Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver a speech on Wednesday, conceding her blistering defeat to Donald Trump in the presidential election, according to reports.
Trump improved upon his 2020 performance in both red and blue states, reaching 277 Electoral College votes to Harris’ 224. Only 270 votes are required to win the election.
Harris’s campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond announced Tuesday night to a tense crowd at Howard University that the Democrat would not address the crowd.
“You will not hear from the vice president tonight, but you will hear from here tomorrow. She will be back here tomorrow to address not only the HBCU family, not only to address her supporters but to address the nation,” Richmond said.
Reuters reports that Harris will concede the race at 6 p.m., but the publication did not confirm where.
Critics bashed Harris for not addressing the crowd that night, as the results were confirmed in the wee hours of the morning.
“Waiting a day to give her concession speech was a big mistake. By tomorrow, Kamala will literally be yesterday’s news. No one will even tune in,” wrote tech entrepreneur David Sacks on X.
“It’s too late. Leadership shines brightest in moments of defeat, not just victory. By canceling her speech, Kamala Harris missed a crucial chance to stand with her supporters when they needed her most,” another X user said. “Win or lose, being present is the cornerstone of trust. This absence leaves a deeper wound.”
After casting his ballot Tuesday, Trump let the complaints fly in a brief session with reporters.
Asked about Oprah Winfrey’s warning that he poses an existential threat to democracy, the former president responded by bashing the media mogul, whom he claims once requested to be his veep.
On the campaign trail, the former president has mused openly about being a “day one dictator,” called for the deployment of the military to handle “radical left lunatics,” and labeled his political opponents as the “enemy from within,” demanding they be imprisoned.
In late July, Trump told an audience of Christian supporters that if they “get out and vote, just this time … you won’t have to do it anymore.”
On Wednesday, Trump declared himself the winner around 2:30 a.m. and reelected for a second term as the country’s president. He promised to “heal” and “fix” the country.
“We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly. We’re going to fix our borders, we’re going to fix everything about our country, and we’ve made history for a reason tonight, and the reason is going to be just that,” he said.
Last week, the billionaire businessman’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, finally broke his silence, telling New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt his former boss “falls into the general definition of fascist.”
“Well, looking at the definition of fascism: It’s a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy,” Kelly said. “So certainly, in my experience, those are the kinds of things that he thinks would work better in terms of running America … Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators — he has said that.”
Harris has echoed the retired Marine general’s remarks, calling her opponent a “wannabe dictator” and a “petty tyrant.”
Elon Musk, who has emerged as Trump’s most enthusiastic celebrity supporter, sounded a similar warning Monday during an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan.
“If Trump doesn’t win, this is the last election,” Musk said.
“I think you’re right,” Rogan agreed. “I think a lot of people are waking up and realize – that have been lifelong Democrats … like, I can’t do this anymore.”
On Tuesday, Musk shared a photo of himself after voting in Cameron County, Texas, where some of his companies are based, before flying to Florida to party with Trump. Later that night, he posted on X, “Game, set and match.”
The campaign was buzzing with confidence as supporters gathered at Trump’s Palm Beach headquarters to watch the results roll in. At one point, the crowd even broke into a dance to “YMCA.”
Musk posted photos of him and Trump conversing at the party while CNN’s election coverage played in the background. He later posted a meme of him juxtaposed in the White House with the caption, “Let That Sink In.”
According to NBC News, Musk could gain millions from government contracts with Trump’s election. Trump also promised to appoint Musk head of a “government efficiency commission,” which he plans to create when he takes office.
The president-elect declared Musk a “star” during his victory speech early on Wednesday morning.
“He’s a super genius. We have to protect our geniuses. We don’t have that many of them. We have to protect our super geniuses,” Trump said.
