An announcement by Cedric Richmond, co-chair of United States Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, that she would not be speaking at an election night event at Howard University in Washington DC left thousands of supporters disappointed.

The supporters and hundreds of journalists from all across the world waited for hours until the announcement came that she would not be speaking. Moments before that announcement dozens of supporters were seen leaving the event.

Harris, the Democratic candidate, is an alumna of Howard University. Harris was a no show at the event as ballot counts in several states showed Republican former president Donald Trump in the lead in the race to 270 Electoral College votes needed become president elect.

Among the attendees at the event was Jamaican-American Nicholas Stewart who from early in the night said he accepted that the election could go either way to the left or to the right.

“I mean the reality is it could go in any direction, but I feel that there are a lot of people who resonate with what Kamala is doing,” he told Observer Online while adding that he voted in the election.

Trump has since won the election in a stunning political comeback that has sent shock waves across the world.

– Kasey Williams