US Vice President Kamala Harris threw at President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday as she conceded defeat, saying, “When we lose an election, we accept the results.”
Trump won the US presidential election after securing the over 270 Electoral College (EC) votes required to emerge victorious.
As at the time of filing this report, Trump has secured 295 EC votes, while his main challenger, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, has secured 226 votes.
Trump is also ahead in the popular vote count, securing over 71 million votes to Mrs Harris’s over 66 million.
This election is the first since 2004 in which a Republican presidential candidate will secure more popular votes than a Democratic Party candidate, indicating Trump’s solid performance and Harris’s sub-par performance.
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Trump told a jubilant crowd in Florida Wednesday morning.
Harris conceded defeat while addressing a crowd of supporters, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, from Howard University in Washington, D.C., after she was defeated by Trump in the race for the White House said; “Let me say my heart is full today. 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.
“The outcome of this election was 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.”
The vice president expressed gratitude to her family, President Biden, first lady Dr. Jill Biden, her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and her campaign staff. Mr. Biden watched the remarks from the West Wing, the White House said.
“I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future,” Harris said. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us.”
Harris said the results of the election must be accepted and reiterated that she had spoken with Trump and is committed to a peaceful transfer of power.
“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results,” she said. “That principle as much as any other distinguishes democracy from monarchy and tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.”
Harris said the nation does not owe loyalty to a president or party, but to the Constitution, “our conscience and to our God.”
“My allegiance to all three is why I am here today — to say while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she said.
The vice president pledged to continue fighting for democracy, the rule of law and equal justice.
“Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win,” she said, delivering an appeal directly to her young supporters.
Harris continued, “Do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.”