‘From the courthouse to the White House’: Kamala Harris closes out DNC in Chicago

CHICAGO — Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted her party’s presidential nomination on Thursday, giving her biggest speech yet and providing a clearer view on what her foreign policy would look like.

“America, let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness and endless possibilities,” Harris said.

The vice president provided the climax for an energetic Democratic National Convention at United Center, where thousands of Democrats from across the country rallied behind Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the party’s nominees, just weeks after the presidential ticket flipped upside down.

In what served as her introduction to the country, Harris detailed her biography. She described moving a lot, living in a home “full of laughter and music.” She described how her parents, who met at a civil rights gathering, split up and how she was raised by a single mother in “the flats” of the East Bay in California.

Harris thanked her family and friends, and she emphasized the neighbors who became her family.

As a lawyer and district attorney, she said she helped pass a homeowner bill of rights, stood up for veterans and stood up against students being scammed.

“I promise to be a president for all Americans,” she said, promising to accept America’s fundamental principles, including the rule of law, free and fair elections and the peaceful transfer of power.

“From the courthouse to the White House, that has been my life’s work,” Harris said.

Clear stance on foreign policy

Harris made a clear stance on the war in Gaza, a sensitive topic that has created a division within the Democratic Party. All week, pro-Palestinian protesters marched on the Chicago streets, calling for an end to the war and also an end to U.S. sending weapons to Israel.

“Let me be clear: I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself,” and will make sure Israel has the ability to defend itself so that it never has to face a similar terrorist act like Oct. 7, she said.

“At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating,” the vice president said. “So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”

She said that she and Biden are working to end the war so “Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” receiving perhaps the loudest cheers of the night from the crowd.

Her comments served as the clearest articulation of her views on the conflict yet.

Harris also pledged to stand with Ukraine and NATO allies, and she emphasized her support for America’s military and the country’s importance in foreign policy.

“As commander in chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world. I will fulfill our sacred obligation to care for our troops and their families, and I will always honor and never disparage their service and their sacrifice,” Harris said.

The Trump-Vance campaign said in a statement after Harris’ speech that her foreign policy “projected nothing but weakness on the world stage.” It said the Biden-Harris administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan resulted in 13 Americans killed and it “allowed” a Chinese spy balloon to enter U.S. airspace.

Familiar swings

Harris took familiar swings at Trump, emphasizing his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and his 34 felony convictions.

She criticized Project 2025, a blueprint of policy proposals led by the Heritage Foundation that a Republican presidential candidate could implement in 2025. Trump has distanced himself from the project, saying he doesn’t know who is behind it and knows nothing about it.

“Its sum total is to pull our country back to the past,” she said. “But America, we are not going back.” The convention goers chanted along with her.

Promising to sign federal abortion protections, Harris made unsubstantiated claims that Trump would sign a national abortion law into place, despite the former president denying that and saying he thinks abortion laws should be left up to the states. Trump has also said he thinks Project 2025 goes “way too far” on abortion.

She also repeated Democratic claims that Trump would eliminate Social Security and Medicare. Trump and the Republican National Committee, however, have made protecting Social Security and Medicare a major part of their platform.

Addressing Republicans’ criticisms

The vice president spent a fair amount of time addressing the most common criticisms laid against her and Biden, from immigration to the economy.

Since taking over the Democratic presidential ticket, Harris has hardened her stance on immigration, moving more to the right on the issue. In 2015, she said undocumented immigrants are not criminals, however, recently her new position is that unauthorized border crossings are illegal.

On Thursday night, she promised to fight for stronger border security and a comprehensive immigration reform package that includes a pathway to citizenship.

“I know we can live up to our proud heritage as a nation of immigrants and reform our broken immigration system,” she said.

Harris criticized Trump and Republicans for blocking a bipartisan border package this year and promised to sign a similar bill if she became president. Republicans, on the other hand, assert the Biden administration could have taken action early in his term, but didn’t.

The Trump-Vance campaign retorted after her speech that she never mentioned the names of people who were killed by undocumented immigrants.

On the economy, she said expanding the middle class would be a “defining role” of her presidency and would pass a middle-class tax cut. She highlighted her “opportunity economy” policy she released last week, “where everyone has the chance to compete and a chance to succeed.”

The vice president ended her speech calling for unity, saying Americans have much in common with each other and “none of us has to fail for all of us to succeed.”

“So, let’s get out there and let’s fight for it. Let’s get out there and let’s vote for it. And together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told,” she said.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.