New Delhi:
US Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump after a bitter, turbulent and polarizing campaign. In her speech, the Democratic leader said that while she has conceded the election, she has not conceded “the fight that fueled this campaign.”
“While I concede the election, I do not concede the strife this campaign has fueled. Fight for freedom, opportunity and dignity for all people,” Ms. Harris said in a speech that lasted less than 15 minutes.
Her supporters cheered, even as she admitted it was painful to lose. She told them to keep fighting.
“…I’ll close with this. Only when it’s dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we’re entering a dark time… Let’s fill the sky with the light of billions and billions of people stars, the light of truth, optimism and service,” she said.
“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 that 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 told supporters.
“We must accept the results of these elections. Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory,” Ms. Harris told supporters in the concession speech at her alma mater Howard University in Washington.
“I also told him that we will assist him and his team in their transition, and that we will achieve a peaceful transition of power,” she said.
Trump’s victory, after one of the most hostile campaigns in modern American history, was all the more remarkable given an unprecedented criminal conviction, a near miss and warnings from a former chief of staff that he is a “fascist.”
Trump had never conceded defeat four years ago when his supporters ransacked the US Capitol. He returned to the White House with wider margins than before, despite a criminal conviction, two impeachments during his last term and warnings from his former chief of staff that he was a “fascist.”
At 78 years old, Trump will be the oldest president at his inauguration, scheduled for January 20. Had Ms Harris won, she would have been the first female US president. “It’s a political victory the likes of which our country has never seen before,” Trump said in his victory speech earlier today.
World leaders quickly pledged to work with Trump, despite concerns in some parts of the world about his “America First” approach. One of the most concerned countries will be Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first leaders to call Trump to congratulate him. “I had a great conversation with my friend, President Donald Trump, and congratulated him on his spectacular victory. I look forward to working closely again to further strengthen India-US ties in technology, defence, energy, space and several other sectors,” Prime Minister Modi said in a message on
Mr Trump and newly elected Vice President JD Vance have mocked the billions of dollars in US aid to Ukraine under outgoing President Joe Biden, while their aides mused about forcing Ukraine to make concessions to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Trump and said he hoped the new US leader would help Ukraine find a “just peace.”
Ms. Harris entered the race in July after the visibly aging Biden dropped out. She ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Trump’s inflammatory messages and use of racist and sexist tropes. But his apocalyptic warnings on immigration resonated with voters hit by the post-Covid economy and longing for change after the Biden years.