Yahoo Lifestyle Barack and Michelle Obama deliver a message of unity after Kamala Harris' election loss
The United States failed to elect its first female president this week in Kamala Harris, and today her most passionate supporters are still trying to cope with and find a way forward from the loss.
Hours after Donald Trump won both the electoral and the popular vote in the polarising 2024 US election, former President Barack Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, have shared their powerful reactions.
“This is obviously not the outcome we had hoped for, given our profound disagreements with the Republican ticket on a whole host of issues,” Barack and Michelle began in their joint statement shared via Instagram. “But living in a democracy is about recognising that our point of view won’t always win out, and being willing to accept the peaceful transfer of power.”
The Obamas said they “could not be prouder of Vice President Harris and Governor Walz – two extraordinary public servants who ran a remarkable campaign”.
Barack added that, while the country has many issues, they are all solvable “if we listen to each other, and only if we abide by the core constitutional principles and democratic norms that made this country great”.
The couple concluded: “In a country as big and diverse as ours, we won’t always see eye-to-eye on everything. But progress requires us to extend good faith and grace – even to people with whom we deeply disagree. That’s how we’ve come this far, and it’s how we’ll keep building a country that is more fair and more just, more equal and more free.”
Barack served as the country’s 44th president and the first African American to be elected president. During his eight-year run in the White House, he was widely praised for responding to the Great Recession, launching Obamacare, and fighting for equal pay for women, among many other things. In 2009, he became the fourth president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Throughout Harris’ campaign for president, Barack and Michelle were strong allies and potent voices. At the Democratic National Convention, both gave impassioned speeches in support of the current vice president.
Barack gave harsh criticism of Trump and said, “America is ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story.” Michelle also declared, “America, hope is making a comeback.”
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