On Thursday (Aug. 22), Kamala Harris took to the stage for the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, IL. During her speech, the vice president spoke on her mother's passing, her sudden ascent as a presidential nominee following Joe Biden's decision to step down, and much more. In addition to acknowledging the current head of state, she gave flowers to her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and her husband, Douglas Emhoff.
Much of her remarks were aimed at her competitor, Republican nominee Donald Trump, who she described as an "unserious man" with the potential to send the country backward via the well-documented Project 2025 initiative.
"Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office but also the gravity of what has happened since he lost the last election," she stated. "Trump tried to throw away your votes. When he failed, he sent an armed mob to the U.S. Capitol, where they assaulted law enforcement officers... And now, for an entirely different set of crimes, he was found guilty of fraud by a jury of everyday Americans, and separately found liable for committing sexual abuse."
Harris continued, "We are not going back to when [Trump] tried to cut Social Security and Medicare. We are not going back to when he tried to get rid of the Affordable Care Act when insurance companies could deny people with pre-existing conditions. We are not going to let him eliminate the Department of Education that funds our public schools. We are not going to let him end programs like Head Start that provide preschool and childcare for our children." She also addressed the ongoing crises in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, with calls to defend American allies while brokering for peace.
For Democrats, the biggest takeaway of the evening was when Harris formally accepted the party's nomination for president. "Let’s get out there, let’s vote for it, and together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told," she expressed to a standing ovation.