Harris set to give speech after congratulating Trump on win

Kamala Harris is preparing to speak to the US public later on Wednesday after calling Donald Trump to congratulate him on his election victory.

The defeated Democrat spoke to her rival on Wednesday afternoon and they discussed “the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans”, a Harris aide told journalists.

Harris cancelled her expected election night appearance at Howard University in Washington DC, as her prospects of victory began to recede.

The current vice-president is now expected to speak at the venue at 16:00 EST (21:00 GMT).

She did not concede on election night, despite it becoming clear by the early hours of Wednesday that her Republican rival had secured enough votes in key swing states to win.

Trump has now won enough key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin, to secure the presidency, with several states left to declare.

Trump is also beating Harris in the popular vote – the first Republican to lead nationally since George W Bush in 2004.

In a statement, Trump described his victory as one “our country has never seen before”.

“I will fight for you, for your family, and your future. Every single day I will be fighting for you with every breath in my body,” he told voters.

He vowed to “unlock America’s glorious destiny” and promised his presidency would deliver “the golden age of America”.

As expected, Trump stormed to victory in conservative strongholds across the US, while Harris won liberal states from New York to California.

Harris saw a surge in popularity after she became the Democratic Party’s nominee in June following Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in the first presidential debate.

Her team sought to strike a more optimistic vision than the portrait of American decay presented by Trump, focusing heavily on securing abortion rights.

Trump, by contrast, frequently targeted Harris with highly personal attacks during the campaign, variously calling the vice-president “stupid”, “lazy”, and “dumb as a rock”. He also questioned her racial identity during the early stages of the campaign.

In a message to staff, Harris’ campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillion, said losing the election was “unfathomably hard” and will take a “long time to process”.

“But the work of protecting America from the impacts of a Trump presidency starts now,” she said in an email obtained by the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.

“I know the vice president isn’t finished in this fight, and I know the very people on this email are also going to be leaders in this collective mission.”