This is the moment Kamala Harris’ team announced that she would not be conceding on election night after it became apparent Donald Trump was the winner.
Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign, made the announcement at her alma mater shortly after midnight, as it became clear Harris would not become the first female president.
‘Thank you for being here. Thank you for believing in the promise of America,’ the former congressman told the crowd that had gathered to celebrate a Harris win.
‘We still have votes to count, we still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken, so you won’t hear from the vice president tonight.
‘But you will hear from her tomorrow, she will back here tomorrow to address the HBCU family her supporters and the nation.’
Cedric Richmond, co-chair of the Harris campaign, made the announcement at her alma mater shortly after midnight, as it became clear Harris would not become the first female president
Hillary Clinton also waited until the following day to concede when she lost the 2016 election to Trump.
Trump pulled out a landslide win and became the first president in over 130 years – and only the second in history – to win a non-consecutive second term.
Harris is yet to make a concession speech as of 6am EST.
The pivotal moment came when North Carolina was called for Trump at 11:19pm (ET).
His defeat of Harris marks a remarkable return for a twice-impeached president, who left office in 2021 on the back of claims that he had incited an assault on the U.S. Capitol building, and who was convicted earlier this year on multiple counts of business fraud.
Trump pulled out a landslide win and became the first president in over 130 years – and only the second in history – to win a non-consecutive second term. Harris party at her alma mater pictured above
Audience members watch election results as they wait for the arrival of Democratic presidential nominee and United States Vice President Kamala Harris
The 78-year-old Trump will also become the oldest president ever inaugurated, beating President Joe Biden’s record by five months.
He pulled off his remarkable victory on a night reminiscent of 2016, sweeping the key swing states of North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Associated Press called Wisconsin at 5.34am (ET) Wednesday and the race just three minutes later.
The race initially appeared neck-and-neck as Americans went to the polls Tuesday after a tense months-long build-up that peaked when Joe Biden abandoned his quest for a second term and the Democratic party ushered Vice President Harris to the fore.
But as night fell, Trump steadily began pulling ahead thanks to support from solidly red states including Florida, Texas and Alabama.
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris takes part in a phone bank at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, DC, on November 5, 2024
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves at supporters at the end of a campaign rally, November 5
Democrat candidate Harris’ support came from her party’s strongholds on the East and West coast in states like New York, Delaware, and California.
A notable difference between this year’s election night and that of 2020 is that fewer voters – which leaned Democrat – used mail-in ballots, while states have been quicker to process those votes.
Four years ago, that meant Trump’s votes were often counted first as his supporters voted in-person, before Biden votes piled in later and helped the incumbent president to a late victory.
This year, however, the number of voters from both sides using mail-in ballots are more even, meaning the Harris campaign cannot count on large batches of outstanding votes to put her over the line in the key battleground states.
That prompted many election watchers and political experts stateside to predict a Trump victory as early vote counts suggested a favorable result across several swing states, leaving Kamala’s supporters at election watch parties in for a long night.
