Harris prepares to concede race to Trump after decisive electoral defeat – Washington Examiner
In the wake of an electoral defeat, Vice President Kamala Harris is preparing to concede the presidential race to Donald Trump. Following major news outlets declaring Trump the victor early on Wednesday morning, Harris plans to call Trump and make a public concession at Howard University later that day. Her delayed acknowledgment of the loss has drawn criticism, particularly from Republicans seeking a unified response to the election outcome. Trump, who surpassed the necessary 270 electoral votes and won key states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia, has already declared victory at his own post-election gathering in Florida. This election marks Trump’s return to the presidency, making him the first president in 127 years to serve nonconsecutive terms, joining Grover Cleveland in this unique distinction. Harris’s campaign has faced significant challenges, culminating in her decision to send supporters home early during her watch party, reflecting a sense of inevitability regarding the election results.
Harris prepares to concede race to Trump after decisive electoral defeat
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to concede the presidential race to Donald Trump hours after major news outlets declared the former president the victor early Wednesday morning.
Harris will call Trump later on Wednesday, according to NBC News, with a public concession planned for 4 p.m. at Howard University, her alma mater.
The delay, which comes after she declined to address supporters during her watch party on Tuesday night, has prompted complaints from Republicans, with ex-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump’s former primary rival, calling on her to unify the country.
“That begins with Kamala Harris conceding. You can’t just talk about unity in a campaign, you have to show it regardless of the outcome,” Haley said on Wednesday morning.
The Associated Press called Pennsylvania for Trump at 2:24 a.m. EST, effectively closing off her last path to the nomination.
Trump surpassed the magic threshold of 270 electoral votes shortly after 5:30 a.m., when Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes were awarded to him. He will become the first president in 127 years to serve two nonconsecutive terms in office, joining Grover Cleveland as the only man to return to the White House in such a manner.
Trump also appears to be comfortably on track to win the popular vote, becoming the first Republican since George W. Bush in 2004 to achieve this feat.
Trump did not hesitate to declare victory, giving a speech at his Florida watch party early Wednesday morning.
“This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to make America great again,” Trump told his supporters while flanked by his family at his victory night party.
He won North Carolina and, shortly after, flipped Georgia, which had turned blue in 2020. When the battleground state of Pennsylvania turned red, it signaled the end for Harris’s slim hopes.
A dejected Harris camp saw the writing on the wall earlier in the night, telling supporters who had gathered for her watch party to go home. The move to send out co-chairman Cedric Richmond echoed that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s doomed campaign in 2016.
“Against all odds, Donald Trump has not only pulled off the greatest comeback in political history but may be one of the greatest comebacks in American history,” Ford O’Connell, a GOP strategist, told the Washington Examiner early Wednesday morning.
Republicans are calling for Harris to make things official and some have become frustrated with the lack of communication as Trump looks set to win the race handily.
“Why is she not speaking tonight?” conservative columnist Marc Thiessen said on Fox News as the outcome became clear. “She lost. Did she just go to bed? Wisconsin has been called. It’s over. Why is she not coming out and conceding? It’s shameful.”
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the Trump and Harris campaigns seeking comment.
The hashtag #DoNotConcedeKamala was trending on X as of Wednesday morning.
Trump famously refused to concede his defeat to President Joe Biden in 2020, filing several unsuccessful lawsuits as he claimed the election had been stolen from him.
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