The vice president called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory and affirm that there will be a smooth transition of power, a senior Harris aide says
Kamala Harris has conceded the 2024 presidential election.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the vice president, 60, called President-elect Donald Trump, 78, to congratulate him on his victory and offer her concession, a senior Harris aide confirms to PEOPLE.
She reportedly discussed the importance of a peaceful transition of power between the administrations and expressed hope that he can be a president for all Americans.
The Democratic presidential nominee will publicly address the nation about her defeat at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Howard University in Washington, D.C., a historically Black university where she earned her undergraduate degree.
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Harris first announced her presidential campaign on July 21 after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and promptly gave her his endorsement. Biden, 81, previously defeated Trump for the presidency in 2020, earning 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232.
“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 in July. “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.”
Shortly thereafter, Harris confirmed that she would be running for president with a statement shared by the Biden campaign, in which she called the president “selfless and patriotic.”
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“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she wrote. “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.”
The next day, Harris secured enough Democratic delegates to earn the party’s presidential nomination after garnering more than the 1,976 pledged delegates needed to formally win the nomination during the Democratic National Convention.
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In August, Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate.
Harris is the first woman, the first Black person and the first person of Indian descent to hold the office of vice president.
