Harris accepts her party’s nomination and attacks Donald Trump – West Central Tribune

CHICAGO – Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday, with a rousing call to end the war in Gaza and fight tyranny around the world, drawing a sharp contrast with Republican Donald Trump.

“In the ongoing struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand, and I know where the United States belongs,” Harris said, accusing Trump of bowing to dictators.

On the final and most eagerly awaited night of the four-day convention in Chicago, Harris, 59, promised to forge a “new path forward” as she and Trump, 78, enter the final 11 weeks of the thrilling campaign.

Harris ran as the Democratic candidate just over a month ago until allies of 81-year-old President Joe Biden forced him to drop out of the race.

It was a powerful speech for a candidate who had failed to clearly articulate her vision for the country during her brief campaign and faced a barrage of personal attacks from Trump, who mocked her black and South Asian heritage and called her weak in dealing with others.

In her speech, she outlined some general foreign and domestic policy principles, but left out concrete details that she may be forced to announce in the coming weeks.

After days of protests by Palestinian supporters disappointed at not being able to speak at the convention, Harris promised to secure Israel, bring the hostages home from Gaza and end the war in the Palestinian enclave.

“Now is the time to negotiate a hostage deal and a ceasefire,” she said to applause. “And let me make it clear that I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself.”

“What has happened in Gaza over the last ten months is devastating. So many innocent lives have been lost, desperate, hungry people continue to flee safety. The scale of the suffering is heartbreaking,” she said.

“President Biden and I are working to end this war so that Israel is safe, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can exercise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

In some of her strongest foreign policy statements to date, Harris said she would take all necessary steps to defend U.S. interests against Iran and would not take on tyrants and dictators.

She said such leaders, including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, are “cheering on Trump.”

She vowed to support Ukraine and NATO allies in the war against Russia.

Kevin Wurm/REUTERS

If Harris is successful, she could become the first woman to be elected US president, making history.

She described the November 5 election as “a precious, fleeting opportunity to leave behind the bitterness, cynicism and divisive struggles of the past. A chance to find a new way forward.”

Harris drew a number of contrasts with Trump. She accused him of not fighting for the middle class, of planning a tax increase with his tariff proposals, and of having initiated the end of the constitutionally guaranteed right to abortion with his selection for the US Supreme Court.

Harris referred to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity and the risks that would arise if Trump were to return to power.

“Imagine Donald Trump without guardrails,” she said.

Trump, who had promised to respond to Harris’ speech in real time, posted a series of messages on Truth Social as she spoke about him, including: “She represents incompetence and weakness – our country is laughed at around the world!” and “She will never be respected by the tyrants of this world!”

Chicago’s United Center was full of energy — and people. The arena’s 23,500 seats were full, and arena staff briefly blocked any more visitors from entering the facility. The city’s fire marshal said the building was full.

After Harris finished her speech, 100,000 balloons were dropped on the crowd, a congressional official said, taking 75 volunteers, 30 staff members and a dozen unionized stagehands to inflate.

Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS

Biden called Harris before her speech to wish her luck, a White House spokesman said.

On Thursday night, Harris said she would pass a middle-income tax cut that would benefit more than 100 million Americans.

She talked about her plans to fight for abortion rights and voting rights legislation, improve housing supply and ban what she called “price gouging” by grocers. Her campaign team has also proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.

Before the speech, thousands of Palestinian supporters again gathered to protest U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. The issue is one of the most divisive among Democrats and received little attention at the convention, which could hurt Democrats in the election.

Delegates from the Uncommitted National Movement, which mobilized nearly 750,000 voters to deny Biden their support during the presidential primaries, entered the venue arm-in-arm and took their seats. Members spent Wednesday night on the sidewalk outside Congress to protest the DNC’s rejection of their request for a Palestinian speaker.

Harris has raised a record $500 million in a month and has narrowed the gap on Trump or even taken the lead in many opinion polls in swing states. Nationally, she leads Trump by 46.6% to 43.8%, according to a compilation of polls by FiveThirtyEight.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Jeff Mason, Doina Chiacu, Trevor Hunnicutt, Stephanie Kelly, Andrea Shalal, Steve Holland, Jarrett Renshaw, Julio-Cesar Chavez; additional reporting by Nathan Layne; Writing by Doina Chiacu and Andy Sullivan; Editing by Heather Timmons and Howard Goller)