Backed by massive support from Democrats, Kamala Harris He promised to win the presidential elections in November against Donald Trump, whom he compared to “predators” and “swindlers” in a speech on Monday after the “roller coaster” that was Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race for the White House.
The US vice president has injected optimism into the campaign team in Delaware (east), where Biden is recovering from Covid-19. She entered the ring without beating around the bush.
“Trust me when I say that I know the kind of person Donald Trump is.”he told them, recalling his time as a California prosecutor, when he had to deal with “predators who abused women, scammers who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for personal gain.”
“We will fight for reproductive freedom, knowing that if Trump gets the chance, he will sign an abortion ban for every state,” she said in her first campaign speech since President Biden dropped out of re-election.
“We will take our case to the American people and we will win,” he insisted.
Harris, who is African-American and of South Asian descent and the only female vice president in U.S. history, acknowledged a “roller coaster” of emotions following Biden’s withdrawal and was full of praise.
“I love Joe Biden,” he said hours after saying at the White House that his legacy is “unmatched in modern history.”
“She’s the best,” the octogenarian president replied, his voice still hoarse from the coronavirus, during a live call just before Harris’ speech.
Democrats appear to have put the internal crisis over Biden’s physical and mental fitness for a second term behind them and are looking ahead with just over three months to go until the election.
The Democratic Party has promised a “transparent and orderly process” to replace Biden and will now have to name a new candidate at the convention in Chicago starting August 19.
The nomination is already looking set: the majority of Democratic delegates – around 4,000 people charged with officially nominating the presidential candidate during the meeting – have expressed their intention to support Harris, US media reported on Monday evening.
Minutes later, the vice president declared herself “proud” to have “the broad support necessary” from those party representatives and said she hopes to “soon formally accept” the nomination.
But it is also possible that Democrats will not wait until the party summit. Before Biden’s resignation, the nominee was scheduled to be named by electronic voting in the first week of August, and the party has not announced a change of plans.
Harris, the overwhelming favorite, has been endorsed not only by Biden, but also by former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, a former secretary of state, and most notably by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Also by several governors, some of them considered potential rivals: Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan), Gavin Newsom (California), Wes Moore (Maryland), Andy Beshear (Kentucky) and JB Pritzker (Illinois).
And by a good part of the Democratic congressmen, both moderates and progressives, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Two heavyweights have yet to speak out: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former President Barack Obama, who said the party would be “navigating uncharted territory over the next few days.”
His candidacy breathes new life into an election that was to be contested by two elderly politicians who were unpopular with many voters.
His team claims that Harris raised a record $81 million in 24 hours from small donors alone.
The vice president did not give a date for the nomination nor did she clarify the big question: who she would choose as a running mate if the Democrats name her as their candidate.
If they cannot reach an agreement, then an open convention for other candidates could be held in Chicago.
The Democratic nomination has been on the ropes since Biden’s disastrous performance in the June debate against Trump, who emerged stronger and is living days of glory after surviving an assassination attempt and attending a Republican convention that worshipped him.
On the Republican side, the announcement completely upended Trump’s candidacy, forcing him to review his electoral strategy, which was heavily focused on presenting Biden as a confused and clumsy old man.
These arguments could backfire on the Republican if he faces the vice president, almost 20 years his junior.
The nervousness is palpable even though recent polls give Trump a narrow lead over Harris (48% of voting intention versus 46%).
Senator JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, on Monday denounced an “undemocratic” process to remove Biden secretly hatched by an elite under the influence of Obama and financier George Soros.
Source: Ambito
