[applause] i'm proud of the two of you. i know that this is been tough, i know it hasn't been easy, and i know there have been moments when i always haven't been there for you the way i wish i was as a father. i hope you're proud of me, and i hope what you learned about this moment in america, you come to understand why i did what i did and why i fight for you. [applause] i chose this hotel for a particular reason. 37 years ago when i was 5 years old, my family and i lived out of this hotel for several weeks when we first moved to new jersey. my first nights in the state were right here in this hotel. my dad had just accepted a job,

his very first job ever, working at a lab to do cancer research. and we were looking for a home for us to rent. my very first nice since were here and some of the strongest memories i've ever had in my life. early moments in my life were here. i remember staying here, i remember there was a restaurant here. i think it was called circles. i can't remember. but i remember feeling like the food was amazing. i was like, people in new jersey live good here. [laughter] [applause] the quality of the food. high class. i felt like a prince. i justed have to say, i wanted to be here tonight in this hotel. i wanted to pay tribute to my parents, to my family, to this state. forgiving a kid like me a chance to have a dream. forgiving me the tools through public education and a kind community.

[applause] it wasn't easy initially. we didn't have a family to lean on here, no friendses to help us get started but new jersey welcomed us. i wanted to return here tonight to give perspective. for my parents, this hotel was an important step in achieving the american dream and now giving back to the state. my parents taught me something i'll never forget. they taught me to love america. i revere this country. i am in awe of america. when i worked at the white house, i've shared this story before, when i worked at the white house, i had a pair of black pristine legislator shoes that i would only -- leather shoes that i would only wear when i was asked to go into the oval office. i wanted to treat that room different. i wanted to remind myself that i'm part of something bigger than all of us.

and it's because of my reverence for this nation that it also pains me to my core to see the struggles that we are going through. that we aren't just having policy debates and fights, but instead the very foundation of our democracy is rendered fragile. people tell me they simply didn't trust their public servants. they simply didn't trust that the politics was working for them. that they didn't think that the big challenges we face in our family and as a state are solvable because they thought nobody was looking out for them. well, we know what happened in our race. i certainly recognize right now that we are at a moment of profound anxiety about what comes next for our country. that the coming minutes and hours and days could very well be excruciating. but regardless of what happens next, we need to recognize that

we face significant challenges, regardless of the outcome. that the divisions we face are deep to the bone. they will not be fixed by any single election and it isn't just about the politics. we live in a time of the greatest amount of inequality in our nation's history too. in salem, i visited public housing complex and talked to a mother who showed me the black mold growing on her home. on the walls where her kids live. she told me about her pleas for help that did not go answered. i heard from a young man who felt so pessimistic about his life, he said to me that he didn't think that he could ever afford to buy a home in this state because of the high cost, as well as a high student loan berth. regardless of what the final results are from this election, our nation is on an unsustainable trajectory. but let there be no doubt that this is a new era of politics

rising. the same old, same old is done. and we've shown new jersey that there's a better way -- [indiscernible] [cheers and applause] [crowd chanting andy] it isn't just about new jersey either. we've shown the country that there's a better way to be able to do this. it can mean a politics that lifts people up. that gives people hope. that delivers for everyone. it could mean a politics that changes the trajectory of our nation and builds a brighter future. i'd like to put forward a challenge to us all. in a little over a year, we're going to be celebrating our 250th anniversary as a nation. as a democracy. let us use that extraordinary milestone as a moment of healing. let us change this trajectory that we find ourselves on. in the same way that i reflect

on my family's start in this very hotel, let us reflect upon the first principles of our nation and put forward a renewed vision. let us use the 250th anniversary to be a reminder of the greatness of america and that the greatness of america is not what we take from this country, but what we give back. [applause] it is what we pass down, as i looked to my parents and my two boys. the hope i give for the same opportunities and the certainty that my parents gave us when we first came to this hotel nearly 40 years ago. that we should use the 250th anniversary to make major investments in our country and our democracy. like supercharging civics education, like building a national service program. investing in civic organizations and tkphaoupbt groups -- community groups, rebuilding the architecture of community that has decayed in our nation.

