Chicago (Web Desk/Agencies): Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted her party’s presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago on Thursday pledging a “new way forward”.
Addressing the rapturous gathering of her supporters, Harris said, "In the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand and I know where the United States belongs."
She lashed out at her opponent Donal Trump, accusing him of trying to “take our country” backwards and of cosying up to foreign “tyrants” like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“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,” the vice president said to huge cheers.
“I will be a president who unites us around our highest aspirations,” she vowed.
The convention became a giant party to celebrate Harris’s astonishing ascent from something of a political afterthought to Democratic standard bearer upon President Joe Biden’s surprise decision to end his reelection bid.
Harris was later joined on stage by her running mate Tim Walz and their families, as they held their arms aloft while 100,000 red, white and blue balloons tumbled from the ceiling.
Country act The Chicks sang a version of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ while pop star Pink also performed as the Democrats rolled out a list of celebrity backers.
Harris pledged to be a “president for all Americans” in a bid to reach out to undecided voters.
Harris then took aim at 78-year-old Trump, whose campaign has been upended by having to face a woman two decades younger, rather than the increasingly frail Biden, 81.
She laid out her personal story as a child of a single working mother, and her career as a prosecutor, saying she has the background and experience to serve the country in contrast to Trump who she said only works for himself and “his billionaire friends.”
Harris also laid out her stall on key foreign policy issues.
Going further than Biden’s rhetoric, she called the scale of suffering of people in Gaza “heartbreaking” and vowed to get a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas “done”.
Cheers erupted when she vowed “self-determination” for the Palestinian people.
Harris promised to “stand strong” with Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion and support Nato allies — again all in stark contrast to Trump’s isolationist stance on both issues.
She later went on to say that her Republican rival, Donald Trump, is an “unserious man” and the consequences of putting Trump back in the White House are “extremely serious.”
"Donald Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers," she said, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021 US Capitol riot.
"For an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans and separately found liable for committing sexual abuse," she added.
Harris noted the Supreme Court's recent ruling about presidential immunity and the risks that would engender if Trump gained power again.
"Just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails," 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 stands for Incompetence and Weakness – Our Country is being laughed at all over the World!" and "She will never be respected by the Tyrants of the World!"