Harris Bashes Trump over 'Fear, Hate' in First Rally


TEHRAN (Tasnim) - US Vice President Kamala Harris has assailed Donald Trump at her first campaign rally since replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate.

In a 17-minute speech on Tuesday, Harris aggressively went after Trump's vulnerabilities, comparing her background as a former prosecutor to his record as a convicted felon, Australian Associated Press reported.

Harris ticked through a list of liberal priorities, saying that if elected she would act to expand abortion access, make it easier for workers to join unions and address gun violence, drawing a sharp contrast with Trump, the Republican nominee for president in the November 5 election.

"Donald Trump wants to take our country backward," she told a cheering crowd of several thousand at West Allis Central High School in a Milwaukee suburb in Wisconsin, a battleground state with a pivotal role in deciding the election outcome.

The raucous rally was a notable contrast to the smaller, more subdued events Biden held, underscoring Democrats' hope that Harris, 59, can revive what had been a flagging campaign under Biden, 81.

Harris led Trump 44 percent to 42 percent among registered voters in the national Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday after Biden dropped out of the contest on Sunday and endorsed Harris as his successor.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week showed Biden, before he ended his campaign, trailing Trump by two percentage points.