WHEN JOE BIDEN ADDRESSED THE NAACP CONVENTION in Las Vegas last week, one of his biggest applause lines – a line that set off chants of “Four more years!” – was when he praised Kamala Harris as “not only a great vice-president” but someone who “could be president of the United States”.
Now she has that chance. Last Sunday, when the president made the extraordinary decision to end his re-election campaign, he made a momentous choice: to offer his “full support and endorsement” of Harris to be the Democratic nominee and take on Donald Trump in November.
“It’s time to come together and beat Trump,” the 81-year-old president said. “Let’s do this.”
Harris, who only learned of Biden’s decision that morning, appeared ready to take on the baton almost immediately. “I am honoured to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said . “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic party – and unite our nation – to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
She offered a sense of how she plans to attack Trump in a speech to campaign staff in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, referring to her past of pursuing “predators” and “fraudsters” as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general.
“So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said of her rival, a convicted felon who was found liable for sexual assault in civil court. Other courts have found fraud was committed in his business, charitable foundation and private university.
She also cast herself as a defender of economic opportunity and abortion access. “Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedoms,” she said. “The baton is in our hands.”
Biden spoke by phone to the staff first, saying he would be out on the campaign trail for Harris and adding: “I’ll be doing whatever Kamala Harris wants me or needs me to do.”
This story is from the July 26, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the July 26, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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