Hillary Clinton, Conceding, Calls for Unity and Consoles Followers

Hillary Clinton on Wednesday labored through a wrenching concession speech she never expected to deliver, wishing Donald J. Trump success as president but holding firm to the message and ideals that were central to her historic bid.

Appearing at times on the verge of tears, but never breaking, Mrs. Clinton told staff members and supporters that while she shared in their anguish, the moment demanded a call for national healing.

“This is painful, and it will be for a long time,” she said at a hotel ballroom in Midtown Manhattan, her voice seeming to crack briefly. “But I want you to remember this: Our campaign was never about one person or even one election. It was about the country we love and about building an America that’s hopeful, inclusive and big-hearted.”

The country, she said, “is more deeply divided than we thought.” But she said the result of the election must be accepted. “Donald Trump is going to be our president,” she said. “We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power. And we don’t just respect that, we cherish it.”

Yet as friends and aides strained to console one another, wiping away tears, Mrs. Clinton set off on an implicit repudiation of the kind of caustic, grievance-filled politics that powered Mr. Trump’s success.

She spoke of lifting up immigrants and people of all races, Americans with disabilities and those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. And she took particular care to address young people, reminding them that her long career had been filled with successes and setbacks in full measure.

“You will have successes and setbacks, too,” she said. “This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.”

“Never doubt,” she said, “that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”

Mrs. Clinton’s husband, daughter and running mate stood on stage beside her, clapping throughout. At times, Bill Clinton stared into the distance, expressionless.

Mrs. Clinton never made it to her election night party on Tuesday, where she had planned to hail the shattering of a figurative “glass ceiling” — the election of a woman as president — beneath the grand, literal glass ceilings of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Manhattan’s West Side. - Read More, NYT

Hillary Clinton, Conceding, Calls for Unity and Consoles Followers

Transcript: Donald Trump’s Victory Speech