Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a Sunday service at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, US on October 20, 2024. Photo courtesy: Reuters
Kamala Harris turned 60 on Sunday (October 20, 2024) in the final stages of a knife-edge US election battle with Donald Trump, 78, as she urged a black congregation in Georgia to embrace compassionate values, while Others were “spreading hatred, sowing fear and spreading chaos.”
Ms Harris, speaking at a Baptist megachurch near Atlanta, did not mention Mr Trump by name, but the crowd – after wishing him “Happy Birthday” – nodded knowingly at their signs for her Republican rival.
Georgia is one of the key states expected to decide the November 5 election. Both candidates were planning events Sunday in Pennsylvania, one of the states both sides see as must-win events.
Just two weeks before Election Day, the Democratic vice president and the Republican former president are in a fierce race.
Ms. Harris, addressing enthusiastic black churchgoers — typically a strong Democratic demographic — gave a restrained speech, telling the story of the Good Samaritan, but using it to rally the crowd to vote and “shine a light in moments of darkness.” Also did.
In fact, Mr. Trump is increasingly using angry and abusive language in the campaign.
He has compared undocumented immigrants to animals, threatened revenge against his perceived enemies, praised autocratic rulers like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and described America as a ruined nation that only he can fix. .
“Where we go from here is up to us as Americans and as people of faith,” Ms. Harris said. “What kind of country do we want to live in – a country of chaos, fear and hatred, or a country of freedom, compassion and justice?”
At other events, Ms. Harris has consistently raised questions about Mr. Trump’s fitness to be president.
“Now he is avoiding debates and canceling interviews out of exhaustion,” Ms Harris said at a rally in Atlanta on Saturday, mocking his incoherent, off-script speeches.
The former president himself has sometimes surprised attendees at his rallies with bizarre references, including a ribald allusion to a famous golfer’s anatomy on Saturday.
But Mr Trump’s age and spontaneous comments have proven no deal-breaker for voters, as polls suggest there will be a close fight ahead.
‘Across the finish line’
Ms. Harris also tried to provoke Mr. Trump with a report on October 12 that described his “excellent health,” but the former president’s campaign insisted that he would also be “ready to become commander-in-chief.” “For are perfect and in excellent health”.
The Republican, who is running for a second term in the White House, responded to Ms Harris’s allegations with a marathon speech in Pennsylvania on Saturday, a day after saying she “doesn’t have the energy of a rabbit.”
published – October 21, 2024 02:30 AM IST