Kamala Harris has conceded the 2024 presidential election to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, following his victory in the race for the White House.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, Harris, 60, called Trump, 78, to formally offer her concession and congratulate him on his successful bid for a second term in office. A senior aide to the vice president confirmed the call to PEOPLE, marking a significant moment in the transition of power. During the conversation, Harris reportedly emphasized the importance of ensuring a peaceful transfer of power between the administrations and expressed her hope that Trump would govern as a president for all Americans.
The vice president is set to publicly address the nation about her defeat later today at 4 p.m. ET in a speech at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Harris, who earned her undergraduate degree at the historically Black university, is expected to reflect on the campaign and offer a message of unity in the wake of the election results.
Harris’s concession follows a hard-fought campaign that began in the summer of 2023. The Democratic candidate had initially entered the race after President Joe Biden, 81, dropped out of contention and gave her his full endorsement. Biden, who had defeated Trump in 2020 with 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232, called his decision to select Harris as vice president his “best decision.” In July, Biden offered his support for Harris to take the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, urging unity among Democrats in the face of the 2024 contest.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made,” Biden wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee for our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
With Biden’s endorsement, Harris officially announced her candidacy on July 21, 2023. In her campaign launch statement, she praised the outgoing president as “selfless and patriotic” and expressed her intent to unite the nation and the Democratic Party in the battle against Trump. Harris emphasized the significance of the upcoming election, calling it a momentous choice for the future of the country.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she said in her announcement. “Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
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By the end of the summer, Harris had secured enough delegates to claim the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. At the Democratic National Convention, she officially surpassed the 1,976 pledged delegates needed to secure the nomination, cementing her status as the party’s standard-bearer in the 2024 race.
In a strategic move to appeal to a broader electorate, Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate in August 2024. Walz, a moderate Democrat, was seen as a crucial choice to balance the ticket and help the party connect with voters in swing states, especially in the Midwest.
Despite her strong candidacy, Harris was ultimately unable to overcome the momentum behind Trump, who secured enough electoral votes to defeat her. His victory marks his return to the White House after losing to Biden in 2020, and he is poised to begin his second term as president in January 2025.
Throughout her political career, Harris has made history as the first woman, the first Black person, and the first person of Indian descent to serve as vice president of the United States. Her concession today marks the end of her presidential bid but is also a reflection of her deep commitment to public service and the democratic process.
As the nation moves toward the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, Harris’s speech at Howard University will be an important moment in signaling her acceptance of the election results and the importance of a unified future for the country. It will also likely serve as a reminder of her groundbreaking journey in American politics, from her historic vice presidency to her brief presidential run in 2024.
