Kamala Harris finally made the call to Donald Trump to concede the election on Wednesday afternoon, following the official announcement of her loss. However, even as she extended her congratulations, she delivered a warning to the president-elect, offering some pointed advice.
"She discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans," a senior Harris aide said. Harris, during her campaign, time and again promised to be a president "for all Americans." She will address the nation later Wednesday at Howard University, nearly 12 hours after her Republican opponent, Trump, was declared the winner. Trump, meanwhile, is spending the day at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Harris Accepts Her Fate
Harris made the phone call shortly after Michigan was called for the president-elect Trump, securing him the third state in the critical "blue wall" that would determine the outcome of the election.
With 292 electoral votes, Trump now leads Harris, who has 224. A candidate needs 270 votes to win the presidency.
The Democrats had hoped the "blue wall" of states would help Harris secure the White House. However, Trump won in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
In 2020, Joe Biden won all three of those states, but Harris couldn't keep the record intact for the Democrats this time around.
Trump becomes the first president in more than 130 years—and only the second in history—to secure a non-consecutive second term.
Signs Were Clear Earlier
Exit polls reveal that Trump's victory was fueled by gains with nearly every voter group he lost to Biden in 2020, forming a broad coalition of multi-ethnic working-class voters. In contrast, Harris performed worse on Tuesday than Biden did in 2020, particularly among key demographics like women, working-class voters, and Latinos.
The numbers from the exit polls reflect this shift.
Ultimately, the results came down to this: Trump presented a clear vision for America's future, while Harris struggled with unclear rhetoric. Voters trusted Trump more to address economic concerns, and many believed that Biden had steered the country in the wrong direction.
All these factors contributed to Trump's remarkable comeback, overcoming a criminal conviction, multiple indictments, and even an assassination attempt to reclaim the White House.
Trump secured a landslide victory, with the election, once expected to be a close race, turning into a red wave. Not only did Trump win the electoral college, but he also won in the popular vote, securing 71.2 million votes compared to Harris' 66.4 million.
Notably, Harris received fewer votes than Biden did in 2020, when their ticket amassed 81 million votes.
While the popular vote is still being finalized, Trump could become the first Republican president since George W. Bush to win it.
