Kamala Harris admits defeat, but will 'never give up the fight'

Photo: Ben Curtis Associated Press “The light of America’s promise will always shine…as long as we don’t give up and we keep fighting,” Kamala Harris said Wednesday.

Léo Mercier-Ross

Published yesterday at 16:50 Updated yesterday at 18:19

• United States

“We have to accept the outcome of the election,” Democratic candidate Kamala Harris said in a final political speech with a combative tone, thus conceding victory to her Republican rival, Donald Trump.

“If I concede this election, I am not conceding the fight that was behind this campaign,” Harris told tearful supporters whom she repeatedly urged to “keep fighting.”

After canceling her planned speech on election night Tuesday, the vice president finally addressed Americans Wednesday afternoon from Howard University in Washington. The peaceful transfer of power and the idea of ​​“never giving up” were at the heart of the speech of the woman who, until early Wednesday morning, dreamed of being the first female president of the United States.

“We will help [Donald Trump] and his team in the transition and we will commit to a peaceful transfer of power,” she said, specifying that she had called her rival earlier in the day to congratulate him.

“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. This principle, more than any other, distinguishes us from a monarchy or a tyranny,” the vice president added, referring to the 2020 election, in which Mr. Trump never conceded defeat and which led to a transfer of power on January 6, 2021, that was anything but peaceful.

“We owe our loyalty not to a party, not to a president, but to the Constitution of the United States, to our conscience, and to our God,” she chanted, citing her reasons for “being here today.”

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“A fight I will never give up”

“To all those watching, do not despair. This is not the time to give up, this is the time to roll up your sleeves,” the Democrat summarized.

“I know that many people feel like we are entering a dark period. But for all of us, I hope that is not the case,” she said. “And if so, let us fill the sky […] with the light of optimism, faith, truth and service,” Mrs. Harris said, smiling.

“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” she acknowledged, saying she was “proud of the race we ran, and the way we ran it.”

“I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, their ambitions, and their aspirations. A future where women have the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies without their government telling them what to do,” Harris said to cheers from her supporters.

“We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence,” she added, repeating the thrust of her whirlwind campaign.

“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 no matter who we are or where we start, there are certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and defended,” she said to prepare the Democratic troops for the next election round.

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite Associated Press Kamala Harris supporters in tears during the vice president’s speech at Howard University in Washington

The current vice president then asked her supporters to continue this fight in several spheres of their lives, such as polling stations, courts, public spaces, but also “in the way we live our lives.” A fight that “is always worth it,” she assured.

It was also time to thank Kamala Harris, who, in addition to thanking her family, the current president, Joe Biden, and his running mate, Tim Walz, lingered to thank the Democratic Party volunteers and election workers. But it was above all her supporters that she thanked, opening and closing her speech by thanking the audience.

Trump congratulated by Democrats

Like his vice president, Joe Biden has “congratulated” Donald Trump on his victory. He has also “invited” him to the White House, his team said on Wednesday. The 81-year-old Democratic leader will “address the nation” on Thursday to discuss the election results and the transition period.

The influential former president Barack Obama also congratulated Donald Trump on Wednesday on his victory in the American presidential election. “This is obviously not the result we hoped for,” Mr. Obama said in a statement. “But living in a democracy means recognizing that our point of view will not always prevail.”

With Agence France-Presse