CHICAGO, Aug 22 (Reuters) – Vice President Kamala Harris 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 United States 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 became the Democratic nominee just over one month ago when the allies of 81-year-old President Joe Biden compelled him to exit the finals. It was a forceful speech for a candidate who, due to the brevity of her campaign, had barely yet to articulate much of her vision for the country, and she had faced a stream of personal attacks from Trump, who mocked her Black and South Asian heritage and called her weak on the foreign stage. 

It was a speech that laid out broad foreign and domestic policy principles but discreetly left unsaid the specific details she likely could be pressured into providing weeks later. It came after days of protests by Palestinian supporters disheartened by not having received a speaking spot at the convention.

The scenes over the last ten months in Gaza were tragic. Many innocent people died. Hungry people, desperate for safety, displaced time and time again. The magnitude of human suffering is gut-wrenching,” she said.

President Biden and I are working toward an end to this war so that Israel can be secure, the hostages can be returned, the suffering in Gaza can stop, and the Palestinian people can ultimately live in dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.

In some of her strongest foreign policy comments to date, Harris said she would use any action that was necessary to defend U.S. interests against Iran and would not cosy up to tyrants and dictators. She said countries like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un “are rooting for Trump.”

She pledged to stand with Ukraine in its war against Russia and with NATO allies. The United Center in Chicago was packed—and packed with people. There was no floor space outside of the makeshift pen for the media. United Center staff stopped more than a few others from entering the facility, explaining that the city’s fire marshal had declared the building at capacity.

She spoke of fighting to protect abortion rights, voting rights legislation, and for increasing the housing supply and a ban on what she has termed as ‘price gouging’ by grocers. nationn 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 United States 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 became the Democratic nominee just over one month ago when the allies of 81-year-old President Joe Biden compelled him to exit the finals. It was a forceful speech for a candidate who, due to the brevity of her campaign, had barely yet to articulate much of her vision for the country, and she had faced a stream of personal attacks from Trump, who mocked her Black and South Asian heritage and called her weak on the foreign stage. 

It was a speech that laid out broad foreign and domestic policy principles but discreetly left unsaid the specific details she likely could be pressured into providing for weeks to come. It came after days of protests by Palestinian supporters disheartened by not having received a speaking spot at the convention.

The scenes over the last ten months in Gaza were tragic. Many innocent people died. Hungry people, desperate for safety, displaced time and time again. The magnitude of human suffering is gut-wrenching,” she said. President Biden and I are working toward an end to this war so that Israel can be secure, the hostages can be returned, the suffering in Gaza can stop, and the Palestinian people can ultimately live in dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination.

In some of her strongest foreign policy comments to date, Harris said she would use any action that was necessary to defend U.S. interests against Iran and would not cosy up to tyrants and dictators.

She said countries like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un “are rooting for Trump.”

She pledged to stand with Ukraine in its war against Russia and with NATO allies. The United Center in Chicago was packed—and packed with people. There was no floor space outside of the makeshift pen for the media. United Center staff stopped more than a few others from entering the facility, explaining that the city’s fire marshal had declared the building at capacity.

She spoke of fighting to protect abortion rights, voting rights legislation, and for increasing the housing supply and a ban on what she has termed as ‘price gouging’ by grocers.