with a goal of breathing new life into a meaning of patriotism. this challenge is a reminder that today, that election day is the starting line, not the finish line. what we built isn't just a campaign, we have built a movement. a movement to fix broken politics. a movement that does not end with the election tonight, but it does not diminish with the votes ending, it's a movement that helps our nation heal by reminding us that we have more in common than what separates us. it's one that can put service at the center of our citizenship, giving everyone a chance to give back and be part of something bigger. it's one that can lift up the knowledge of our citizenry, to ensure we are informed to make decisions and also remind people that public service is something we should be proud of, aspire to and not diminish. [applause]

by showing americans that being patriotic means looking out for one another. not tearing each other down. or attacking our democratic institutions. [applause] i approach this moment with the utmost humility. as i prepare to take on this job, a job that only 2,000 americans in the history of this country have ever had the honor to do. out of approximately 600 million people who have ever been called americans, to be able to step up and have this opportunity, but the over 120 years of koreans being in america, thattic add a chapter -- that i can add a chapter that hasn't been written before. [cheers and applause] and i understand that i will not be perfect. that i will stumble. and i will struggle at times.

but i assure you, i will give this everything i got. and i will try and serve with honor and integrity. i promise you i will not lose myself along the way. i will anchor myself in the deep sense of public service that has guided me all these years. i won't let the job change me. instead i will work to change the job, to be able to better fulfill what the people of america deserve. [cheers and applause] [indiscernible] i hope to represent everyone in this state. whether you voted for me or not, i serve you. and i hope to bring back meaning to that phrase, public service. [cheers and applause] the way i see it, i am now dedicating rest of my service to this nation, to address one singular question. which is, how do we heal this country? i do this for my boys. for austin and august.

who deserve more than i ever can ever create. we do this for your kids and your grandkids. what is the point of our time on this planet, if we take more than we give? i thank you not just for being with me on this journey, but for being with me on the journey ahead. what started in living rooms in burlington and ocean counties and grew to convention halls -- [indiscernible] -- the strongest grassroots mobilization new jersey has ever seen. [cheers and applause] and from a movement that nobody believed would win to one that is bringing my voice, your voice to the highest levels of our great democracy, i just have to say how incredible of an

experience this is. i want to ask you, are you proud of what we built? [cheers and applause] let me ask you this. do you believe in the change that we can build? [cheers and applause] and are you ready to keep fighting for our country? [cheers and applause] then i thank you from the bottom of my heart for this incredible honor. for this jersey kid who never thought he'd be age to say this -- able to say this. that i am your next united states senator. [cheers and applause] [crowd chanting andy] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] >> good afternoon from washington. following the victory of president donald trump in this election presidential contest, we are now waiting for the vice

president to give her concession speech from howard university here in washington. she has arrived onsite and we expect her to come to the podium, address her supporters and the nation shortly. when she does, we will bring you live coverage of that. we also, before she speaks, want to get your reaction to the results of this campaign and we will also continue that conversation after she delivers her remarks. here's how you can join the conversation this afternoon. democrats. you can text us, include your first name, city and state at 202-748-8903. it became official that president trump won another term, a nonconsecutive term, in

the white house wednesday. the associated press, so far the electoral college vote stands at 292 for former president trump. to 224 for the vice president. there are three races that have yet to be called in the presidential contest in nevada, arizona and alaska. there's also the balance of power in washington, in congress. and if you go to our website, c-span.org/results, you can follow along in those contests as well. right now republicans control the senate. they have flipped the senate last night and they have 52 republicans to 44 democrats. there are four races yet to be called. the race in michigan, the senate race in michigan, was called just before 4:00 p.m. slotkin, the democrat, tweeted out, thank you, michigan, i am honored to be the next senator

from the great state of michigan. and to follow in the foot steps of the great debbie stabenow who left that seat and decided not to run for re-election. again, on your screen is the crowd who have -- that has gathered at howard university here in washington, d.c. vice president's alma mater. and she is going to give remarks there. she's contacted president trump, according to news reports, she's slated to give a concession speech shortly this afternoon. we want to get your reaction to the results of this presidential election cycle, as well as the balance of power here in washington. mark in new york, he's voted for, support the former president. hello, mark. caller: hello. how are you? here's my concern. i hope the country can come together. i've got a lot of friends of

mine who were very, very upset about their democrats who liked harris. it's the united states of america. we have elections. and we plead to come together. i think -- and we need to come together. i think it was very offputting that harris waited so long to contact trump and also president biden, based op the reports, hasn't yet reached out. that is really not right. the whole tone. of the campaign was not very, very nice and the way to put that back together is to be gracious, statesman leake and do the american statesmanlike and do the american thing. the transfer of power. that's what we hear from the democrats. we have to get together and deal with the issues that we have and not focus on the loss by the democrats. they have to get together. host: there were news reports that the president and the vice president have reached out to

