Steph Deschamps / November 9, 2024
Kamala Harris took to the stage to admit defeat and affirm the victory of her rival Donald Trump. The speech was broadcast live on YouTube. To thunderous applause, smiling and waving to the crowd, the Democrat began by thanking the Americans who had voted for her.
Underneath the (fake) smile, she said “thank you, I love you”, “my heart is full of gratitude for the trust placed in me”. “The result is not what we expected and fought for. But the light of the American promise [we made] will always shine, as long as we fight,” said Kamala Harris, who struggled to mask her emotion, tremolos in her voice.
“We have so much more in common than what separates us. I understand how you feel today,” she said before hailing Donald Trump's victory. “A fundamental principle of our democracy is to accept the result of an election. That's what sets us apart from a tyranny. But we owe loyalty not to a party or a president, but to the Constitution.”
She went on to talk about the fight for freedom, for the ideals that lie at the heart of the nation, the ideals that best reflect what the United States is all about. We've already heard this language in her campaign speeches: “defending our schools and our streets from gun violence, the fight for democracy, fairness and justice”, and so on.
“You have to fight for the dignity everyone deserves, fight for work, fight for our country it's always worth it. For younger people watching, it's okay to feel sad and disappointed. But when you fight, you win. But sometimes the fight takes time. That doesn't mean we won't win one day. Never give up. Never give up on making the world a better place. Never give up,” declared the Democrat.
“Now is the time to mobilize for justice and freedom”.
And to conclude on his defeat. “It's only when it's dark that you can see the stars. Let's fill the sky with millions of stars”.