Washington: Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president, acknowledged that her Republican rival, Donald Trump, had won the 2024 election. But she warned that while she conceded the election, she was not conceding the fight for freedom “that fueled her campaign,” in a message that seemed designed to boost the morale of her base but also left an intriguing hint about her own future. .

Harris delivered her concession speech at Howard University, her alma mater and a historically black institution in Washington DC, on Wednesday afternoon eastern time (Thursday morning IST). For his part, President Joe Biden spoke to Trump and invited him to the White House, a meeting expected to take place soon, and promised a peaceful transition, something Trump had failed to do in 2020.

Dems in shock

Democrats remained shocked by the magnitude of Trump’s victory and Republican takeover of the Senate on Wednesday and Thursday. Democrats’ only hope now of imposing some control on the president-elect is a majority in the House of Representatives, but the counting of votes in competitive House seats was still underway at the time of this meeting. perse went.

With her husband Doug Emhoff, her running mate Tim Walz and hundreds of supporters and volunteers in attendance, many of whom were seen in tears and even sobbing, Harris said: “The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we wanted. what we fought for, not what we voted for… Now I know that people are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I understand, but we have to accept the outcome of this election.”

Harris said she spoke with Trump, congratulated him, promised to help with the transition and told him they were committed to a peaceful transition of power. “If we lose an election, we accept the outcome. That principle, like any other principle, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public’s trust must respect that,” she said, in an apparent criticism of Trump for his actions in 2020.

Harris said her fundamental loyalty was to the Constitution, to her conscience and to God. “While I concede this election, I will not concede the fight that this campaign has ignited – 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.”

Peaceful transition

Biden said Thursday morning in the White House Rose Garden that he had spoken with Trump and promised a peaceful transition. He praised Harris’ character and said she should be proud of the campaign she ran. Biden said they accept the choice the country has made. “You can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor if you agree… Turn the temperature down.”

He also took the moment to say that this should reaffirm confidence in the American electoral process. He said: “On January 20, we will have a peaceful transition of power here in America.”

Biden spoke about the achievements of his presidency, talked about making good use of the remaining days and told his base that setbacks are inevitable, but giving up was unforgivable.

While Biden and Harris’ efforts to keep the base motivated at a time of devastating defeat for Democrats were evident, it did not obscure the infighting and blame game that has already begun within the Democratic ranks. Campaign officials offered background quotes to US media, blaming Biden for not leaving the race early enough; Others pointed out that Democrats are not using newer forms of mass media communication, especially popular podcasts, to get their message out; others said Harris had not effectively defined herself. Some blamed her for moving to the right, others said she was too left.

But the core of the struggle was the future ideological direction of the party.

From the left, Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont who runs with the Democrats and ran for the nomination in 2016 and 2020, said that the Democrats had failed the working class, and therefore the working class had failed the Democrats left. “First it was the white working class and now it’s also Latino and black workers. While Democratic leaders defend the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they are right.” Sanders blamed big donors and consultants who control the Democratic Party for failing to recognize this pain and the indispensability of a progressive economic agenda.

But other Democrats talked about the need to stop listening to the left.

Ritchie Torres, a Democratic representative from a poorer part of the Bronx in New York, wrote on the Democratic Party with absurdities like “Defund the Police” or “From the River to the Sea” or “Latinx.” “There is more to be lost than gained politically by pandering to the far left that is more representative of Twitter, Twitch and TikTok than the real world. The working class does not buy the ivory tower nonsense that the far left sells,” Torres said.

Obama provides context

It was left to former president and strong supporter of Harris, Barack Obama, to provide more context. In a statement, he said America has been through a lot in recent years, including the pandemic and the resulting price increases. “These conditions have created headwinds for Democratic establishments around the world… and America is not immune.” Obama also spoke of the need to extend grace to those with whom one disagreed, saying this is how progress has come about.

Even as Democrats leave office and prepare for political turbulence of the kind they may not have seen yet, it’s clear that the party’s quest to understand what happened this Tuesday has only just begun.