Washington: US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has delivered a concession speech at Howard University in Washington, D.C., saying that she is proud of the campaign and stressing that “when we lose an election, we accept the results”.
“I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by the love of the country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us,” Harris said on Wednesday in the speech at her alma mater.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign,” she said.
“Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win.”
In her speech, Harris highlighted Democrats’ key issues, such as abortion, gun violence, and equal justice, vowing that “we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts, and the public square”.
The Vice-President emphasised the importance of accepting the election results, Xinhua news agency reported.
She confirmed that she had spoken with President-elect Donald Trump and congratulated him on his victory, noting that her administration would facilitate a peaceful transfer of power.
Early Wednesday morning, Fox News first projected that Trump would win more than 270 Electoral College votes, the threshold needed to clinch the presidency.
Speaking at his election headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump quickly declared victory in the 2024 US presidential election, calling it “a political victory that our country has never seen before”.
Biden congratulates Trump, invites him to meet in the White House
According to the White House, US President Joe Biden called President-elect Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election victory.
“President Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasised the importance of working to bring the country together,” the White House said on Wednesday in a statement, noting that Biden will address the nation to discuss the election results and the transition on Thursday.
Biden also invited Trump to meet in the White House, the statement said, adding that the staff will coordinate a specific date soon, Xinhua news agency reported.
Biden also spoke by phone with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and congratulated her on her “historic campaign,” the statement said.
UN chief Guterres offers to work ‘constructively’ with Trump administration
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated Donald Trump, a critic of the world organisation’s work, on his re-election as President of the United States. He said the UN was ready to “work constructively” with his administration.
“I reaffirm my belief that the cooperation between the United States and the United Nations is an essential pillar of international relations”, he said in his message.
“The United Nations stands ready to work constructively with the incoming administration to address the dramatic challenges our world is facing”, he said.
He added, “I commend the people of the United States of America for their active participation in the democratic process”.
Trump, a sceptic of multilateralism and climate change, pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Accord, which was reached under the auspices of the UN and UNESCO.
Guterres’ Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, downplayed the differences of opinion between the Secretary-General and Trump and said that they “had very good relations”.
Besides hosting the UN, the US is its biggest funder, contributing 22 percent of its annual budget and 26 percent of its peacekeeping budget.
If the US, which is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, leaves the Paris Agreement, Guterres told the Guardian newspaper, the pact would still survive but could be “crippled”.
He told the paper that it was important for Washington to remain in the pact but, more importantly, for it to adopt policies needed to keep global warming under the 1.5 Celsius limit.
Trump said during his campaign that his administration would scrap or limit the measures adopted by President Biden to fight climate change and would encourage drilling for oil and gas.
–IANS
