Kamala Harris has gracefully conceded the 2024 presidential race. On November 6, Wednesday, the 60-year-old Vice President reached out to the newly elected President, 78-year-old Donald Trump, to extend her congratulations on his victory and offer her concession, as confirmed by a senior aide to Harris to PEOPLE.
During the call, she reportedly emphasized the significance of a smooth power transition between administrations and voiced her hope that Trump would emerge as a president for all Americans, transcending divisive lines.
The Democratic presidential hopeful will publicly address the nation regarding her defeat at Howard University in Washington, D.C., a historically Black institution where she earned her undergraduate degree, at 4 p.m. ET on the same day.
Harris announced her presidential candidacy on July 21, soon after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race and endorsed her without hesitation. Biden, 81, had previously defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election, securing 306 Electoral College votes against Trump's 232.
"My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it has proven to be the best decision I've ever made," Biden wrote on X in July. "Today, I want to lend my full support and endorsement to Kamala to be our party's nominee this year. Democrats, it's time to unite and defeat Trump. Let's make it happen."
Shortly after Biden's endorsement, Harris confirmed her presidential bid through a statement shared by the Biden campaign, describing the president as "selfless and patriotic."
"I am deeply honored to have the President's endorsement, and my utmost intention is to earn and secure this nomination," she wrote. "Over the past year, I've traversed the country, engaging with Americans about the stark choices before us in this pivotal election. And I will continue to do so in the days and weeks ahead. I will spare no effort to unify the Democratic Party and our nation to defeat Donald Trump and his radical Project 2025 agenda."
The following day, Harris secured sufficient Democratic delegates to clinch the party's presidential nomination, surpassing the 1,976 pledged delegates required for a formal victory during the Democratic National Convention.
In August, Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, marking a historic milestone. Harris is the first woman, the first Black individual, and the first person of Indian descent to hold the office of Vice President.
