Donald Trump has just won the 2024 U.S. presidential election and Vice President Kamala Harris is set to give her remarks on the matter later today.
Last night, supporters of the Democratic nominee gathered in Washington, D.C., at her alma mater, Howard University, where she was expected to give a victory speech, hinging on the results. However, as projections started rolling in, a member of the Harris-Walz team confirmed that Harris would not speak until today, Wednesday.
“We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to try to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken,” co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign and former Rep. Cedric Richmond told the audience. “So you won’t hear from the vice president tonight. But you will hear from her tomorrow, because she will be back here tomorrow to address not only the [Howard University] family, not only to address her supporters, but to address the nation.”
Harris is expected to give her concession speech at 4 p.m. EST, according to a USA Today source. The campaign sent messages to supporters in Washington inviting them to an event at Howard University, telling them that doors will open around 1 p.m. EST.
In 2020, President Joe Biden was not declared the winner until Saturday, November 7—four days after Election Day. At the time, Trump refused to give a concession speech, making widely-refuted remarks about voter fraud and unconstitutional claims that the election had been rigged. It wasn’t until January of the following year that he finally acknowledged a new administration would be taking over, immediately after the insurrection enacted by his followers that resulted in the death of six people.
“Now tempers must be cooled, and calm restored,” Trump said in an address. “We must get on with the business of America. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power.”
Harris would’ve been the first woman, first Black woman, and first South Asian-American person to take the highest office in the U.S. Her campaign was announced this past summer, when Biden revealed he would not be running for re-election.
It was a tight race leading up to the final minutes, but Trump’s victory started to become clear late on Tuesday, when he began claiming key battleground states like Georgia, Florida, and Pennsylvania. He gave a victory speech in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Watch this space for updates.
