Vice President Kamala Harris is set to clinch the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. On Tuesday, she hit the campaign trail for the first time since President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. Meanwhile Democratic leaders Charles Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Ms. Harris on Tuesday, capping off their party’s swift embrace of her 2024 candidacy.
President Biden had tested negative for COVID-19 and headed to Washington on Tuesday.
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
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‘Do We Believe in the Promise of America? And Are We Ready to Fight for It?’
Kamala Harris launched her campaign for president Tuesday.
From an event hall in suburban Milwaukee, Harris told a cheering crowd, “This campaign is not just about us versus Donald Trump. This is about who we fight for.”
“We believe in the sacred freedom to vote,” she said. “We believe that every person in our nation should have the freedom to live safe from the terror of gun violence,” she added.
“Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it?” she said.
Trump Says He Still Wants to Debate Harris
Former Trump said he’d like to debate Ms. Harris “more than once” but did not commit to appearing at the next scheduled debate in September on ABC.
On a Tuesday afternoon press call about Ms. Harris’s immigration record, former President Trump said he was “not thrilled at ABC” and may want another network to air the debate. He said he’d only agreed to debate President Biden twice—during the June 27 debate that led to President Biden bowing out of the race and then in September—not Ms. Harris.
But President Trump said he still wants to debate Harris.
“I think debating’s important for a presidential race,” he said. “You sort of have an obligation to debate.”
‘When Our Middle Class Is Strong, America Is Strong,’ Harris Says
Harris is not just beginning her campaign. She is beginning to form a campaign message, one with a middle-class theme not unlike the Biden administration’s.
“We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead, a future where no child has to grow up in poverty, where every worker has the freedom to join a union,” she said Tuesday.
“So, all of this is to say building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency,” she said. “Because here’s one thing. We all here, Wisconsin, know when our middle class is strong, America is strong.”
Harris Holds First Presidential Campaign Rally
Ms. Harris is beginning her campaign for president with a rally in West Allis outside of Milwaukee.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone. Good afternoon Wisconsin. It is good to be back,” Harris said on Tuesday—her first words from the campaign trail, in a state decided by only about 10,000 votes in 2020.
To chants of “Kamala, Kamala, Kamala!” Harris thanked statewide elected Democrats, Gov. Tony Evers and Tammy Baldwin.
“I had the privilege of serving with Tammy when I was in the United States Senate. And I know that the folks that are here are going to make sure you return her to Washington, D.C., in November,” she said.
Schumer, Jeffries Endorse Harris
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have endorsed Ms. Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Mr. Schumer said in a news conference with Jeffries on Tuesday that President Biden’s “selfless decision” not to run “has given the Democratic Party the opportunity to unite behind a new nominee.”
He said the leaders waited to endorse her until she had secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee against Republican Donald Trump.
“The vast majority of my senators quickly and enthusiastically endorsed her, so now that the process has played out, from the grassroots bottom-up, we are here today to throw our support behind Vice President Kamala Harris,” Mr. Schumer said.
President Biden said Sunday that he would not run.
Mr. Schumer said he spoke to Harris on Sunday and she wanted to win the nomination “on her own.” Mr. Jeffries added that Ms. Harris is “ready, willing and able to lead us into the future.”
Biden Heads to Washington After COVID, Ending Campaign
President Joe Biden headed to Washington on Tuesday, two days after ending his reelection bid and endorsing Ms. Harris for the Democratic nomination to take on Republican former President Donald Trump.
President Biden spent nearly a week recovering from COVID-19 at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, as he weighed his 2024 candidacy, ultimately dropping his campaign and preparing to address the nation about his decision to not seek another term in office.
The president wore his trademark aviator glasses and clasped a surgical mask as he boarded Air Force One to Washington, where he will speak to Americans from the Oval Office on Wednesday night.
President Biden’s White House physician said the president had tested negative for COVID-19 and that his symptoms had resolved.
“The president continues to perform all of his presidential duties,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote in a letter on Tuesday.
President Biden said his Wednesday remarks, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, will address “what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.”
On Thursday, he will meet with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said.
Trump to Meet with Netanyahu on Friday
Former President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Mr. Netanyahu is in Washington and due to address the U.S. Congress on Wednesday and meet with President Biden on Thursday.
Biden Tests Negative for COVID-19
President Biden is now free of COVID-19.
The White House released a letter from his personal physician, Kevin O’Connor, on Tuesday noting that Biden was testing negative for the virus and that his symptoms have resolved.
