Sen. Kamala Harris excoriated President Trump in a speech pre-butting the final night of the GOP convention, accusing him and his Republican allies of ignoring "the reality" of an America facing crises of racial injustice, public health and economic despair.
Why it matters: Harris said throughout her presidential run — and again during her Democratic National Convention speech — that her goal is to "prosecute" the case against the Trump presidency. She made that case on Thursday by relentlessly attacking Trump and the Republicans for spending little time during their convention on the coronavirus pandemic.
What she's saying: "Unlike the Democratic convention, which was very clear-eyed about the challenges we are facing and how we will tackle them, the Republican convention is designed for one purpose: to soothe Donald Trump's ego," Harris said.
- "We know the truth: Donald Trump has failed at the most basic and important job of a president of the United States. He failed to protect the American people. Plain and simple."
- "Here's what you have to understand about the nature of a pandemic, it's relentless. You can't stop it with a tweet. You can't create a distraction and hope it will go away. It doesn't go away."
- "By its nature, a pandemic is unforgiving. If you get it wrong at the beginning, the consequences are catastrophic. It's very hard to catch up. You don't get a second chance at getting it right. Well, President Trump, he got it wrong from the beginning and then he got it wrong again and again."
The bottom line: "Donald Trump stood idly by and, folks, it was a deadly decision," Harris said. "Instead of rising to meet the most difficult moment of his presidency, Donald Trump froze. He was scared and he was petty and vindictive."
Worth noting: Harris did not take questions from reporters after her speech.