The 59-year-old sought to strike a presidential tone as she
delivered a message of unity and opportunity for Americans following one of the
most extraordinary turnarounds in US political history.
She lashed out at Trump, accusing him of trying to
"take our country" backwards and of cozying up to foreign
"tyrants" like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"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 vice president said to
huge cheers.
"I will be a president who unites us around our
highest aspirations," she vowed.
The convention became a giant party to celebrate Harris's
astonishing ascent from something of a political afterthought to Democratic
standard bearer upon President Joe Biden's surprise decision to end his
re-election bid.
A sea of waving Stars and Stripes flags and chants of
"USA" filled the arena as jubilant Democrats anointed Harris.
She was later joined on stage by her running mate Tim Walz
and their families, as they held their arms aloft while 100,000 red, white and
blue balloons tumbled from the ceiling.
Country act The Chicks sang a version of "The
Star-Spangled Banner" while pop star Pink also performed as the Democrats
rolled out a list of celebrity backers.
Harris pledged to be a "president for all
Americans" in a bid to reach out to undecided voters.
With the November election, Americans have a "fleeting
opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the
past - a chance to chart a new way forward," she promised.
Harris then took aim at 78-year-old Trump, whose campaign
has been upended by having to face a woman two decades younger, rather than the
increasingly frail Biden, 81.
"We know what a second Trump term would look
like," she said, referring to a right-wing think tank's blueprint for a
future Republican government. "It's all laid out in 'Project 2025,'
written by his closest advisers, and its sum total is to pull our country back
to the past."
She laid out her personal story as a child of a single
working mother, and her career as a prosecutor, saying she has the background
and experience to serve the country in contrast to Trump who she said only
works for himself and "his billionaire friends".
Harris also laid out her stall on key foreign policy
issues.
Going further than Biden's rhetoric, she called the scale
of suffering of people in Gaza "heartbreaking" and vowed to get a
ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas "done".
Cheers erupted when she vowed
"self-determination" for the Palestinian people.
Harris promised to "stand strong" with Ukraine as
it fights Russia's invasion and support NATO allies — again all in stark
contrast to Trump's isolationist stance on both issues. AFP
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