Photo: Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president during a powerful speech to the nation at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
On Thursday (August 22), Harris delivered the keynote address at the DNC in Chicago. The Democratic nominee discussed her upbringing, her career as a prosecutor, and what America would look like if she was elected as president in November.
Harris dedicated the beginning of her speech to her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who the vice president said told her "Never complain about injustice, but do something about it."
"And she also taught us, never do anything half-assed," Harris said Thursday.
The DNC crowd erupted as Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president.
“With this election, our nation 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," Harris said during her speech.
“I will be a President who unites us around our highest aspirations. A President who leads — and listens. Who is realistic. Practical. And has common sense. And always fights for the American people. From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life’s work," she added.
Harris offered a stark contrast to Republican nominee Donald Trump's vision for America, calling him an "unserious man" and warning voters of Project 2025.
“We know what a second Trump term would look like. It’s all laid out in ‘Project 2025.’ … In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious… Consider the power he will have — especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled he would be immune from criminal prosecution."
"America, we are not going back," Harris asserted.
The vice president also spoke on the importance of the middle class.
“We know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success. And building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. This is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from," Harris said.
The Democratic nominee pledged to create an "opportunity economy" where all Americans will have access to jobs and resources. She also promised a "middle-class tax cut" to reduce the cost of living across the nation.
During her speech, Harris also addressed how Trump is working to strip reproductive rights from women.
"Simply put, they are out of their minds," Harris said of the Trump administration.
If elected president, Harris pledged to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and a bipartisan border patrol bill she said was killed by the Republican nominee.
“Fellow Americans, I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go —in everyone I meet—I see a nation ready to move forward. Ready for the next step, in the incredible journey that is America," Harris said. “I see an America where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation. That inspired the world. That here, in this country, anything is possible. Nothing is out of reach.”
"Together let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told," she concluded her speech.
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