‘You won’t hear from Vice President tonight’: Harris skips speech as hopes dim

As the US presidential election results started trickling in, with trends projecting a second term for Donald Trump, the moods in the Democrat and Republican camps were contrasting. While Trump is heading to Florida to address his jubilant supporters, Kamala Harris has decided to skip her address at Howard University, her alma mater.
With projections showing Harris trailing, the mood among students, faculty and alumni at Howard became sombre. The co-chair of Harris’s campaign said the Vice President would not address her supporters tonight, and is expected to speak on Thursday.
The announcement came as US media projected that former President Donald Trump would win three of the key battleground states — North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump is also leading in the swing states of Arizona and Michigan.
However, the Harris campaign co-chair put up a brave face. “We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet,” Cedric Richmond said.
“You won’t hear from the Vice President tonight. But you will hear from her tomorrow. Tomorrow, she will be back here to address not only the HQ family, not only her supporters, but to address the nation.”
Howard University’s gathering point was full of celebration as US media declared Harris the projected winner of Washington DC and Maryland. Thousands of students broke into dance as loud cheers rent the air. However, the mood started to change as Trump started to win the swing states.
Harris, who is of Indian-African descent, graduated from Howard University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics.
Donald Trump, on the flip side, will be addressing his celebrating supporters in Florida as his numbers continue to swell in the battleground states.
While some supporters were a little hesitant with their celebrations as Kamala Harris dominated the blue strongholds, others were more bullish about the former President’s victory.
Men and women were spotted in Palm Beach ahead of Trump’s address, wearing the former President’s signature red “Make America Great Again” baseball caps. The Republican candidate is expected to take the stage around 1 am, AP reported.