In DNC finale, Harris asks America to turn the page
Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination with a historic speech
What happened
Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination yesterday, capping a spirited four-day Democratic National Convention in Chicago — and a "turnaround with no precedent in American politics," Semafor said.
Who said what
Just 32 days after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid and endorsed her, Harris used the "most consequential speech of her political career to cast herself as an avatar of America's middle class" and a safe path away from the "abrasive" chaos of Donald Trump, The Washington Post said. Harris mixed her background as a daughter of immigrants and public prosecutor with a paean to American greatness and a cutting critique of Trump.
"My entire career I've only had one client: the people," Harris said. Trump's "only client" has always been "himself." Trump is "in many ways" an "unserious man," she said, but the consequences of putting him back in the White House, now with "no guardrails," are "extremely serious." She urged Americans to embrace this "precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past — a chance to chart a new way forward," together.
Trump criticized Harris' speech in real time on social media, then on Fox News. "It was a lot of complaining" about things she could have already solved, he said on Fox. Harris is "not having success — I'm having success," with "the Hispanic voters, doing great with Black men, I'm doing great with women."
What next?
Harris now has to "maintain the momentum of the first month of her candidacy," The Wall Street Journal said. Some Democrats are "privately beginning to dream" her momentum will "carry her for another 10-plus weeks," The New York Times said, but "many are bracing for the likelihood of stumbles against the most unpredictable of opponents."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The environmental cost of GLP-1sThe explainer Producing the drugs is a dirty process
-
Greenland’s capital becomes ground zero for the country’s diplomatic straitsIN THE SPOTLIGHT A flurry of new consular activity in Nuuk shows how important Greenland has become to Europeans’ anxiety about American imperialism
-
‘This is something that happens all too often’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
-
Trump links funding to name on Penn StationSpeed Read Trump “can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers,” a Schumer insider said
-
Trump reclassifies 50,000 federal jobs to ease firingsSpeed Read The rule strips longstanding job protections from federal workers
-
Supreme Court upholds California gerrymanderSpeed Read The emergency docket order had no dissents from the court
-
700 ICE agents exit Twin Cities amid legal chaosSpeed Read More than 2,000 agents remain in the region
