Vice President Kamala Harris was met with a thunderous crowd Tuesday afternoon as she made her case to be the next President of the United States after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race over the weekend.
“In this election, we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in? A country of freedom, compassion, and the rule of law?” she said. “Or a country of chaos, fear, and hate? We each have the power to answer that question.”
More than 3,000 attendees chanted “Kam-a-la!” as Harris walked out to “Freedom” by Beyoncé.
Harris during her remarks underscored the large fundraising haul her campaign received in the 24 hours after it was launched shows how her campaign has the support of Americans.
“Because we are a people-powered campaign, that is how you know we will be a people-first presidency,” she said.
Harris didn’t shy away from slamming the Republican presidential nominee: former President Donald Trump. She said during her time as attorney general of California, she took on “one of our country’s largest for-profit colleges that was scamming students.”
“Donald Trump ran a for-profit college that scammed students. As a prosecutor, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Well, Trump was found liable for committing sexual abuse,” she said. “As attorney general of California, I took on the big Wall Street banks and held them accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of fraud on 34 counts.”
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Chants of ‘Lock him up’ ring out in Harris campaign stop
Thousands of attendees at Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign stop in Milwaukee erupted in chants of “lock him up” — referencing former President Donald Trump.
Harris, who was a former Attorney General of California and prosecutor, went over Trump’s legal issues during her rally.
During the 2016 election, Trump supporters would often chant “lock her up” about then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
— Rebecca Morin
Harris leads Trump in new poll
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between July 22 and July 23 found Harris leading Trump 44% to 42% among registered voters. Five percent of voters said they would support some other candidate, 4% said they wouldn’t vote and 4% said they didn’t know.
In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, Harris and Trump were both tied at 44%, and in a June poll, Trump led Harris by one percentage point.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
— Sudiksha Kochi
Harris thanks Biden as she begins campaign for president
Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday began her first campaign rally since President Joe Biden stepped aside by thanking the president.
“It has truly been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as Vice President, to our President Joe Biden,” Harris said.
Harris, who walked out to “Freedom” by Beyoncé, was met with thunderous applause and chants of “Kam-a-la!”
The Vice President emphasized the role battleground states will play to help send her to the Oval Office.
“The path to the White House goes through Wisconsin,” Harris said.
— Rebecca Morin
Over 3,000 in attendance at Harris rally, campaign says
Over 3,000 people are in attendance for Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign rally in Milwaukee, her campaign said.
After being inundated with RSVP’s for the event, the campaign had to switch to a larger venue. It’s the largest event the campaign has held.
— Rebecca Morin
‘That’s all he’s got?’ Harris’ husband slaps back at Trump
Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff slapped back Donald Trump on Tuesday after the Republican nominee attacked his wife.
Trump said Monday that Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, is “vicious and dumb.” He also alleged that she lied about President Joe Biden’s health and called her a “totally failed and insignificant” vice president in social media posts.
At his first solo event since Harris announced her presidential bid, Emhoff responded to the criticisms, telling reporters, “That’s all he’s got?”
“Look, you heard the vice president yesterday making the case against Donald Trump very clearly. Laid out the case directly, and in a compelling fashion. But she also laid out a vision for the future, a vision where there’s freedom, where we’re not having to talk about these issues of today in this post-Dobbs hellscape that Donald Trump created,” Emhoff said, according to a White House pool report.
He was referring to remarks that Harris delivered on Monday at the campaign’s headquarters in Wilmington, Del. Harris compared her record as a former prosecutor to Trump’s felony fraud convictions and criticized his involvement in a bevy of other civil and criminal cases.
“Kamala Harris has united the party. She’s going to unite the country. She’s going to earn this nomination. You see that happening. And she’s
“Kamala Harris has united the party. She’s going to unite the country. She’s going to earn this nomination. You see that happening. And she’s going to win this election,” he said.
– Francesca Chambers
Biden gets all clear from his doctor
President Joe Biden’s symptoms have resolved ” after testing positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday, according to his doctor, Kevin O’Connor.“Over the course of his infection, he never manifested a fever, and his vital signs remained normal, to include pulse oximetry,” Dr. O’Connor said in a press release. “His lungs remained clear.”Biden will continue to be monitored for any recurrence of illness.–Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
Biden to address nation Wednesday
President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday about what comes next now that he has ended his bid for a second term.
“Tomorrow evening at 8 PM ET, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead and how I will finish the job for the American people,” Biden said in a message posted Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter.
-Michael Collins
Harris vetting 7 Democrats for vice president
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign has requested vetting materials from seven Democrats under consideration to be her vice presidential running-mate, USA TODAY has learned from a source familiar with the process.
Those being vetted for the job include North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
— Joey Garrison
When is the Harris campaign event in Milwaukee?
Vice President Kamala Harris will hold her first presidential rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Tuesday. It’s not clear yet where Harris will speak and when, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Watch live: Kamala Harris makes first campaign stop in battleground state
— Sudiksha Kochi
Trump and his aides have been talking about a non-Biden race for months
In recent eventful days, Trump aides said they have been preparing for the possibility of having to run against another Democratic candidate besides Joe Biden. Some are backing up that claim with records; Axios reported on a memo from May about what possible responses if “something happens” and the Democrats “have no choice but to nominate a replacement at the convention or special meeting of the DNC.” Trump aides have discussed that scenario with reporters for months.
As far back as a briefing in December, Trump campaign aides said they were prepared to alter their strategy if Biden dropped out of the race. On the stump throughout the year, Trump repeatedly suggested that Biden would not make it to the general election, although some of that seemed designed to get under Biden’s skin.
