The vice president of the United States and Democratic candidate for the White House, Kamala Harris, made this Tuesday in Philadelphia her first joint appearance with the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, after choosing him as her running mate for the presidential elections, which will take place on November 5 and in which they will face former president Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance.
After they came on stage with the song ‘Freedom’ by Beyoncé and greeted their supporters, Harris has asserted that the Democrats have to make an effort to win. “We have to equalize the situation. We are the least favored in this race, but we have the pulse and I know exactly what we are up against,” she declared. She also pointed out that her campaign “is not (just) a fight against Trump”, but “for the future”, in reference to her promises to lower the cost of living for families.
In his speech, he explained that he set out to “find a partner who can help build this brighter future” and introduced Walz to the audience, arguing that he is the partner he has been looking for. To do so, he reviewed the governor’s professional experience, according to the American television network CNN.
Americans, he said, are witnessing a “total attack on hard-won and fought-for freedoms and rights.” “Tim and I have a message for Trump and others who want to turn back the clock on our fundamental freedoms: we are not going back,” he said, prompting chants from the crowd.
Walz, for his part, thanked Harris for “the trust placed in him” and for giving him back “joy.” “I am delighted to be on this journey with you and Doug,” he said in reference to the second gentleman, Douglas Emhoff. He also used his speech to review his biography, especially his experience as a teacher, coach and as a veteran.
He also criticised Trump’s record on COVID-19, the economy and crime, stressing that the tycoon, since leaving the White House, has “sowed chaos and division”. “He was paralysed by the pandemic. He led our economy into ruin. And violent crime increased, and that’s not counting the crimes he committed,” he said ironically, after which the crowd asked to “lock up” the former president. However, he said that Trump “has no idea about (military) service because) he is too busy serving himself.”
Along these lines, he criticised J.D. Vance and assured that he “can’t wait” to debate him, as long as “he is willing to get off the couch and show up.” He drew distance between the American middle class and his rival, stressing that he grew up “in the heart of the country” like “all ordinary people”, while the Republican’s career “was financed by Silicon Valley billionaires and then he wrote a book criticising that community.”
“I have to say it, just pointing out a remark I made. They know it. They feel it. These guys are creepy and yes, they are just weird as fuck. That’s what you see,” she said.
Since the announcement that Walz would join the presidential ticket, her campaign has raised $20 million (18.3 million euros). During the month of July, it raised a total of $310 million (about 284 million euros), doubling Trump’s figures.
Harris, who took the step of running for office after the current president, Joe Biden, withdrew from re-election at the end of July, has had to organize her campaign team in record time. In addition, she has had to choose her ‘number two’ in just over two weeks, when it is usually a decision that takes months. The current vice president has become the first black woman and the first American of Asian origin to lead the Democratic Party’s ticket.
