Vice President Kamala Harris delivered what is expected to be her final speech of the 2024 presidential campaign cycle on Wednesday, formally conceding the election to former president Donald Trump from her alma mater of Howard University in Washington, DC. “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,” Harris told the assembled crowd after walking out to thunderous applause over the strains of Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” “Look,” she added, “I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it.”
“I am here to say that while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign—the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people,” Harris continued in her speech, going on to promise to “never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions, and aspirations, where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do.” Harris went on to urge viewers to stay politically active despite her loss, saying: “This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.” She ended her speech with a short yet emotionally resonant ode to “the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Harris called Trump to concede and congratulate him privately, with NBC News reporting that Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon relayed to staff that Harris had told the president-elect that “she would work with President Biden to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, unlike what we saw in 2020.” President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to address the nation on Thursday in the wake of the Harris-Walz campaign’s loss, also called Trump on Wednesday, inviting him to meet at the White House.
This story was originally published on Vogue.com.
