Kamala Harris Acknowledges 'Roller Coaster' Of Recent Events, But 'The Baton Is In Our Hands'
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on July 22, 2024 at 8:15 PM EDT
For the first time since Joe Biden announced he would no longer run for re-election, Vice President Kamala Harris, now the top Democratic candidate, has made her first public appearance to address the nation.
Not only did Kamala Harris acknowledge the "roller coaster" of events America has gone through, but she promised to "unite our nation" and "to win this election."
The Vice President Publicly Addresses The Nation For The First Time Since Joe Biden Dropped Out Of 2024 Presidential Race
While addressing campaign staff in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday, Vice President Harris recognized the “rollercoaster” of events over the recent weeks but remained confident in her newly assembled campaign team.
“It is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win,” she said of her plans for the 2024 presidential race, per The Guardian. She also promised to “unite our Democratic party, to unite our nation, and to win this election.”
As The Blast reported on Sunday, Biden announced he would be withdrawing from the 2024 Presidential race, just days after testing positive for COVID-19, and is now endorsing Harris.
Kamala Harris Slams Trump For Felony Convictions
In her address, the Vice President outlined the key themes that will define her campaign against Trump over the next 100 days, highlighting a contrast between her experience as a prosecutor and Trump’s felony convictions — “I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said. The “type” Harris was referring to was “Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.”
“Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedoms,” she said. “The baton is in our hands.”
As The Blast reported, former President Donald Trump was recently convicted of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. On Thursday, May 30, 2024, the jury delivered the landmark verdict, making Trump the first President to be convicted of a felony.
Joe Biden Calls Into The Meeting From His Home
The President of the United States, who is currently recovering from COVID-19 at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, joined the meeting by phone to offer his support to Harris. He is scheduled to address the nation later this week to discuss his decision to step down.
“The name has changed at the top of the ticket, but the mission hasn’t changed at all,” Biden said, promising he was “not going anywhere” and plans to campaign on Harris’ behalf.
As he passed the leadership role to Harris, Biden remarked: “I’m watching you kid. I love you.”
Kamala Harris Thanks Joe Biden For His Endorsement
Shortly after Biden announced he would no longer run for re-election, Harris recognized Biden's endorsement, expressing, "I am honored to have the President’s endorsement, and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election."
"And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda," she continued. "We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win."
Kamala Harris Recalls Meeting Joe Biden
In her official statement shared on Sunday, the Vice President took a trip down memory lane, telling the nation how she first came in contact with Biden.
"I first came to know President Biden through his son Beau. We were friends from our days working together as Attorneys General of our home states," she said. "As we worked together, Beau would tell me stories about his Dad. The kind of father—and the kind of man—he was. And the qualities Beau revered in his father are the same qualities, the same values, I have seen every single day in Joe’s leadership as President: His honesty and integrity. His big heart and commitment to his faith and his family. And his love of our country and the American people."
Harris added, "With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else."