Harris concedes and vows 'peaceful transfer of power'

Kamala Harris conceded defeat in the 2024 presidential race against Donald Trump yesterday in a speech at her alma mater Howard University, formally ending her campaign.

- JOHN BOWDEN ,ALEX WOODWARD

“My heart is full today,” the vice-president said in remarks to supporters from the university campus in Washington DC. “Full of gratitude for the trust you’ve placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve,” she added.

Several thousand supporters poured into Howard University for her concession speech, where a DJ played dance tracks and campaign volunteers handing out American flags for guests to wave.

Many Howard students were in the crowd, including a handful dressed in fraternity and sorority outfits. Some seemed to be fighting back tears. Jaime Harrison, the stone-faced chair of the Democratic National Committee, passed reporters on the back of a golf cart as he waved to a few supporters. He announced yesterday that he would not seek re-election.

Ms Harris said: “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, and as long as we never give up, and as long as we keep fighting.”

The candidates confirmed they spoke with one another yesterday, and that Ms Harris “congratulated him on his historic victory”, according to Mr Trump’s campaign communications director Steven Cheung.