The Latest: The real test for Harris’ campaign begins in the presidential race against Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party’s nomination and presented its policy agenda on the fourth and final evening of the Democratic National Convention on Thursday. Now there is a harsh reality as activists, police and party leaders begin to leave Chicago: The real test for Harris has only just begun.
Meanwhile, on a dirt road beneath the scrubby hills of Arizona, Donald Trump used a piece of wall and a stack of steel beams to create a visual contrast between his approach to securing the border and that of his opponent.
Today, the Republican presidential candidate will appear just miles away from the independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the Phoenix area, as speculation grows that Kennedy could drop his bid and lend Trump his support.
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Here’s the latest news:
Donald Trump changes his stance on the Republican governor of Georgia after he launched a series of scathing attacks at a rally several weeks ago.
In a social media post, Trump thanked Governor Brian Kemp “for all your help and support in Georgia, where a victory is so important for the success of our party and, more importantly, our country.”
“I look forward to working with you, your team, and all my friends in Georgia to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.
Trump’s words marked a major departure from his own statements at a meeting earlier this monthwhere Trump took aim at the governor in an Atlanta arena just blocks from the Georgia Capitol, blaming him for his narrow defeat in the state in 2020.
▶ Read more about Trump and Governor Kemp
Vice President Kamala Harrison the night she became the first woman of Black or South Asian descent to be nominated for president by a major party, did not explicitly mention the racial and gender firsts she would seek if elected to the White House.
Instead, she opted for direct mentions of her multiracial background and upbringing. She paid homage to her roots as the daughter of a brown woman and a Caribbean man. She celebrated the multicultural village of “aunties” and “uncles” in California’s Bay Area. And after her speech, the family members who joined her onstage for the traditional balloon drop were people of different and often multiple, overlapping races, like Harris herself. Western dress and saris were worn side by side.
It was a way for Harris and others at the convention to showcase her personal story while also offering a visual political message that could resonate with a broad range of people who see themselves in families like hers. About 12.5% of U.S. residents identified with two or more races in 2022, up from 3% a decade earlier, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most comprehensive survey of American life.
▶ Read more about Harris’ Racial and Cultural Identity
Harris’s nominating convention was a four-day affair, imbued with a sense of celebration and optimism. It’s safe to say it would have been a very different gathering had President Joe Biden been the party’s nominee.
Democrats have suffered an emotional blow since Biden withdrew from the race last month, clearing the way for Harris.
For months, Democrats were discouraged by Biden’s poll numbers and disappointing speaking engagements. And many Democrats were confident that Trump could win the election.
Contrast that with the convention held to nominate Harris in Chicago: There was laughter, the mood was electric, and there were plenty of sharp Trump jokes. The event also attracted A-list talent, from John Legend to Pink.
And let’s not forget: there have also been words of warning about the hard work that lies ahead.
Pro-Palestinian delegates never got a chance to take the stage and address the convention. It was a reflection of how the party has tried to avoid one of the most divisive issues of this election season, as the U.S. alliance with Israel has become a political flashpoint.
Israel’s response to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack has sparked outrage over the mass casualties and human rights violations in Gazaand pro-Palestinian protesters marched outside the arena every day.
“Uncommitted” Rep. Abbas Alawieh was in talks with DNC officials about speaking in the hall. After being rebuffed, he and other delegates chose to spend Wednesday night on the sidewalk outside the convention hall in protest.
Harris and Biden have both called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages taken in the October raid. On Wednesday parents of one of the young men who was held hostage in Gaza, gave a speech at the convention.