Kamala Harris Breaks Silence After Donald Trump Is Elected President

Kamala Harris is addressing the nation.

After Republican candidate Donald Trump was officially projected to win the 2024 U.S. presidential election, according to NBC News, the current Vice President spoke out after her opponent's victory.

"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," she said during her speech delivered Nov. 6 at Howard University, her alma mater. "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." 

And while Harris, who ran alongside Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, may have been disappointed with the results, she assured the crowd that she would do everything in her control to make sure there's a "peaceful transfer of power."

"Earlier today, I spoke with President-Elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory," she said. "I also told him that we will help him and his team with his transition. A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it."

Harris went on to note she remains steadfast in looking ahead and fighting for "democracy, the rule of law, and for the sacred idea that every one of us—no matter who we are or where we start out—has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld."

"And to the young people who are watching," she continued, "it is OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be OK."

Noting that throughout her campaign she would often say, "When we fight, we win," Harris added, "Here's the thing: Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up, don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place."

Harris' comments come just hours after Trump spoke to his supporters at a campaign party, standing on stage with his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance. Trump, who was previously elected as the 45th president alongside former Vice President Mike Pence, is set to now become the 47th president of the United States.

“I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president and your 45th president,” Trump told the crowd while standing onstage in West Palm Beach, Florida. "This was a movement like no one has ever seen before. Frankly, I believe this was the greatest political movement of all time.”

Meanwhile, Harris campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond addressed the crowd of supporters that gathered at Howard University in Washington, D.C., noting that the vice president would not take the stage as the results continued to roll in.

"We still have votes to count,” he explained. “We still have states that have not been called yet, we will continue overnight to make sure every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken.”

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden—who defeated Trump during the 2020 presidential election—announced that he was pulling out of the 2024 race, endorsing Harris as the Democratic candidate shortly thereafter.

“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, July 21. "My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made."

He continued, "Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats—it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”

In the months that followed, Harris detailed her plan to “seek common sense solutions,” for issues such as abortion rights, as she expressed in her November campaign ad.

“Together, we will build a brighter future for our nation,” she added, “where we stand for freedom, we stand for justice, we stand for the dignity of work.” 

And though Harris spent much of her months-long campaign fielding criticism about her race and sex, she shared that she believed the work she did was all “about representing all the people."

"I respect the fact that we all have so much more in common than what separates us,” she told reporters on Oct. 30, per NBC News, “and that most people want a president that understands that, that gets that and approaches their role of leadership that way."

(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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