WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris called President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to concede the election and congratulate him on his victory.
An aide for the vice president, who declined to be identified discussing a private conversation, said Harris talked with Trump about the need for a peaceful transfer of power.
It is tradition for the losing candidate in a presidential election to call the new president-elect and offer congratulations, as part of the peaceful transfer of power that makes American democracy work.
The only exception in modern history is Trump himself, who infamously refused to concede the 2020 election and falsely claimed that it was rigged against him. Trump also skipped Joe Biden's inauguration, the first outgoing president to break from this tradition since 1869.
Has Kamala Harris conceded yet?
Harris conceded Wednesday afternoon after calling the former president to congratulate him on his victory.
Harris later urged unity in a concession speech at Howard University.
“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for,” Harris said. “But hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright, as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”
President Joe Biden plans to address the election results on Thursday. The White House said he spoke with Harris and Trump on Wednesday, and he invited the president-elect to meet with him soon.
Why does Harris have to concede?
Although race calls from the Associated Press and other outlets aren't official, they are accurate. The Associated Press has not called a state incorrectly in the presidential election in modern history, priding itself on 100% accuracy.
Although states are still counting, the AP and other news organizations, who employ dedicated analysts to scrutinize election data for these calls, have determined that there is no path to victory left for Harris.
Howard University, the historic Black college, is a special place for Harris. It's where she won her first campaign, for freshman class representative. It's also where she launched her 2019 bid for the White House, and was one of her first stops on the day she was announced as Joe Biden's running mate in 2020.
She had hoped the school would serve as the site of her triumph Tuesday, as she watched election results trickle in. Early indications were that she would speak to supporters Tuesday night regardless of where the results stood, to thank them for their work during the campaign.
But as election night wore on and it became increasingly clear that Trump was the likely winner, those plans changed. Cedrick Richmond, one of Harris' campaign co-chairs, addressed the crowd just before 1 a.m. Wednesday morning instead.
"We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet. We will continue overnight to try to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken," campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond said. "So you won't hear from the vice president tonight. But you will hear from her tomorrow, because she will back here tomorrow to address not only the HU family, not only to address her supporters, but to address the nation."
