Harris calls Trump to congratulate him on election win

Vice President Harris called President-elect Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory the night before, a senior Harris aide confirmed to The Hill.

The aide said Harris discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans.

Campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a letter to the staff that Harris told Trump “she would work with President Biden to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, unlike what we saw in 2020.”

“She also made clear that she hopes he will be a President for all Americans,” O’Malley Dillon said.

Steven Cheung, Trump campaign communications director, said in a statement that Harris congratulated the former president during a call "on his historic victory,” adding that Trump complimented his political rival.

“President 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,” Cheung said.

The vice president is expected to deliver remarks later Wednesday afternoon at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where supporters had gathered Tuesday night to watch results come in. Harris is an alumna of Howard.

After those remarks, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), will host an all staff call “to speak directly to you about what we accomplished in this short run and the road ahead for all of us,” O’Malley Dillon said.

“I’ll leave you with this: 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 said.

Trump clinched the presidency in convincing fashion after winning North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada. Arizona is still too close to call.

Harris's call with Trump comes after Trump himself did not concede his own 2020 election defeat to President Biden. Trump spent the weeks after that election pushing false claims of widespread voter fraud, and his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try and stop the certification of the results.

Updated at 2:36 p.m. ET.