Attacking Donald Trump on the eve of the United States presidential election, Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris said that the president has failed to lead the country and America can no longer afford four more years of him.
"We've seen who we are. The country we love. And that is why I know that tomorrow we are going to elect Joe Biden to be the next president of the United States!" Harris said.
Biden, the Democratic Party's nominee is challenging Trump, a Republican, in Tuesday's presidential election.
"America, we cannot afford four more years of Donald Trump," Harris said, in a scathing attack on Trump as she made her closing arguments at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state.
Sharing her experience of travelling across the country over the past 84 days for campaigning, Harris, 56, said one can feel something is happening.
"In big cities and small towns -- wearing masks and social distancing -- I've seen people lining the streets and gathering on corners to show their support," she said.
"They're bringing their children, holding up signs, wearing their colours and strolling to the polls, and waving the red, white and blue. The energy out there is real. It is inspiring. In this battle for the very
soul of our nation -- we have seen what can be, unburdened by what has been," she said.
Everything is at stake, she said. "Our health, our economy, our children's futures. A woman's right to make decisions about her own body. A criminal justice system that treats all people equally and with
dignity. A Supreme Court that advances the legacy of Justice Ginsburg. That lives up to the phrase above its entrance: Equal Justice Under Law," she said.
Harris alleged that Trump lied to American people on the coronavirus pandemic.
"He covered it up. Can you imagine if you knew on January 28 what he knew? Can you imagine how your family might have been able to prepare? Can you imagine how our businesses, how our schools might have been able to prepare?" she asked.
"How we as a country might have been able to prepare? But President Trump doesn't think about what's best for America. He only thinks about what's best for himself. And as a result, we have lost 230 thousand lives to COVID. So many people were forced to die alone because of the nature of this virus," she said.
The US is the worst-affected country from the virus with over 2,31,000 deaths and over 9 million infections. The pandemic devastated the country's economy, resulting in the loss of millions of jobs.
"We are also in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression because President Trump failed to contain this virus. He failed to lead. 23 million people are receiving unemployment. 1 in 5 mothers with
children under the age of 12 describe them as hungry. 1 in 6 households are behind on rent. 1 in 4 small businesses have closed," she said.
"And yet, 9 months into this pandemic, this president still doesn't have a plan to contain it. We have witnessed the greatest failure of a presidential administration in America's history," Harris alleged.
"And on top of it all, President Trump is in court right now trying to end the Affordable Care Act and take health coverage away from over 20 million Americans. He's trying to end protections for the over 100
million Americans with pre-existing conditions," she said on former president Barack Obama's signature health law.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, she said, is a leader who understands what the American people are going through.
"He sees us. He understands suffering because he has experienced it himself. Joe Biden is a leader of both strength and empathy. Toughness and humility," she said.
"He understands that the measure of a person's strength is not based on who you put down, but who you lift up. And he knows that no matter where we come from or where we live, no matter our race or gender, background or faith; no matter how we identify or who we love; no matter the language your grandmother speaks; what we have in common is so much stronger than what divides us," she asserted.
"That's the kind of leader America needs right now. And it's why we must win this election," Harris said.
