Harris embraces patriotism, criticizes Trump in acceptance speech

CHICAGO — Kamala Harris put her month-long campaign on the map with a sharp rebuke of Donald Trump.

The vice president — who vaulted to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race — used her acceptance speech Thursday night to tell the story of how she was raised by an immigrant, single mother in a middle-class home in Oakland, California, before rising to the top of the administration as a distinctly American. Harris presented her own unlikely journey and vision of America in stark contrast to her opponent’s promise to “make America great again.”

It’s a play for swing voters in swing ground states, as Harris works to broaden her appeal to independents and moderates who may be alienated by Trump — but not yet convinced by her own nascent campaign. On Thursday, she pledged to be “a president for all Americans” with a candidacy she said was a collective project to move the country beyond the Trump era.

“Our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity in this election to move beyond the bitterness, the cynicism and the divisive battles of the past — an opportunity to find a new way forward,” Harris said. “Not as members of any party or faction, but as Americans.”

Harris has cast herself as a change agent in an election once defined by two deeply unpopular, aging and polarizing presidents. It’s a delicate balancing act: presenting herself as a fresh face while still embracing much of the administration’s agenda. Still, Democrats believe they now have a chance to shed some of Biden’s baggage, particularly when it comes to inflation and the economy.

By formally accepting her party’s nomination before a cheering crowd, Harris capped a dramatic rise since Biden’s withdrawal. Her candidacy sparked a fundraising frenzy, raking in more than $300 million, and energized a party that saw itself slipping heading into Election Day. Public and private polls have tightened, with Democratic leaders now talking about flipping the House and potentially retaining their threatened Senate majority.

A convention that might once have been a vigil is now a lavish celebration on the cusp of history, with the first Black woman and South Asian American nominated.

But after the fanfare of the convention dies down Thursday night, Harris and her campaign know they’re being thrust headlong into a buzzsaw of personal and policy attacks from Trump and his team. She lags behind Trump on who is better at running the economy, according to public polls. Voters are still feeling the pinch of higher prices, and Republicans are trying to spin border issues around her.

And while voters are giving her a fresh perspective, some aren’t happy with what they see. A New York Times/Siena College poll released last week found that 43 percent of registered voters in the Sun Belt battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina thought Harris was “too liberal,” while just 33 percent said Trump was “too conservative.”

In a statement, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley offered a preview of some of the attacks on Harris: “What Americans won’t hear from Kamala is an effort to unite our country, repair our borders, rebuild our economy, or ensure America is strong enough to protect our interests at home and abroad — the issues that concern every American family.”

It’s been Harris’s most high-profile test so far, as she looks to validate the hype and good vibes surrounding her candidacy. But she still hasn’t had a one-on-one interview since her party’s nomination, nor has she participated in a formal press conference. She’s also scheduled to debate Trump in Philadelphia on Sept. 10.

But over the four days of the convention, Harris’ campaign raced to define the vice president on her own terms, with testimony from her family members, friends and colleagues. It’s the traditional work of a political convention, but Democrats said it takes on new meaning for Harris, who began her presidential campaign just four weeks ago.

“This convention is more important than others” because many voters don’t know much about Harris or her background, said Molly Murphy, Harris’ campaign pollster.

Against a courtroom backdrop, she leaned on her law enforcement resume, saying she first became a prosecutor to protect people, like her childhood best friend, a victim of sexual abuse. As California’s attorney general, she said, she took on drug traffickers, cartels and big banks, winning billions for homeowners facing foreclosure.

She rattled off Trump’s legal history as if before a judge and jury, saying that in addition to encouraging rioters on January 6 who attacked police officers, he was “found guilty of fraud by a jury of ordinary Americans” and “responsible for committing sexual assault.” She attacked him for “bringing America into disrepute.” She also described him as “not serious,” a departure from the vaunted language of “saving democracy” that Biden favored when he led the Democratic ticket.

Harris said that throughout her career, she had “only one client: the people.” Trump, she argued, has “represented the only client he ever had: himself.”

“Candidates have different styles,” Dan Kanninen, Harris’ battleground states director, said earlier Thursday at a Bloomberg event. “Whether it’s the style, how you do it — ultimately it’s about showing that there’s a threat.”

She also cast herself as a potential commander in chief, as several veterans confirmed in speeches before she took the stage that she was prepared to serve. Harris promised to “ensure that America always has the strongest, most lethal military force in the world.”

Democrats believe one of Harris’ biggest burdens is inflation, and the first policy she unveiled in her campaign was a plan to address price gouging. On Thursday, Harris tried to close her deficit in the economy by arguing that voters can trust her to accept high prices because she is more like them than Trump.

“I come from a middle class background,” she said, while Trump is “fighting for himself and his billionaire friends.” The former president “is going to give them another round of tax breaks that will add $5 trillion to the national debt, and in the meantime he’s planning to implement what’s essentially a national sales tax — call it a Trump tax.”

Although others on stage briefly emphasized the historical aspects of her candidacy, Harris did not. Her gender and race, both of which define her as a historical political figure, were not mentioned. While many Democratic delegates wore white Thursday night, in tribute to the suffragettes who fought for women’s right to vote, Harris wore a navy suit.

Harris has won wide applause for her promises to restore abortion rights and sign the bipartisan immigration bill that Congress defeated earlier this year, but she has been stingy on specific policy details. So far, she has largely avoided fleshing out her policy platform, relying instead on thematic messages about protecting and expanding “freedoms” across various Democratic priorities.

And as she wrapped up her nearly 40-minute speech, red, white and blue balloons rained down from the rafters of the United Center as supporters waved flags and signs that read “USA” — another reminder of the evening’s theme, which was emphasized by other speakers as well.

“I want to let my fellow Republicans in on a secret: The Democrats are just as patriotic as we are,” said former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), the onetime anti-Trump congressman who was one of two Republicans on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack.

Myah Ward contributed to this report.