Podesta signals Clinton won’t speak tonight

NEW YORK — Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman spoke at Clinton’s election watch party early Wednesday morning, declining to concede the election despite all signs pointing to a likely Donald Trump victory.

{mosads}”I know you’ve been here a long time, and I know it’s been a long night and a long campaign, I can say we can wait a little longer can’t we?” John Podesta said at the Javits Center in New York City. 

“They are still counting votes and every vote should count, so we’re not going to have anything more to say tonight.”

Podesta told supporters to “head home” and “get some sleep” and that there will be “more to say tomorrow.” 

“I want every person this hall to know and every person across the country who supported Hillary to know your voices and your enthusiasm means so much to her,” he added.

After Podesta’s remarks, Trump was declared the winner of the presidential election. Clinton then called Trump to concede the race.

The remaining crowd at the convention center in New York, which had been thinning throughout the night as the apparent Trump victory inched closer to reality, began to pour out the doors onto the streets of the city, many with tears in their eyes. As they left, the campaign played what’s become Clinton’s theme song, Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song.” 

The decision not to concede has drawn criticism from Trump supporters, particularly former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who called it “absurd” moments later on CNN. 

Clinton and other Democrats had chastised Trump for his refusal to agree to concede if he lost as recently as Monday night, when Clinton argued that a convincing victory would force Trump to concede. 

“There are a lot of horrifying things my opponent has said, but probably the most horrifying thing was at the end of the last debate,” Clinton said in Philadelphia. “He then launches an attack on our democracy, refusing to say whether or not he would accept the outcome of the election.”

“Well let’s show tomorrow there will be no question about the outcome of this election,” she added to huge applause.

– Updated at 2:58 a.m.