US Vice President and the Democratic Party’s leading presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, has called out her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, for a debate challenge, urging him to address her directly if he has any comments.
During a campaign event in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, Harris, 59, remarked that her entry into the presidential race has shifted the dynamics of the election. She formally launched her presidential campaign following President Joe Biden's announcement that he would not seek a second term on July 20.
She said the momentum in the race was now changing, and Trump did appear to be feeling it. She pointed out that Trump had recently pulled out from a debate he had earlier agreed to, saying, “Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider meeting me on the debate stage because as the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face.”
It's interesting to see how much he wants to avoid debates but has so much to say about me," she said with a dose of humor.
There were an estimated 10,000 people at the Atlanta rally in a state viewed as critical to win next month's election. Harris emphasized the importance of the state, saying, “The path to the White House runs right through this state, and you all helped us win in 2020, and we’re going to do it again in 2024. Yes, we will,”
Harris framed the campaign as a battle between contrasting visions for the nation. “This election isn’t just about Trump versus us. It’s about two different futures—one looking forward and one stuck in the past.”
She expressed the campaign's commitment to advancing future freedoms, stating, “We are not going back because ours is a fight for the future. It is a fight for freedom."
"Across our nation, we are witnessing a full-on assault on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights. The freedom to vote. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to live without fear of bigotry and hate. The freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. The freedom to learn and acknowledge our true and full history. And the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not let her government tell her what to do,” she said.
She concluded with a call to action, “The fight for freedom has been carried forward by generations before us. Now, it’s our turn to take up the mantle.”
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