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Good afternoon. Thank you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. So let me tell you, and I love you back, and I love you back.

So let me tell you that my heart is full today. 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 determination. The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, what we fought for, what we voted for, but hear me when I say, hear me when I say, the light of the promise of America will always shine. As long as we never give up and keep fighting.

Our family, I love you so much. To President Biden and Dr. Biden, thank you for your faith and support. To Governor Walz and the Walz family, I know your service to our nation will continue. And to my extraordinary team, to the volunteers who gave so much, to the poll workers and local election officials: I thank you, I thank you all. Listen, I’m so proud of the race that we ran and the way we ran it and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we aimed to build community and form coalitions, bringing together people from all walks of life and backgrounds, united by love of country, with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for the future of America. And we did it knowing that we all have much more in common than what separates us. Now I know that people are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now. I understand, but we must accept the results of this election. Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we would help him and his team with their transition and commit to a peaceful transfer of power.

A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. This principle, like any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny, and anyone who seeks public trust must honor it. At the same time, in our nation we owe loyalty not to a president or a party but to the Constitution of the United States and to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to these three is why I am here to say that while I acknowledge this election, I do not acknowledge the fight that fueled this campaign: the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for freedom. fairness and dignity for all, a fight for the ideals that are at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect the best of America. It’s a fight I will never give up. I will never give up the fight for a future where Americans can pursue their dreams, ambitions, and aspirations, where American women have the freedom to make decisions about their own bodies, and where their government will not tell them what to do. We will never give up the fight to protect our schools and streets from gun violence. And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that each of us, no matter who we are or where we let’s say, has certain fundamental rights. and freedoms that must be respected and defended.

And we will continue to wage this fight in the voting booths, in the courts and in the public square. We will also lead it in a calmer way, in the way we live our lives, treating one another with kindness and respect, looking a stranger in the face and seeing a neighbor, always using our strength to incite people to fight for the dignity that all men deserve. The fight for our freedom will take a lot of work, but as I always say, we like to work hard. Hard work is good work. Hard work can be joyful work, and the fight for our country is always worth it. It’s always worth it. For young people watching, it’s normal to feel sad and disappointed, but know that everything will be okay. In the campaign, I often said that when you fight, you win, but here’s the problem: sometimes the fight takes time. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is: never give up. Never give up. Never stop trying to make the world a better place. You have the power. You have the power, and never listen when someone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before. You have the capacity to do extraordinary good in the world. And so to everyone watching: do not despair. Now is not the time to give up. It’s time to roll up our sleeves. Now is the time to organize, mobilize and stay engaged, for the sake of freedom, justice and the future that we all know we can build together.

Look, many of you know, I started as a prosecutor and throughout my career I’ve seen people go through the worst times of their lives. People who have suffered great harm and pain, yet found within themselves the strength, courage and determination to take a stand, to take a stand, to fight for justice, to fight for themselves themselves, to fight for others. So let their courage be our inspiration. Let their determination be our responsibility. And I will end with this: there is an adage that a historian once called a law of history, true for all societies throughout the ages. The adage is: only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for all of our sakes, I hope that is not the case. But here’s the thing: America, if America is, let’s fill the sky with the light of a billion bright, shining stars. Light, the light of optimism, of faith, of truth and of service. (Howard University), and may this work guide us, even in the face of setbacks to the extraordinary promise of the United States of America. I thank you all. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.