President Biden, who has been convalescing at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, is returning to Washington later Tuesday.
North Carolina Governor: Harris’ Running Mate Should Have a ‘Vision for America’
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters in Winston-Salem that he wants Vice President Kamala Harris to have “the very best person” as her running mate and will “respect her process” in choosing someone for that position. He declined further comment on his own prospects of becoming her running mate, including whether he has submitted vetting materials to the campaign.
“I appreciate people thinking of me that way, but like I say, this is the time for us to be supporting Kamala Harris, putting her in the spotlight,” Cooper said Tuesday.
Whoever becomes Harris’ running mate should have a “vision for America,” he said.
“I think there are a long list of Democrats who could do an amazing job in that position with her,” Cooper said. “The thing is, she has extraordinary people to pick from and I trust that she’s going to make the right decision—not only for her but for the Democratic Party and the country.”
White House Press Secretary Says Calls for Biden to Leave Presidency Are ‘Ridiculous’
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is dismissing Republican suggestions that President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race suggests that he’s no longer capable of finishing his term in the White House.
“I think that’s ridiculous. Seriously,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said Tuesday on ABC’s “The View.” “The president decided to not run for reelection. That’s it. That’s all he decided on. He wants to continue to do the work.”
She said the administration will “run through the finish line” and the end of President Biden’s presidency in January.
Ms. Jean-Pierre argued that President Biden’s leaving the race was him putting the country ahead of himself, saying, “This president was a public servant for 54 years.”
She quickly added, “We’re not done yet. He stepped down from being the nominee, but he’s still the president.”
Biden to Address the Nation Wednesday Night
President Joe Biden said he will give a prime-time televised address on Wednesday night about his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
“Tomorrow evening at 8 p.m. ET, I will address the nation from the Oval Office on what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people,” said President Biden in an X post on Tuesday. The president has been recovering from COVID in recent days.
Biden to return to the White House
President Biden departs Delaware to return to the White House.
Melinda French Gates Endorses Harris
Melinda French Gates, the philanthropist and former wife of Bill Gates, endorses Ms. Harris.
“She spearheaded legislation to eliminate racial disparities in maternal health care. She is leading on policies to make paid leave, child care, and elder care more affordable for families.” Ms. French Gates says in a Post on X.
“I am proud to support Vice President Harris. During her years in the White House, she has proven that she knows how to lead through crises while pushing for the change we need. I want her fighting for our country for the next four years.” She writes.
Sen. Peter Welch Endorses Harris
In a Post on X, Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) voiced his support for Ms. Harris.
“Throughout Kamala Harris’s career—as California’s top prosecutor, and as Senator, and as our Vice President—she has been a champion for hardworking families,” Mr. Welch said. “I’m proud to join Vermonters in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as our party’s nominee for President of the United States.”
George Clooney Endorses Harris
In a statement to CNN, Hollywood actor George Clooney endorsed Ms. Harris.
“President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He’s saving democracy once again,” Mr. Clooney said. “We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.”
Harris to Visit Battleground State of Wisconsin
Ms. Harris is making her first visit to a battleground state Tuesday after locking up enough support from Democratic delegates to win her party’s nomination to challenge Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump—just two days after President Biden dropped his reelection bid.
As the Democratic Party continues to coalesce around her, Ms. Harris is traveling to Milwaukee, where she will hold her first campaign rally since she launched her campaign on Sunday with President Biden’s endorsement. Ms. Harris has raised more than $100 million since Sunday afternoon, and has scored the widespread backing of Democratic officials and political groups.
Tuesday’s visit was scheduled before President Biden ended his campaign, but it took on new resonance as Ms. Harris prepared to take up the mantle of her party against former President Trump and sought to project calm and confidence after weeks of Democratic Party deliberations over President Biden’s political future.
The visit comes a week after the Republican National Convention wrapped up in the city, and as Ms. Harris works to sharpen her message against the GOP nominee with just over 100 days left until election day 2024. Wisconsin is part of the Democrats’ “blue wall” of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania that is critical to their 2024 plans.
By Monday night, Ms. Harris, who also ran for president in 2020, had the support of significantly more than the 1,976 delegates she would need to win on a first ballot.
Ms. Harris is to be joined by major elected officials in Wisconsin, including Gov. Tony Evers, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Attorney General Josh Kaul, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, and Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, as well as state labor leaders.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.