Kamala Harris vowed to be a president who ‘unites us,’ pitching herself as a leader for all Americans as she formally accepted the Democratic nomination.
In doing so she launched several attacks at her Republican rival Donald Trump, calling him an ‘unserious man’ and accusing his allies of being ‘out of their minds.’
‘To be clear, my entire career, I have only had one client: the people,’ she said Thursday night at the United Center in Chicago.
Harris said she would lead ‘on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks.’
She added: ‘On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey, on behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams and look out for one another.
‘On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States.’
Harris focused her remarks on her personal story – her immigrant mother who came to the U.S. to cure breast cancer but died of cancer herself, her work as a prosecutor, and her vision for the future.
While she has perfected a stump speech to Democratic supporters she hasn’t made a general speech to the nation.
Thursday night was the first time many Americans really heard from her in depth.
She used the time to repeatedly go after Trump, outlining his criminal record and warning of the consequences of a second Trump term.
Harris also outlined her own resume, touching on delicate subjects like immigration, border security, and national security – areas in which Republicans have attacked her as weak and ineffective.
Vice President Kamala Harris accepts the nomination for president of the United States
Doug Emhoff, Kamala Harris, Tim Walz and Gwen Walz – the Democratic ticket
After Harris’ speech was the traditional balloon drop
Harris, 59, told how her mother had taught her to ‘never doing anything half-assed’. And, in an introductory video before the speech, she told a group of young people that sometimes you need to ‘kick that f***ing door down.’
She framed the most important speech of her political life as a message to the country as a whole, addressing the people directly, and looking straight into the camera.
‘Let me say, I know there are people of watching tonight. And I want you to know, I promise to be a president for all Americans,’ she said. ‘You can always trust me to put country above party and self, to hold sacred America’s fundamental principles, from the rule of law to free and fair elections, to the peaceful transfer of power.
‘I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads and listens. Who is realistic, practical and has common sense. And always fights for the American people.’
Harris is the second woman to be a major party’s presidential nominee and, if she wins in November, she would be the first female president of the United States.
Harris entered the United Arena to a standing ovation, flashing lights, and air horns.
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But, alas, no Beyonce.
It had been rumored she would perform on the final night of the convention. Her song ‘Freedom,’ played as Harris walked onto the stage, but it was a recording.
Delegates waved ‘Kamala’ signs, flashed red and blue lights, and clapped for so long Harris had to delay the start of her remarks.
Much of it was aimed at her Republican rival Donald Trump, contrasting her vision for the country with his and working in her campaign slogan: ‘Not going back.’
‘In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious,’ she said.
She noted his actions on January 6th, when his supporters rushed the Capitol in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
‘When politicians in his own party, begged him to call off the mob, and send to help , he did the opposite , he fanned the flames,’ she said.
She also reminded Americans of the crimes Trump has been accused of. The former president says he is innocent.
‘And now, for an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of a fraud by a jury of everyday Americans, and separately found liable for committing sexual abuse,’ she said.
She also listed what a second Trump term would look like.
‘If we give him power again, consider, his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol.
‘His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents and anyone he sees as the enemy. His explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens. Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution.
‘Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails. And how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States.’
‘Not going back,’ the crowd yelled to her.
Doug Emhoff blows Kamala Harris a kiss
The balloon drop at the convention
Kamala Harris after her speech
Harris outlined her personal story, including how her mother Shyamala came to America from India at the age of 19 and went on to become a breast cancer researcher.
‘She taught us to never complain about injustice. But do something about it,’ Harris said. ‘She also taught us to never do anything half-assed – and that is a direct quote,’ she said.
‘I miss her every day,’ she said of her mother. ‘Especially now. And I know she’s looking down tonight, and smiling.’
Harris’ mother died at the age of 70 from colon cancer. At the time, Harris was running for attorney general of the state of California, a race she would ultimately win. Shyamala didn’t live to see her daughter become vice president.
Harris noted her parents divorced when they were young, raising her and her sister mostly solo. Harris’ father is 86 and stays out of the public eye.
She noted their neighbors helped her mother out. ‘None of them, family by blood. And all of them family by love,’ she said.
Maya Harris, the vice president’s sister, also talked about their mother, saying she was the embodiment of the American story.
