Kamala Harris electrified a crowd at her first rally since effectively securing the Democratic presidential nomination, launching fresh attacks on Donald Trump for attempting to “take the country backward.”
In stark contrast to outgoing President Joe Biden’s often subdued speeches, Vice President Harris delivered a dynamic and enthusiastic address that was met with cheers in the battleground state of Wisconsin.
Harris, 59, is bringing new energy to the Democratic Party, following 81-year-old Biden’s surprising exit from the race after a debate with Trump raised concerns about his age and mental competency.
“Donald Trump wants to take our country backward,” Harris told the crowd in Milwaukee. “Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear, and hate?”
While Biden focused on Trump as a broad threat to democracy, Harris took a more personal approach, highlighting her record as a California prosecutor who had dealt with “predators” and “fraudsters” like the former president.
“I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said, echoing comments she made to campaign workers on Monday. “I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week.”
‘Trust Women’
Harris notably focused on abortion, accusing Trump of trying to ban the procedure and emphasizing that “we trust women to make decisions about their own bodies and not have their government tell them what to do.”
The energized crowd repeatedly chanted “Kam-a-la” during her speech in Milwaukee, the same city where Trump was crowned Republican nominee at his party’s conference just last week.
Trump’s campaign has been thrown into turmoil after Biden’s departure, making Trump the oldest ever US presidential candidate. However, Trump insisted that Harris would be “easier” to beat in November than Biden.
Trump, who survived an assassination attempt on July 13, also told reporters he would “absolutely” participate in at least one presidential debate with Harris.
Harris — the first female, Black, and South Asian vice president in US history — secured enough delegates to be nominated just 36 hours after Biden’s withdrawal.
Top Democratic congressional leaders — Senator Chuck Schumer and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries — supported her in a press conference Tuesday.
Hollywood star George Clooney, who urged Biden to drop his reelection bid earlier this month, also backed her.
‘What Lies Ahead’
Biden, meanwhile, returned to the White House after nearly a week in isolation with Covid at his Delaware beach house, during which he made his surprise exit announcement.
Biden announced he would deliver a primetime speech from the Oval Office on Wednesday about “what lies ahead.”
Asked by reporters what he would say, Biden replied: “Watch and listen. Why don’t you wait and hear what I say?”
Biden’s doctor said he was now all clear of Covid.
Both he and Harris are scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week when he visits Washington.
Harris’s official nomination should now come by August 7 in an online vote of delegates nearly two weeks before the Democratic convention in Chicago.
Support continued to pour in, with the United Steelworkers Union and philanthropist Melinda French Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, both endorsing her.
Harris’s campaign announced it had raised $100 million since her entry into the White House race, with 62 percent of donations coming from first-time donors.
A poll released on Tuesday, taken after Biden stepped down, showed Harris two points ahead of Trump.
However, Harris has less than four months to prove to US voters that she has what it takes — and she admitted at the Milwaukee rally that there was “hard work” ahead.
