Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Make First Joint Appearance After VP Announcement

On August 12, presidential and vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris held their first joint event for the press in Delaware, just a day after the Biden campaign announced Harris as his running mate.

 In a speech held in a school gymnasium, after a significant delay due to stormy weather, Biden and Harris shared about their passion for their families and their vision for the future of the country.

 “I had a great choice, but I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next vice president of the United States of America and that’s Senator Kamala Harris,” Biden said. “Kamala, as you all know, is smart, she’s tough, she’s experienced, she’s a proven fighter for the backbone of this country. The middle class. For all those who are struggling to get into the middle class. Kamala knows how to govern—she knows how to make the hard calls. She’s ready to do this job on day one.”

 Biden talked about how his decision to choose a woman of color would encourage young girls across the country.

 “And this morning, all across the nation, little girls woke up, especially little black and brown girls that 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 president and vice presidents,” Biden said.

 He also shared Kamala’s history as a child of immigrants, from India and Jamaica, who met as students fighting for civil rights in the 1960s.

 As part of his selection process, Joe Biden recalled his time as vice president.

 “When I agreed to serve as President Obama’s running mate, he asked me a number of questions most important, he said to me, he asked me what I wanted most … I told him I wanted to be the last person in the room before he made important decisions. That’s what I asked Kamala. I asked Kamala to be the last voice in the room,” Biden said. 

 Harris, in her first address to the American people as a vice presidential candidate, shared her appreciation for Biden and his family, especially his son Beau. Both Harris and Beau Biden served as Attorney Generals, for California and Delaware respectively.

 I learned quickly that Beau was the kind of guy who inspires people to be a better version of themselves. He really was the best of us. And I would ask him, where’d you get that, where’d this come from, he’d always talk about his dad,” Harris said. “The love that they shared was incredible to watch. It was the most beautiful display between a father and a son.”

 Biden referred to her as an “honorary Biden.”

 Though Biden and Harris clashed during the primary campaign, the candidates appear to have put the past behind them.

 “After the most competitive primary in history, the country received a resounding message that Joe was the person to lead us forward and, Joe, I’m so proud to stand with you. And I do so mindful of all the heroic and ambitious women before me whose sacrifice, determination and resilience makes my presence here today even possible,” Harris said.

 The candidates also criticized the Trump administration, especially in regard to the economy and the coronavirus pandemic.

 “His refusal to get testing up and running, his flip-flopping on social distancing and wearing masks. His delusional belief that he knows better than the experts. All of that is the reason that an American dies of Covid-19 every 80 seconds,” Harris said about the policies of the current administration.

 The Democrat National Convention will occur next week, giving Americans deeper insight into the party’s candidates.

 Photo from Reuters