Published 12:43 IST, August 20th 2020
Kamala Harris makes history at DNC 2020, blasts Trump for ‘failure of leadership’
Kamala Harris made history at DNC 2020 as she accepted the party’s nomination for vice president, becoming the first woman of colour on a major-party ticket.
- World News
- 2 min read
Kamala Harris made history at the Democratic National Convention as she accepted the party’s nomination for vice president, becoming the first woman of colour on a major-party ticket. She lambasted US President Donald Trump for his “profound” failure as a leader, urging Americans to rally behind Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential elections.
"Donald Trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods...we're at an inflection point,” Harris told the largely virtual convention.
The 55-year-old California Senator highlighted the issues of systemic racism and Trump administration’s failure to contain the coronavirus pandemic which has claimed over 173,000 lives in the United States. She said that the nation is grieving the loss of life, the loss of jobs, and the loss of opportunities, adding that Black, Latino and Indigenous people are “suffering and dying disproportionately.”
“This is not a coincidence. It is the effect of structural racism...And let’s be clear — there is no vaccine for racism. We’ve gotta do the work,” she said.
Pledges for acting boldly
Harris urged the people of the United States to elect a president who will bring Black, White, Latino, Asian, and Indigenous people to achieve the future they collectively want. She said that Joe Biden will bring people together to “squarely face and dismantle racial injustice”, pledging that the future Biden administration will act boldly and deal with challenges honestly.
Earlier on August 19, US Democrats officially nominated Joe Biden as their presidential candidate in a pre-recorded roll call vote from delegates in all 50 states. The largely virtual DNC urged independents and frustrated Republicans to join the movement in order to oust US President Donald Trump from the office. Party veterans including 95-year-old Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton argued for Biden, warning that the current administration has created a mess due to its incompetence.
Updated 12:43 IST, August 20th 2020