OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
Former President Barack Obama released a statement after Vice President Kamala Harris’ blowout election loss to former President Donald Trump.
In a statement posted to social media, Obama partially admitted to a few reasons that were responsible for Harris’s defeat.
“As I said on the campaign trail, America has been through a lot over the last few years — from a historic pandemic and price hikes resulting from the pandemic, to rapid change and the feeling a lot of folks have that, no matter how hard they work, treading water is the best they can do,” Obama said.
“Those conditions have created headwinds for democratic incumbents around the world, and last night showed that America is not immune.Obama also congratulated Trump and Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) on winning the race.
Harris called Trump on Wednesday to concede in the presidential race.
Now, Trump’s team has revealed some of what was discussed on the call between the two leaders.
Harris called Trump to congratulate him, per a senior Harris aide. Her campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, told campaign staff that Harris told Trump she would make sure there was a peaceful handover of power from Biden’s government to Trump’s.
“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. 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,” O’Malley Dillon wrote to the staff.
Trump’s campaign communications director, Steven Cheung, said 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.”
Several world leaders contacted President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his history-making comeback and victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Dear Donald and Melania Trump, Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on the X platform.
“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!” he added with a photo of himself, wife Sara, and Trump.
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had his own contentious involvement in the U.S. election campaign, expressed a tone of hopeful unity regarding Trump’s potential assistance in addressing the Russian invasion of his country.
“I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine,” he wrote in a lengthy X post.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together,” he added. “We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States.
“We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations. Ukraine, as one of Europe’s strongest military powers, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the Transatlantic community with the support of our allies,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding he was looking forward to seeing Trump in person again.