Vice President Kamala Harris, who received the support of Joe Biden after announcing Sunday that she was withdrawing from the race for the White House, could write a new page in American history if she were nominated as the Democratic candidate. Immediately after Joe Biden’s withdrawal announcement, Democratic support poured in for the current vice president. Kamala Harris already assures ” win the nomination » democrat and « beat trump “. Portrait.
The world’s eyes have been on her since US President Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy and endorsed his running mate Kamala Harris. In taking office, she became the first woman, first African-American and first person of Asian descent to become vice president in January 2021. She broke one glass ceiling after another “, he had noted Joe Biden in March 2023.
Read alsoUnited States: Kamala Harris, the quest for popularity in the shadow of Joe Biden
There ” little girl » from the bus
The vice president, now 59, has many years of activism behind her. She often talks about protesting for civil rights as a child with her Jamaican father, an economics professor, and her Indian mother, a breast cancer researcher. It was also from her childhood that she drew the memory that revealed her during a Democratic primary debate in 2019.
The Oakland, California, native had harshly attacked a certain Joe Biden over his past opposition to a racial desegregation policy that consisted of busing some children to distant schools, from which she had benefited. The girl [dans le bus], it was me “, she had launched. This remarkable exit had not, however, saved a failed campaign, interrupted even before the first primary vote. Finally, Joe Biden then invited her on his “ticket”.
But this public exposure has also exposed him to attacks from his Republican opponents, notably Donald TrumpIn 2020, the former president called the Democrat a “ monster ” and of ” angry woman “, terms that refer to racist stereotypes about black women.
The opponent that scares Trump
After Joe Biden’s debate with Donald Trump on June 27, 2024, the 78-year-old billionaire, anticipating a withdrawal of the American president and fearing his candidacy, relaunched his attacks. Always looking for mocking nicknames for his opponents, he began calling him ” Kamala the hilarious » (« Laffin’ Kamala “), in reference to her booming laugh, while her campaign team took to portraying her as a die-hard leftist.
For Donald Trump, if Kamala Harris were the Democratic presidential candidate, it would be the worst-case scenario, analysis David Thomsonour correspondent in the United States. Biden is a blessing to us “, said the co-director of the Trump campaign, Chris LaCivita, a few days ago, referring to Joe Biden’s clumsiness.
This change of candidate requires Donald Trump’s team to review its entire strategy, which was fundamentally based on, according to it, Joe Biden’s inability to govern. If Kamala Harris were the Democratic candidate, Donald Trump, aged 78, would become the oldest candidate in American political history.
Read alsoUS Presidential Election: What will happen after Joe Biden’s withdrawal?
California’s first female attorney general
A graduate of Howard University, founded in Washington to welcome African-American students in the midst of segregation, Kamala Harris is proud of her career, which is emblematic of the American dream. After two terms as a prosecutor in San Francisco (2004-2011), she was elected twice as attorney general of California (2011-2017), becoming the first woman and the first black person to lead the judicial services of the most populous state in the country. She has been criticized for her harsh repression of petty crimes, which according to her opponents has particularly affected minorities.
In January 2017, she was sworn into the Senate in Washington, where she became the first South Asian woman and only the second black senator in history. Elected vice president, she dedicated her victory speech to the ” little girls » from America.
In 2022, Kamala Harris fervently defended the right to abortion, which was challenged by the Supreme Court. Some Republican leaders are trying to use the law against women. How dare they? How dare they tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body. “, she asked indignantly. This strong statement, and the energetic campaign led for a year by Kamala Harris across the country, have rekindled her.
Read alsoUnited States: Vice President visits abortion clinic, a first
Occupying an inherently thankless position, Kamala Harris also made missteps early in her term on sensitive issues of diplomacy and immigration.
In March 2023, she achieved a tour of the African continentin Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia.
Read alsoKamala Harris in Africa: “The United States wants to have a new conversation with the continent,” says historian Sarah Fila-Bakabadio
Relaxed image
The American press has sometimes judged her to lack stature, which her supporters also explain by sexist biases. Vogue magazine had to defend itself for having chosen, shortly after the election, a photo of the vice-president in sneakers for its cover, rather than a more formal portrait, which would have placed more emphasis on her function.
The main person concerned, however, takes care to cultivate a relaxed image, helped in this by her partner Doug Emhoff, for whom America has had to get used to the title of ” Second Gentleman ” This lawyer with a friendly expression is also the first Jew in this role. He has been one of the White House’s major relays in the fight against anti-Semitism. On the networks, for example, the couple pretends to bicker about basketball: he is a fan of the team Lakers from Los Angeles, she Warriors from San Francisco. Kamala Harris, nicknamed “Momala” in her blended family, is also a keen cook.