Vice President Kamala Harris ended the Democratic National Convention with her acceptance speech Thursday night, one that, as Jake Tapper put it on CNN, “was a speech that four weeks and five days ago she was not preparing to make.”
Make it she did, and it was historic, as Harris became the first woman of color to accept the presidential nomination of a major party. The reaction to the speech was almost universally positive, even on Fox News, whose newsier side has been downright complimentary of the DNC at times. They remained so for the most part Thursday, until a certain vocal member of the audience called in and rambled. More on that in a second, as this was Harris’ night, not his. Donald Trump can wait.
Back to the speech. MSNBC’s Jen Psaki called it “fierce and fearless,” which was the general consensus.
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Maya Harris spoke before her sister, Kamala
After several minutes of rapturous applause, Harris finally quieted the crowd at the United Center in Chicago. “Let’s get to business,” she said, and did. She talked a lot about her childhood, her family, her late mother in particular, who sounded like quite a force in Harris’ life. (Harris’ sister Maya also spoke of her in a speech earlier Thursday night.)
Their mother, like Michelle Obama’s, Harris noted, told her children, “Never complain about injustice. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. She also taught us never do anything half-assed — and that is a direct quote.”
Soon enough Harris was taking the fight to Trump, calling him out on several fronts. “Many, many shots across the bow,” as Tapper put it. For instance, while talking about some Republicans’ efforts to stymie reproductive rights, she summed up a rather lengthy segment with eight words: “Simply put, they are out of their minds.”
It was here, and then especially when she talked about foreign policy, that “she really hit her stride,” as Martha MacCallum put it on Fox News. Dana Perino said that “the beginning of this speech was like the winding up of an old car,” but also agreed that the foreign policy portion was strong.
“That speech was a call, and an invitation to American voters to put the politics of the last 10 years behind us,” Terry Moran said on ABC.
It was a balancing act for Harris, trying to take credit for the successes of Joe Biden’s administration while forging her own path, whether economically, on the war in Gaza or other issues. Eventually she found that balance, especially in the power of her delivery, at once comfortable and, in the words of about 15 different people, forceful.
Including Brit Hume on Fox News, who said, “It was a forceful speech delivered very crisply, very professionally, with emphasis. There was no stumbling, fumbling, any of that. It is on paper, however, a speech that Joe Biden could have given.
“What Joe Biden could not have done — at any point, in my view in his presidency — was to deliver this speech with the force and effectiveness she delivered this speech tonight. It was very strong.”
Tapper called it “a remarkable address, one that I’ve never seen her give quite like this before — a very, very powerful speech.”
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Fox News, Donald Trump is calling
You know who didn’t call it powerful? Trump, who, not content with the amount of attention raving on his Truth Social platform during the speech gave him, called into Fox News for an airing of grievances. Baier and MacCallum let him rant for the most part, asking questions, but once he’s wound up, what can you do?
Not answer the phone, for one thing. But when Trump calls Fox News, that’s a hot line.
MacCallum tried to get him to talk about his plans now that Harris was making inroads with women voters, Black voters, etc. Trump responded with one of his favorite tactics, the Pee-Wee Herman, “I know you are but what am I” defense.
“She’s not having success,” he said. “I’m having success. I’m doing great with Hispanic voters. I’m doing great with Black men. I’m doing great with women. … No, it’s only in your eyes that they’re doing that, Martha.”
Whether sensing that the journalistic value of letting Trump blather about whatever on the night Harris made history was less than zero, or simply having to cut out so that Greg Gutfeld’s late-night show could begin, Baier and MacCallum told Trump they had to go, and went.
Again, this was Harris’ night. Trump had his, and then some.
As pundits on all sides have continually said, this was Harris’ chance to introduce herself to people, potential voters, who don’t really know her. Stepping in when Biden dropped out of the race after a disastrous debate with Trump, her time frame is compressed and her margin of error next to nothing. So far so good.
“Tonight she had to execute perfectly,” Chris Matthews said on MSNBC. “And she executed perfectly.”
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fox News, CNN, MSNBC call Harris’ DNC Speech ‘powerful’ — Trump whined
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