the former president, donald trump. caller: oh, ok, good. i'm happy to hear that. i think that's great. i think that's the way we have to operate. and we have to get together in terms of a consensus as americans. that's how this works. we have an election, somebody wins and somebody loses and i just -- i think that -- i want to see how the democrats -- host: mark, i'm going to let you go. that sound is not good. carol in new mexico. a democrat. caller: yes, ma'am. i'm very disappointed in the results. i am hoping that the newly elected president trump decides to become a more kind, thoughtful person about his constituents instead of about himself. i'm just so surprised that he won and i feel very sad about it. and i hope that kamala harris

runs again. but she has my support no matter what. and thank you. host: what do you want to hear from her today, this afternoon? caller: well, i don't know what i want to hear because she's a woman of character and integrity. whatever she says will be ok with me. because i know she won't go over the line with insults or unkindness or anything like that. so i'm just waiting and hoping to hear from her. she still has my full support. host: you said you want to see her run again in four years, is that right? caller: well, we can hope, can't we? host: feels like a long ways away. we'll go to steve who is in texas. republican. hi, steve. caller: hi. i voted for trump. and i think that one of the best results of trump's victory will be that between now and january, 2029, all the ridiculous,

extreme accusations, dishonest accusations, dictatorship, getting rid of social security and medicare, using military against the people, national abortion bans, project 2025, jailing opponents, raising taxes, fascism, canceling future elections, all of those things will not happen. and it will be much harder to get away with such dishonesty for whoever the democratic candidate is in 2028. there will be many great accomplishment business president trump, but that will be a great side effect. host: all right. steve from texas, a republican from texas. the president-elect now has 75-day transition period to build out his team before inauguration day arrives on january 20.

we are watching from here in washington. howard university. the vice president will come out. she'll talk to the supporters that have gathered there, as well as addressing the nation. live coverage of that here on c-span. james in plainfield, illinois. democratic caller. hi, james. caller: hi. did i research before i voted democrat and here's what i found out when i was doing my research. on newsweek, trump is facing backlash after referring to america as a garbage can. trump repeats false claims that children are undergoing transgender surgeries during the school day. pbs politics, october 13, trump said he'd use military against americans, he called the enemy within. december 4, 2022, truth social.

trump, termination of the constitution. host: james, your point in bringing up all of those headlines? caller: why i voted for harris. host: ok. jessica in new jersey. independent. caller: hi. i'm just calling to say that i believe all of those that had voted for trump will be quite disappointed in february and as the coming months come. i believe that he will show us who he stated that he was, unfortunately. and it's too bad that harris did not win. thank you for taking my call. host: all right. we are taking your calls. having a conversation here live on c-span this afternoon. while we wait for the vice president to come out and

address the crowd. you can join in at 202-748-8920 if you're a democrat. republicans, tile in at 202-748-8921. independent, 202-748-8922. you can text at 202-748-8903. looking toward the next year and the new president's term beginning, the cook political report this morning is predicting a trifecta here in washington. they believe republicans will maintain control of the house. they have flipped the senate and now they also have the white house. there are several races in the house that have yet to be called. you can follow along with the latest results updated in real-time at c-span.org/results.

courtney in ports moth, virginia. democratic caller. hi, courtney. caller: hi. host: we're listening to you. your reaction to the election. caller: i'm just in shock. because people are saying, oh, we're going to find out what kind of president trump's going to be. he was already president. we already saw, whoever the speaker of the house was from, what was it, wisconsin or whatever, -- host: paul ryan. caller: yes, paul ryan. welcome to unified republican govern. and so we already saw small children having to tend to infants and basically cons -- in basically concentration camps because they were being separated from their parents and professors and doctors begging the trump administration to cease that policy because they were taking years off of the

children's lives. i don't understand why anyone doesn't think that his administration will be good for children or mothers and that there won't be an abortion ban and people won't use their health care because i think states like iowa are already seeing a huge loss in doctors that offer health care to women. i mean, pap smears, anything, they're losing gynecologists. so every woman is losing access to health care. host: courtney, that's a message that we heard during this campaign from the vice president. why do you think that wasn't enough for her -- that message wasn't enough to secure a victory? caller: i'm still in disbelief that -- i just -- maybe i'm too online but i've seen a lot of people saying their ballots were cured or someone told them that they already voted in a county -- host: i'm going to jump in because minnesota governor tim walz has joined the crowd of

supporters there. you can see him there with his wife. they are amongst the crowd that have gathered at howard university here in washington to listen to the vice president. we then expect her to come out any moment now. alonso in fair hope, alabama. independent. caller: thank you for taking my phone call. you asked the question why the point about abortion didn't get across. if you saw the actual breakdown of the individuals who voted, a lot of those individuals were individuals who did not attend college or did not have a higher understanding around the education of the matter. announcer: please welcome the vice president of the united states. host: we heard of voice of god. let's listen in. the vice president is going to address the crowd. ♪ freedom ♪♪

