Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to give remarks about her loss to President-elect Donald Trump, and her delay in speaking to supporters has garnered criticism.
Harris called Trump to concede the race early Wednesday afternoon, ahead of her remarks to supporters at 4 p.m. ET. The criticism directed at Harris comes after discussions by Democrats about whether Trump would concede if he lost the election to the vice president.
The Harris campaign called it a night shortly after midnight, telling supporters they would hear from the vice president later Wednesday. The announcement came shortly after the Associated Press projected Georgia and North Carolina for Trump, and her paths to 270 electoral votes significantly narrowed.
Trump was projected to be the president-elect at 5:34 a.m., but the Harris campaign was mum for hours.
Billionaire Bill Ackman criticized the vice president for not having “the courtesy to face her followers” after her projected loss, in a Wednesday morning X post.
The fact that @KamalaHarris didn’t have the courtesy to face her followers and those who worked so hard for her and thank them speaks volumes.
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) November 6, 2024
“The fact that @KamalaHarris didn’t have the courtesy to face her followers and those who worked so hard for her and thank them speaks volumes,” Ackman said.
Dana Perino, Fox News host and former Bush White House press secretary, also criticized Harris for waiting until later in the day, referring to earlier reports that she would wait until 6 p.m. to speak to supporters.
Why not just come out and handle it? Show young women that you can fight hard, come up short, and live “with joy” for another day? I don’t get this idea of the VP speaking at 6 pm. Come on, man.
— Dana Perino (@DanaPerino) November 6, 2024
“Why not just come out and handle it? Show young women that you can fight hard, come up short, and live ‘with joy’ for another day? I don’t get this idea of the VP speaking at 6 pm. Come on, man,” Perino said on X.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who ran in the GOP primary against Trump, congratulated him and called out the vice president’s hypocrisy in not immediately conceding the race.
The American people have spoken.
Congratulations to President Trump on a strong win. Now, it’s time for the American people to come together, pray for our country, and start the process of a peaceful transition.
That begins with Kamala Harris conceding. You can’t just talk…
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) November 6, 2024
“The American people have spoken. Congratulations to President Trump on a strong win. Now, it’s time for the American people to come together, pray for our country, and start the process of a peaceful transition. That begins with Kamala Harris conceding. You can’t just talk about unity in a campaign, you have to show it regardless of the outcome,” Haley said in an X post.
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The Tuesday election saw Republicans flip the Senate and the White House, with GOP Senate flips in West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana, and Trump defeating Harris.
The race for control of the House remains undecided through Wednesday afternoon but is expected to be a narrow majority for whichever party wins.