Vice President Kamala Harris argued the nation is ready for the “next great chapter” of its story as she formally accepted her party’s presidential nomination for president during remarks at the Democratic National Convention Aug. 22.
Harris, who secured her party’s nomination for president shortly after President Joe Biden’s historic announcement in July that he would end his own reelection bid and endorse her, said she is “filled with gratitude” for Biden and for “everyone who has put your faith in our campaign.”
“America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected, but I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys,” Harris said of her recent candidacy for president.
The speech marked Harris’ largest televised national audience since she became top of the Democratic ticket, and an opportunity to define her candidacy as the party’s nominee rather than running mate and paint a contrast to her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump.
Detailing her childhood as the daughter of immigrants and paying homage to her late mother, Harris traced her career as a prosecutor to the moment her high school best friend confided in her she was being abused at home and then came to stay with Harris’ family.
“This is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor to protect people like Wanda, because I believe everyone has a right to safety, to dignity, and to justice,” she said.
Harris said that her background as a prosecutor means she has “stood up for veterans, and students being scammed by big for-profit colleges, for workers who are being cheated out of their wages, the wages they were due, for seniors facing elder abuse,” she said. “I fought against the cartels who traffic in guns and drugs and human beings, who threaten the security of our border and the safety of our communities.”
Harris offered a sharp critique of Trump, arguing the Supreme Court’s recent ruling expanding presidential immunity for official acts would result in a more chaotic second term if he were to be re-elected.
“Just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails and how he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States, not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had: himself,” she said.
In a series of posts on his social media website Truth Social, Trump took issue with some of Harris’ arguments, writing, “She said, ‘Chart a new way forward,’ but she’s had three and a half years, and has done nothing but HARM!”
Harris, who has made advocacy for codifying abortion access a key part of her platform, said, “When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.”
But Trump, in the midst of his third bid for the White House, has sought to distance himself from the issue, arguing he believes that after Dobbs, it should be left to individual states to legislate. At Trump’s direction, delegates at the Republican National Convention approved a new party platform that removed a longstanding call for federal abortion restrictions at 20 weeks — legislation affecting potentially just over 1% of unborn children aborted every year — and stated that Republicans will “protect and defend a vote of the people, from within the states, on the issue of life.”
That document also stated the party believes the 14th Amendment “guarantees that no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process, and that the States are, therefore, free to pass Laws protecting those Rights,” but that the party would seek to “advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments).”
Trump has made a hardline immigration position a key part of his platform, arguing Biden and Harris have not prioritized border security. But Harris criticized Trump for convincing Republicans in Congress to reject a bipartisan border deal, arguing he did so because he thought it would hurt his campaign.
“I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and I will sign it into law,” she said.
On foreign policy, Harris sought to highlight her role as vice president, arguing that she would honor NATO commitments, support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion, and seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Gaza, arguing both for Israel’s right to defend itself and for the Palestinian people to “realize their right to dignity, security, freedom.”
“We must also be steadfast in advancing our security and values abroad,” Harris said. “As vice president, I have confronted threats to our security, negotiated with foreign leaders, strengthened our alliances and engaged with our brave troops overseas.”
In closing, Harris said, “I will never waver in defense of America’s security and ideals, because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand, and I know where the United States belongs,” she said.
Harris also wished her husband, Doug Emhoff, a happy anniversary. The couple marked their 10th wedding anniversary on the same day as her address.
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