Kamala Harris, US presidential hopeful, aimed jabs at Donald Trump during her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
Harris’ speech late Thursday night ended four days of a star-studded and super-charged DNC in Chicago.
Centering her speech around themes of patriotism and freedom, the vice-president reminded Americans of the “chaos and calamity” her Republican rival oversaw when he was in office.
Trump served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Harris urged citizens to vote in the November 5 polls, describing the election as one of the most important in US history.
“In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious,” the former prosecutor said.
“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.
“Consider his explicit intent to set free the violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol. His explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents, 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.
“How he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States not to improve your life, not to strengthen our national security, but to serve the only client he has ever had — himself.”
On security, Harris said she would not hesitate to defend US interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists.
“And I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un, who are rooting for Trump because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favours,” she added.
“They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat.”
The vice-president also touched on the war in Gaza, reiterating the US stance on Israel’s right to self-defence, while also voicing support for Palestinian right to dignity and self-determination.
HARRIS AHEAD IN THE POLLS
Harris is the first woman of colour to run for US president on the platform of a major political party.
During her acceptance speech, the Democratic Party candidate spoke about her Indian mother and Jamaican father — their divorce, her childhood growing up in a middle class family, and her political journey.
The vice-president said she would reform border security and the immigration system.
“I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants — and reform our broken immigration system,” she said.
“We can create an earned pathway to citizenship — and secure our border. America, we must also be steadfast in advancing our security and our values abroad.”
Trump has repeatedly labelled a section of immigrants as criminals.
The former president has also come under fire for repeatedly attacking Harris’ racial identity and physical attributes, saying world leaders would see her as a “play toy”.
Harris said she would be a president who is “realistic, practical and has common sense” — a rebuttal of Trump’s attempts to brand her as too liberal.
Recent national polls have put Harris ahead of Trump with a slight three-point advantage (46 percent-43 percent).
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