a few minutes.”
The vice president vowed to continue fighting despite conceding the election.
“I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Harris emphasized.
“The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people.
“A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation. The ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.”
Harris ended her 12-minute speech with a message to her youthful supporters: “To the young people that are watching, it is Okay to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it is going to be OK.
“Here’s the thing, here’s the thing, sometimes the fight takes awhile. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.
“To everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands, this is a time to roll up our sleeves.”
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‘GOLDEN AGE’
President Biden, who is expected to deliver remarks on Thursday about the election results, also called his vice president to applaud her on a “historic campaign.”
The president also spoke with Trump over the phone, congratulating him on his victory.
Biden invited his predecessor and soon-to-be successor to the White House for the traditional meeting of outgoing presidents and presidents-elect, NBC News reported.
Meanwhile, in Florida, President-elect Trump held a triumphant celebration in West Palm Beach on the eve of the election, declaring his campaign the “greatest political movement of all time.”
Trump clinched the presidency when he captured the 10 Electoral Votes of Wisconsin, one of the seven swing states that pre-election polls had suggested stood tightly divided entering Election Day.
Early victories in North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania all but guaranteed Trump the White House.
It comes as…
- Harris conceded in a phone call to Trump on Wednesday after refusing to speak to the media as he took the lead.
- She finally emerged from hiding for a 4 pm ET concession speech where her VP pick, Tim Walz, was seen crying.
- President Joe Biden also called Trump and invited him to the White House.
- Biden is set to give remarks on the election on Thursday.
- Trump took to the stage in Florida with his entire family at around 2:30 am ET on Tuesday to celebrate his win.
- His running mate, JD Vance, called the victory the “greatest political comeback in American history.”
- Republicans took control of the Senate after Ted Cruz was re-elected in Texas.
Trump will now be the first former president in more than a century to serve non-consecutive second terms following his reelection defeat in 2020.
Former President Grover Cleveland was the first to achieve that feat after winning back the White House four years after he was ousted following his first term.
Trump resurrected a political comeback, which many thought was unattainable, after sparking an insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the last election, being indicted on 34 criminal charges, and facing a swell of indictments.
During his election night celebration, Trump gushed to a hall filled with MAGA supporters, saying it would “truly be the golden age for America.”
“Every single day, I will be fighting for you with every single breath in my body,” the president-elect continued.
“I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe, and prosperous America that children deserve.
“And that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age for America.
“Frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time.”
With a revamped cabinet, which includes his running mate, JD Vance, and former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump will aim to pass sweeping legislation in his first days in office.
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