Barack Obama has reacted to the 2024 presidential election results after Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her concession speech.
The former president and former First Lady Michelle Obama released a statement congratulating Donald Trump and called for a peaceful power transfer.
In the heartfelt statement posted on X, the former President, alongside his wife and ex-First Lady Michelle Obama also acknowledged that ‘this is obviously not the outcome we hoped for.’
“Over the last few weeks and through Election Day, millions of Americans cast their votes – not just for president, but for leaders at every level. Now the results are in, and we want to congratulate President Trump and Senator Vance on their victory.”
They continued, “This is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues. But living in a democracy is about recognizing that our point of view won’t always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power.”
With pride, they commended Vice President Harris and Governor Walz for their commendable campaign efforts: “Michelle and I could not be prouder of Vice President Harris and Governor Walz – two extraordinary public servants who ran a remarkable campaign. And we will always be grateful to the staff and volunteers who poured their heart and soul into electing public servants they truly believed in.”
“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. Those conditions have created headwinds for democratic incumbents around the world, and last night showed that America is not immune.”
“The good news is that these problems are solvable – but only if we listen to each other, and only if we abide by the core constitutional principles and democratic norms that made this country great.”
Emphasizing unity, the statement concluded, “In a country as big and diverse as ours, we won’t always see eye-to-eye on everything. But progress requires us to extend good faith and grace – even to people with whom we deeply disagree. That’s how we’ve come this far, and it’s how we’ll keep building a country that is more fair and more just, more equal and more free.”