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Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in her primetime speech. She took the stage on the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where she delivered the keynote address before accepting the nomination. She cast herself as someone who would unite the country, promising to be a president for all Americans. “We got to get to business,” Harris said to the massive reception and standing ovation in Chicago. “I know there are people of various political views watching tonight,” Harris said. “And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans,” she said. “I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations,” Harris said. “A president who leads — and listens. Who is realistic. Practical. And has common sense. And always fights for the American people.”
In a nearly 40-minute speech, delivered to tens of thousands of supporters at the United Center arena in Chicago, she said that her candidacy was not the one her party was expecting as little as a handful of weeks ago. But she told the crowd that she was “no stranger to unlikely journeys,” describing herself as the daughter of an Indian scientist whose dreams of a new life in the United States became the catalyst for Harris’s legal and political career.
Harris became the Democratic candidate after President Joe Biden, 81, was forced to quit the race for the White House. If successful Harris, 59, will become the first woman US president.
During her address, she slammed Donald Trump, saying, “This election is one of the most important in the life of our nation. Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails. How he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States, not to improve your life, but to serve the only client he has ever had… himself,” Harris said.
“I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go and everyone I meet, I see a nation that is ready to move forward, ready for the next step and the incredible journey that is America,” she said.
“None of us has to fail for all of us to succeed,” she said. Harris called out to the voters to be “guided by optimism” as the election approached. “Let’s fight for it,” she said, before ending the speech.
Harris, at 59 years old, has shattered glass ceilings by becoming the first Indian-American and Black woman to secure a spot on a major presidential ticket in the United States. This historic nomination sets the stage for a monumental showdown with Republican incumbent Donald Trump in the upcoming November elections.
The Washington Post on Thursday said Harris is electrifying rally audiences with one energetic speech after another. Voters are lining up for blocks for a chance to hear her speak. Her crowd sizes are outpacing anything Democrats have seen since the heyday of Barack Obama, the daily said.
The Hill said doubts about Harris largely have been left in the trash can after a head spinning month that has seen her energise her party, narrow a polling gap with Trump — at times taking the lead — and renew hope in the party, as former first lady Michelle Obama put it from the convention stage this week.
