CHICAGO — A month after replacing President Biden as the Democratic leader in the 2024 presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered the most significant speech of her political career, accepting her party’s presidential nomination.
In a roughly 40-minute speech that concluded the four-day Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago, the vice president promised to chart a “new path forward” if the American people choose her to succeed her boss, President Biden.
Harris also warned Americans not to allow Republican candidate former President Trump back into power.
“In many ways, Donald Trump is a dishonest man,” the vice president argued, “but the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.”
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On August 22, 2024, Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris gave a speech on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
Harris then positioned herself as someone who could unite a deeply divided nation, saying, “This election offers our nation a rare and fleeting opportunity to move beyond the bitterness, cynicism and divisive conflicts of the past.”
“I will be a president that unites us in our highest aspirations,” she vowed. “I will be a president that leads and listens. I will be a president that is realistic, practical, has common sense, and will always fight for the American people.”
“People across the political spectrum are watching tonight, and I am committed to being a president for all Americans,” Harris said.
WATCH: Trump appears on Fox News after Harris’ speech
“From the courtroom to the White House, that’s been my life’s work,” she said, referencing her years of experience as a prosecutor, San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general before being elected to the U.S. Senate and becoming vice president four years ago.
Harris made history in 2020 as the first woman elected vice president, and this month she made history again as the first Black woman and first South Asian person to win a major party’s presidential nomination — and if she wins in November, she could become the first female president of the United States.
Harris has been riding a wave of energy and enthusiasm in both polls and fundraising since replacing President Biden as the Democratic candidate for 2024 president four weeks ago.
She then walked onto the stage at Chicago’s United Center arena to a sustained standing ovation, including thunderous applause and chants of “Yes, you can do it.”
Trump criticizes Harris’s convention speech
After describing herself as the daughter of an Indian scientist who moved to the US “with an unwavering dream of becoming a scientist who would cure breast cancer,” she related how the sexual abuse of a childhood friend sparked her desire to become a prosecutor.
“On behalf of all the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams and look out for one another – people whose stories can only be told in the greatest country on Earth – I accept my nomination for president of the United States,” Harris said.
During his vice presidential speech, Trump repeatedly criticized his 2024 presidential rivals on social media.
Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally at the North Carolina Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame in Asheboro, North Carolina, on August 21, 2024. (Photo: Peter Zai/AFP via Getty Images)
After Ms Harris spoke about her childhood, Mr Trump posted on his platform, Truth Social, “Lots to talk about my childhood but now we need to talk about borders, inflation and crime!”
Minutes later, as Harris vowed to “build the middle class and make it a clear goal of my presidency,” Trump pointed to her three and a half years as vice president under Biden and asked, “Why hasn’t she done anything about the things she complains about?”
As expected, Harris spent part of her speech focusing on reproductive rights, an issue that has energized and mobilized Democrats in the two years since the Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
“Donald Trump has chosen U.S. Supreme Court justices to take away reproductive freedom,” she argued.
She then vowed, “If Congress passes legislation restoring reproductive freedom, I will be proud to sign it into law as President of the United States.”
But she also touched on border security, an issue where President Trump and Republican lawmakers have grilled the Biden administration over the migrant surge over the past three and a half years.
Following her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage with vice presidential candidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, his wife, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz on August 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Harris gave the example of a border security bill that was moving through Congress with bipartisan support earlier this year, only for Republicans to reverse course at the urging of President Trump.
“As president, I will reinstate the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and I will sign it into law,” Harris reiterated.
“As Commander in Chief, I will ensure that America always has the strongest and most lethal fighting force in the world. I will fulfill my sacred duty to care for our soldiers and their families. And I will always honor and never diminish their service and sacrifice,” Harris said.
The remarks were followed by chants of “USA, USA” from Democratic politicians, officials, activists and supporters gathered in the arena.
Harris criticized President Trump, saying, “I will stay away from tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un who are supporting President Trump.”
If elected, she vowed to continue the Biden administration’s efforts to end the two major international conflicts.
“I stand strongly with Ukraine and our NATO allies,” she said, pointing to the eastern European country’s ongoing war against Russian aggression.
He then pointed to the Middle East, emphasizing, “Let me be clear: I will always defend Israel’s right to self-defense and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the Israeli people must never again face the horror unleashed on October 7th by a terrorist organization called Hamas.”
But she added: “At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months has been devastating. Many innocent lives have been lost. Desperate and hungry people have repeatedly fled in search of safety. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”
Democrats remain divided over the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been protesting outside the Democratic National Convention all week.
“President Biden and I are working to end this war so that Israel is safe, the hostages are free, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” he said, to huge cheers.
Biden ended his re-election bid on July 21 after a disastrous debate with Trump in late June raised doubts about whether the 81-year-old president was physically and mentally fit to serve another four years in the White House, leading some Democrats to call for him to drop out of the race.
Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, left, shakes hands with President Joe Biden during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin) (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin)
Biden delivered a highly praised and moving speech on the first night of the convention before heading to California for a short vacation.
Harris began her speech by praising her boss.
“To our President, Joe Biden. “Joe, I am filled with gratitude as I reflect on our journey together,” she said. “History will show that your record is extraordinary and your character is inspirational.”
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Harris also shut out vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, who spoke at the convention the night before.
“To Coach Tim Waltz, you’ll be a great vice president,” she said.
Since Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic Party’s top Democrat, the former president has tried to portray her as a far-left extremist.
Speaking to Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum after the vice president’s speech, Trump accused Harris of being a “Marxist. She always has been and always will be.”
The former president described Harris’ speech as “a bunch of complaints.”
“She didn’t talk about China. She didn’t talk about fracking. She didn’t talk about crime. She didn’t talk about 70 percent of our people living in poverty. She didn’t talk about housing,” he emphasized. “She was presiding over the most vulnerable border in the history of our country.”
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