US Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted her party’s nomination for president at the final day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
In her speech, Harris drew contrast with her rival, former President Donald Trump, saying: “We are not going back.”
However, pro-Palestinian delegates staged a protest after they said they were not allowed to speak at the DNC.
‘Promise to be a president for all Americans’
Kamala Harris pledged to be a “president for all Americans” in her speech.
“On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination for president of the United States,” Harris said.
“I know there are people of various political views watching tonight. And I want you to know: I promise to be a president for all Americans,” Harris told the audience. “I will be a President who unites us around our highest aspirations. A president who leads — and listens.”
She also told voters they have a chance to chart a “new way forward” as Americans this November.
“With this election, our nation has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past,” Harris said. “A chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans.”
Harris tried to redefine herself for America and draw a sharp contrast with Republican and former President Donald Trump, saying: “We are not going back.”
“In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man. But the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious,” Harris said.
The vice president also promised to prioritise health care and reproductive rights, as well as stricter border policies, on which Trump had sought to portray her as lenient.
Pro-Palestinian delegates say they were not allowed to speak at DNC
Leaders of an “Uncommitted” movement that won hundreds of thousands of votes in Democratic primaries across the country in protest of the Israeli-Hamas war have been negotiating for weeks to secure a speaking slot for a Palestinian-American at the Democratic National Convention.
But the negotiations stalled late Wednesday, when leaders of the movement say a Democratic National Committee official called and delivered a firm response: “The answer is no.”
The leader, Abbas Alawieh, an “Uncommitted” delegate to the convention and co-founder of the movement, described the call as shocking after weeks of what he felt were positive talks.
In response, he and other delegates decided to stage a sit-in outside Chicago’s United Center, where the convention is being held. They spent the night on the sidewalk Wednesday and vowed to stay until their demands were met or the convention ended Thursday night.
Components of this article first appeared as live blog snippets on DW.
