kamala Harris will deliver a speech conceding defeat in the presidential election to Donald Trump

Vice President Kamala Harris is anticipated to concede the 2024 presidential election to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday. According to two aides close to Harris, she will also address the public, marking an important milestone as she acknowledges the outcome of the election.

Harris is scheduled to speak to the nation at 4 p.m. Eastern Time from Howard University, the institution where she earned her degree. Currently, Harris is meticulously working on her speech, aiming to convey her message with grace and respect, as shared by one of her aides.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden also plans to reach out to Trump on Wednesday to formally acknowledge his victory. A White House official revealed that Biden intends to address the nation as well, offering his perspective on the election's results.

Biden’s response to Trump's victory aims to include all the gestures that Trump neglected to make back in 2020 when Biden won the presidency—a congratulatory phone call, an invitation to visit the White House, and an offer to attend Trump's inauguration, the official noted.

The presidential race was called early Wednesday morning by NBC News, projecting Trump as the winner shortly after 5:30 a.m. ET. Trump secured 276 electoral votes, surpassing Harris's 223, ensuring his victory in this highly contested race.

Trump, for his part, claimed victory at around 2:30 a.m. ET in an address to his supporters during an election party held in Florida. His early declaration was buoyed by his successful performance in several battleground states.

By Wednesday morning, three key states—Nevada, Michigan, and Arizona—remained too close to call. However, Trump managed to carry several crucial battleground states that both candidates had invested significant time campaigning in, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Kamala Harris, at 60 years old, began her presidential campaign after President Joe Biden, aged 81, stepped out of the race on July 21. Biden's withdrawal came with his full endorsement of Harris as the Democratic nominee. Biden made the decision to drop out following his poor performance in a June debate against Trump. After that event, key figures within the Democratic Party voiced serious concerns about Biden's age and his ability to secure victory in the general election or serve another term in the White House.

Harris was left with roughly three months to mount a campaign against Trump, who had launched his re-election bid right after the midterm elections in November 2022. Unlike Harris, Trump benefited from over a year of preparation and rallying support for his third run for the presidency.

In the final stretch of the campaign, polls indicated a tight race, with both candidates locked in a near-even contest. Harris, however, faced a particular challenge with the so-called "gender gap," with a greater number of male voters—especially white men—favoring Trump. Exit polls conducted by NBC News revealed that 54% of male voters supported Trump, while Harris received support from 44% of male voters.

Throughout her campaign, Harris often referred to herself as the "underdog." She worked hard to differentiate herself from Biden and his administration, aiming to present herself as a candidate who could offer meaningful change. Nevertheless, this distinction proved challenging, as many voters still saw her as tied to Biden's legacy.

Harris's campaign platform focused on an “opportunity economy" that promised benefits for the middle class while increasing taxes on the wealthy. Among her other key promises were codifying the protections of Roe v. Wade into law on a national level, measures to make rent more affordable, and initiatives to help families manage home health care costs.

Additionally, Harris took aim at Trump throughout her campaign, often characterizing him as “increasingly unstable” and “unhinged.” She urged voters to consider the dangers that she believed Trump posed to democracy, labeling him a “fascist” and warning against the possibility of him undermining the country's democratic foundations.

In the end, despite a well-fought campaign and the significant efforts made by Harris to appeal to a broad swath of American voters, the election results have favored Trump. Wednesday will mark a moment of transition as Harris formally concedes and looks toward the future, sharing her thoughts on what this outcome means for the country.