Kamala Harris gives first speech as VP candidate [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The Democratic presidential ticket of former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris made their first public appearance on Wednesday evening in Wilmington, Delaware.
• Harris slammed President Donald Trump by saying that “America is crying out for leadership.”
• Well-known Democrats like former President Barack Obama commended Biden’s decision to pick Harris as his VP.

During their first appearance as the Democratic party’s official presidential ticket in Wilmington, Delaware on Wednesday evening, former Vice President Joe Biden praised Senator Kamala Harris, saying she was “experienced,” a “proven fighter,” and ready to take on the challenge.

Commending Harris’ contemporaries, Biden said she “knows how to govern, knows how to make the hard calls” and is “ready to do this job on day one.”

Taking her turn to speak, Harris started her address by saying that she was “incredibly honored” from being chosen as Biden’s running mate and noted that “Joe was the person to lead” the country forward.

She then thanked the “ambitious women” who helped paved the way for her. She also said the fate of the nation is “on the line” as the country continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis.

Harris then turned to Trump, saying that a second term is “open and shut.”

“In just 83 days, we have a chance to choose a better future for our country,” she said.

“America is crying out for leadership,” Harris continued. “Yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him, a president who is making every challenge we face more difficult to solve.”

The new tandem both spoke about Biden’s eldest son Beau, who used to work with Harris being the former Delaware attorney general. Biden said he got to know Harris through his son who died in 2015 due to brain cancer. 

“I know how much Beau respected Kamala and her work…And that meant a lot to me, to be honest with you,” Biden said.

Well-known democrats lauded Biden’s pick of Harris as his VP.

“By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America’s next vice president, he’s underscored his own judgment and character,” former President Barack Obama said.

Trump took jab against Harris upon her proclamation as Biden’s VP pick. He said that he was shocked upon her selection, and called her “nasty” for going toe-to-toe with Biden during the early Democratic primary debate.

Harris is the first Black and Asian American woman to arise on the presidential ticket of a major party. The former vice president said that both of them may have different backgrounds, but it was “not so different” when it comes to the essentials.

“She’s worked hard, never backed down from a challenge and earned each and every accolades and achievement she’s gained,” Biden said.

Source: AOL