'Unserious Trump wants to free extremists': Kamala Harris, first black, Asian woman to accept US prez nomination

Vice President Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, on Thursday night accepted the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, becoming the second woman to do so for the Democratic Party.

Describing her Republican rival Donald Trump as an unserious man, Kamala Harris, and the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Thursday warned Americans of the consequences of re-electing him for the second term as the Vice President launched her race towards to the US presidential election to be held in November.

Harris is the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to be nominated, and supporters turned out in white to mark the moment. She is the daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, both immigrants, reflecting the United States' changing demographics.

“On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written on the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America,” Harris said.

“I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self, to hold sacred America’s fundamental principles, from the rule of law to free and fair elections to the peaceful transfer of power,” she added.

Calling Trump 'unserious', Harris said putting the former president back in the White House will have 'extremely serious' consequences.

"We know what a second Trump term would look like. It’s all laid out in 'Project 2025.' … 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 in the excerpts of the speech released by her campaign ahead of her acceptance speech at the United Center here in Chicago.

“Consider the power he will have — especially after the United States Supreme Court just ruled he would be immune from criminal prosecution," said Harris who is the first Indian-American ever and the first Black woman to be nominated as the presidential candidate of either the Democratic or the Republican parties.

During the Democratic National Convention 2024, pro-Palestine protestors marched outside the arena each day and the Israeil-Gaza conflict has been a major bone of contention in the US. Harris, in her first remarks on the issue during the Convention, said, "I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself," Harris said while adding "what has happened in Gaza is devastating", and "heartbreaking."

"President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination," Harris said.

Kamala Harris has remembered her mother Shyamala Gopalan and said that she misses her every day, especially when she is on the verge of breaking the highest glass ceiling of the United States.

Vice President Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, on Thursday night accepted the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, becoming the second woman to do so for the Democratic Party.

“America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected. But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys,” Harris, 59, said.

“My mother Shyamala Harris had one of her own. I miss her every day–especially now. And I know she’s looking down tonight, and smiling,” she said.

Ahead of Harris' appearance in the convention hall, rising Democratic stars addressed the crowd, along with survivors of mass shootings and others who were showcasing different issues. Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who voted to impeach Donald Trump and sat on the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 US Capitol attack, also spoke.

The crowded lineup reflects the immense work Democrats have before them as they've stood up a fresh presidential campaign in just under a month since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race.

At the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Congressman Jason Crow laid out how the Project 2025 agenda will jeopardize the safety and security of the American people, give China and Russia a free rein over the allies, and cut critical benefits for the veterans back at home.

In the excerpts of the speech released by her campaign Harris said, “We know a strong middle class has always been critical to America’s success. And building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. This is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from,” she said.

"Fellow Americans, I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go — in everyone I meet — I see a nation ready to move forward. Ready for the next step, in the incredible journey that is America,” she said.

“I see an America where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation. That inspired the world. That here, in this country, anything is possible. Nothing is out of reach," Harris said.