How Did Kamala Harris’ Concession Speech Compare to Hillary Clinton’s?

Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the 2024 presidential election to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday in an impassioned speech focused on the work that still must be done to “make the world a better place,” not unlike the concession speech former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave in 2016.
Trump, the Republican nominee, was declared the winner of the presidency by The Associated Press (AP) early Wednesday morning when he pushed over the required threshold of 270 Electoral College votes.
So far, he beat Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the swing states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina and 23 Republican-leaning states. He also secured four of the five electoral votes in Nebraska and one in Maine, bringing his total to 295 Electoral College votes.
Harris thanked her supporters, telling them, “My heart is full today” as she made the final speech of her campaign at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington D.C.
Almost eight years to the day, Clinton, the Democratic nominee at the time, gave a similar speech at the New Yorker Hotel, telling her supporters, “I feel pride and gratitude” after losing the Electoral College 232-306 to Trump.
Newsweek reached out to Clinton’s office as well as Harris and Trump’s campaigns via email for comment on Wednesday evening.
Harris mentioned on Wednesday that she spoke with Trump earlier in the day to congratulate him on his win.
“I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power,” Harris said.
In 2016, Clinton also said she had congratulated Trump and “offered to work with him on behalf of our country.”
“Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it,” Clinton said.
Harris focused more on accepting the election results than Clinton did, presumably because in 2020 when Trump lost to now-President Joe Biden, he did not and still does not accept the election results. For four years, Trump has repeatedly claimed that Biden’s election victory was stolen via widespread voter fraud despite there being no evidence of this. He has also never conceded the 2020 race to Biden.
“I know folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I get it. But we must accept the results of this election,” Harris said on Wednesday. “A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle as much as any other distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it.”
She continued: “At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty, not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States. And loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people.”
Harris mentioned a touchstone of her campaign during her concession speech—women’s reproductive rights.
“I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions and aspirations. Where the women of America have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government telling them what to do,” she said.
Harris made it a point to address the young people watching her speech.
“To the young people who are watching, it is okay to feel sad and disappointed but please know it’s going to be okay. On the campaign, I would often say, ‘When we fight, We win.’ But here’s the thing, sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win,” she said. “The important thing is don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place. You have power. And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before.”
Clinton also specifically called out to young people and women in her 2016 concession speech.
“To the young people in particular, I hope you will hear this. I have…spent my entire adult life fighting for what I believe in. I’ve had successes, and I’ve had setbacks. Sometimes, really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional public and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks, too,” she said. “This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.”
She continued: “We need you to keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives. And to all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion.
“I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but some day someone will and hopefully sooner than we might think right now. And to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”
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