Kamala Harris just accepted the nomination for president at the 2024 Democratic National Convention!
The current Vice President of the United States delivered her historic speech on Thursday night (August 22) at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
“To be clear, my entire career, I’ve only had one client: the people,” Kamala said about her background as a prosecutor. “And so, on behalf of the people, on behalf of every American, regardless of party, race, gender, or the language your grandmother speaks, on behalf of my mother, and everyone who has ever set out on their own unlikely journey, on behalf of Americans like the people I grew up with, people who work hard, chase their dreams, and look out for one another, on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination to be President of the United States of America.”
The Democratic National Convention will kick off its fourth and final night Thursday.
After a week of Democrats’ most prominent figures rallying the party faithful, Vice President Kamala Harris will accept her party’s nomination for president during a speech in which she’s widely expected to offer her vision and policy agenda to the American people.
READ MORE: Democratic convention ends Thursday with VP Harris set to accept historic nomination
The theme of the final night is “For Our Future,” according to convention organizers.
Here’s the Latest:
Harris hosts an ‘anniversary’ party for staffers
After her speech, Harris went to another part of the United Center and briefly addressed a group of staffers and supporters at a postconvention speech party.
“We just decided that we would celebrate our anniversary with all of you,” said Harris who accepted the Democratic presidential nomination on her and her husband Doug Emhoff’s 10th wedding anniversary.
The party included former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin and a former co-host of The View, Desirée Rogers.
“Our fight is deeply and truly borne out of love of country,” Harris said, adding, “celebrate tonight” and “it’s been a wonderful convention.”
A few dozen protesters fought briefly with Chicago police on the edge of Union Park.
The small group, leftover from the earlier demonstration, planned to march toward the convention center, but they were blocked by rows of police in riot gear who pushed into the group, shouting, “Move back.”
Several of the protesters surged forward, with some swinging wooden signs down on the officers. The group has since retreated to the park, where an organizer said they plan to regroup. Police have ordered all media to leave the area, warning over a loudspeaker, “If you fail to comply, you will be in violation of the law and we will place you into custody.”
Trump is campaigning off Harris’ speech
Within moments of Harris finishing her speech, the Trump campaign sent out a fundraising email titled “Worst speech ever!”
“Farewell to America if we have President Kamala!” it proclaimed.
Fact Focus: Trump previously supported federal abortion legislation
In a letter to anti-abortion leaders during his 2016 campaign, Trump expressed his commitment to this view by vowing to sign the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The then-Republican president advocated for the bill again in 2018, at that year’s annual March for Life festival in Washington, saying he “strongly supported the House of Representatives Pain-Capable bill, which would end painful, late-term abortions nationwide.”
Trump said that he would “call upon the Senate to pass this important law and send it to my desk for signing.” The bill, which included exceptions for saving the life of a pregnant woman, as well as rape or incest, was passed by the House in 2017 but failed to move forward in the Senate.
Fact Focus: Trump’s shifting position on abortion rights
During her DNC acceptance speech, Harris said of Trump that the former president would “ban medication abortion and enact a nationwide abortion ban with or without Congress.”
While Trump has said in the past that he would support a national ban on abortion, he made clear his changed position on Thursday’s Fox & Friends: “I would never. There will not be a federal ban. This is now back in the states where it belongs.”
In April, he said that he would leave the issue up to the states in a video on his Truth Social platform.
Days later, asked by a reporter upon arriving in Atlanta whether he would sign a national abortion ban, Trump shook his head and said, “No.”
But just a month earlier Trump suggested that he’d support a national ban on abortion around 15 weeks of pregnancy. He also often brags about appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade.
Trump has previously supported a federal ban on abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Trump told CBS News on Monday that he would not enforce the Comstock Act to restrict the sale of abortion medication by mail. The act, originally passed in 1873, was revived in an effort to block the mailing of mifepristone, the pill used in more than half of U.S. abortions.
Harris’ blended family is a political first
The image of a mixed-race family joining the candidate on stage as she accepts the nomination to potentially be the first Black and Asian American female president is a political first in many ways.
Donald Trump is accusing Harris of misstating his positions on reproductive rights
“I do not limit access to birth control or I.V.F. – THAT IS A LIE, these are all false stories that she’s making up, that I’ve never even heard of,” wrote Trump, who appointed the judges who overturned Roe V. Wade. “I TRUST WOMEN, ALSO, AND I WILL KEEP WOMEN SAFE!” he wrote.
Trump has been offering commentary on the speech on his social media network.
He has repeatedly questioned why she didn’t implement the policies she’s proposing while serving as vice president.
“Why didn’t she do something about the things of which she complains?” he asked.
That’s a wrap for Harris
After speaking for about 37 minutes, Harris wrapped up her speech and was joined on stage by her husband, Doug Emhoff, along with running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen.
Family members began to play with some of the 100,000 red, white and blue balloons that began to cascade from netting where they’d been held in the ceiling all week.
