Vice President Kamala Harris Officially Concedes Presidential Election To Donald Trump

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a speech Wednesday, just hours after officially conceding the 2024 presidential election to former president Donald Trump.

Speaking from her alma mater, Howard University, to a loud crowd of supporters, Harris said despite the outcome of the race, “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,” she added. “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” she said.

Harris became the Democratic nominee for president in July, after President Joe Biden decided to drop out of the race. After a hard-fought campaign, Trump captured key battleground states, including North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, to become the president-elect.

Harris called Trump to concede the race on Wednesday, when the two discussed about the importance of a peaceful transfer of power, according to NPR.

(View Vice President Kamala Harris’ full post-Election Day speech below.)

In their conversation on Wednesday, Harris said she told Trump she would help him and his team with the transition, and that they will engage in a peaceful transition of power, which she called a “fundamental principle of democracy.”

“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 conscious and to our god,” she said. “My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”

The fight, she said, is for freedom, opportunity, fairness and “the dignity of all people.” All of these ideals are what is at the heart of the nation, she said.

“I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspirations, where the women of America have the decision to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do,” she said. “We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence.”

Speaking directly to young people, Harris acknowledged the “range of emotions” they were experiencing, but reinforced the need to accept the results of the election.

“To the young people who are watching, it is okay to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it is going to be okay,” she said. “Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is, don’t ever give up, don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power and don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.”

“You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world,” she added.

Harris promised to continue the fight in voting booths, in public squares and in courts – and in quieter ways, such as treating one another with kindness and respect.

“The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say: we like hard work,” she said. “The fight for our country is always worth it.”

In closing her speech, Harris said it was time to “organize, mobilize and stay engaged” in order to build a better future.

“Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars,” she said. “I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time but for the benefit of us all I hope that is not the case. If it is, let us fill the sky with a brilliant, billion stars. The light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.”