Kamala Harris says Donald Trump’s election defeat means ‘a new day for America’

Kamala Harris making her first speech as Vice President-elect of the United States in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday evening (Picture: EPA)

Vice President-elect of the United States Kamala Harris says Donald Trump’s defeat at the polls means ‘a new day for America’ is dawning. Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday night Harris said: ‘Protecting our democracy takes struggle, takes sacrifice, but there is joy in it…because we the people, have a power to build a better future

‘And when our very democracy was on the ballot on this election with the very soul of America at stake with the world watching, you ushered in a new day for America.’

Making her first speech since Joe Biden won the presidential election earlier on Saturday, Harris also sought to distance herself from the Trump administration by speaking sympathetically about the impact of Covid-19 on Americans.

She said: ‘I know times have been challenging, especially the last several months. The grief, sorrow and pain. the worries, the struggles. But we have also witnessed the courage the resilience, the generosity of your spirit.

Harris and Biden were joined by their families, including spouses Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff, at the end of their first speeches as President-elect and Vice President-elect (Picture: EPA)

‘You chose hope and unity, decency, science, and yes – truth. You chose Joe Biden as the next President of the United States of America.’

Harris, a California senator who was previously the most senior government prosecutor in California, went on to mention how she and Biden would work to beat the virus, rebuild a fairer economy, tackle systemic racism and the climate crisis.

She teared up while paying tribute to her late mother Shyamala Harris, who died in 2009. The Vice President-elect said: ‘When she came here from India at the age of 19. She may not have quite imagined this moment. But she believed so deeply in America, where a moment like this is possible. And so I’m thinking about her.’

Harris, whose parents were Jamaican and Indian, also highlighted her pride at becoming the highest-ranking woman, and woman of color ever elected in the United States.

She added: ‘Every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.’

Harris then introduced President-elect Joe Biden, who made a bold pledge to have a plan to tackle Covid based on ‘bedrock science’ ready for their first day in office in January.

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