Harris concedes presidential race, sends message to campaign staff: 'Losing is unfathomably painful'
Vice President Kamala Harris has connected with former President Donald Trump and conceded the race in a letter to her campaign staff stating that "the work of protecting America from the impacts of a Trump Presidency starts now."
In a letter obtained by Fox News, Harris said she had called Trump "to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, unlike what we saw in 2020."
The letter continues, "I don’t have words to express the gratitude I have for everyone getting this email. You left everything on the field. You built a first-rate, historic Presidential campaign in basically 90 days. You navigated things that no one has ever had to navigate, and likely no one will ever have to again."
Harris said she also made clear that she hopes he will be a "President for all Americans."
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"You stared down unprecedented headwinds and obstacles that were largely out of our control. We knew this would be a margin of error race, and it was. And, your work mattered: the whole country moved to the right, but compared to the rest of the country, the battleground states saw the least amount of movement in his direction," Harris wrote. "It was closest in the places we competed. That speaks to both the work you did, and the scale of the challenge we ultimately couldn’t surmount."
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Harris is expected to make public comments later Wednesday afternoon during a speech at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
"I’ll leave you with this: losing is unfathomably painful. It is hard. This will take a long time to process. But the work of protecting America from the impacts of a Trump Presidency starts now," Harris vowed.
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"I know the Vice President isn’t finished in this fight, and I know the very people on this email are also going to be leaders in this collective mission. View this as the beginning, not the end. It will be hard work. But as the boss says: hard work is good work. And I look forward to standing beside you."
Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung released a statement mentioning Harris' call with Trump.
"President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier today where she congratulated him on his historic victory," Cheung said. "President Trump acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country."
President Biden reached out by phone and spoke with Vice President Harris and congratulated her on a historic campaign, Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy reported.
Following his call with Harris, Biden also spoke by phone with Trump and congratulated him on his victory.
During their call, Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together.
He also invited President-elect Trump to meet with him in the White House. The staff will coordinate a specific date in the near future.
Biden is expected to address the nation on Thursday to discuss the election results and the transition.
Trump defeated Vice President Harris, who entered the presidential race just over 100 days ago after Biden, who won the Democratic primaries, was convinced to stand down.
Trump will be the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms other than Grover Cleveland, who was elected in 1884 and again in 1892.
Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report.