Kamala Harris’s most notable quotes

Kamala Harris walked onto the stage at Chicago’s United Center on Thursday knowing she was facing the most important speech of her political career — and that she was about to make history.

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And he did not disappoint. His words sent the crowd roaring on the closing day of the Democratic National Convention.

It was the culmination of a four-day event in which the Democratic Party showed off its brightest stars and most skilled speakers, which also included surprises – Oprah Winfrey – but which above all marked the coronation of Harris as the first black woman of South Asian descent to run for president in the United States.

And during the night, Harris used key phrases from her speech.

• “My mother taught us not to complain about injustices, but to do something about them.”

• ““Everyone has the right to security, to dignity, to justice. No one should fight alone. We are in this together. In my entire career (as a prosecutor) I only had one client: the people.”

• “You can trust me, I will put America before party and before myself. I promise to be a president for all Americans.”

• “This is one of the most important elections in the history of our nation.”

• “The consequences of returning Donald Trump to the White House are extremely serious. Consider not only the chaos and calamity when he was in office, but also the gravity of what happened when he lost the last election.”

• “Imagine how Trump will use the power of the presidency: to serve the only customer he’s ever had, himself. We’re not going back.”

• “Building the middle class will be the defining goal of my presidency”

• “Trump is not fighting for the middle class, but for himself and his billionaire friends, to whom he will offer another tax cut”

• “Trump and his allies want to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report miscarriages. They are crazy. We trust women”

• “When Congress passes a law to protect reproductive rights, I, as President of the United States, will proudly sign it.”

• “I fought against cartels that traffic in weapons, drugs and human beings, which threaten the security of our border and the safety of our communities.”

• “As president, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that Trump killed and proudly sign it into law.”

• “We can create a pathway to citizenship and make our border more secure.”

• “Let us write the next great chapter of the greatest story ever told”

But Harris took advantage of the moment when all eyes were on her, with thousands of people watching the convention live and millions doing so on television and social media, to define herself before her political rivals did.

Kamala Harris’ chance to define herself

After paying tribute to President Joe Biden and congratulating her husband Doug Emhoff on their 10th wedding anniversary, Harris took the opportunity to introduce herself to an American audience that knows who she is but doesn’t necessarily understand what she stands for.

In his 40-minute speech, he clearly summarized the key points that his campaign wanted to address: his personal story, his calls for unity, his economic and social policy objectives aimed at the middle class, and his criticism of the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

Like other speakers before her during the convention, Harris portrayed Trump as “selfish,” interested only in serving his own interests and those of his billionaire friends, an agent of “chaos,” a would-be “autocrat.”

While promising to open “a new path,” she presented herself as Biden’s heir on several foreign policy issues, assuring that she will stand by Ukraine, on the one hand, and stressing that she is working “against the clock” to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and an agreement that will bring the hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 back home.

“I will always support Israel’s right to defend itself.”

“I will always support Israel’s right to defend itself,” said the Democratic candidate, although she later added that “What has happened in Gaza is devastating… desperate people fleeing in search of safety again and again.”

He also said that he would never hesitate to take “any measures necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists”.

There was also criticism of the Republican candidate on foreign relations issues.

“I will not be flattered by tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un, who support Trump because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors,” said the Democratic candidate and added:

““Autocrats know that Trump will not hold them accountable, because he himself wants to be an autocrat.”

BBC

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