Kamala Harris Criticises Trump at First Campaign Rally
Kamala Harris has restated her readiness to contest Donald Trump in the United States presidential election, as the likely Democratic nominee held her first official campaign rally in her push for the White House.
Speaking to a crowd in the battleground state of Wisconsin, today, the US vice president pledged to unite the Democratic Party “so that we are ready to win in November”.
Trump and his vice-presidential running mate, Senator JD Vance, have been lambasting Harris, with the former US president attacking her record and dubbing her “Lyin’ Kamala” on his Truth Social platform.
“Lyin’ Kamala Harris destroys everything she touches!” he wrote on Tuesday afternoon.
Republicans also have tried to blame Harris for the high number of migrants and asylum seekers crossing the US-Mexico border during Biden’s term in office – a key election issue – and called her the administration’s “border czar”.
But experts describe the criticisms as false and noted that Harris is not saddled with US border policies. Biden tasked her in 2021 with addressing the “root causes” of migration to the US from Central America.
Harris has, however, responded to Trump, by emphasising the key issues she plans to campaign on, namely access to reproductive healthcare, economic opportunity and a defence of democratic institutions.
She said, "US voters face a choice in November between “two different visions” for the country: “one where we are focused on the future; the other focused on the past”.
She said building up the middle class would be a “defining goal” of her presidency and pledged to give all Americans the chance “not just to get by, but to get ahead”.
Harris added that her history of prosecuting “predators”, “fraudsters” and “cheaters” would serve her well in the campaign.
“Hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said. “And in this campaign, I promise you I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week.”
“We have 105 days until Election Day and in that time, we have some work to do. But we’re not afraid of hard work,” Harris said. “And we will win this election.”
Kamala's rally, held in Milwaukee, is coming two days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election race after weeks of doubting his age and fitness to serve another term in office.
Harris’s candidacy has stired up a US election campaign that had failed to captivate many voters frustrated by a choice between Biden and former President Trump, as well as by the state of the economy, American foreign policy and other issues.
Since Biden stepped down from the race, Harris has gotten the support of top Democrats, including former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Gavin Newsom of California.
Harris’s campaign has also raised more than $100m in contributions from Sunday afternoon to Monday evening, with 62 percent of all donations coming from first-time donors.
“What we’ve seen is just record-breaking fundraising,” said Halkett, adding that tens of thousands of people also have signed up to work on the vice president’s campaign.
