Kamala Harris is determined to win the election as a presidential candidate – but says it has been a "rollercoaster" since Joe Biden dropped out.
At the same time, Biden says it was "the right thing to do".
When Kamala Harris, who is now just one formal nomination away from becoming the Democrats' top name in the campaign against Donald Trump, appeared at the party's campaign headquarters in Delaware, she gave a hint of her line against Trump.
She returned to her background as a lawyer and prosecutor in California, before she was elected to the Senate.
There, I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Those who assaulted women. Fraudsters who cheated consumers. Cheaters who broke rules for their own gain. So trust me, I'm well familiar with Donald Trump's type, she said, alluding to the former president's civil and criminal cases.
Joe Biden participated via link with a slightly hoarse voice from his soon-to-be-ended COVID isolation. He plans to work hard for Harris and the campaign during the time he has left as President of the United States.
I fully support her, he said.
Biden via link
It was the first time Biden spoke out since he announced his decision to drop out on Sunday.
I know it's been a rollercoaster and many emotions, Harris said, adding that a lot of hard work awaits before the election on November 5.
Among other things, the issue of abortion rights will be a priority in her campaign.
The next 106 days, we will present our message to the American people and we will win, she said.
Kamala Harris will visit Milwaukee on Tuesday to hold her first campaign meeting since she launched her presidential campaign. The visit was planned earlier, but is now more highly anticipated since Harris appears to be the party's presidential candidate.
Secured support
Harris has, in less than two days, generated record donations to her and the Democrats' campaigns, and almost all the heavyweights in the party have expressed support for her.
She has, according to AP, already secured support from enough delegates at the convention in Chicago on August 19-22 to become the party's presidential candidate. Pre-nominations are to be completed by August 7 at the latest, according to the party leadership. This means that it will soon be up to Harris to appoint the one she wants as vice-presidential candidate in the election campaign.
The election will decide, according to Harris, which path the USA takes.
Our fight for the future is also a struggle for freedom and rights, she says.
59-year-old Kamala Harris has been Joe Biden's vice president since January 2021. Since President Biden dropped out of his candidacy, he is supporting Harris as the Democrats' next presidential candidate.
In 2011, she was appointed Attorney General of California, a post she held until she was elected to the US Senate in 2016. Then she became the second black woman to be elected to the chamber.
Harris ran her own presidential campaign in 2019, before she threw in the towel and backed Joe Biden.