[cheers and applause] vice pres. harris: good afternoon. good afternoon. [cheers and applause] good afternoon, everyone. good afternoon. [crowd chanting]

good afternoon. thank you, all. thank you, thank you. thank you. thank you. so let me say, and i love you back. and i love you back. so let me say, my heart is full today. my heart is full today. full of gratitude. for the trust you have placed in me. full of love for our country. and full of resolve. the outcome of this election is not what we wanted. not what we fought for. not what we voted for. but hear me when i say, hear me when i say. the light of america's promise will always burn bright.

[cheers and applause] as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting. [cheers and applause] to my beloved doug and our family, i love you so very much. [cheers and applause] to president biden and dr. biden, thank you for your faith and support. [applause] to governor walz and the walz family, i know your service to our nation will continue. [cheers and applause] and to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much of themselves. [cheers and applause] to the poll workers and the local election officials.

i thank you. i thank you all. but i am so proud of the race we ran. and the way we ran it. and the way we ran it. over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions. bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love of country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for america's future. [applause] and we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us. now, 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. earlier today i spoke with president-elect trump and congratulated him on his victory. 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. [cheers and applause] 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. 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. [cheers and applause] 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. [cheers and applause] the fight, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people. a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect america at our best. that is a fight i will never give up.

[applause] 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 we will never give up the fight to protect our schools and our streets from gun violence. [cheers and applause] and america, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for thered idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be

respected and upheld. [applause] and we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts, and in the public square. and we will also wage it in quieter ways. in how we live our lives. by treating one another with kindness and respect, by looking in the face of a stranger and seeing a neighbor. by always using our strength to lift people up, to fight for the dignity that all people deserve. the fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like i always say, we like hard work. [cheers and applause] hard work is good work.

hard work can be joyful work. and the fight for our country is always worth it. it is always worth it. [applause] to the young people who are watching, it is -- [cheers and applause] i love you. to the young people who are watching, it is ok to feel sad and disappointed. but please know it's going to be ok. on the campaign i would often say, when we fight, we win. but here's the thing, here's the thing. sometimes the fight takes a while. that doesn't mean we won't win. that doesn't mean we won't win. [applause] the important thing is don't ever give up. don't ever give up.

don't ever stop trying to make the world a better place. you have power. you have power. and don't you ever listen when anyone tells you something isn't possible because it has never been done before. [cheers and applause] you have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. and so to everyone who is watching, do not despair. this is not a time to throw up our hands. this is a time to roll up our sleeves. [cheers and applause] this is a time to organize, to mobilize, and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we

all know we can build together. look, many of you know i started out as a prosecutor and throughout my career i saw people at some of the worst times in their lives. people who had suffered great harm and great pain. and yet found within themselves the strength and the courage and the resolve to take the stand, to take a stand. to fight for justice, to fight for themselves, to fight for others. so let their courage be our inspiration. let their determination be our charge. and i'll close with this. there's an adage an historian once called a law of history.

true of every society across the ages. the adage is, only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. i know many people feel like we are entering a dark time. but for the benefit of us all, i hope that is not the case. but here's the thing. america, if it is, let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars. the light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and service. [cheers and applause]

and may that work guide us even in the face of setbacks toward the extraordinary promise of the united states of america. i thank you all. may god bless you. and may god bless the united states of america. i thank you all. [cheers and applause] thank you. ♪ [cheers and applause]

♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] host: vice president kamala harris, while i concede this election, i do not concede the fight that fuels this campaign. her remarks to supporters in the nation this afternoon after losing the presidential contest to former president donald trump. the crowd is leaving howard university now here in washington, d.c. after hearing from the vice president. she walks out to beyonce with her husband and the second gentleman, doug emhoff. in the crowd was her runningmate, governor tim walz

of minnesota, there he is on the screen. his family and her family, along with the campaign staff, volunteers and supporters. she thanked all of them this afternoon and said that she and the president, president biden, will help with a peaceful transfer of power. we want to get your reaction to what you heard from the vice president and this election. maryland, republican caller. your turn. caller: hi there. thank you so much for taking my call. so, i do want to commend her for her speech just now. i think it was admirable and i think she would make a great public speaker of some sort. perhaps an inspirational speaker. i don't think she was qualified to be the president of the united states. and i just got back from a nine-day trip in europe and i interviewed basically about 15 people and they were all of the

