(Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris turned Atlanta on its head at her campaign rally on Tuesday (July 30). From challenging GOP nominee Donald Trump to “say it to [her] face” with a debate to tapping Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo for on-stage appearances, here’s a recap of the political festivities!
According to the Associated Press, Vice President Kamala Harris told a cheering, boisterous, packed Atlanta arena that the next 98 days would be a fight, but they’d win come November. Additionally, she taunted Donald Trump for wavering on whether he’d show up for their upcoming debate.
“The momentum in this race is shifting,” the likely Democratic nominee said. “And there are signs Donald Trump is feeling it.”
Trump earlier said he’d debate Harris, but is now questioning the value of a meetup and saying he “probably” will debate her, but he “can also make a case for not doing it.” Additionally, Donald Trump has suggested the Sept. 10 debate on ABC News should be moved to a different network, calling ABC “fake news.”
“So he won’t debate me, but he and his running mate have a lot to say about me. And by the way, don’t you find some of their stuff to just be plain weird.” She added, “Well Donald…I do hope you’ll reconsider. Meet me on the debate stage … because, as the saying goes, if you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.”
In the state that delivered Biden his narrowest victory margin in 2020, Harris pulled off what has been a signature Trump event: A big, loud rally full of supporters cheering her name. While on stage, she mocked her rival and his running mate, JD Vance, as “just plain weird” and described their policies as backward, outdated, and dangerous.
For context, Harris hasn’t yet formally seized the Democratic nomination. However, the Democratic National Committee announced on Tuesday that she is the only person who meets the qualifications to vie for it. This means she will all but certainly clinch it come Monday (August 5) when the party concludes a virtual roll call vote.
Her pick of a running mate is also expected by early next week. At that time, Harris plans to begin a seven-stop tour of battleground states to hold rallies alongside her vice presidential nominee.
Harris began Tuesday with her days as a prosecutor — setting up the contrast between the law and Trump’s many legal problems and misdeeds. But she also aggressively defended the Biden administration’s record and said she would work to pass voting rights legislation and restore abortion rights stripped by the fall of Roe v. Wade.
“America has tried these failed policies before. And we are not going back. We’re not going back,” Harris said, shaking her head no as the crowd cheered “we’re not going back.”
Swipe below to see more clips from Kamala Harris’ Atlanta rally.
On Tuesday, the roughly 8,000-capacity basketball arena at Georgia State University was filled to its rafters with voters waving signs, dancing to the Harris campaign soundtrack ‘Freedom’ by Beyoncé, and a performance by Megan Thee Stallion.
Quavo stepped to the mic and strongly endorsed the Vice President, citing his previous work with her on gun violence. He credited the politician for always standing “on business.”
“So if you never voted before, make sure you get out right now ’cause this the real one. And in the words of my brother Takeoff, let me get a ‘Kamala,'” Quavo said.
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock also spoke passionately at the Atlanta rally about Kamala Harris’ trek for the White House.
This week marks the second full one of Harris’ campaign since first announcing her intent to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee in the White House race. Biden stepped down on July 21 and shortly afterward endorsed his VP. She held her first official rally in Wisconsin last week and has since raised a reported $200 million in her first week of campaigning.
Associated Press staff Will Weissert, Bill Barrow, and Colleen Long contributed to this report.
