Harris bashes Trump over ‘fear and hate,’ promises compassion in debut rally

MILWAUKEE — US Vice-President Kamala Harris assailed Donald Trump on Tuesday at her first campaign rally since replacing President Joseph R. Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate, while a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll showed her taking a marginal lead over her Republican rival.

In a 17-minute speech, Ms. Harris aggressively went after Mr. Trump’s vulnerabilities, comparing her background as a former prosecutor to his record as a convicted felon.

Ms. Harris ticked through a list of liberal priorities, saying that if elected she would act to expand abortion access, make it easier for workers to join unions and address gun violence, drawing a sharp contrast with Mr. Trump, the Republican nominee for president in the Nov. 5 election.

“Donald Trump wants to take our country backward,” she told a cheering crowd of several thousand at West Allis Central High School in a Milwaukee suburb in Wisconsin, a battleground state with a pivotal role in deciding the election outcome.

“Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?”

The raucous rally was a notable contrast to the smaller, more subdued events Mr. Biden held, underscoring Democrats’ hope that Ms. Harris, 59, can revive what had been a flagging campaign under Mr. Biden, 81. The audience danced and waved Ms. Harris signs, while chants of “Ka-ma-la!” broke out when she took the stage.

She emphasized her commitment to reproductive rights, an issue that has plagued Republicans since the US Supreme Court — powered by three Trump-appointed justices — eliminated a nationwide right to abortion in 2022.

Ms. Harris led Mr. Trump 44% to 42% among registered voters in the national Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday after Mr. Biden dropped out of the contest on Sunday and endorsed Harris as his successor.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week showed Mr. Biden, before he ended his campaign, trailing Mr. Trump by two percentage points.

Both were within the poll’s three-point margin of error. But the results could signal limited movement in Democrats’ direction — and may suggest that Ms. Harris’ elevation to the top of the ticket blunted whatever momentum Mr. Trump hoped to gain from last week’s Republican National Convention, also in Milwaukee.

Mr. Trump and his allies have tried to tether Ms. Harris to some of Mr. Biden’s more unpopular policies, including his administration’s handling of the surge of migrants at the southern border with Mexico.

In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Mr. Trump expressed confidence in his ability to defeat Harris, noting that her previous presidential run in 2020 did not even survive until the first statewide nominating contest.

Mr. Trump offered to debate Ms. Harris multiple times. Messrs. Trump and Biden had one more debate scheduled on Sept. 10 after their encounter on June 27. Mr. Biden’s poor performance that night led to Democratic calls for him to step aside.

“I want to debate her, and she’ll be no different because they have the same policies,” Mr. Trump said.

A SWIFT RISE
Ms. Harris swiftly consolidated her party’s support after Mr. Biden, 81, abandoned his reelection campaign under pressure from members of his party who worried about his ability to beat Mr. Trump, 78, or to serve for another four-year term.

She wrapped up the nomination on Monday night by winning pledges from a majority of the delegates who at next month’s party convention will determine the nominee, the campaign said.

Her campaign said it had raised $100 million since Sunday.

Most Democratic lawmakers have lined up behind her candidacy, including the party’s leaders in the Senate and House, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, who endorsed Ms. Harris on Tuesday at a joint press conference.

Ms. Harris’ rise dramatically reshapes an election in which many voters were unhappy with their options. As the first Black woman and Asian-American to serve as vice-president, she would make further history as the first woman elected US president.

Wisconsin is among a trio of Rust Belt states, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, that are critical to Democrats’ chances of defeating Mr. Trump.

Alyssa Wahlberg, 19, chair of the Whitewater College Democrats, said Ms. Harris had reenergized young voters, particularly women who want Ms. Harris to break the ultimate US glass ceiling.

“I talked to my grandmom. We are both excited that she may live to see the first woman president,” said Ms. Wahlberg, who was attending Tuesday’s rally. “It’s taken too long.”  — Reuters