‘She was so many things to so many people, a civil rights activist, a scientist, a devoted mother to her two little girls. But most of all mommy was a trailblazer who decide and defy the odds and defined herself. And when it came to Kamala and me, mommy had great expectations for us but she had even greater expectations of us,’ she said in a speech she delivered before Harris spoke.
‘As I look out at all of you today, and take in this incredible moment, I so wish that mommy could be here tonight. I can just see her smiling , saying how proud she is of Kamala. And then, without missing a beat, she would say that is enough, you got work to do.’
Harris began by thanking the men in her life. She wished her husband Doug a happy anniversary and thanked President Joe Biden for his support.
‘To our president, Joe Biden. When I think about the path that we have traveled together, Joe, I am thrilled and filled with gratitude. Your record is extraordinary as history will show, and your character is inspiring. And Doug and I love you and Jill and are forever thankful to you both.’
She also said her running mate Tim Walz would be an ‘incredible vice president.’
Emhoff had tears in his eyes as Harris took the stage.
Harris’ family played a large role during her night at the convention. Her grandnieces Amara, 8, in a pink pant suit and Leela, 6, in a light blue frilly dress, joined actress Kerry Washington at the beginning of the evening to teach the crowd how to pronounce Harris’ first name.
Doug Emhoff and Kamala Harris kiss after her speech
Harris grandnieces Leela, 6, (left) and Amara, 8, (right) with actress Kerry Washington (center)
The Harris and Walz families on stage for the balloon drop
Tim Walz, with wife Gwen, enjoying the balloon drop
Harris focused her pitch to the middle class, reassuring them she is one of them.
She said: ‘It was mostly my mother who raised us. Before she could finally afford to buy a home, she rented a small apartment in the East Bay. In the Bay, you either live in the hills or the flatlands. We lived in the flats – a beautiful working-class neighborhood of firefighters, nurses, and construction workers, all who tended their lawns with pride.’
Voters give Joe Biden’s administration low marks for its handling of the economy. Republicans hope to tie that dissatisfaction with Biden to Harris.
‘We know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success. And building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. This is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from,’ she said.
She also pointed out Republicans have rolled back reproductive rights, an issue Democrats see as motivating women to vote.
‘One must ask, one must ask, why exactly is it that they don’t trust women? Well we trust women. We trust women. And when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as president of the United States I will sign it,’ she said.
Harris vowed to bring back and sign a bipartisan immigration that Trump killed when he told Republicans not to support it.
She promised to support the American military, NATO, and also remain a strong ally to Ukraine.
And she called for a cease fire in the Middle East.
‘With respect to the war in Gaza, President Biden and I are working around the clock. Because now is a time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done,’ she said.
She also expressed her support for Palestinian civilians, thousands who have suffered and died in the war. Many Democrats have criticized the Biden administration for not doing enough to help the people of Gaza.
‘President Biden and I are working to end this war, such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends. And the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,’ she said.
And she got in another swipe at Trump.
‘I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators, like Kim Jong-un, who are rooting for Trump,’ she said. ‘Because you know, they know – they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself.’
She concluded with some sweeping rhetoric.
‘Fellow Americans, I love our country with all my heart,’ she said.
‘We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children and our grandchildren and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment,’ she said.
‘It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done and faith, to fight for this country we love, to fight for the ideals we cherish, and to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth, the privilege and pride of being an American!,’ she said.
‘So let’s get out there, let’s fight for it, let’s get out there, let’s vote for it, and together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.’
Her speech capped off a week of high-profile remarks, particularly from black women. Michelle Obama spoke on Tuesday and Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday. Both gave memorial speeches that are still be talked about.
Doug Emhoff with daughter Ella after Ella addressed the Democratic convention
Maya Harris, sister of Kamala Harris, talked about their mother, who died in 2009
Harris apparently felt the pressure. She held rehearsals complete with teleprompters in three different time zones, the New York Times reported.
Harris, on July 21st, had to quickly pivot from being the running mate to being at the top of the ticket after Joe Biden exited the presidential race.
Biden endorsed her and, within a week, she had wrapped up the delegates votes to secure the nomination.
She took on most of Biden’s campaign staff and organization, bringing in a few of her own people and some Barack Obama alum.
When she spoke on Thursday evening, it was her 10th anniversary with her husband Doug Emhoff. And it will mark 75 days until the November election.
Harris has focused her campaign message on one of joy, a theme that carried over to the Democratic convention, which has featured uplifting speeches and musical performances.