WASHINGTON – US Vice-President Kamala Harris has conceded defeat to Donald Trump, urging her supporters to accept the election results while vowing a peaceful transfer of power to her Republican rival.
“I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it. But we must accept the results of this election,” Harris said in remarks delivered from her Washington, D.C.-based alma mater, Howard University.
“Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. 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 added.
She urged Democrats not to give up in the wake of Tuesday’s results but to instead “roll up our sleeves,” organise, and “stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.”
US President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has congratulated President-elect Trump on his election victory.
“President Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasised the importance of working to bring the country together,” the White House said in a statement, reported by Xinhua news agency.
Biden is to address the nation to discuss the election results and the transition on Thursday.
Biden’s statement also invited Trump to meet in the White House, adding that the staff will coordinate a specific date in the near future.
Biden also spoke by phone with Harris, and congratulated her on her “historic campaign.
Trump’s victory marks an historic comeback after he failed to be reelected to a second consecutive term in 2020, one in which he claimed without substantiation that the election was rigged and tried unsuccessfully to overturn the results.
Trump will be inaugurated for a second White House term on Jan. 20, 2025. Harris, as vice president, is slated to oversee the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol.
As of tonight, local time in the US, Trump has won 295 Electoral College votes to Harris’ 226, according to The Associated Press. There are a total of 538 Electoral College votes and the first candidate to reach 270 clinches the US presidency.
He has also won 50.9% of the popular vote while Harris has taken 47.5%.
Speaking at his election headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump had quickly declared victory last night calling it “a political victory that our country has never seen before.” – November 7, 2024