same opinion as me. that the country that we would be dealing with are not going to take her saoerpbsly when they don't respect women in their own countries. so i'm grateful that donald trump won. i just changed party affiliation this summer. last summer. and i think we have a great hope for what's to come in the next four years. my family did so much better under his administration previously. and what i told all of my friends that were not voting republican is, don't hate the man, or if you hate the man, don't hate the policies. because they're republican policies that caused me to change my party affiliation. host: it sounded like you were saying that she's not qualified because she's a woman. because other leaders across the world would not take her seriously because she's a woman. caller: partly. but when i watched her in her interviews, she can't think on her feet.

she's not a quick thinker. i don't think that she's -- i don't think she's qualified to be the president. not because she's a female, but because she's not a quick thinker. she would stumble on different topics or not answer different questions because she didn't know what to say. i just think she may be a great lawyer and prosecutor, i just don't think she's qualified to be a great president and that's what we need. host: we'll go to bob next. raleigh, north carolina. democratic caller. caller: hey, greta. i don't think it's complicated at all. i think the d.n.c., the media, everyone that was behind her underestimated the negative effects that gaza was having onioning voters. and i think the people who weren't concerned about what was going on in gaza were furious over open borders. i don't think it's complicated at all. it was policy. host: let me bounce this off of you then from "the washington

post." as we continue to look at the crowd here, at howard university. according to the preliminary exit polling, about one in six voters were between the ages of 18 and 29. and they supported harris over trump by 13 percentage points. in 2020, though, president biden won that age group by a 24-point margin. caller: let me tell you my personal experience. a democratic campaigner came to my door about four days ago and i very politely told him that i was not going -- i was a loyal democrat but i was not going to vote for genocide. and he told me, he threw his hands up in the air, he was nice, but he said, you're about the 20th person today to tell me that. host: so you think that she could not mobilize the base because of the war in gaza? caller: i think it had a lot to do with it. and i think those people who weren't bothered by that were upset over open borders.

host: all right. bob there. democratic caller, north carolina. jerry's in pennsylvania. republican. caller: hello. caller: we're less -- host: we're listening to you. caller: yes. i'm republican. i'm glad trump won. and harris shouldn't be running for president because she didn't have one vote and she doesn't know what she's doing now. she had four years to do it. and she didn't do anything. host: jerry, a pennsylvania republican. you heard the vice president say in her remarks this afternoon, 107 days of campaigning. she picked up the baton from president biden after he dropped out of the race, right before the democratic convention was held. her nomination done virtually. she did not go law that the primary contest, as that caller was just referring to. and she hit the trail running.

but she did not campaign as long as the former president did or traditionally what is done by a presidential candidate. fara in california. independent. caller: yeah. i'm going to agree with bob, one of your previous callers. i'm going to say i don't think it's necessarily just that she didn't campaign. i think she -- regardless of the fact that she didn't have enough time, she did hit that ground running. she made up ground. in fact, it was great. however, i used to be dem. i switched and i specifically did not vote because like bob said, i cannot vote for genocide. and ultimately i think that it's not just that younger population, i think the missing vote here we have to acknowledge that. there was a muslim arab vote and that was vote of people who are just opposed to genocide. that she did not capture.

and she had multiple opportunities to do that. and she just didn't. host: so you sat this one out? caller: i did. i actually end up voting green party. host: how did you vote in 2020? caller: i voted dem. host: before that, you have always voted for the democrats? caller: i've always voted dem. host: fara in california. more exiting polling from "the washington post." over half of women supported harris. that pattern was similar in arizona, georgia, michigan, nevada, pennsylvania and wisconsin. the battleground states. that is how the sro*pt vote broke down by gender. race and ethnicity, nationally, roughly one in 10 voters were hispanic. a similar share as in 2020, according to early network exit

polling. harris won a slight majority of hispanic voters nationally. significantly underperforming joe biden's 33-point margin in 2020. mark in pennsylvania. republican. hi, mark. caller: how are you doing? i spoke to you yesterday before i went to go vote. and i'm so glad that trump carried pennsylvania. like i said to you the other day, both candidates came up to our area and they were campaigning very hard and i'm just glad that trump carried pennsylvania and did i like what harris had to say as far as making the transition of power, that she would be there to help the trump people do that. i think that was very professional of her organization and very professional of her to offer that to president trump. host: all right. mark, a republican in pennsylvania. as he said, mr. trump carried pennsylvania,