In her first campaign rally since taking over the Democratic presidential nomination, Vice President Kamala Harris launched a direct attack on former President Donald Trump, highlighting his legal troubles and emphasizing her own experience as a prosecutor. Harris, who was endorsed by President Joe Biden after he announced he would not seek reelection, is aiming to unite the Democratic Party and the nation while defeating Trump in the 2024 election.
Harris emphasized her experience as a prosecutor, noting that she has taken on criminals of all kinds throughout her career. “In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds — predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain,” she said. “So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type.”
Her strategy is clearly to use her legal credentials to contrast herself with Trump, who was recently found guilty on 34 felony counts in the hush money trial. Trump has faced numerous legal challenges throughout his career and presidency. “As a young prosecutor, when I was in the Alameda County District Attorney’s office in California, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Donald Trump was found liable by a jury for committing sexual abuse,” Harris asserted. “As attorney general of California, I took on one of our country’s largest for-profit colleges and put it out of business,” she continued. “Donald Trump ran a for-profit college, Trump University, that was forced to pay $25 million to the students it scammed,” she added.
Trump, meanwhile, has continued his social media attacks on Harris, calling her “Dumb as a Rock” and criticizing the media for portraying her in a positive light. He has also reiterated his claims that Biden is the “Worst President in the history of our Country” and that Harris would be worse.
Harris addressed a crowd in Wilmington, Delaware, acknowledging the recent political turmoil and the uncertainty surrounding Biden’s decision to not seek reelection. “It is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win,” she said. She promised to unite the Democratic Party and the nation, while expressing her commitment to winning the election.
She also took the opportunity to pay tribute to Biden’s long political career, emphasizing his “deep love of our country.” However, she avoided discussing her own candidacy in detail at that time.
While Harris has not officially been nominated by the Democratic Party, Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison has assured the public that the party will deliver a presidential nominee by August 7th. A virtual nominating process will be conducted before the national convention in Chicago, starting on August 19th.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Harris, describing her as “official, personal and political.” She believes that Harris is “brilliantly astute” and will lead the party to victory in November.
The endorsement of Pelosi, a highly influential veteran Democrat, was just one of many from influential figures. All eyes are now on former US President Barack Obama, who initially encouraged Biden to seek reelection but also reportedly advised him to withdraw.
As the Democratic Party navigates this new political landscape, it is clear that the race for the presidency has become intensely personal and focused on the contrasting styles and pasts of the two potential candidates.
