What happened
World leaders congratulated President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday on his decisive electoral victory. President Joe Biden invited him to the White House to start the presidential transition, and Vice President Kamala Harris made her own congratulatory phone call to Trump before giving a concession speech to the country.
Who said what
Harris told supporters it was important to "accept the results of this election," because Americans "owe loyalty not to a president or a party but to the Constitution." But "while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign," she added. "Do not despair. This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves."
The vice president's "defiant and emotional" 12-minute concession speech at Howard University was more than Trump "ever offered" her or Biden "after they defeated him in 2020," The New York Times said. Trump has still "not conceded that race, in public or private." Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said that when Harris called to congratulate the president-elect, Trump "acknowledged" Harris "on her strength, professionalism and tenacity throughout the campaign."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"U.S. markets, banks and bitcoin all stormed higher" yesterday, The Associated Press said, as "investors looked favorably on a smooth election" and anticipated lower taxes and less regulation.
What next?
As Trump starts choosing his Cabinet and other high-ranking officials, special counsel Jack Smith has begun "discussing how to wind down the two federal prosecutions of the president-elect," given that the "Justice Department has long recognized that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution while in office," The Washington Post said. Winding down the cases "could give Smith time to deliver a final report detailing the findings of his two probes to Attorney General Merrick Garland," who has indicated he would "make special counsel reports public if they reached his desk."
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A drive in the desert, prayers with pigeons, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will drought fuel global violence?Podcast Plus why did Trump pardon a drug-trafficking president? And are romantic comedies in terminal decline?
-
Sudoku hard: December 5, 2025The daily hard sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Trump boosts gas cars in fuel economy rollbackspeed read Watering down fuel efficiency standards is another blow to former President Biden’s effort to boost electric vehicles
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
-
‘It is their greed and the pollution from their products that hurt consumers’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
GOP wins tight House race in red Tennessee districtSpeed Read Republicans maintained their advantage in the House
-
Trump targets ‘garbage’ Somalis ahead of ICE raidsSpeed Read The Department of Homeland Security will launch an immigration operation targeting Somali immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area
-
Hegseth blames ‘fog of war’ for potential war crimespeed read ‘I did not personally see survivors,’ Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting
-
‘It’s critical that Congress get involved’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
