Kamala Harris accepts presidential nomination at Democratic National Convention

Democrat presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage on the final night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) 2024 on Thursday (August 22) night amid wild cheers.

Her acceptance speech as the nominee began with a note of appreciation to President Joe Biden. “To our President Joe Biden: When I think about the path we have travelled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude. Your record is extraordinary, as history will show and your character is inspiring.”

To Tim Walz, she said, “You are going to be an incredible vice president.”

She spoke about her mother who migrated to the US from India, and talked about her upbringing as her parents moved around the country for various jobs, and the virtues they instilled in her.

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Following this, Harris wasted no time in accepting her party’s nomination, making sharp attacks against her rival in the race, Republican nominee Donald Trump, and contrasting her vision for America with his. Here are key takeaways from her speech:

1. Acceptance of nomination: Harris began, “In the courtroom, I stood proudly before a judge and I said five words: Kamala Harris for the people. And to be clear, my entire career, I’ve only had one client- the people.”

Continuing, Harris said, “And so, on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks…on behalf of my mother and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey…on behalf of Americans liek the people I grew up with– people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another…on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written on the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.”

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The crowd burst out in cheers.

2. ‘Precious, fleeting opportunity’: Harris told the convention that a second term by the Republican ex-president would “pull our country back to the past.”

Stressing how high the stakes this election are, Harris said, “Our nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past, a chance to chart a new way forward not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans."

Later in her speech, Harris again warned of extremely serious consequences of a Trump presidency. “Consider his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol. His explicit intent to jail journalists political opponents, and anyone, he sees as the enemy, his explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens. Consider the power he will have, especially after the United States supreme court just ruled that he would be immune from criminal prosecution,” she told the audience.

3. On Gaza ceasefire and support for Israel: Harris pledged to get a Gaza ceasefire deal done. She balanced her support for Israel and Gaza, saying, “Let me be clear. I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself. And I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organisation called Hamas caused on October 7…At the same time, what has happened In Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating…The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”

Harris said that she and President Joe Biden “are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

4. Support for Ukraine: Speaking on Ukraine, Harris used the opportunity to show her support for the war-ravaged country, and attack Trump for his closeness with leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that the West has shunned. She said that as US president she would stand with Ukraine and not “cozy up” to dictators like her Trump does.

“As president I will stand strong with Ukraine and our NATO allies,” she said, later adding that autocrats and tyrants are “rooting for Trump because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favours. They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself.”

5. Immigration and bipartisan border deal: Immigration has been a crucial issue for Democrats. For Biden, when he was the presidential nominee, he had the lowest marks when it came to immigration in almost every poll.

“After decades in law enforcement, I know the importance of safety and security, especially at our border,” Harris said. “I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he [Trumpt] killed and I will sign it into law.”

Harris and Biden have accused Trump of killing the bipartisan deal because it would hurt him politically if passed. Mounting an attack on this line, Harris said, “I refuse to play politics with our security.”

6. Attacking Republicans on abortion: Speaking about how women in US do not have enough freedoms, she recounted “how we got here”. She said Trump handpicked members of the US Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom. She said he is proud of it.

Harris said, “…over the past two years, I’ve traveled across our country, and women have told me their stories. Husbands and fathers have shared theirs stories of women miscarrying in a parking lot, developing sepsis, losing the ability to ever again have children, all because doctors are afraid they may go to jail for caring for their patients, couples just trying to grow their family, cut off in the middle of IVF treatments.”

“This is what’s happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand he is not done. As a part of his agenda, he and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion, and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress,” she said.