Kamala Harris caps convention with call to end Gaza war, fight tyranny

US Vice-President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president on Thursday with a rousing call to end the war in Gaza and to fight tyranny around the world, drawing a sharp contrast with Republican Donald Trump.

"In the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand and I know where the US belongs," Harris said, accusing Trump of bowing down to dictators.

On the final and most anticipated night of the four-day Chicago convention, Harris, 59, promised to chart a "new way forward" as she and Trump, 78, enter the final 11 weeks of the razor-close campaign.

Harris emerged as the Democratic candidate little more than a month ago when allies of President Joe Biden, 81, forced him to quit the race.

It was a forceful speech for a candidate who, during her brief campaign, had yet to articulate much of her vision for the country and faced a stream of personal attacks from Trump, who mocked her black and South Asian heritage and called her weak on the foreign stage.

The speech laid out some broad policy principles, foreign and domestic, but left unsaid specific details which in weeks to come she could be pressured to provide.

After days of protests from Palestinian supporters who were disappointed at not getting a speaking spot at the convention, Harris delivered a pledge to secure Israel, bring the hostages home from Gaza and end the war in the Palestinian enclave.

"Now is the time to get a hostage deal and a ceasefire deal done," she said to cheers.

"Let me be clear, I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.

"What has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost, desperate hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking," she said.

"President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination."

In some of her strongest foreign policy statements to date, Harris said she would take whatever action was necessary to defend US interests against Iran and would not cozy up to tyrants and dictators.

She said such leaders, including North Korea's Kim Jong Un, "are rooting for Trump".

She vowed to stand with Ukraine in its war against Russia and with Nato allies.

If successful, Harris stands to make history as the first woman elected US president.

She described the November 5 presidential election as a "precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past. A chance to chart a new way forward".

Harris drew contrasts with Trump, accusing him of not fighting for the middle-class, planning to enact a tax hike through his tariff proposals, and having set in motion the end of a constitutional right to abortion with his picks for the US Supreme Court.

Harris noted the Supreme Court's recent ruling about presidential immunity and the risks that would engender if Trump gained power again.

"Imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails," she said.

Trump, who had promised to respond to Harris' speech in real time, posted messages on Truth Social as she spoke about him, including "she stands for incompetence and weakness – our country is being laughed at all over the world" and "she will never be respected by the tyrants of the world".

Chicago’s United Centre brimmed with energy and people. The arena’s 23,500 seats were filled and arena staff briefly blocked more people from entering the facility, saying the city’s fire marshal declared the building at capacity.

After Harris ended her speech, 100,000 balloons descended on the crowd, a convention official said. Inflating them took 75 volunteers, 30 staff members and a dozen unionised stage hands.

Biden called Harris to wish her luck before her speech, a White House spokesperson said.

On Thursday night, Harris said she will pass a middle tax cut that will benefit more than 100-million Americans.

She discussed her plans to fight for abortion rights, voting rights legislation, boost the housing supply and ban what she has called "price gouging" by grocers. Her campaign has also proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.

Before the speech, thousands of Palestinian supporters again gathered to protest against US support for Israel as it wages war in Gaza. The issue is one of the most divisive among Democrats and received little attention at the convention, which could hurt Democrats at the polls.

Delegates from the Uncommitted National Movement, which mobilised nearly 750,000 voters to withhold support for Biden during the presidential primaries, entered the venue linking arms and took their seats. Members spent Wednesday night on the sidewalk outside the convention to protest against its rejection of their request for a Palestinian speaker.

Harris has raised a record-breaking $500m (R8.9bn) in a month and narrowed the gap or taken the lead against Trump in many opinion polls of battleground states. Nationwide, she leads Trump 46.6% to 43.8%, according to a compilation of polls by FiveThirtyEight.

Reuters