NATIONWIDE — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris did not hold back their contempt for President Trump’s leadership in a series of separate appearances ahead of the Republican National Convention’s fourth and final night.
On Thursday, Harris delivered a passionate speech where she slammed President Donald Trump’s leadership and touted Joe Biden’s ability to unite the country.
“The consequences of Trump’s failure to lead and combat the coronavirus have been catastrophic,” Harris captioned a video of the press conference on Twitter.
Kamala’s criticisms of the Trump administration didn’t end with her assessment of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic — the former prosecutor touched on several hot-button topics including the recent protests in Kenosha, the wildfires raging across California, and President Trump’s attempts to dismantle Obamacare.
Beginning with the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, Harris said Biden was the clear choice to try and heal the nation’s pain.
“As Vice President Biden put it, the shots fired at Mr. Blake pierced the soul of our nation. It’s sickening to watch, she said. “It’s all too familiar and it must end.”
“Thankfully, he’s alive today, but he is fighting for his life and shouldn’t have to be,” Harris added.
“The reality is that the life of a Black person in America has never been treated as fully human and we have yet to fulfill that promise of equal justice under law,” Harris later added.
The candidate for Vice President went on to say the President’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic is one of many indications that he is unfit for the office, claiming he “still doesn’t have a plan” to combat the disease.
“Here’s the thing — Donald Trump’s incompetence is nothing new. That has always been on full display. But in January of this year it became deadly,” Harris said. “That's when the threat of a virus that would endanger the world first emerged. Trump dismissed the threat, but Joe Biden sounded the alarm.”
Harris then went on to outline Biden’s plan to deal with the pandemic, including a reiteration that a Biden-Harris administration would implement a nationwide mask mandate.
In a warning to viewers ahead of the final night of the RNC, where President Trump is expected to speak yet again, Harris claimed the current president is making convention solely about his ego.
"The Republican convention is designed for one purpose: To soothe Donald Trump's ego; to make him feel good," Harris said. "But here's the thing: He's the president of the United States, and it's not supposed to be about him. It's supposed to be about the health and the safety and the well-being of the American people."
In her closing statement, Harris described November’s election by echoing Biden’s closing speech at last week’s Democratic National Convention, saying “we have a choice between the light and the dark. I believe America will choose the light.”
Hours before Harris’ address, Biden told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that President Trump’s responses to both the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and the coronavirus pandemic are proof that the President is inept at his job.
When asked if he believes President Trump is hoping that peaceful protests across the country turn violent, Biden immediately responded “absolutely.”
"It takes everybody's eye off the ball," Biden said of Trump’s rhetoric about protesters. "Want to talk about safety, look at the biggest safety issue in the nation: Covid. ... He has been incompetent in the way in which he has dealt with this."
Also on Thursday, Biden slammed Trump for lying to the American public, saying he will be forced to play the part of “fact-checker on the floor” during the scheduled debates.
“As long as the commission continues down the straight and narrow as they have I’m going to debate him,” Biden told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “I know for certain that I’m going to be a fact-checker on the floor while I’m debating him.”
The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is scheduled for September 29.