Kamala Harris says US is ready for its first woman president

Kamala Harris asserted Tuesday that the United States is “absolutely” ready to elect its first female president, though she emphasized that her candidacy aims to help a nation “exhausted” by the leadership of Donald Trump. As the election date approaches, both candidates are intensifying their campaigns in critical swing states, each vying for an edge in a race that polls indicate is tightly contested.

In an interview with NBC, Harris responded affirmatively when asked about America’s readiness to elect a woman to the presidency, framing her campaign as a means to “turn the page” on an era dominated by Trump. “People are exhausted with Donald Trump and his approach because it’s all about himself,” she stated, underscoring the desire for a shift in leadership.

Trump, addressing supporters in North Carolina, presented a starkly contrasting view. He framed the election as a critical decision between “four more years of incompetence, failure, and disaster” or the opportunity for “the four greatest years in the history of our country.”

The campaign is marked by heightened tensions and apprehensions regarding potential violence or Trump’s refusal to accept election results if he loses, reflecting his continued claims about the legitimacy of the 2020 election. Harris acknowledged the possibility of Trump prematurely declaring victory, affirming that her campaign is prepared for such a scenario amid a protracted vote-counting process.

In a rare moment of direct engagement with the campaign, President Biden echoed the urgency of the moment with a rephrased version of Trump’s infamous chant targeting Hillary Clinton. During a visit to New Hampshire, Biden quipped, “we got to lock” Trump up, quickly clarifying that he meant to “politically lock him up.”

With Trump grappling with multiple criminal charges while campaigning to succeed Biden, the White House has been cautious in commenting on the former president’s legal challenges. The Trump campaign has countered that Biden and Harris are orchestrating a “plan all along… to politically persecute their opponent.”

As the election draws near, early voting is already underway, with about 18 million Americans having cast their ballots—over 10% of the total votes in the 2020 election. Recent polls suggest that Trump, at 78 years old, may hold a slight edge, although margins remain within the error threshold.

The November 5 election is set to be historic, as voters will either elect the country’s first woman president or potentially place the first convicted felon into the White House.

Harris, 60, is rallying support by bringing prominent Democratic figures, including former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, onto the campaign trail. At a rally in Madison, Obama energized the crowd with vigorous critiques of Trump, urging attendees, “Don’t boo, vote!” Eminem also made an appearance, introducing Obama at a major Harris event in Detroit.

Trump’s campaign rhetoric has increasingly embraced conspiracy theories, particularly concerning migrants and political adversaries. In response, Harris’s campaign has targeted Trump’s fitness for office, seeking to attract moderate Republican voters.

Amid the political landscape, John Kelly, a former Marine general and Trump’s advisor during his presidency, has confirmed previous claims that he views Trump as a fascist. “Certainly the former president is in the far-right area, he’s certainly an authoritarian, admires people who are dictators,” Kelly noted.