Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted The Democratic presidential nominee Thursday, next frame election as an opportunity for the nation to “draw a new way forward” and encourage voters to write “the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.”
Harris made history as the first black woman to lead a major party’s presidential ticket, and she said she was closing in on the final day Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
“All my career, I’ve only had one client: the people. So, on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American regardless of party, race, gender or language spoken by my grandmother, on behalf of my mother and my mother. every person who has ever traveled that’s impossible, for Americans like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams, and take care of each other, on behalf of all the people whose stories can only be written. in the greatest country on earth, I accept your nomination to be the president of the United States,” he said.
Harris began his speech by thanking President Biden, calling his character “inspirational,” and he predicted history would look good on his record in office. The vice president used his remarks to share his life story about being raised by a single mother in California and the circumstances that led him to become a prosecutor. He also urged voters to look to a future that moves past divisions and embraces unity.
But he did not stop attacking his opponent in November, former President Donald Trump, whom he considered a “non-serious” person. found guilty by jury from his friends to commit crimes and those who act only for their own benefit.
“With this election, our nation has a precious opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and wars of the past, the opportunity to chart a new path, not as members of a party or faction, but as Americans,” he said.
The vice president said the upcoming election “is not only the most important in our lives, but also one of the most important in the life of our nation.”
“Let us show each other and the world who we are and what we do: freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, justice and endless possibilities,” he said. “We are the heirs of the greatest democracy in the history of the world and on behalf of our children and grandchildren and all those who sacrificed so much for freedom and independence, we must deserve this moment.”
The promise of unity
Harris’ acceptance speech not only capped the four-day convention, but also the whirlwind first four weeks of the presidential campaign, which launched after Mr. Biden announced he would run for president. end his offer for re-election. Harris was quick announced him The White House opened and got endorsements from Mr. Biden, Obamas, Clintons and a kill another key figure in the Democratic Party.
The newly minted vice presidential campaign raked in more than $ 200 million in the first seven days, and Harris’ swelled to nearly $ 500 million raised in the first four weeks as a presidential candidate.
they announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as his walking mate earlier this month, and the couple quickly hit the campaign trail for a series of events together in the country’s war.
Democrats formally nominated Harris for the president with the virtual roll vote of the state delegation conducted earlier this month, a milestone as she became the first Black woman to top the ticket of the main party. If elected in November, Harris will clear another hurdle as the first woman to become president.
When Harris was vice president three years ago and before that, as a US senator from California, he used his speech to reintroduce himself to the American people and explain how his middle-class upbringing shaped his views.
“The path that led me here the past few weeks was certainly unexpected,” he said. “But I’m no stranger to impossible journeys.”
He recalls moving often as a child, eventually settling in the San Francisco area, where he was raised by a community of caretakers. Harris shared with the audience the lessons she learned from her mother, including “never do anything by half,” which she said was a “direct quote.”
The vice president also made a direct appeal to Republicans, independents and undecided voters with a promise to unite the nation.
“I promise to be the president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put the country above the party and self, to hold the fundamental principles of the sacred America, of the rule of law, for free and fair elections, for the peaceful transfer of power,” ” he said Harris told conventioneers: “I will be the president who unites us in our highest aspirations. A president who leads and listens, who is realistic, practical, and has common sense, and always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, ownership has been my life’s work.”
Democrats have focused on the theme of unity and joy throughout the gathering in Chicago, and have sought to give voters a look at Harris’ personal life with advice from his wifeSecond gentleman Doug Emhoff, and appearances by family members, including his sister, Maya Harris. Emhoff described the vice president as a “joyous soldier” and worked hard to convince voters that they would look out for him as they had done for his own family.
Harris’ speech came on his 10th wedding anniversary, which he acknowledged to his wife at the start of his speech.
Harris laid out his agenda
A former prosecutor and top law enforcement official in California, Harris has fought criticism from Republicans over his record on crime and immigration, two issues that have been a focal point of Trump’s campaign.
“I understand the importance of safety and security, especially along our borders,” he said.
Harris noted that the White House has been negotiating with Senate Republicans and Democrats on a bipartisan immigration deal that Trump derailed when he announced his opposition earlier this year.
“I refuse to play politics with our security,” he said, calling for the plan to be revived. “I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system. We can create a path to citizenship and secure our borders.”
Harris previewed his economic and health agenda and promised tax cuts for the middle class that he said would benefit 100 million Americans.
“I will bring together the workforce and workers and small business owners and entrepreneurs and corporate America to create jobs, grow the economy and reduce the cost of everyday necessities like health care and housing and groceries,” he said.
Harris also promised to sign legislation restoring federal abortion protections, which the Supreme Court struck down when overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
“I believe America cannot prosper if Americans cannot make their own decisions about their own lives, especially about their hearts and homes,” he said.
Harris warned that if Trump is elected, his administration will ban medication abortions and ban the procedure. He also noted policy proposals from opponents of abortion rights to require states to report miscarriage and abortion rates.
“It’s just that he’s out of his mind,” he said. “And one has to ask, why exactly do they not believe in women? Well, we believe in women.”
On foreign policy, Harris has vowed to support NATO allies and Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression, and, in the Israel-Hamas war, he has called for a cease-fire deal that includes the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
“Let me be clear, I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always guarantee that Israel has the ability to defend itself because the Israeli people will no longer have to face the horror caused by the terrorist organization called Hamas on Oct. 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at music festivals,” he said.
Still, Harris condemned the situation in Gaza and mourned “innocent lives.”
“The scale of the suffering is mind-boggling,” he said. “President Biden and I are working to end this war so that Israel is safe, the hostages are freed, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.
Harris slams Trump as a “non-serious man”
The vice president worshiped the former president and warned the crowd about what he would do in his second term in office Project 2025a presidential transition initiative overseen by The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. While Trump has repeatedly sidestepped the initiative’s policy agenda, many members of the administration have joined in and hundreds of proposals consistent with past policies and current campaign promises.
“In many ways, Donald Trump is a person who doesn’t take himself seriously,” Harris said. “But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are very serious.”
He pointed to the Supreme Court new decision giving former presidents immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts is further empowering Trump. The verdict stems from federal charges Trump is facing in Washington, DC, as a result of an alleged attempt to undermine the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election.
“Imagine Donald Trump without guardrails and how he will use the great power of the president of the United States – not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security – but to serve the only client he has ever had: himself,” he said.
Harris accused Trump of trying to throw away the American vote after the 2020 election and, when his efforts failed, sent a mass of supporters to the US Capitol in January 6, 2021. Crowds stormed the Capitol building where lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence were invited to count the state’s election votes, prompting an evacuation.
“He lit a fire, and now for a different crime, he is convicted of fraud by an American jury every day and is responsible for committing sexual abuse,” he said.
Trump is there sentenced in New York of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records stemming from hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels after the 2016 election. The jury also find Trump responsible to sexual harassment columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996.