Vice President Kamala Harris gave a 12-minute concession speech late Wednesday afternoon at her alma mater, Howard University, where she urged her supporters not to give up hope after losing the presidency in a rout to Donald Trump.
“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honour it,” Harris said, wearing a dark purple suit and sounding choked up at the top of her remarks.
“At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States. And loyalty to our conscience and to our God,” she continued. “My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign.”
The vice president, on the campus of one of the nation’s top HBCUs, implored the young voters who backed her not to lose hope. “It’s OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be OK,” she said. “On the campaign, I would often say, ‘When we fight, we win.’ But here’s the thing: Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.”
The vice president’s supporters and Howard students reconvened on the quad at the school, which was supposed to be the site of her victory speech following a 107-day campaign. The mood was somber and the crowd quiet. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the vice presidential nominee, seemed to be holding back tears when TV cameras panned to him taking a seat just before the speech. Harris’ family also looked emotional taking in the scene.
On Tuesday night, the atmosphere at the Harris campaign watch party went from jubilant to downbeat as the results began rolling in and showed Harris lagging in swing state after swing state.
“It was still surprising to me — and I’ll be very honest — that so many people would support Donald Trump after seeing who he is, what he talks about, the rights he wants to take away. That’s still a surprise to me,” said Sonya Locket, a member of Harris’ graduating class, as the outcome was crystallising on Tuesday. “It is and it isn’t, actually.”
Lisa Hargrove, a 48-year-old chief of staff for a civil rights organisation, said it was disheartening what the election revealed about the country.
“It’s 2024. It’s a little bit unnerving how far apart the two sides are,” she said. “It’s so extreme, you know? I feel like most of the people that I know and associate with are somewhere in the middle, on one side or the other, and just the fact that we’re here right now, it’s just a lot to process.”
Trump achieved a near sweep of the Electoral College, with the former president projected to win all seven swing states as well as the national popular vote, in a stunning rejection of Democrats amid heightened concerns about the economy and immigration. Exit polling revealed that Trump notched gains with almost every demographic group, most notably Latinos and young voters.
Harris called Trump earlier on Wednesday to concede. According to Trump’s campaign, Harris “congratulated him on his historic victory,” while Trump lauded the vice president’s “strength, professionalism and tenacity throughout the campaign,” Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Not only did Trump not concede the 2020 election or commit publicly to an orderly transfer of power, he also did not show up to Joe Biden’s inauguration after fomenting the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.
“There are no Ls,” said Jahmere Hargraves, a senior at Howard, on his way out of Harris’ election night rally. “We turn all our Ls into lessons and our lessons into blessings.”