In her first public speech since losing the 2024 election to her opponent, now-President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris asked audiences not to ‘despair,’ instead encouraging her party to mobilize and organize.
Kamala entered wearing a huge smile and black suit to a huge, cheering audience that chanted her name. She told the audience, “Let me say.. and I love you back… my heart is full today. My heart is full today. Full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve.”
“Do not despair,” Harris told devastated Democratic supporters. “This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.”
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, 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,” Kamala added in her speech, as she called for the results to be respected.
She added that while she concedes the election, “she will not concede the fight.” She listed American ideals, freedom, a future where Americans “can pursue their dreams and aspirations,” and women “having the choice on what to do with their bodies.”
Harris told the audience that it “will be hard work… but we love hard work.”
She assured young people that “it’s okay to be sad and disappointed. Sometimes the fight can take a while. Don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place. And don’t you ever listen when someone says something is impossible because it has never been done before.”
House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi, White House adviser Tom Perez and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser are among the crowd listening to Harris speak at Howard University.
A senior Harris aide said Harris called President-elect Donald Trump earlier Wednesday to congratulate him on his election victory. The aide said Harris discussed the importance of a peaceful power transfer with Trump ahead of her planned concession speech Wednesday afternoon.
President Joe Biden also called Donald Trump ahead of Kamala’s concession speech to congratulate him on his election victory and inviting him to the White House to discuss the transition.
The White House said staff would coordinate a date in the near future. Biden plans to address the nation on the election results, which will have sharp implications for his legacy, on Thursday. Biden also spoke with Vice President Harris to congratulate her on her campaign.
Americans who were hopeful for a Democratic victory were disappointed on multiple occasions Tuesday night as the President-elect picked off crucial swing states, including Pennsylvania.
Furthermore, it was apparent that Harris did not have the same momentum as President Joe Biden did in 2020, losing in crucial areas-like battleground Wisconsin-where her predecessor triumphed.
Trump’s ultimate capture of Pennsylvania made it very likely that a second term was on the horizon. It was all but certain with his other wins in Georgia and North Carolina.
The Simpsons writer ‘proud’ of major Kamala Harris prediction 24 years before nomination
Melania and Barron Trump’s whereabouts on Election Day as Donald Trump eyes presidency
DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.
He will undoubtedly try to reshape the foundational principles of US government like he hid in his first term, which was essentially stymied by his staff who defied him and later described him as a fascist.
This time, Trump is planning to handpick die-hard loyalists to serve him in the White House, like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.an anti-vax conspiracy theoristwho he said could possibly “take care of health” in the administration.
