Kamala Harris Delivers a Message of Hope After Election Loss: ‘Don’t Ever Give Up’
Vice President Kamala Harris returned to her roots this afternoon in order to address her devastated supporters and a fiercely divided nation. Nearly 12 hours after Donald Trump was announced the winner of the 2024 presidential election, Harris took the stage at Howard University, the historically Black college she attended, in Washington, D.C., the city where she rose to become the first female vice president.
Wearing a deep purple suit and her signature pearls, Harris spoke with clarity and compassion, acknowledging the widespread heartbreak and fear given the day’s results. “My heart is full today,” she began. “Full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country, and full of resolve. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when I say: The light of America’s promise will always burn bright, as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.” She took the time to thank her family and President Joe Biden, who she has served beside for nearly four years. Biden dropped out of the presidential election back in July, opening the door for Harris to become the Democratic nominee.
“I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it,” she said. “We all have so much more in common than what separates us. Now I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it [laughs], but we must accept the results of this election.”
She added, “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.”
Harris, who would have been the United States’s first female president had she won on Election Day, has mostly avoided talking about her gender throughout her brief campaign. But on Wednesday, she did deliver a message to young voters in particular, saying, “To the young people who are watching, it is OK to feel sad and disappointed. But please know, it’s going to be OK. On the campaign I would often say, ‘When we fight, we win.’ But here’s the thing: Sometimes the fight takes awhile. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up. Don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. You have power and don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible, because it has never been done before.
“And so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands; this is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is the time to organize, to mobilize, and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.”
The mood was solemn as Harris ended an unprecedented run for the nation’s highest office. Yet she continued her reputation as a “joyful warrior” by telling the crowd: “There’s an adage a historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages. The adage is: Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” She continued, “I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if it is: Let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion stars, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. And may that work guide us even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America.”
Watch her speech in full, below.