As the presidential campaign opened with its inaugural rally, US Vice President Kamala Harris turned her guns on Republican challenger Donald Trump, setting up a contest between a former prosecutor and a convicted felon.
Speaking to supporters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harris laid out what's next for her campaign in the coming weeks—tacking on unity with the Democratic Party as the Democratic National Convention draws closer—and lining up to fight Trump for presidency on November 5.
Looking back at her career as a tough prosecutor in California, 59-year-old Harris emphasized, "I took on predators of every type: those who targeted women, swindlers who preyed on consumers, and corrupt individuals who took advantage of the system to line their pockets.
Harris, who last week won the endorsement of the vast majority of Democratic delegates to become the presumptive nominee, said, "I know a thing or two about Trump's type." Trump, 78, became the first former president to be convicted of a crime when a New York jury convicted him in May on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments to an alleged extramarital affair partner.
Harris, whose father was from Jamaica and whose mother was from India, said, "I will stand by my record in this campaign against his any day.".
Much momentum has picked up for Harris ever since President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he was opting out of the race and putting his weight behind Harris for the Democratic nomination. Biden was forced to drop out of the race due to immense pressure from party chieftains and donors following his lackluster performance last week during the debate against Trump.
Within two days of Biden's dropping out of the race, Harris had gained sufficient delegate support to be named the presumptive Democratic Party nominee. Further, she emphasized the need to depend on Wisconsin while trying to garner the magic figure of 270 out of 538 electoral votes needed to win the presidency as she boasted, "The road to the White House goes through Wisconsin. We count on you in Milwaukee just as you counted on us in 2020. We are going to win in 2024 again.".
In a post on X, Harris declared, "It was great to be back in Milwaukee."
Harris held her rally only days after Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the city's convention center. Fundraisers report that the Democrats have seen a remarkable financial rebound since Biden pulled out - ending a donor freeze that began with his debate performance.
Harris's campaign touted that in the effort between Sunday and Monday evening, it saw a staggering fundraising total of $100 million, way above the $53 million reported by Trump's campaign after his May conviction in a Manhattan fraud case. It also disclosed that more than 1.1 million donors contributed, with 62 percent first-time donors this cycle.
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