Sen. Kamala Harris laid out the Democratic case against President Donald Trump in her first speech as Joe Biden’s running mate Wednesday, arguing that Trump isn’t “up to the job.”
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, former political rivals, used their first public appearance as running mates on the Democratic ticket to stand unified against President Trump.
In her first official appearance as the Democratic candidate for vice president, Ms. Harris, a former prosecutor, repeatedly criticized president Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic upheaval it has caused in her speech in Wilmington, Delaware,
“As somebody who has presented my fair share of arguments in court, the case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut,” Ms. Harris said.
“This is a moment of real consequence for America, everything we care about, our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in, it’s all on the line.”
Throughout his campaign, Mr. Biden has repeatedly emphasized his experience working with former President Barack Obama as a strength. In her remarks, Ms. Harris also pointed to that legacy.
“He inherited the longest economic expansion in history from Barack Obama and Joe Biden. And then, like everything else he inherited, he ran it straight into the ground,” she said of Trump.
“This is what happens when we elect a guy who just isn’t up for the job,” Harris said. “Our country ends in tatters and so does our reputation around the world.”
Kamala Harris also said Donald Trump “cares more about himself than the people who elected him”;
“America is crying out for leadership. Yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him.
“A president who is making every challenge we face even more difficult to solve.
“But here’s the good news. We don’t have to accept the failed government of Donald Trump and Mike Pence.
“In just 83 days we have a chance to choose a better future for our country.”
The 55-year-old spoke after the Democratic presidential candidate Mr Biden introduced her as a “smart” and “tough” woman who is a “proven fighter for the backbone of this country”.
As he introduced Ms. Harris as his running mate for the first time, Mr. Biden leaned heavily on the qualities that set her apart and added diversity to the Democratic ticket. He presented her as a historic candidate, and someone whose background reflected a diversifying country.
“This morning, all across the nation, little girls woke up, especially little Black and brown girls, who so often feel overlooked and undervalued in their communities,” Mr. Biden said. “But today just maybe they’re seeing themselves for the first time in a new way: as the stuff of president and vice presidents.”
“I knew we were in the battle for the soul of the nation,” Mr. Biden said. “That’s when I decided to run. And I am proud now to have Senator Harris at my side.”
“One of the reasons that I chose Kamala is that we both believe that we can define America simply in one word: possibilities,” he said.
Ms Harris could become the US’ first black and Indian female vice president if Mr Biden’s wins the November elections.
