Kamala Harris formally accepts Vice-Presidential nomination, rips into Trump's tenure
The Democratic Party of the United States formally declared Kamala Harris, a first-time Senator from California, as its Vice-President candidate on the third night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). As she officially became White House-hopeful Joe Biden's running mate, Harris scripted history by being the first woman of South Asian and Black roots to fight on a major party ticket.
DNC, a mega-event to officially choose challengers against incumbent President Donald Trump, started on Monday. On the second night, Biden, the former Vice-President, was picked as the Presidential candidate. On the first two nights, Biden got support from young and old Democrats, a few Republicans, and many Americans who opined he would save the nation, which is battered by the novel coronavirus.
While the first two nights of the virtual event were more about how Biden is the only alternative, on Wednesday, the focus was on policy, climate change, gun violence, immigration and healthcare. Political heavyweights like ex-President Barack Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Senator Elizabeth Warren underlined many ways in which Trump is "bad" for the US.
Obama, who spoke before Harris, assailed his successor for never realizing the weight of the office. He squarely blamed Trump for the country's piteous state — over 170,000 American deaths due to COVID-19 and job losses. "What we do these next 76 days will echo through generations to come," he said, urging Americans to place their trust in Biden and Harris.
Obama, who spoke from Philadelphia, said, "I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously. That he might come to feel the weight of the office. But he never did."
Naturally, the condemnation for Trump didn't stop with Obama's speech. In her nearly 17-minute-long address, Harris spoke about her own life, her parents, college, and career to highlight inclusivity. She said Trump's leadership cost lives, jobs, and pushed the country to chaos. Making a case for Biden, whom she challenged in Democratic primaries, Harris said the US deserved a better President.
Concluding her acceptance speech, Harris said the elections in November were an opportunity to change "the course of history." "Years from now, this moment will have passed. And our children and our grandchildren will look in our eyes and ask us: Where were you when the stakes were so high?" she said, imploring voters to choose her and Biden.
Trump’s failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods. pic.twitter.com/PbGiMqKIz7
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 20, 2020
Trump, who seemingly watched Harris's speech and saw her heap praises on Biden, put out a tweet not long ago reminding that the Democrat challengers were at loggerheads until recently. "BUT DIDN'T SHE CALL HIM A RACIST??? DIDN'T SHE SAY HE WAS INCOMPETENT??? (sic)" his tweet read. Earlier, when Biden had chosen Harris as a partner, Trump had said he was a little "surprised."
