Vice President Kamala Harris' continued silence after President-elect Trump's victory suggests that she is incapable of stepping up as a leader of her base, legal scholars say.
Since Trump was named the winner of the 2024 presidential election early Wednesday, the Democratic candidate has yet to speak to his supporters or urge them to accept the election results. Two people familiar with the matter confirmed to Fox that the Harris campaign was radio silent on Wednesday morning and was not addressing the topic with surrogates, donors or influencers.
The vice president is scheduled to speak at Howard University on Wednesday at 4pm ET, marking his first address to the American people since losing the presidential election to Trump. But analysts say she should not have waited until the afternoon after the election to address her base.
Legal scholar and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley said Trump should have conceded sooner given his clear path to victory.
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Vice President Kamala Harris looks at an event monitor from backstage shortly before her final campaign rally in Philadelphia, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP photo)
“The true test of leadership is stepping forward when it's needed most. Half of the country is deeply outraged by this decision. Some of that fear and uncertainty is due to the fear and unease on the left, including the Harris campaign. It was fueled by furious rhetoric and panic politics,'' Turley told FOX News Digital.
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“Just as voters went to the polls, the governor of New York declared the majority of voters to be 'un-American.' This is a call for leaders to come forward and concede victory. is over,” Turley added. “The only remaining issue is a concession. It needs to be made when it's needed most, not something that comes to mind late the next afternoon.”
From left, Barron Trump, President-elect Trump, Melania Trump, Usha Chirkuri Vance, J.D. Senator Vance and Ivanka Trump. 6th, 2024. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images)
Legal analyst Andy McCarthy, a Fox News contributor and senior fellow at the National Review Institute, suggested it was an “innocent” blunder that has gone under the radar since the election result.
“This is another sign, among countless other signs, that she is unfit for the office of president, both substantively and temperamentally,” McCarthy told Fox News Digital. I would like to conclude that.” “There's no obvious legal strategy at work. She's just coming clean and suggesting that she and her team don't know what to do…even though it's obvious what to do. “We make concessions, congratulate the new president, and pledge to work together on a legal solution.” ”
The Howard University campus is photographed after Vice President Kamala Harris' election night election observation party in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Susan Walsh/Associated Press)
“I think this has more to do with Harris's lack of understanding of America's democratic traditions than with democracy itself,” McCarthy continued. “Perhaps she thinks that President Trump is refusing to accept the results of the 2020 election and therefore does not appreciate the consideration. But if that's the case, it would be unwise. It’s mean.”
Ms. Harris did not attend the victory commemoration event at Howard University on Tuesday night, which ended abruptly before Mr. Trump was named the winner of the presidential election.
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Harris has not appeared or spoken publicly since election night, but she reportedly called Trump to congratulate him on his victory ahead of her speech Wednesday afternoon, according to a senior Harris aide. .
FOX News' Jackie Heinrich contributed to this report.
