Washington, D.C
Harris concedes, DC area reacts to second Trump victory
The United States woke on Wednesday morning to the news that Donald Trump had won a second term, becoming the nation’s 47th president.
As the day after the 2024 election continued, residents across the DMV adjusted to a historic victory and what a return to a Trump White House could mean over the next four years.
In Washington, D.C., where more than 90% of voters chose Harris, the news was met with disappointment and anxiety.
“We are in trouble. We’re just in trouble,” one woman said in downtown D.C. Wednesday morning after election night and President-elect Donald Trump’s victory.
Businesses around downtown D.C. had boarded up windows before Election Day began, preparing for the possibility of violence. But after heightened security and fears in the city where, four years ago, rioters descended on the nation’s capitol to protest election results, D.C. police told News4 they made no arrests overnight.
Another voter said, “We’ve lived through him before. I think we will survive through this one, but I’m very disappointed.”
The prospect of a second Trump presidency was met with excitement at events across the U.S., including outside Trump Tower in New York City on election night.
All parts of the DMV — D.C., Maryland and Virginia — were called for Vice President Kamala Harris. In D.C. and Maryland, the win was decisive, but the margin in Virginia was much more narrow.
Virginia Gov. Glen Youngkin congratulated President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect JD Vance on their victory in a message posted on social media platform X early Wednesday morning.
On the state level, Virginia re-elected Sen. Tim Kaine, who defeated challenger Hung Cao. Democrats also secured victories in Virginia’s 10th and 8th Congressional Districts.
The Associated Press has called Virginia’s 7th Congressional District for Democrat Eugene Vindman, in a highly contested race that decides who will replace Rep. Abigail Spanberger when she runs for governor in 2025. NBC News has not yet called the race.
In Maryland, the race for District 6 is also too close to call, though Democrat April McClain Delaney has a razor-thin lead over Republican candidate Neil Parrott. It’s a critical seat for the balance of power in the U.S. House.
But while some of the results of the election continue to trickle in, the biggest race was decided earlier than anyone anticipated.
President Biden spoke to both candidates in the wake of the presidential race being called. He congratulated Harris on her historic campaign and congratulated Trump on his victory. Biden “emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together,” and said he was committed to ensuring a smooth transition, according to the White House.
On Wednesday afternoon, Harris called now President-elect Trump to congratulate him on winning the 2024 presidential election, according to a senior Harris aide.
Harris also discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans, the aide said.
At 4 p.m., Harris emerged on the stage on the Howard University campus, polished and dignified, and publicly conceded the race to Trump.
She emphasized that accepting a loss is an integral part of democracy, while emphasizing that her supporters “must accept the results of this election.”
“The light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting,” she said, adding, “This is not a time to throw up our hands; it’s a time to roll up our sleeves.”
But though the election is over, Harris said, the fight is not.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she said.
She shared a message for young voters, many of them college students in the audience right in front of her. Shots of the crowd showed Howard students shedding tears as she spoke.
“On the campaign, I would often say, ‘When we fight, we win,’” Harris told the crowd, many of them in tears. “But here’s the thing: Sometime the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. That doesn’t mean we won’t win. The important thing is don’t ever give up, don’t ever give up, don’t ever stop trying to make the world a better place.”
“And don’t you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before,” she added.
Kamala Harris conceded to Donald Trump in a speech at Howard University and said she will help Trump enact a peaceful transfer of power.
In the days and weeks leading up to Inauguration Day, the District will prepare for the historic ceremony and the second term of a man who has previously threatened a federal takeover of D.C.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement that she will support the transition process and continue to advance the priorities of the District.
In a post on X, Bowser said: “As the nation’s capital, we are proud to fulfill our role in the peaceful transition of power. We will actively support the incoming Trump Administration’s transition process and the 60th Presidential Inauguration of President-elect Trump. As your mayor, I have worked with three presidents, including President-elect Trump, and congressional leaders of both parties to advance the priorities of the District — infrastructure, housing affordability, downtown revitalization and our self-determination. And driven by our values, we will pursue a collaborative approach to our federal priorities in the District.”
While on the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump threatened a federal takeover of Washington, D.C. News4’s Mark Segraves explains what could happen once he’s back in office.
Her statement concluded: “We thank the DC Board of Elections and election officials across the country for conducting a free and fair election. And we congratulate DC councilmembers and commissioners, members of Congress and President-elect Trump on their victories.”
D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson says he supports the democratic process and a peaceful transition of power, “even when we are unhappy with the results,” he wrote in a brief statement this afternoon.
“And despite our internal disagreements over how things could be better, we, the District of Columbia, have a very good city, financially sound, and well run. We will remain focused on our strengths, protect our autonomy, and make sure no one tries to take that away from us,” his statement concluded.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Seventy-two veterans took a trip Saturday to our nation’s capital to visit memorials honoring their service in the armed forces.
This year marks the 12th trip to Washington, D.C. for Honor Flight Tallahassee.
Early Saturday morning, veterans and their guardians met to take a charter flight up to D.C.
Throughout the day, veterans were taken to the World War II memorial, as well as the Korean and Vietnam War memorials. The veterans also visited Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
More Tallahassee news:
The day ended with a wonderful welcome home celebration.
Our Jacob Murphey, Julia Miller, Taylor Viles, and Grace Temple accompanied the veterans, capturing moments from throughout the day.
The team will have live coverage from Washington, D.C. on Monday to share more from the day’s events.
We will continue to have coverage throughout the month of May, leading up to our Honor Flight special on Memorial Day.
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.
Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.
4 things to know about the weather:
- Chances of rain in the morning
- Gusty Sunday
- Chilly Monday
- Temps will rise again through the work week
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
After a nice and warm Saturday, changes arrive for part two of the weekend.
The first half of your Sunday will have a chance for showers. Winds will pick up with our next system and are expected to gust to about 20-30 mph. Cooler air will settle in, and lows Sunday night fall into the 40s.
Highs temps Monday will reach only into the mid to upper 50s.
However, temperatures will rise through the week, so you won’t need your jackets every day.
QuickCast
SUNDAY:
Showers, then partly cloudy
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
Gusts @ 30 mph
HIGH: Lower 60s
MONDAY:
Partly cloudy
Wind: NW 10-15 mph
Gusts @ 25 mph
HIGH: Upper 50s
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
Washington, D.C
‘It’s a twilight zone’: Iran war casts deep shadows over IMF gathering in Washington
The most severe energy shock since the 1970s, the risk of a global recession and households everywhere stomaching a renewed surge in the cost of living – hitting the most vulnerable hardest.
In a sweltering hot Washington DC this week, the message at the International Monetary Fund meetings was chilling: things had been looking up for living standards around the world. But then came the Iran war.
“Some countries are in panic,” said the fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, addressing the finance ministers and central bank bosses in town for the IMF and World Bank spring meetings. “The sooner it [the Iran war] ends, the better for everybody.”
Such gatherings are not typically used to fight geopolitical battles. “You don’t get people shouting at one another at these things,” one senior figure remarked. But, as a record-breaking April heatwave swept the US capital, no one could ignore the mounting damage from the Iran war.
Those familiar with the mood over breakfast at a meeting of the G20’s representatives on Thursday, which included Donald Trump’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, and the outgoing US Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell – said the atmosphere in the room was sombre amid an open exchange of serious views.
“It is such a twilight-zone meeting,” said Mohamed El-Erian, a former IMF deputy managing director who is now chief economic adviser at the Allianz insurance group. “There are several shadows hanging over it: one is the shadow that comes from concern about the global economy as a whole.
“The second is that some countries are going to be particularly hard hit, and it’s mostly countries that very few people are talking about. But the third concern is the adding of insult to injury: the fact that the US, which started a war of choice, is going to be hit, but by a lot less than elsewhere in relative terms.”
Before Thursday’s breakfast, Rachel Reeves had started her day with an early-morning jog. Joined by her counterparts from Spain, Australia and New Zealand for a run down the iconic National Mall, she posted an Instagram selfie with a not-so-subtle dig: “Friends that run together – work together.”
A day earlier, the chancellor had told a CNBC conference that she thought “friends are allowed to disagree on things” as she criticised Trump’s Iran war as a “mistake” and a “folly” that had not made the world safer.
Speaking at a venue just steps away from the White House, before a one-on-one meeting with Bessent, she said this “fair message” was needed because UK families and businesses were feeling the pain from higher energy prices triggered by the conflict.
Those close to Reeves insist her meeting remained cordial. Britain and the US have significant shared interests in AI, financial services and trade. The chancellor also said the UK government had little time for the Iranian regime.
But with the IMF having warned on Tuesday that the Iran war could risk a global recession – in which Britain would be the biggest G7 casualty – it was clear Reeves had travelled to Washington ready to pick a fight.
“I’m struck by how vocal she has been and the words she used,” said one global financier. “We know the disagreement between Bessent and [European Central Bank president] Christine Lagarde earlier in the year. But that was in private.”
At a cocktail party held at the British ambassador’s residence for hundreds of diplomats and financiers – including the Bank of England’s governor, Andrew Bailey, the chief executive of Barclays, CS Venkatakrishnan, and dozens of senior figures – this transatlantic tension, weeks before King Charles’s US state visit, was a major topic of conversation.
The other, in the balmy residence gardens, was one of its former occupants, Peter Mandelson, as revelations about the former ambassador’s appointment threatened to further rock the UK government.
Before the war, the agenda for the IMF had been about global cooperation; the adoption of AI, jobs and work to eradicate poverty. Each of those tasks had now been complicated, but not least the task of countries working together.
For many at the meetings, the focus was on forging closer global cooperation without the world’s pre-eminent superpower.
“Everybody is talking about how you hedge against American decisions,” said David Miliband, the former UK foreign secretary, who now runs the International Rescue Committee. “You can’t do without them, because they’re 25% of the global economy. But, in a lot of fora, they’ve pulled out.
“So everyone has to think, how does one structure international cooperation? The old west is not coming back. And so everyone has to figure out how to position themselves for that world.”
For those gathering in Washington, there was irony in the fact that they were meeting in the halls of institutions founded, under US leadership, to promote global cooperation after the second world war. The whole idea of the Bretton Woods institutions was to avoid the dire economic conditions and warfare of the 1930s and 1940s. Yet this year’s meeting was taking place amid these intertwining problems.
In their conversations about the best economic policy response to the shock of conflict, the economists also knew the real power to make a difference lay two blocks across town from the IMF and the World Bank – behind the security cordons and construction equipment blocking the White House from public view. “It is not clear they can do anything about it,” said El-Erian.
Still, with a booming economy driven by AI – including Anthropic’s powerful Mythos model, the topic of much conversation – most countries cannot afford to completely break off US ties.
“People want to find ways to insulate themselves from the mess. But, on the other hand, they admire the US private sector,” El-Erian said. “The best way I’ve heard it put, is: they want to go long the private sector and short the mess. But it’s almost impossible to do.”
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