Kamala Harris set to give concession speech hours after supporters are told to leave watch party amid Trump victory

6 November 2024, 16:13

Kamala Harris set to give concession speech hours after supporters are told to leave watch party amid Trump victory
Kamala Harris set to give concession speech hours after supporters are told to leave watch party amid Trump victory. Picture: Alamy

By Christian Oliver

Kamala Harris is expected to formally concede the election in an address to supporters this afternoon after losing her bid to become the first woman US president.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The vice president's campaign said she will speak outside Howard University in Washington DC at around 9pm GMT (4pm local time) on Wednesday, after supporters gathered outside her alma mater overnight in the hope of seeing the Democrat surge to victory.

Ahead of the address, Ms Harris is also expected to phone Donald Trump and congratulate him on his election victory and return to the White House, in accordance with tradition.

Ms Harris and her running mate Tim Walz are still yet to make any public statement, despite it becoming clear by early Wednesday morning that Trump had won the vote.

The Republican swept to victory in early declarations from key battleground states - taking the electoral college votes from Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin - claiming 279 electoral votes to Ms Harris' 223. Several states are still yet to be announced.

President Donald Trump departs his election night watch party
President Donald Trump departs his election night watch party. Picture: Alamy

Read More: Sadiq Khan says 'progress is not inevitable' as he hits out Donald Trump after election win

Read More: Donald Trump storms to historic victory over Kamala Harris in 2024 US presidential election

A sombre mood spread throughout the Howard University campus late on election day as hopes that Ms Harris could become the first president to graduate from the historically Black college were slowly quashed.

Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign, appeared on the stage to announce that the vice president would not be addressing supporters that night.

"Thank you for being here," the former congressman told the Howard University crowd. "Thank you for believing in the promise of America."

As it became clear she would not win, he insisted: "We still have votes to count, we still have states that have not been called yet.

"We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken, so you won't hear from the vice president tonight.

"But you will hear from her tomorrow, she will be back here tomorrow to address the HBCU (Historically black colleges and universities) family her supporters and the nation."

Hillary Clinton also waited until the following day to formally concede when she lost to Trump in 2016, while Trump refused to concede to Joe Biden when he lost in 2020.

Cedric Richmond, senior advisor to Kamala Harris, addresses supporters at a campaign watch party for Democratic presidential nominee
Cedric Richmond, senior advisor to Kamala Harris, addresses supporters at a campaign watch party for Democratic presidential nominee. Picture: Alamy

It came after Trump became only the second person in history to win a non-consecutive second term, after Grover Cleveland in 1884.

Trump defeated Harris and at the age of 78 will become the oldest president ever inaugurated.

He won after seizing victory in the swing states of North Carolina, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.

Mr Trump declared he had won a "magnificent victory for the American people" once it was clear he was on track to return to the White House as 47th president of the United States.

His victory was confirmed as a win in Wisconsin tipped him over the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat Kamala Harris.

The Republican told his supporters that "America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate".

He said that he would not let his backers down and that it is "time to put the divisions of the past four years behind us", as he looks likely to win the presidency for the second time.

People leave Kamala Harris' election night event at Howard University in Washington
People leave Kamala Harris' election night event at Howard University in Washington. Picture: Alamy

Addressing a campaign party in Florida in the early hours of Wednesday, Mr Trump pledged to "fight" for "every citizen" and promised the "golden age of America".

He said: "Every single day I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body.

"I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that our children deserve and that you deserve."

He added: "This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again."

Trump's power at the start of his second presidency could be untrammelled, with the Republicans also appearing on course to win a Senate majority and retaining control in the House of Representatives.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Exclusive
Gordon Brown pays tribute to "working class hero" John Prescott.

Gordon Brown pays tribute to 'colossus' John Prescott after his death aged 86 following battle with Alzheimer's

(L) British lawyer Simone White, 28, is seriously ill in hospital. (R) Bianca Jones, 19, has become the fourth person to die after consuming alleged 'methanol-laced' drinks in Vang Vieng, Laos

London lawyer fights for her life and Australian backpacker dies after drinking 'methanol-laced' shots from bar in Laos

Russia is threatening to use new missiles in Ukraine after US and UK rockets were used in their territory

Putin 'to retaliate with new Frontier missiles in Ukraine' after US and UK give green light to fire rockets in Russia

Smaller drones, costing a fraction of Watchkeeper’s £5.2 million unit price, are being used to great effect in Ukraine for reconnaissance and precision strikes.

The British Army’s £1.35bn Watchkeeper drone programme: From ambition and innovation to delays, failure, and abandonment

GERMANY-TRANSPORT-TRAFFIC

Hundreds of drivers left stuck in vehicles in freezing conditions on M2 after serious crash between pedestrian and lorry

TV host Ellen Degeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi are reportedly planning to move permanently to rural England

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi 'to flee US and move to England' after Trump's election win

Exclusive
‘The storm of war is gathering’: Defence cuts leave UK critically unprepared for a 'bumpy decade', warns ex-minister

‘The storm of war is gathering’: Defence cuts leave UK 'woefully unprepared' for a 'bumpy decade', warns ex-minister

Tony Blair leads tributes to John Prescott

'Devastated' Tony Blair leads tributes to John Prescott after former deputy PM dies aged 86

North Korea Deepens Russian Alliance: Troop Deployments Prioritise Advanced Weapons Technology Over Financial Gains

North Korea deepens alliance with Russia, trading troop support for advanced weapons technology to fuel nuclear programme

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has died aged 86

Former deputy PM John Prescott dies aged 86 following battle with Alzheimer's

Exclusive
Soldiers are being trained in trench and urban warfare

'Kill him before he tries to kill you': LBC visits Ukrainian troops being trained by British soldiers

Rolf Harris has died aged 93

Paedophile entertainer Rolf Harris died penniless after 'wiping out £16m fortune to make it harder for victims to access'

Exclusive
Captain Sir Tom Moore's daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore

Money 'reasonably expected' to reach Captain Tom's charity never did, commissioner tells LBC

Which? has revealed the best and worst deals for Black Friday. (stock image)

Black Friday 2024: Which? reveals deals to avoid - and the best alternatives

File photo dated 16/04/20 of the then 99-year-old war veteran Captain Tom Moore, with (left to right) grandson Benji, daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and granddaughter Georgia, at his home in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire

Salary demands, book payments and a doomed spa block: Key findings of the Captain Tom Foundation inquiry

Captain Tom's daughter is facing questions about a hefty book payment

Captain Tom's daughter faces questions over £1.5m book payment after none of the money went to charity