HARRIS BLASTS TRUMP FOR HIS ‘PHANTOM LEADERSHIP

Kamala Harris made her campaign-trail debut as Joe Biden’s Democratic running mate on Wednesday (Thursday, August 13, 2020 in Manila), delivering a strong rebuke of President Donald Trump’s leadership and highlighting the historic significance of her new role, Trevor Hunnicutt wrote for Reuters.

Harris said Biden, the former vice president under President Barack Obama, had recognized the critical moment being faced by the country by picking her to be the first Black woman and Asian American on a major-party US presidential ticket. 

“Today, he takes his place in the ongoing story of America’s march toward equality and justice as the only person who served alongside the first Black president, and has chosen the first Black woman as his running mate,” said Harris, a US senator from California. “This is a moment of real consequence for America,” she said. “Everything we care about — our economy, our health, our kids, the kind of country we live in — it’s all on the line. America is crying out for leadership, yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him, a president who is making every challenge we face even more difficult to solve,” Harris said. 

In choosing Harris, Biden selected a former rival for the nomination whose most memorable campaign moment came during a televised debate when she criticized his past position on using busing to integrate schools and talked about its effect on her as a little girl. Biden on Wednesday said her addition to the ticket sent a powerful message to girls across America. “This morning, all across the nation, little girls woke up - especially little black and brown girls, who so often feel overlooked and undervalued in their communities - today, just maybe, they’re seeing themselves in the first time in a new way. As the stuff of presidents, and vice presidents,” Biden said.