In her nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Vice President Harris made the case for an “opportunity economy” and a commitment to America’s allies.

Appearing clad in a black suit and black shirt at Chicago’s United Center, Ms. Harris arrived to thunderous applause after three straight days of praise from the likes of President Biden, Presidents Obama and Clinton, and former first ladies Michelle Obama and Secretary Clinton. 

Ms. Harris, who has so far failed to sit for an interview or release a full slate of policy proposals, spent some of her time detailing the few policies she has so far described. She talked about the “opportunity economy” she wants to build, which includes investments in housing, strong labor protections, and price caps on prescription drugs. 

“We will provide access to capital for small business owners and entrepreneurs and founders, and we will end America’s housing shortage and protect Social Security and Medicare!” she declared. The vice president has received much criticism for failing to explain exactly how she would pay for such investments, though her staff has told reporters that she embraces the tax hikes that were proposed by the most recent Biden White House budget — including a 28 percent corporate tax rate, a 25 percent tax on unrealized gains, and a 44 percent tax on capital gains. 

Her ode to Mr. Biden was short and sweet, however. Many voters have so far viewed Ms. Harris as a departure from the incumbent president, and it appears she’d like to keep it that way. “To our president, Joe Biden: When I think about the path that we have traveled together, Joe, I am filled with gratitude,” Ms. Harris said, praising Mr. Biden’s “record” and “character.” Mr. Biden, after addressing the convention on Monday, promptly left Chicago for a vacation with his family in California. 

The vice president then turned to President Trump, who she said was an existential threat to democracy and a tool of the wealthy. She said the only thing he truly cares about is his own wallet. 

“He doesn’t actually fight for the middle class. Instead, he fights for himself and his billionaire friends, and he will give them another round of tax breaks that will add up to $5 trillion to the national debt,” Ms. Harris said. 

Ms. Harris also described Trump’s plan for across the board tariffs as a “Trump tax” that would cost the average American household an extra $3,900 per year. According to American Action Forum, Trump’s ten percent tariff on all imported goods and his 60 percent tariff on products from Communist China could cost the average family at most just over $4,000. 

Ms. Harris also spent some of her speech talking about her national security bona fides — an area where voters view Trump more favorably. On issues like the conflict in the Middle East and dealing with the southern border, Trump is seen as the better leader, according to a poll from ABC News. 

The vice president talked about her record of prosecuting sexual abusers and transnational gangs, and knocked Trump for helping to kill a bipartisan Senate border deal that would have given the president the emergency authority to close the border if illegal crossings reached a certain level. 

“Joe and I brought together Democrats and conservative Republicans to write the strongest border bill in decades. The border patrol endorsed it. But Donald Trump believes a border deal would hurt his campaign, so he ordered his allies in Congress to kill the deal,” she said. “I refuse to play politics with our security, and here’s my pledge to you: As president, I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed and I will sign it into law!”

She also touched on the conflict in the Middle East and the Russia–Ukraine war. On Israel and Gaza, she promised to always give Israel the capabilities it needs to defend itself from another October 7 attack, but also said that the death toll at Gaza had grown far too high. The audience offered raucous cheers when the vice president said she would not give up on her effort to ensure a hostage deal and a cease-fire.