Harris accepts Democratic presidential nomination
Kamala Harris then accepted the Democratic presidential nomination:
So, on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender or the language your grandmother speaks, 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 for president of the United States of America.
The room erupted into applause.
Key events
Harris signals support for ceasefire deal, calls Gaza war ‘heartbreaking’
Kamala Harris addressed one of the most divisive issues before Democrats: Israelâs invasion of Gaza.
âWith respect to the war in Gaza. President Biden and I are working around the clock, because now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done,â she said.
She spoke forcefully against Hamas and the October 7 attack, saying, âI will always stand up for Israelâs right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the war that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7.â
Harris then turned to the devastation wreaked on Gaza by Israelâs invasion:
At the same time, what has happened In Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost, desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again, the scale of suffering is heartbreaking.
She then brought the crowd to their feet by declaring:
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 realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.
As she talked about her policy towards Israel, we could hear shouting in the United Center, but it was not clear what they were saying.
More applause followed when Harris proclaimed: âWe trust women.â
âWe trust women, and when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom. As president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law,â she said.
The United Center is filling with the sounds of boos, as Kamala Harris recounts Donald Trumpâs hand in the downfall of Roe v Wade, and the move by Republican-led states to ban access to abortion.
âFriends, I believe America cannot truly be prosperous unless Americans are fully able to make their own decisions about their own lives, especially on matters of heart and home. But tonight, in America, too many women are not able to make those decisions, and letâs be clear about how we got here,â Harris said, then continued:
Donald Trump handpicked members of the United States supreme court to take away reproductive freedom, and now he brags about it in his words, âI did it, and Iâm proud to have done it.â Well, let me tell you, over the past two years, Iâve traveled across our country, and women have told me their stories. Husbands and fathers have shared theirs stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot, developing sepsis, losing the ability to ever again have children, all because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients, couples just trying to grow their family, cut off in the middle of IVF treatments.
This is whatâs happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand he is not done as a part of his agenda. He and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress. And get this, get this, he plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on womenâs miscarriages and abortions.
After all that booing, Harris drew claps by declaring: âThey are out of their minds.â
Harris got the crowd chanting her campaign staple of âWeâre not going back!â after she brought up Project 2025âs discussion of ending the department of eduction, as well as early education service Head Start.
âWe are not going back, and we are charting a new way forward, forward to a future with a strong and growing middle class, because we know a strong middle class has always been critical to Americaâs success, and building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency,â she said.
In lengthy denunciation, Harris warns of ‘extremely serious’ consequences of re-electing Trump
Then, it was time to attack Donald Trump, who Kamala Harris described in a thorough denunciation as a threat to the countryâs way of governing and life.
âIn many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious,â she began, before laying out what those consequences would be:
Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election. Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers. When politicians in his own party begged him to call off the mob and send help, he did the opposite. He fanned the flames, and now, for an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans and separately, found liable for committing sexual abuse.
Consider what he intends to do 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.
Harris says November election represents ‘fleeting opportunity’ to move country forward
Kamala Harris then outlined her view of the stakes of this election, while trying to appeal to the moderate and independent voters who may make the difference in the crucial swing states.
âOur nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans,â she said.
âAnd let me say, I know there are people of various political views, and I want you to know I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self, to hold sacred Americaâs fundamental principles, from the rule of law, to free and fair elections to the peaceful transfer of power.â
Harris accepts Democratic presidential nomination
Kamala Harris then accepted the Democratic presidential nomination:
So, on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender or the language your grandmother speaks, 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 for president of the United States of America.
The room erupted into applause.
Harris is now telling us about how her mother influenced her career path.
âMy mother was a brilliant, five-foot-tall brown woman with an accent, and as the eldest child, I saw how the world would sometimes treat her, but my mother never lost her cool,â Harris said.
âShe was tough, courageous, a trailblazer in the fight for womenâs health, and she taught Maya and me a lesson that Michelle mentioned the other night. She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it.â
After deciding to be a lawyer, Harris recounted why she wanted to be a prosecutor:
When it came time to choose the type of law I would pursue, I reflected on a pivotal moment in my life. You see, when I was in high school, I noticed something about my best friend, Wanda. She was sad at school, and there were times she didnât want to go home. So, one day, I asked if everything was all right, and she confided in me that she was being sexually abused by her stepfather, and I immediately told her she had to come stay with us, and she did.
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 then talked about her upbringing with her parents who moved around the country for various jobs and would eventually divorce, and the virtues they instilled in her.
My early memories of our parents together are very joyful ones, a home filled with laughter and music, Aretha, Coltrane and Miles at the park. My mother would say, stay close. But my father would say, as he smiled, run, Kamala, run. Donât be afraid. Donât let anything stop you.
She began by thanking her husband, Doug Emhoff, and then Joe Biden:
When I think about the path we have traveled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is inspiring, as history will show, and Doug and I love you, and Jill, and are forever thankful to you both.
After a very long applause and lots of âthank yousâ, Kamala Harrisâs speech is getting under way.
âOK, letâs get to business,â the vice-president said.
When she made a surprise and brief appearance on the conventionâs opening day, Kamala Harris wore a tan suit, which people interpreted in all sorts of ways.
Today, sheâs in an all-black suit. Make of that what you will.