Kamala Harris just delivered her first public remarks since the Democratic ticket fell apart over the weekend. But this was not the moment to address the mess, or indeed her own candidacy for president – two subjects she avoided.
Filling in for Joe Biden at a ceremony honouring the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams, Harris kept her remarks short. Standing outside the White House, she used her comments to lavish praise upon her boss, calling Biden’s record ‘unmatched in modern history’. (‘Yes, you may clap’ she encouraged, which led to a rather soft round of applause).
It was quite the statement, which was as long (perhaps slightly longer) than the praise she would then dish out for the NCAA champions. But it wasn’t just kind words for Biden that Harris seemed to offer up – ‘his honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his family…his big heart’. There were some rather pointed comments too, as the vice president insisted that Biden ‘already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who serve two terms.’ It’s not gone unnoticed that former president Barack Obama is one of the few Democratic grandees that has yet to endorse Harris for president.
It's the first full day of our campaign, so I'm heading up to Wilmington, DE later to say "hello" to our staff in HQ.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 22, 2024
One day down. 105 to go. Together, we're going to win this.
In many ways, it was the ideal first public outing for Harris: she came off as friendly and seemed happy to be filling in for the gig she hopes she’ll be elected to in just over 100 days’ time. Most importantly, there were no questions to answer, no pressure from press or other candidates, which is where historically she has buckled.
But Harris’s campaign was going strong during her short speech: her account on X/ Twitter shared the news that she’ll be heading to Delaware to speak to campaign staff later in the day. ‘True greatness’ the VP told the young athletes, ‘requires more than skill. It requires hard work and determination’. It seems those words weren’t only meant for them. The vice president is wasting no time in securing her name at the top of the ticket.
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