Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is expected to concede defeat in the US presidential election to Republican candidate Donald Trump. According to news agency Reuters, Harris will deliver her concession speech at 6 pm local time (4:30 am IST on Thursday). The announcement follows her decision to cancel her election night speech on Wednesday, once it became evident that Trump had secured the necessary 270 electoral college votes to reclaim the Oval Office, making him the 47th president of the United States.
Despite a tight race predicted by pre-election polls, Trump surged ahead of Harris, winning key swing states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Wisconsin. These victories solidified his return to the White House, as he also captured the popular vote—making him the first Republican to do so since George W. Bush in 2004. In his victory speech to a packed crowd in Florida, Trump declared, “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”
Harris, with 224 electoral college votes compared to Trump’s 280, ran a powerful campaign that resonated with many Americans. The 60-year-old trailblazer made history as the first Black woman and the first South Asian woman to earn a major party’s presidential nomination. Her campaign raised a staggering $1 billion in just under three months, with backing from high-profile supporters like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Oprah, and even some Republicans.
However, her efforts couldn’t overcome Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) message, which focused on the economy and immigration—issues that proved pivotal for voters this election. Polls revealed that many Americans felt more financially stable during Trump’s earlier presidency (2016-2020) compared to the Biden-Harris administration.
Political experts noted that Harris, tied to an unpopular administration, struggled to distance herself from Biden’s policies and offer a message of change—a feat Trump achieved successfully. When asked in an interview how she would differ from Biden, Harris responded, “Not a thing comes to mind,” a statement that underscored her challenge in defining a distinct platform.
Harris’s campaign momentum was further limited by the late start, as she only began campaigning in earnest after Biden exited the race in July. In contrast, Trump had been rallying his base since his first term and remained a significant figure in the US political landscape even after leaving office in 2020.
At 78, Trump has set a new record as the oldest elected US president and only the second to serve two non-consecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland’s precedent in 1897. Trump survived an assassination attempt during his campaign and, following his victory, hailed his political movement as “the greatest of all time.”
“We are going to help our country heal, fix our borders—we made history for a reason tonight,” he said, celebrating his comeback. “We have achieved the most incredible political win. I want to thank the American people. I will fight for you and your family with every breath in my body.”
The impact of Trump’s win has already reached beyond US borders, with stock markets surging in countries like the US and India following the election results.
With Harris’s concession speech approaching, the stage is set for a momentous transition, marking a dramatic shift in American politics as Trump prepares to return to the White House.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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