DEVELOPING STORY,
Democrat congratulates Republican during phone call, offers to help with peaceful transfer of power.
Vice President Kamala Harris has sought to reassure her supporters that, while they did not win the United States presidential election this year, the fight is far from over.
“The outcome of the election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” she said in a concession speech to a large crowd at Washington, DC’s Howard University, made up of students and other supporters.
“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.”
Her address on Wednesday afternoon was the first time Harris had spoken to her supporters since Trump won the race. Many had waited outside in tears on the university grounds, her alma mater, on Tuesday night until her campaign director emerged to tell them that Harris was going to wait until more results came in.
Mood upbeat
The mood on Wednesday afternoon was decidedly more upbeat with huge cheers and screams for Harris when she spoke.
“I know folks have a range of emotions, I get it,” Harris said with a laugh.
“I spoke with Trump and congratulated him and told him we will help him with the transition and engage with a peaceful transfer of power,” she said.
Harris then made a pointed dig at Trump who campaigned on his refusal to concede that he lost the election to President Joe Biden in 2020.
“It’s a fundamental principle of a democracy that when we lose an election, we accept the result.”
But Harris added that did not mean she was giving up.
“While I concede this election I don’t not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign,” she said.
“To the young people, it is OK to feel sad and disappointed. Please know it will be OK.”
She added: “On the campaign, we say when we fight we win, sometimes the fight takes a while … it doesn’t mean we won’t win.”
Harris ended her speech by thanking her husband for his support.
“I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of all of us, I hope that is not the case,” she said.
Trump, who has been convicted of felony charges, has comfortably cleared the 270 Electoral-vote threshold required to clinch the White House.
Saviour for Democrats
Harris, 60, began campaigning after Biden stepped down after stumbling badly in a presidential debate with Trump and amid concerns about his ability to serve until the age of 86. He dropped out of the race on July 21, endorsed his vice president, and Harris quickly took over the Democratic campaign.
She was seen among many Democrats as a potential saviour for her party, the first Black woman and the first person of South Asian descent who could reach the Oval Office. Four years ago, she broke the same barriers in national office by becoming Biden’s second in command.
Harris ran an energetic campaign focused on moving away from Trump’s dark message of economic ruin and immigrants flooding the country. A key platform was women’s reproductive freedom that resonated with many young voters who flocked to her rallies.
In the first presidential campaign since the US Supreme Court struck down constitutional protection for abortion rights, the Harris campaign was looking for a surge of support from women.
But it wasn’t enough to overcome the deep anger among US voters over high inflation, the cost of basic necessities, such as food and housing, and worries about undocumented immigration, according to exit polls.
Trump’s promise to return to a “golden age of America” saw the key battleground states move decisively away from the Democrats.
He is due to take office on January 20, 2025, returning to power as the 47th US president four years after refusing to accept defeat to President Joe Biden.
As the sitting vice president, Harris is expected to oversee Congress’s ceremonial certification of Trump’s win. Biden has also said he will attend the inauguration, unlike Trump in 2021 who snubbed his successor.