Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was seen holding back tears as a devastated Kamala Harris conceded election defeat to Donald Trump.
The 60-year-old was seen being embraced by his daughter Ella as his wife said: ‘To my beloved Doug and our family, I love you so very much.’
Her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz patted his heart and appeared to also hold back tears as the incumbent vice president thanked him and his family.
Emhoff proceeded to pat Walz on the back as the crowd that gathered at her alma mater Howard University in Washington DC cheered them on.
The emotional Walz at one point bowed his head low as Harris spoke and clasped his hands together.
Harris told her scores of tearful supporters that had gathered at the school that ‘this is not what we wanted’, taking the stage 12 hours after officials called the race.
She vowed to help with the peaceful transfer of power even as she said she would continue her battle after Trump’s dominant victory.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the former president had swept five of the seven swing states and was on the edge of topping 300 Electoral College votes.
‘While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,’ she said.
Her voice shook at times as she addressed a massive crowd of supporters at her alma mater.
‘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,’ she said in her first appearance since voters rejected her vision for America.
‘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,’ she said.
Harris thanked President Joe Biden, her family, her staff and her supporters. She also expressed pride in her campaign.
‘Look, I am so proud of the race we ran. And the way we ran it,’ she said.
‘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,’ she said.
‘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 we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power.’ She said she would respect the results.
Harris campaign aides stood to one side of the stage as she spoke and exchanged hugs, including Jen O’Malley Dillon, David Plouffe, and Brian Fallon.
Despite a DJ blasting party music including Beyonce and other hits, the mood of the event was dour. Supporters wept. Lots of hugs were exchanged.
Ahead of her speech, Harris called Trump congratulating him and urging a peaceful transfer of power and encouraging him to be a president for all Americans.
President Joe Biden then called Trump and invited him to the White House just as Michigan was called – the fifth swing state to go in the Republican’s favor.
Throughout the night, the campaign highlighted data points that could spell surprise good news for Harris – higher-than-expected turnout in Philadelphia, votes yet to be counted in Detroit.
But in the end Harris didn’t improve upon President Joe Biden’s performance against Trump four years ago.
Democrats had been counting on holding the trio of states – Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – to give Harris the White House. Biden won them in 2020.
But Trump won them instead, giving him 292 electoral votes to Harris’s 224. It takes 270 to win the presidency.
Harris is now on track to do worse than Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. She could even be on pace to have the worst Electoral College result of any Democrat since the 1988 race.
Trump is the first president in over 130 years, and only the second in history, to win a non-consecutive second term.
