WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris thanked supporters as she publicly conceded the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for," Harris said in her first public remarks Wednesday afternoon. “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 went on to highlight that she would engage in a peaceful transfer of power and thanked her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, President Joe Biden and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
"A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results," Harris said. "That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it."
Harris delivered her remarks at Howard University, her alma mater and one of the country's most prominent historically Black schools, in the same spot where she hoped to give a victory speech. When Harris took the stage at her alma mater, she looked out at a sea of America flags and notably forlorn faces. She was flanked by 30 American flags.
The Democratic vice president said the battle would continue "in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square.”
“I’m so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it. Over the 100 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community,” she said. “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
“Sometimes the fight takes a while,” she said. “That doesn’t mean we won’t win.”
Prior to her speech, Harris called Trump to congratulate him on his victory. An aide, who declined to be identified discussing a private conversation, said Harris talked about the need for a peaceful transfer of power during her call.
Projections from the Associated Press and others showed Trump early Wednesday morning winning the Electoral College as a majority of votes in the remaining key states came in.
Howard, the historic Black college, is a special place for Harris. It's where she won her first campaign, for freshman class representative. It's also where she launched her 2019 bid for the White House, and was one of her first stops on the day she was announced as Joe Biden's running mate in 2020.
She had hoped the school would serve as the site of her triumph Tuesday, as she watched election results trickle in. Early indications were that she would speak to supporters Tuesday night regardless of where the results stood, to thank them for their work during the campaign.
But as election night wore on and it became increasingly clear that Trump was the likely winner, those plans changed. Cedrick Richmond, one of Harris' campaign co-chairs, addressed the crowd just before 1 a.m. Wednesday morning instead.
"We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to try to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken," campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond said. "So you won't hear from the vice president tonight. But you will hear from her tomorrow, because she will back here tomorrow to address not only the HU family, not only to address her supporters, but to address the nation."