Kamala Harris concedes in speech echoing Hillary Clinton defeat. Full transcript below.

After losing Tuesday’s presidential election to Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris publicly conceded the race in a speech Wednesday using some variation of the word “fight” nearly 20 times.

The speech, delivered at Howard University in Washington, D.C., was remarkably similar to the speech former Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton gave after losing to Trump in 2016.

“The light of America’s promise will always burn bright, as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting,” said Harris, continuing with a mixed blend of rhetoric promising unity among Democrats and promising to battle Trump and Republicans. 

She was proud of the way the campaign was run, she said, adding it was “intentional” and found “joy in our fight for America’s future.”  

After a few more remarks, Harris then told the crowd she had spoken with Trump on the phone. 

“Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. 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,” said Harris. It was the only mention of Trump in the speech. 

She then used the word “fight” 18 more times. 

The Harris speech continues a trend, established in 2016 with the Hillary Clinton concession speech, of losing candidates using partisan politics in after-election addresses to rally their supporters.  

Prior to 2016, modern concession speeches were largely seen as an opportunity to rally Americans around the new president, as much for the good of public opinion as for giving the country a respite from the emotions of the campaign. 

While Clinton pledged in her 2016 concession speech to give Trump an “open mind and the chance to lead,” she quickly joined an effort to have a recount done in several key swing states, while simultaneously claiming that the FBI and Russia interfered in the election to hand the victory to her opponent. 

Similarly, Harris claimed in her concession to support what she called a “fundamental principle of American democracy” and “accept the results.”  

But Harris’ tone was more negative toward the end of her speech, openly saying she hoped the country hadn’t entered a dangerous period with the election of Trump.  

The rhetoric echoed the charges made by Democrats and the media that claimed Trump will end American republican democracy and scuttle the Constitution. Some even compared Trump to Adolf Hitler. 

“I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time. But for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case,” said Harris, despite the four-way mandate Americans gave Republicans on Tuesday. 

In the general election, the GOP regained the White House and the U.S. Senate. The Republicans also look to be holding on to a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, while getting a majority of the popular vote in the presidential contest. 

The Harris speech was foreshadowed by an appearance of a squirrel on the platform minutes before Harris made her entrance, which was quickly noticed on social media. 

The last days of the 2024 presidential campaign featured GOP outrage about the euthanization of a pet squirrel named Peanut in New York state by zealous wildlife officials. 

Conservatives claimed the wanton slaughter of the pet represented the overreach of government driven by Democrats. 

The full text of the Harris speech transcribed by The Lion is below:  

Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Good, good afternoon, everyone, good afternoon, good afternoon. Good afternoon. 

Good thank you all. Thank you, thank you. Thank you, thank you. 

So let me say, and I love you back, and I love you back. So let me say, my heart is full today. My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve. 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, hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright. You. As long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting. 

To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so very much to President Biden and Dr. Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the walls family. I know your service to our nation will continue and to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much of themselves to the poll workers and the local election officials. I thank you. I thank you all. Look, I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it 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 love of 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. Now, I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it, but we must accept the results of this election.  

Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. 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 It is fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.  

At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign, the fight, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best.  

That is a fight I will never give up. I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspirations, where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do. We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence and America. We will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld.  

I and we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts and in the public square, and we will also wage it in quieter ways, in how we live our lives, by treating one another with kindness and respect, by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbor, by always Using our strength to lift people up to fight for the dignity that all people deserve. The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work and the fight for our country is always worth it. It is always worth it. to the young people who are watching, to the young people who are watching, it is okay to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be okay on the campaign.  

I would often say, when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing, here’s the thing, sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is, don’t ever give up. Don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place, you have power. You have power. And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before you. You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. And so, to everyone who is watching, do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.  

This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged, for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together. Look, many of you know, I started out as a prosecutor, and throughout my career, I saw people at some of the worst times in their lives, people who had suffered great harm and great pain and yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to take a stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our charge.  

And I’ll close with this: There’s an adage and historian once called a law of history, true of every society across the ages, the adage is: Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.  

I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all. I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing, America, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars, the light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service.  

[inaudible…] And may that work guide us, even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the United States of America. I thank you all. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America. I thank you.