Kamala Harris conceded defeat to Donald Trump in the 2024 US Presidential elections. In her first address after the election results were declared, Harris said that though she has conceded the election, she has not conceded “the fight that fuelled this campaign.”
“While I concede the election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign. Fight for freedom, opportunity, dignity for all people,” Harris said in a speech that lasted less than 15 minutes.
Her supporters cheered, even though she admitted it was painful to lose. She told them to “keep fighting”.
“… I will close with this. Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. I know many people feel we are entering a dark time… Let us fill the sky with the light of billions and billions of 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,” Harris told supporters.
“We must accept the results of this election. 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 help him and his team with their transition, and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power,” she said.
Taking to X, Harris wrote, “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.” Harris asserted that even though this is not the outcome of the election her voters wanted, “the light of America’s promise will always burn bright.”
“In our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and to our conscience and our God. 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 for freedom, for opportunity, and for fairness and the dignity of all people,” Harris wrote.
