WASHINGTON, Nov 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Donald Trump’s crushing presidential victory heralded a new era of uncertainty in the United States and the world Wednesday, as defeated Kamala Harris gave a defiant concession speech while vowing to help his transition to power.
An emotional vice president Harris told tearful supporters in a speech in Washington “do not despair”, and she urged them to “keep fighting” after her loss.
But the Democrat’s pledge to ensure a peaceful handover stood in stark contrast with Republican Trump’s unprecedented refusal four years ago to admit defeat by Joe Biden, culminating in the violent attack by his supporters on the US Capitol.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Harris said in her short, powerful speech at Howard University, her alma mater.
“I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time,” she said, her voice hoarse as she made her first public remarks since Trump’s surprisingly heavy victory. “But for the benefit of us all, I hope that’s not the case.”
Harris — who had blasted Trump as a threat to democracy during her failed bid to become America’s first woman president — earlier called him to offer her congratulations, an aide said.
Trump sealed his historic comeback to the White House overnight, cementing what is set to be more than a decade of US politics overshadowed by his hardline, disruptive right-wing politics.
The 78-year-old won wider margins than before, despite a criminal conviction, two impeachments while in office and warnings from his former chief of staff that he is a fascist.
Exit polls showed that voters’ top concern remained the economy and inflation that spiked under Biden in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
Biden, 81, who dropped out of the race in July over concerns about his age, invited Trump to the White House, officials said.
Trump accepted and “looks forward to the meeting, which will take place shortly,” the president-elect’s spokesman Steven Cheung said.
Biden will address the nation on Thursday and paid tribute to Harris for her “courage” and “integrity.”
Harris ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Trump’s inflammatory messaging and constant use of racist and sexist tropes in his speeches.
Trump is the first president in more than a century to win a non-consecutive second term, and the only person to be elected president as a convicted felon — he is scheduled to face sentencing in a New York court for fraud on November 26. — NNN-AGENCIES
