Kamala Harris, rallying thousands in Georgia, challenges Donald Trump to ‘say it to my face’
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US Vice-President Kamala Harris during a campaign rally at Georgia State Convocation Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 30.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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ATLANTA - US Vice-President Kamala Harris on the night of July 30 challenged former president Donald Trump to commit to a presidential debate during a raucous rally in Atlanta that featured some 10,000 attendees, celebrity appearances and another rare feature of Democrats’ rallies lately: fun.
In a roughly 21-minute speech, Ms Harris, now just nine days into her position atop the Democratic ticket, contrasted her policy goals with the Republicans’ agenda.
But the high point of her remarks came towards the end when she mentioned the former president’s reluctance to commit to a matchup he had initially agreed to for Sept 10, when President Joe Biden was still his opponent. “Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage,” she said, as the cheers grew louder.
She appeared to savour the delivery of the next line, drawing it out for maximum effect: “Because as the saying goes, ‘If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.’”
The crowd exploded.
In June, Democrats who were licking their wounds after Mr Biden’s disastrous performance on a debate stage, also in Atlanta, had tempered their expectations for Georgia, which he won by less than 12,000 votes four years ago.
Now, Ms Harris’ visit and place atop the ticket have nurtured a heightened level of optimism about their chances of keeping the state blue, despite Trump’s current polling lead.
In Ms Harris, several Democratic leaders say they see a chance to galvanise several key voting blocs, including young people and voters of colour.
Ms Harris, who is seeking to build enthusiasm among key voting demographics, was in hyper-friendly territory in Atlanta, the Democratic engine of an all-important battleground state.
The size of her rally on the night of July 30 dwarfed Mr Biden’s 2024 campaign events in both scale and enthusiasm, rivalling the types of crowds Trump regularly draws for his rallies in similar spaces.
As Ms Harris started to outline a presidential agenda, she framed her bid in terms of the past versus the future. She condemned Republicans for their policies on abortion access, and she promised to restore access to the procedure and also expand voting rights.
She also aimed to blunt attacks against her record on immigration. She noted that as California’s attorney-general, she helped lead a border state.
She also condemned Trump for paying lip service to border security while failing to secure it himself as president.
On the economy, Ms Harris pledged to lower costs and stem price gouging “on Day One” of her presidency. NYTIMES
