Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president on the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday (August 22).
“My entire career, I’ve only had one client: the people. And so on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks,” Harris said.
“On behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey, on behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another,” Harris continued, “on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.”
Before starting her speech, Harris wished her husband, Doug Emhoff, a happy anniversary as they celebrated their tenth anniversary.
“Let me start by thanking my most incredible husband, Doug, for being an incredible partner to me, an incredible father to Cole and Ella. And happy anniversary, Dougie. I love you so very much,” Harris said.
Continuing on to her keynote address, Harris thanked President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race last month and endorsed her for president.
“When I think about the path that we have traveled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is extraordinary, as history will show. Your character is inspiring. Doug and I love you and Jill, and I forever thankful to you both,” she said.
Harris spent much of her speech talking about her journey to the presidential nomination and her upbringing, describing what it was like to be raised by her mother.
“She was tough, a trailblazer. … She taught us to never complain about injustice, but do something about it! Do something about it. That was our mother,” Harris said. “And she also taught us to never do anything half-assed. And that is a direct quote. A direct quote.”
She later spoke about what it was like growing up in a middle-class household.
“We lived within our means, yet we wanted for little, and she expected us to make the most of the opportunities that were available to us and to be grateful for them, because, as she taught us, opportunity is not available to everyone,” Harris said.
Harris explained how she decided to become a prosecutor when she was in high school.
“When I was in high school, I started to notice something about my best friend, Wanda. She was sad at school. There were times she did not want to go home. One day, I asked if everything was all right. She confided in me that she was being sexually abused by her stepfather,” Harris said.
“This is one of the reasons I became a prosecutor: to protect people like Wanda. I believe everyone has a right to safety, dignity, and justice,” she added.
Harris then boasted about her accomplishments when she served as California’s Attorney General.
“As attorney general of California, I took on the big banks, delivered $20 billion for middle-class families who faced foreclosure, and helped pass a homeowner bill of rights, one of the first of its kind in the nation,” she said.
“I stood up for veterans and students being scammed by big for-profit colleges for workers who are being cheated out of their wages, the wages they were due,” she continued.
Harris vowed to work for Americans to create more opportunities for everybody in the country.
“Whether you live in a rural area, small town or big city, and as president, I will bring together labor and workers and small business owners and entrepreneurs and American companies to create jobs, to grow our economy, and to lower the cost of everyday needs like health care and housing and groceries,” she said. “We will provide access to capital for small business owners and entrepreneurs and founders, and we will end America’s housing shortage and protect Social Security and Medicare.”
Harris then warned what would happen if former President Donald Trump won a second term in office.
“We know what a second Trump term would look like,” Harris said. “It’s all laid out in Project 2025, written by his closest advisers,” Harris said, adding that its goal “is to pull our country back to the past. But America, we are not going back. We are not going back.”
She attacked Trump’s plan to provide more tax breaks for wealthy Americans and vowed to cut taxes for over 100 million Americans.
“All the while, he intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax — call it a Trump tax — that would raise prices on middle-class families by almost $4,000 a year,” she told the crowd. “Well, instead of a Trump tax hike, we will pass a middle-class tax cut that will benefit more than 100 million Americans.”
Harris also promised to pass the border security legislation that was reportedly scuttled by Trump.
“Last year, Joe and I brought together Democrats and conservative Republicans to write the strongest border bill in decades,” she said. “The Border Patrol endorsed it, but Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign, so he ordered his allies in Congress to kill the deal. Well, I refuse to play politics with our security.”
Harris wrapped up her speech by sharing another lesson from her late mother.
“My mother had another lesson she used to teach. Never let anyone tell you who you are. You show them who you are,” she said.
“America, let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: Freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness, and endless possibilities,” she added.
“Let’s get out there, and let’s fight for it. Let’s get out there, and let’s vote for it,” she said.
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