Vice President Kamala Harris praised Joe Biden during her first campaign event as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in the swing state of Wisconsin and attacked Donald Trump before an enthusiastic crowd.
It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours since President Biden stepped aside from the presidential race and threw his support behind Harris.
Harris’ stop in Milwaukee came less than 12 hours after it was confirmed she had secured enough Democratic delegates to secure the party’s presidential nomination.
“We have secured the support of enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination,” Harris said. “It is a great honor to have Joe Biden’s endorsement in the presidential race.”
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to voters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at her first campaign event Tuesday after securing enough delegates to secure the Democratic presidential nomination.
The vice president started off strongly by laying out her arguments against Trump, whom she calls a “cheater.”
She spoke about her role as a prosecutor taking on “perpetrators of all kinds,” including “predators who abused women, scammers who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own benefit.”
“Listen to me when I tell you, I know guys like Donald Trump,” Harris said. The crowd roared as some chanted “lock him up.”
“I promise you I’ll proudly compare my record to yours any day of the week,” Harris said.
The vice president went on to contrast her experience as California attorney general, who took on for-profit schools while Trump ran a for-profit school that was shut down. She touted the jailing of predators and criticized Trump for being found responsible for sexual abuse.
The vice president also noted that the former president was found guilty of 34 criminal charges earlier this year by a New York jury.
Vice President Harris praised Biden during her remarks, saying it was one of the greatest honors to serve as his vice president. She also took on Donald Trump, whom she accused of being a “cheater” and a “fraud” and highlighted his record as a prosecutor.
Biden dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday, sending the race into uproar. Harris announced shortly afterward that she would seek the nomination and vowed to earn every vote.
Harris praised Biden at the beginning of her remarks, calling him “‘One of the greatest honors of my life was serving as Vice President to our President Joe Biden.’
She said Biden’s legacy of accomplishments throughout his term and the past three and a half years is “unmatched in modern history” and asserted that in one term he has surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms.
“We are all deeply grateful for his continued service to our nation,” he said.
Harris spent most of Sunday with her team shoring up support among Democratic leaders and lawmakers.
Within 24 hours, his campaign raised $81 million, the most ever raised by a presidential candidate in a 24-hour period. Shortly afterward, the campaign announced that the figure had surpassed $100 million.
Other Democratic groups and state parties have also said they have seen an increase in donations as the shakeup at the top of the ticket has reinvigorated contributors.
As Harris attacked Trump and accused Republicans of focusing on the past and saying “we’re not going back,” she also began laying out her vision for the future. She promised that a “defining goal” of her presidency would be to “strengthen the middle class.”
“Ours is a fight for the future and it’s a fight for freedom,” Harris said. She spoke about voting rights, banning assault weapons and protecting reproductive freedoms.
Harris’ campaign said 3,000 people attended her rally at West Allis Central High School on July 23.
Harris’ visit to Milwaukee came just days after the city hosted the Republican National Convention, where Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination last Thursday.
Wisconsin is part of the blue wall Democrats are looking to win in November. Trump won the state in 2016, but it went back to Democratic in 2020 for Biden and Harris.
“The road to the White House goes through Wisconsin. And to win in Wisconsin, we’re counting on you here in Milwaukee,” he said. “You all helped us win in 2020. In 2024, we’ll win again.”
As Democrats waited for Harris to take the stage, they chanted “Ka-ma-la” and waved signs with her first name “KAMALA” in the air.
It was a diverse crowd that included people of all ages and ethnicities. Some people brought small children, while others came with friends. Several people were seen wearing union T-shirts.
Harris’s first campaign speech as the presumptive Democratic nominee came an hour after two other reluctant Democrats endorsed her.
Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries have finally endorsed the presidential race following Biden’s withdrawal on Sunday.
Jeffries said in the highly anticipated announcement: “Joe Biden will go down in American history as one of the most consequential presidents of all time. President Joe Biden has made the selfless decision to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, who is ready, willing and able to lead us into the future.”
Jeffries noted that he and Schumer had held off on endorsing the nominee to allow Harris to build support from below.
“Vice President Harris earned her nomination from the bottom up, not the top,” he said.
Harris’ first campaign speech as the presumptive Democratic nominee came an hour after two other Democrats who had held out on voting endorsed her.
Their endorsement came after support from the Democratic rank and file. No other prominent Democrat has dared to challenge Harris and she has now garnered enough delegate support to win the nomination.
Notably, former President Barack Obama has yet to express his support for Kamala, saying vaguely that he would support the Democrats’ next “breakout candidate.”