Vice President Kamala Harris called Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon to concede and congratulate him on winning the 2024 presidential election.
Harris discussed the “importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans,” according to CNN.
Trump declared victory to his supporters in Palm Beach, Florida, early Wednesday morning, saying the results were “a massive victory for democracy and freedom,” and that “many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason.”
Trump won all of the key battleground states called thus far, and is on track to win them all. The Associated Press called the race at 5:35 am EST after he won Wisconsin. Trump is also on track to win the popular vote — the first time a Republican will do so since George W. Bush beat John Kerry in 2004.
Harris had planned to speak to supporters at Howard on Tuesday night, but the campaign announced that she would postpone the speech until Wednesday.
On Tuesday, just before 11 pm, the Harris campaign was projecting confidence, calling the race “razor thin” in an email obtained by Rolling Stone. “Thanks to this amazing team, we have seen incredible turnout across the Battleground States, and the closeness of the race is exactly what we prepared for,” the email read. The campaign referenced Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, all “blue wall” states that Harris ended up losing en route to an Electoral College drubbing.
Democrats also saw their margins in blue New York and New England states at the lowest they've been in decades. Harris won New York by 11 percent and New Hampshire by 3 percent. She did slightly better in Massachusetts, winning by 26 percent.
Fewer people turned out for Democrats this year than in 2020. Trump logged 2.5 million more votes in 2020 than he has in 2024 so far, but 14.5 million more people voted for President Joe Biden in 2020 than Harris this year.
The Biden administration has committed to a smooth transition — unlike Trump, who sought to overturn his 2020 loss, culminating in his supporters violently storming the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Last week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether Biden would be at the inauguration no matter who wins. “Yes, he will,” she said. “Regardless of who wins, the American people need to see a peaceful transfer of power.”
Trump now has 75 days to prepare to staff his administration and take office.
