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Vice President Kamala Harris has formally conceded the 2024 presidential election. The 60-year-old former Democratic candidate appeared on stage to address supporters and the nation from Washington D.C. on Wednesday, November 6. At the beginning of her concession speech, Harris noted she personally called president-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his second election.
“So, let me say … my heart is full today,” the former prosecutor began. “Full of gratitude with the trust you have placed in me, 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, now what we voted for, but here 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.”
After thanking her husband, Doug Emhoff, their family and President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, Harris noted, “We must accept the results of this election.”
“Earlier today, I spoke with president-elect Donald Trump and congratulated him on his victory,” Harris revealed, before adding, “We will engage in a peaceful transfer of power,” seemingly referring to Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election.
Harris went on to urge her supporters to never “give up,” despite the loss in this election.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she noted. “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.”
She then told younger voters that everything will “be okay” and that “sometimes, the fight takes a while.”
“We owe loyalty not to a president, but to the Constitution of the United States,” Harris concluded.
Harris embarked on her brief yet effective presidential campaign in July after Biden, 81, dropped out of the race. He immediately endorsed her, and the California native traveled around the U.S. to motivate voters. Multiple outlets reported that polls were a tie between Harris and Trump, 78. However, on Tuesday, November 5, most swing states favored Trump. He won both the Electoral College and the popular vote, the Associated Press declared at around 5:30 a.m. on November 6.