Barely named, Kamala Harris' running mate sounds the charge against Donald Trump

Kamala Harris' newly appointed running mate Tim Walz launched a full-on attack on Donald Trump on Tuesday, portraying the Republican White House candidate as a backward thinker who “sows chaos and division.”

“He has no idea what service is,” he said at his first rally alongside the Democrat in Philadelphia. “He doesn't have time for that because he's too busy serving his own interests.”

Coming from the “Midwest”, the governor of Minnesota was until now little known outside the borders of his state. With his strong rural roots, this former teacher and American football coach, who claims to be a hunter, placed his debut on the Democratic “ticket” under the sign of frank speaking.

“If Trump gets the chance to come back, he'll pick up right where he left off four years ago, but this time it'll be much, much worse,” he charged, lambasting a former president who wants to “restrict our freedoms” and “help the super-rich.”

“Make no mistake: violent crime has increased under Donald Trump. And that's not counting the crimes he's committed,” he also attacked, drawing laughter and cheers from the crowd.

– “Bringing Back Joy” –

In the face of the Republican billionaire's agenda, Ms. Harris is a candidate capable of “bringing back joy” to the country, Mr. Wall.

With less than three months to go until the election, the Harris-Walz duo wants to present itself as a complementary ticket likely to appeal to a very broad electorate: she is a former prosecutor capable of becoming the first black female president of the United States, he is a former senator capable of speaking to the working class.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Washington in July 2024 © AFP – Jim WATSON, Chris Kleponis

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Harris, who had just two weeks to choose her running mate after Joe Biden withdrew, presented her potential vice president as “a fighter for the middle class” and “a patriot.”

She highlighted her running mate as a caring educator whom she likes to nickname “Coach Walz.”

A former National Guard soldier with an atypical background, this governor is seen as rather moderate. This did not prevent him from taking measures labeled progressive, such as the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana and the reinforcement of controls on the purchase of firearms.

As soon as he was appointed, Donald Trump's campaign team tried to catalog him as a “dangerous extremist leftist”.

“Tim Walz's record is a joke,” J.D. Vance, Donald Trump's Republican running mate, told supporters who also gathered in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

– Key state tour –

The Republican senator from Ohio is expected to align his travels with those of the Harris-Walz duo this week, who are planning a tour of several key states that could swing the election.

Pennsylvania was the first of them, and the long cheers from Democratic supporters were a reminder of how much the race for the White House has changed since Joe Biden agreed to step down amid concerns about his health.

“We're the underdogs in this race. But we have momentum,” Harris told the crowd.

Since bursting onto the campaign trail, the vice-president has caught up with Joe Biden's lead over Donald Trump in voting intentions and has seen the amounts collected soar.

After surviving an assassination attempt and uniting his party like never before at the Republican convention in mid-July, Donald Trump is trying to adapt to this new situation.

He has multiplied his attacks on Ms. Harris on the issue of migration, and also accuses her of having “gone black” for political reasons.

Before the Democratic convention where she is due to celebrate her inauguration in mid-August in Chicago, Ms. Harris is focusing on defending “fundamental freedoms” and in particular that of of the right to abortion.

“Our campaign is not just a fight against Donald Trump,” she insisted Tuesday. “This campaign is a fight for the future.”

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