Kamala Harris concedes the presidential election to Trump, but not the fight

On Wednesday at her alma mater, Howard University, Vice President Kamala Harris publicly conceded the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump and called for a peaceful transition of power but did not give up “the fight for freedom.”

The audience at Howard included Nancy Pelosi and Harris’ Vice President Tim Walz. Harris thanked her husband, Doug Emhoff, as well as President Biden and her campaign staff as the crowd chanted her name.

“Now I know that people are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I understand it. But we have to accept the results of this election,” Harris said after a contested campaign, adding that she had spoken to Trump earlier in the day. “I told him that we would help him and his team with their transition and work for a peaceful transfer of power.”

“While I admit this election, I do not admit the struggle that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunities, for justice and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation,” Harris continued. “This is a fight I will never give up.”

She added: “Don’t despair. This is not the time to throw up your hands. Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves. This is a time of organizing, mobilizing and engaging for freedom and justice and for the future we all know we can build together.”

The election was awarded to Trump on Wednesday morning after Wisconsin was called in favor of the former president and current president-elect, giving him the 270 electoral votes needed to regain control of the White House.

It’s unclear what’s next for Harris, who will finish her term as vice president, a role she took on after serving as a U.S. senator. She previously served as California’s attorney general. Several news experts called Wednesday’s speech her legacy and possibly her last as an official.

Harris had many supporters in the entertainment industry, and on Wednesday several took to social media to express their dismay at her loss. Filmmaker Adam McKay delivered a scathing critique of the Democratic candidacy, writing on social media: “Who would have thought he lied for two years about Biden’s cognitive health, refused to hold a public meeting for a new candidate, the never mentioned public health care and advocates for fracking? The Cheneys and a year-long slaughter of children in Gaza wouldn’t be a successful strategy? Someone with half a brain?”

Alternatively, Jeff Bezos wished Trump well, writing: “Congratulations to our 45th and now 47th president on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory.”

Towards the end of her speech, Harris addressed the country’s young people and said: “Please know that everything will be okay. Never give up, never stop making the world a better place. You have power and you never listen to yourself saying something is impossible because it’s never been done before.”