The Democratic US presidential candidate Harris and her vice president Walz started their campaign tour in Pennsylvania. Harris had a lot of praise for her deputy, who did not hold back on barbs at Trump.
It was their first joint campaign appearance as a duo in the race for the White House: In Philadelphia in the US state of Pennsylvania, the US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her vice president, Tim Walz, who had only been appointed hours earlier, announced a short but determined campaign. Harris was convinced that she had made the right decision in choosing her deputy.
Harris and Walz were greeted with cheers by the visitors to the event. Both emphasized that they were aware of the challenge that now lay ahead of them. “We are the underdogs in this race,” Harris shouted to the crowd. Her nomination as candidate had to happen quickly after incumbent President Joe Biden withdrew his own candidacy at the end of July due to growing doubts about his physical and mental suitability for another term in office.
Walz also alluded to the short time to prevail in the election campaign against the Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump. “We have 91 days,” said the governor of the US state of Minnesota, adding: “We can sleep when we’re dead.”
“The kind of vice president America deserves”
But Harris also emphasized that she knows “exactly what we’re dealing with.” And she sees herself with her newly elected vice president as well-equipped for the election campaign against Trump and his deputy JD Vance. With Walz, she has a leader at her side, said Harris. He is the kind of person “who makes people feel like they belong and inspires them to dream big. That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” the 59-year-old said with conviction. Walz is a leader “who unites our nation and moves us forward,” Harris continued: “A fighter for the middle class, a patriot who, like me, believes in America’s extraordinary promise.”
Harris particularly highlighted Walz’s support for military veterans, unions, liberal abortion rights and stricter gun laws. In addition to his political career, Harris also highlighted Walz’s previous work as a teacher and football coach. He knows how to build closeness to people. “For those who know him best, Tim is more than a governor,” said Harris:
We both believe in lifting people up rather than tearing them down. We both know that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what divides us. And we see our fellow Americans as neighbors, never enemies.
Walz accuses Trump of selfishness
Walz himself also used his first appearance as vice president to directly attack Trump. He again called him “weird as hell.” A description of the Republican candidate that was already being used and spread in the ranks of the US Democrats before Walz was appointed as deputy.
Walz also accused Trump of being too self-centered for the office of US President. “Donald Trump – he sees the world differently. He doesn’t know the first thing about serving the nation because he’s too busy serving himself,” Walz criticized. Trump is trying to deliberately weaken the economy for his own ends, mock law and order, and sow “chaos and division.”
As a duo on the election campaign tour
The first campaign appearance will be followed by more in the coming days. The target is the states that are particularly contested in presidential elections.
Today they’re going to Wisconsin and Michigan, Arizona is on the program on Friday and Nevada on Saturday. There are also planned performances in North Carolina on Thursday and Georgia on Friday, but these have been postponed due to tropical storm “Debby.”
