Kamala Harris has conceded the 2024 election to Donald Trump, which he himself failed to do when he lost to President Joe Biden in 2020.
The Vice President spoke to her supporters on Wednesday afternoon, after the former reality star — who as most outlets have noted, has been impeached twice, found liable for "rape," convicted of several felony charges, and incited a violent insurrection that left several dead when he refused to accept the 2020 election results — won both the popular vote and electoral college, in an increasingly divided and right wing America.
In doing so, he became the first convicted criminal to be elected United States president. In contrast, the vice president would have been not only, of course, the first female president, but also the first president in U.S. history to have worked in all three branches of government.
Prior to speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Harris conceded to Trump over a phone call, in which according to a senior Harris aide, she congratulated him, and discussed the "importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans."
Speaking at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington D.C., where her election festivities had taken place, Harris came out to her campaign song, "Freedom" by Beyoncé, smiling and waving to cheering crowds.
Read her speech below.
"Thank you all, thank you. So let me say — and I love you back. 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.
The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we wanted, 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.
MORE: Celebrities react to Donald Trump becoming president elect
MORE: When does Donald Trump take office as president?
To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so very much. To President Biden and Dr. Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family, I know your service to our nation will continue. And to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much of themselves to the poll workers and the local election officials I thank you, I thank you all.
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, united for love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America's future and we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us."
MORE: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris' biggest celebrity endorsements in the 2024 elections
Addressing the devastating loss, Harris went on: "I know folks are feeling a range of emotions right now, I get it, but we must accept the results of this election," and again sharing that she had already spoken with Trump, maintained: "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," which as has been widely lamented over since January 6, 2021, he himself largely failed to do.
MORE: Inside Kamala Harris' inner circle: the advisors that supported her through the election
"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. At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president, not to a party, but to the constitution of the United States," the speech continued.
Harris then turned to her mission, emphasizing: "While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign."
"The fight the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up, I will 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. we will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence, and America we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice 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 we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth in the courts and in the public square."