“We must accept the results of this election. Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory,” Harris said in a speech at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington.
“I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition, and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.”
Harris emphasized that respecting election outcomes is what sets democracy apart from monarchy or tyranny, without referencing Trump's unwillingness to acknowledge his loss to President Joe Biden in 2020. She stated that anyone aspiring to earn the public's trust must uphold this principle.
“At the same time in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party but to the constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience, and to our God,” she added.
Harris addressed a jubilant audience, encouraging her supporters to continue advocating for their beliefs, even in the face of their profound disappointment following Trump's significant win the previous day.
“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 that 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 said.
Following a campaign during which she consistently cautioned that Trump represented a threat to American democracy, she wrapped up by acknowledging the pervasive sense of unease experienced by numerous supporters.
“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,” she said.
“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 — the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service,” she added.