New Delhi:

US Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump after an acrimonious, turbulent and polarising campaign. In her speech, the Democratic leader said though she has conceded the election, she has not conceded “the fight that fuelled this campaign.”

“While I concede the election, I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign. Fight for freedom, opportunity, dignity for all people,” Ms Harris said in a speech that lasted less than 15 minutes.

Her supporters cheered, even though she admitted it was painful to lose. She told them to “keep fighting”.

“… I will close with this. Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars. I know many people feel we are entering a dark time… Let us fill the sky with the light of billions and billions of stars, the light of truth, optimism and service,” she said.

“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 told supporters.

“We must accept the results of this election. Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory,” Ms Harris told supporters in the concession 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,” she said.

Mr Trump’s victory, following one of the most hostile campaigns in modern US history, was all the more remarkable given an unprecedented criminal conviction, a near-miss assassination attempt, and warnings from a former chief of staff that he is a “fascist.”

Mr Trump had never conceded defeat four years ago when his supporters ransacked the US Capitol. He returned to the White House with wider margins than before despite a criminal conviction, two impeachments while last in office and warnings from his former chief of staff that he was a “fascist.”

At 78, Mr Trump will be the oldest President during his inauguration scheduled on January 20. Had Ms Harris won, she would have been the first woman president of the US. “It’s a political victory that our country has never seen before,” Mr Trump said earlier today in his victory speech.

Global leaders swiftly pledged to work with Mr Trump, despite concerns in some parts of the world about his “America First” approach. Among the most worried countries will be Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first leaders who dialled Mr Trump to congratulate him. “Had a great conversation with my friend, President Donald Trump, congratulating him on his spectacular victory. Looking forward to working closely together once again to further strengthen India-US relations across technology, defence, energy, space and several other sectors,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

Mr Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance have scoffed at the billions of dollars in US assistance to Ukraine under outgoing President Joe Biden, with their aides musing about forcing Ukraine to make concessions to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Trump and said he hoped the new US leader would help Ukraine find a “just peace.”

Ms Harris entered the race in July after the visibly ageing Biden dropped out. She ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Mr Trump’s inflammatory messaging and use of racist and sexist tropes. But his apocalyptic warnings about immigration found their mark with voters battered by the post-Covid economy and eager for change after the Biden years.

Vice President Kamala Harris, presented her “closing arguments” on Tuesday (October 29, 2024) night, for why she – and not her Republican opponent Donald Trump – should run the country. File
| Photo Credit: AP

With one week to go for the U.S. elections, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Presidency, Vice President Kamala Harris, presented her “closing arguments” on Tuesday (October 29, 2024) night, for why she – and not her Republican opponent Donald Trump – should run the country.

Speaking on the Ellipse, a park between the White House and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC,  Ms. Harris presented two contrasting visions of America – hers and Mr. Trump’s, as she addressed a crowd of tens of thousands. The location was part of the message. Mr. Trump delivered a speech from the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, which roused a mob of his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol.

In her speech, Ms. Harris adopted a new, tougher, tone on illegal migration, spoke about her economic plans and drew a line between herself and the Biden administration.

She also presented herself as the unifying candidate, as opposed to Mr. Trump, whom she linked to conflict and drama.

“He is the person who stood at this very spot nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election that he knew he lost,” Ms. Harris said, telling supporters this was probably the “most important vote” they would ever cast, a choice between “freedom” and  “chaos and division”.

“This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power,” she said, referring to Mr. Trump’s suggestion that he would use the U.S. military against “the enemy within”.

“It is time to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms,” she said, offering a  “new generation of leadership”, a phrase she has used before to differentiate herself from U.S. President Joe Biden as well as Mr. Trump, both of whom are significantly older than her.

Ms. Harris also said her presidency would be different from Mr. Biden’s because the challenges were different, as she attempted, again, to rectify electorally damaging messaging from weeks earlier,  when she said that her policy positions were aligned with Mr. Biden’s.

Now that the recovery from the pandemic was complete, the focus, she said, was on cutting costs. Ms. Harris spoke at some length about her economic plans – from capping the price of insulin to offering tax credits for new parents. Mr Trump would cut taxes for billionaires and big corporations, she said, adding that his plan to levy import duties would effectively be a ‘Trump Sales Tax’ on imported goods that Americans buy.

On immigration, Ms. Harris said she would “quickly remove those who arrive here lawfully” and prosecute the cartels. She blamed Mr. Trump for sabotaging legislation on border security that the Biden administration was on the verge of passing.  

“At the same time, we must acknowledge, we are a nation of immigrants,” she said, promising to work on a path to citizenship for some categories of migrants via immigration reform legislation that has been stalled in the U.S. Congress for years.

The U.S. military would be most lethal fighting force in the world under her command, she said, adding that she would strengthen America’s role in the world.

“World leaders think that Donald Trump is an easy mark. Easy to manipulate with flattery and favor,” Ms. Harris said.

The Vice President warned that Mr. Trump would further clamp down on reproductive rights, specifically abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF) and that women’s pregnancies would be monitored.  (Mr Trump has distanced himself from a right-wing governing plan called Project 2025 that says states should report the number and timing of abortions, among other details, or risk losing certain types of funding. Democrats have linked Mr. Trump to the plan, whose authors include his former advisors.)

On Tuesday (October 29, 2024), Ms Harris  portrayed herself as an outsider to Washington. .

“So I know that not all good ideas come from here,” she said, adding that she could take on powerful interests.

Ms. Harris was preceded by speakers who spoke to various aspects of her policy (or the detrimental effects Mr. Trump’s policies had on them). The Harris campaign said 75,000 people attended the rally.