In speech of her life, Kamala Harris vigorously pursues case against Trump

In a speech that drew wild applause and left some in tears, Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted her party’s nomination for president on Thursday, laid out her vision for the country and wasted no time explaining how dangerous a re-election of Donald Trump would be for women, the American middle class and the rule of law itself.

Harris has presented herself as a seasoned fighter, drawing on her years as a prosecutor fighting for women and children against abusers, her time as California attorney general battling big banks and gun cartels, her fights to win tough elections and her current fight to protect American democracy against Trump.

“In many ways, Donald Trump is not a serious man,” Harris said. “The consequences of Donald Trump returning to the White House would be extremely serious.”

She described the “chaos and calamity” that marked Trump’s first term as president, and then the gravity of what followed: Trump incited an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to prevent votes for Joe Biden to become president from being counted. On top of that, Trump has been impeached twice, and since leaving office, he has been convicted on 34 counts in the bribery case and has been convicted of sexual abuse and defamation.

“Think about what he intends to do if we give him power again,” Harris warned. “Think about the power he will have, especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled that he would be protected from criminal prosecution.”

Vice President Focused on Trump Attacks on women’s reproductive rights. She recounted meeting with women across the country as vice president and hearing horror stories of miscarriages in parking lots, sepsis and losing the ability to have children again — all because doctors in their states were afraid of going to jail for providing them abortion care. And she stressed that he and his allies want to continue to roll back reproductive rights.

“Simply put, they’ve lost their minds,” Harris concluded, to deafening cheers.

Thursday night’s speech was arguably Harris’ best yet. She wasn’t as comfortable or engaging on the national stage when she ran for president in 2020. But now that she’s served more than three years as vice president, Harris has demonstrated that she’s become a much more compelling and powerful speaker — and the crowd appreciated it.

“America, we are not going back,” Harris said repeatedly.

“I’m not coming back! I’m not coming back!” thousands of people shouted in response.

Somehow, it’s only been a month since Harris became the nominee. Harris’s path to the presidency has been astonishing but remarkably smooth after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race on July 21, following a pressure campaign based on concerns about her age and mental acuity.

In her speech, Harris acknowledged the unusual path that led her to the stage, comparing it to the family journey that brought her immigrant parents to the United States.

“America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was undoubtedly unexpected. But I am no stranger to improbable journeys,” she said, before describing the journey of her mother, an immigrant and single mother.

Harris has thrown her weight behind countless issues that matter to Democrats, promising to protect citizens’ freedoms in schools, communities and places of worship, in their decisions about who they love and in their fight for basic access to clean air and water.

But beyond her enthusiasm for Democrats, Harris appealed to Americans watching on television who didn’t necessarily share her political views. She promised to be their president, too.

“With this election, our nation has a precious and fleeting opportunity to move beyond the bitterness, cynicism and divisive struggles of the past,” she said. “A chance to chart a new path forward. Not as members of any particular party or faction, but as Americans.”

Harris promised to be a president who “brings us together around our highest aspirations. A president who leads and listens, who is realistic, pragmatic and has common sense.”

And just as she began, Harris returned to her fighter roots by calling on Americans to join her in fighting to protect democracy against Trump.

“It is our turn to do what generations before us have done. Guided by optimism and faith, we must fight for this country we love,” she said, her voice rising. “We must embrace the enormous responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege in the world: the privilege and pride of being an American.”

Harris added: “Let’s go out and fight for this.”