-David Jackson
Trump demands refund for money spent campaigning against Biden
“So, we are forced to spend time and money on fighting Crooked Joe Biden, he polls badly after having a terrible debate, and quits the race,” Trump said. “Shouldn’t the Republican Party be reimbursed for fraud in that everybody around Joe, including his doctors and the Fake News Media, knew he was not capable of running for, or being, President? Just askin’?”
In his conspiracy-filled rant, Trump claimed the president never had COVID, he is not running the country, and Democrats stole the primary race from him. He also bestowed a nickname upon his apparent new opponent: Lyin’ Kamala Harris.
–Rachel Barber
Melinda French Gates endorses Harris
Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates who is estimated to have a net worth of about $11 billion, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“There is so much riding on the election in November. We need a leader who will stand up for reproductive freedom. A leader who understands that supporting caregivers leads to healthier families and a stronger economy. A leader who knows that when women have their full power in society, we all thrive,” she wrote.
“I am supporting Vice President Kamala Harris because she is that leader. She has an inspiring vision for America—and she has the experience to make it a reality, she added.
Before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Gates had endorsed him, marking her first ever presidential endorsement.
— Sudiksha Kochi
Harris is embracing ‘brat summer.’ It could be cool or cringe. It’s a fine line.
If you’re unsure why “kamala IS brat,” or what that even means, you’re not alone. We can explain it all. But even among voters who are fully clued in on these viral moments, there are those warning Harris not to lean too deep into the memes. There’s a fine line between “cool” and “cringe” and for a woman, that line may be even finer.
For the most part, the Harris campaign’s posts are being praised. Young voters appreciate that she gets it, but plenty are also warning her not to go too far with the joke. Among the good-natured responses, some cautioned: “Don’t be like Hillary.”
During her bid for the presidency, Hillary Clinton, in an effort to reach millennial women, appeared on a 2016 episode of the sit-com “Broad City” making a short, slow motion cameo. One user surmised in a tweet, “brat is best when fun and mean … This is dangerously close to Hillary on Broad City. We must pull back before it’s too late.”
— Alyssa Goldberg
Clooney back Harris after dropping Biden
Actor and Democratic fundraiser George Clooney endorsed Vice President Harris in a statement to CNN Tuesday.
“President Biden has shown what true leadership is,” Clooney said. “He’s saving democracy once again. We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.”
Clooney joined the swell of donors and officials airing public concerns about Biden’s health and ability to run in 2024.
— Savannah Kuchar
Andy Beshear calls J.D. Vance a “phony” on CNN
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance a “phony” on CNN after Vance claimed at a rally in Ohio Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats lied about President Joe Biden’s mental capability to serve as president.
“J.D. Vance is a phony, he’s fake. I mean, he first says that Donald Trump is like Hitler, and now he’s acting like he’s Lincoln. The problem with JD Vance is he has no conviction, but I guess his running mate has 34,” Beshear said, referring to Trump’s conviction in New York on 34 counts for falsifying business records.
— Sudiksha Koch
Harris’ fundraising tops $100 million since Biden’s exit
Vice President Kamala Harris has raised more than $100 million since President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the election two days ago, the campaign said Tuesday.
More:Kamala Harris’ fundraising reaches a record-breaking $100 million since Biden’s exit
It’s the largest fundraising haul of any candidate ever over that time, according to the campaign, and includes 1.1 million unique donors, 62% of whom have made their first financial contributions of the election cycle.
Since Harris announced her bid, the campaign has also seen 58,000 sign up to volunteer, which is more than 100 times more than an average day for the campaign.
— Joey Garrison
As DNC sets virtual vote, Harris’ nomination all but certain
The Democratic National Committee plans to plow ahead with a virtual nomination at next month’s convention as Vice President Kamala Harris gathers the support she needs from party delegates to replace President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.
A memo shared by the committee on Monday evening said the nominating process “must have an electronic voting component.” The purpose is to ensure that the Democratic nominee is on the ballot in all 50 states and D.C. and the party is united by the time of the convention, the memo said.
— Sudiksha Kochi and Francesca Chambers
Kamala Harris’ VP pick: Who’s on her running mate list?
Her next major task: selecting a running mate.
Potential running mates include a deep bench of younger Democrats who have been widely seen as White House contenders in their own right once President Joe Biden got out of the picture. They range from swing state governors to a former astronaut now serving in the U.S. Senate and one popular Cabinet official who ran for president against Biden and Harris in 2020.
Kamala Harris’ VP pick: Who’s up and who’s down on her running mate list?
— Phillip M. Bailey, Francesca Chambers and Karissa Waddick
Senate Republican campaign arm hits Harris
The National Republican Senate Committee, the fundraising arm for Senate Republicans, released a messaging memo to candidates Monday titled: “Harris creates strong down-ballot opportunity.”
The group argues that the case against Biden − that he was “mentally unfit to hold office” − didn’t work well against down-ballot Democrats. But Harris “owns the Biden Administration’s baggage,” they write, making her “arguably a bigger threat to Democrats’ Senate majority than Joe Biden.”
The memo details Harris’ policy positions and concludes with a section titled “weird,” including noting that she laughs at “inappropriate moments” and loves Venn diagrams.
− Riley Beggin
How to pronounce Kamala Harris
Despite decades in the public spotlight, mispronunciations of the vice president’s name have not gone away. Several of her political opponents at the Republican National Convention last week called her “Camel-a,” “Kuh-MAHL-a,” or “Kuh-MEL-a” – none of which are correct.
It’s “COM-mah-la,” with emphasis on the first syllable. When pronounced correctly, the vice president’s name sounds like comma-la.
– Rachel Barber
