2024 US election: Harris supporters cry during concession speech, say still have hope for nation

Washington, DC – Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the election to Donald Trump in a speech on Wednesday afternoon at Howard University, telling her tearful supporters not to give up. 

"The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for," she said in her speech. "The light of America's promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting."

The future of the country is still bright, said Daniel Tellez, 22, an intern in the U.S. Congress from Ohio State University who was at Harris’s speech, adding that the Democrats need to understand the root of the defeat.

Donald Trump won the six major battleground states in the U.S., obtaining 312 electoral votes, well over the 270 needed to win, according to the Associated Press, which historically calls the presidential election.

“The Democrats should think deeply about why Trump won all the swing states, and Harris could not even get one,” Tellez said.

Many experts have pointed to the economy as the key issue for voters. The inflation rate in 2021 was the highest since the 1980s despite significant increases in employment and average pay.

“The main thing that differentiates Harris and Trump is the economy,” Tellez said, adding that he thought Trump’s message about the economy was clearer than Harris’s.

Harris will be president in the future and bring the nation together,  said Merry, 69, who attended the concession speech and asked not to use her full name.

"We all should be optimistic, and it is unnecessary to be anxious about everything,” Merry said.

“At this point, we have nothing to do but to accept it,” Tellez said.