Joe Biden names Kamala Harris as his vice-president pick, a historic first for black women
- Senator makes US history as the first black and Asian-American woman on a major presidential ticket
- US President Donald Trump called Kamala Harris ‘nasty’ and ‘horrible’
The race for the White House entered a more frenetic phase on Wednesday after Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden named Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate.
The two were scheduled to make their first appearance as a ticket in Wilmington, Delaware just days before Biden formally accepts the Democratic nomination during the party’s national convention, which will take place largely as a virtual event next week due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Republican convention, where President Donald Trump will be nominated for a second four-year term, follows a week later and kicks off a 10-week sprint to the November 3 election.
Harris, 55, the first black woman to appear on a major-party presidential ticket, was announced as Biden’s choice on Tuesday after a selection process that drew extra scrutiny thanks to Biden’s age.
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“I have the great honour to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris – a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants – as my running mate,” Biden posted on Twitter.
Biden had earlier made it clear that he would choose a woman for the role, with Harris and Susan Rice, former national security adviser to President Barack Obama, considered top contenders.
Harris also has a Chinese name: He Jinli, which caught on when she ran for district attorney in San Francisco in 2003. It roughly translates to “intricate and beautiful”.
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Who is Kamala Harris? Joe Biden’s vice-president pick
Also under consideration in the running mate race were congresswoman Karen Bass of California, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, congresswoman Val Demings of Florida, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.
“@JoeBiden can unify the American people because he's spent his life fighting for us. And as president, he'll build an America that lives up to our ideals,” Harris tweeted. “I’m honoured to join him as our party's nominee for Vice President, and do what it takes to make him our Commander-in-Chief.”
The United States has never had a woman vice-president, and the move comes four years after the country’s first female presidential nominee from a major party, Hillary Clinton, lost her White House bid.
The stakes for Biden’s vice-presidential pick are high, as his age has been a main target for Trump, who has attempted to raise doubt on his cognitive ability.
Trump’s campaign immediately criticised Harris, mocking her as the 77-year-old Biden’s “political living will”.
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“In her failed attempt at running for president, Kamala Harris gleefully embraced the left’s radical manifesto,” said Katrina Pierson, campaign senior adviser for Trump, 74. “She is proof that Joe Biden is an empty shell being filled with the extreme agenda of the radicals on the left.”
The president himself was quick to respond to the announcement, tweeting a video that labelled his opponents “Slow Joe” and “Phoney Kamala”.
“She was my number one pick” to run with Biden, Trump said at a Tuesday news conference.
Trump attacked Harris for her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh over sexual misconduct allegations during his Senate confirmation hearings to join the Supreme Court.
“I thought she was the meanest, the most horrible, the most disrespectful of anybody in the US Senate,” Trump said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump had criticised his rival’s vice-presidential selection process, saying that some men are “insulted” by Biden’s decision to promise to select a woman as his running mate.
In an interview with Fox Sports Radio, Trump said: “I would be inclined to go a different route than what he’s done”, indicating that Biden “roped himself off into, you know, a certain group of people”.
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Of Biden’s vow to choose a woman, Trump said: “Some people would say that men are insulted by that. And some people would say it’s fine”.
Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates said Trump was “easily threatened”.
“And because of his insulting negligence and erratic, failed leadership, over 5 million Americans have been infected with coronavirus, over 160,000 died, and tens of millions remain jobless,” Bates said.
Former Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin congratulated Harris - and offered some advice on how best to fill the role: “trust no one new”, “fight mightily to keep your own team with you”, “don’t get muzzled” and “don’t forget the women who came before you”.
Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg and Tribune News Service
