The case against Trump is ‘open and shut,’ says Kamala Harris in her first speech as Biden’s VP pick

WASHINGTON — Sen. Kamala Harris delivered a scathing condemnation of President Donald Trump on Wednesday during her first appearance with former Vice President Joe Biden as his running mate on the Democratic ticket.

“The case against Donald Trump and Mike Pence is open and shut,” said Harris, a nod to her career as a prosecutor. “Just look where they’ve gotten us: More than 16 million out of work. Millions of kids who cannot go back to school. … And tragically, more than 165,000 lives that have been cut short, many with loved ones who never got the chance to say goodbye.”

“It didn’t have to be this way,” she said.

Harris spoke in Wilmington, Delaware, in a high school gym without an audience there to cheer the applause lines. Both Biden and Harris wore masks while they were near other people, a grim reminder of how the coronavirus pandemic has upended presidential campaign traditions. Still, the warmth and personal ease between the two candidates was palpable.

“As a child of immigrants, [Harris] knows personally how immigrant families enrich our country, as well as the challenges of what it means to grow up Black and Indian-American in the United States of America,” said Biden. “Her story is America’s story. It’s different from mine in many particulars, but also not so different in the essentials.”

“And 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, but today — today, just maybe, they’re seeing themselves for the first time in a new way, as the stuff of presidents and vice presidents,” Biden said. 

“My campaign has always been a family affair, every campaign I’ve run,” said Biden, turning to Harris. “So I’ve got some news for you, you’re all honorary Bidens. And here’s the best part: Kamala, you’ve been an honorary Biden for quite some time.”

Speaking after Biden, Harris led with an emotional tribute to Biden’s late son Beau Biden, whom she considered a friend and colleague. “He really was the best of us, and when I would ask him, ‘Where did you get that? Where did this come from?’ he would always talk about his dad,” she said. 

Article source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/12/joe-biden-kamala-harris-appear-together-for-first-time-as-running-mates.html