Kamala Harris has pushed back on Donald Trump for saying he has “no regrets” about overturning Roe v Wade and ending women’s access to abortion in much of the US.
“Yesterday, when he was asked if he has any regrets about ending Roe v Wade, Donald Trump, without even a moment’s hesitation – you would think you’d reflect on it for a second – said: ‘No regrets,’” said the vice-president at tonight’s rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just after a raucous ceremonial roll call at the Democratic national convention being held in Chicago confirmed her as the party’s nominee for president.
“Bad behavior should result in a consequence. Well, we will make sure he does face a consequence, and that’ll be at the ballot box in November.”
The remarks come on the heels of the former president’s repeated boasts about overturning Roe v Wade.
On Monday, he told CBS News: “The federal government should have nothing to do with this issue. It’s being solved at the state level and people are very happy about it.”
He added: “No regrets, no. I wouldn’t have regrets. I did something most people felt was undoable.”
In her address, Harris touted her affordable housing plan to support first-time buyers and then moved on to criticizing Project 2025: “Can you believe they put that thing in writing? That plan tells us what they are up to. Donald Trump intends to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations … He wants to impose what is, in effect, a national sales tax, which will cost a typical family $3,900 a year.”
She warned about the potential end to the Affordable Care Act: “Remember what that was like when insurance companies could deny people with pre-existing conditions? Breast cancer survivors, children with diabetes, grandparents … being denied care. We’re not going back.”
Harris said the stakes were higher than ever before for the country.
“This is not 2016 or 2020,” she said, arguing that Trump has become more dangerous as he seeks a second term. “The stakes are higher,” she added, pointing to the supreme court’s immunity ruling for presidents. She raised Trump’s comments promising to be a dictator on his first day in office, and suggested he would terminate the constitution.
The speech was not without issue among the crowd. Someone had a medical emergency and, from the stage, Harris asked for medical help. She instructed rally-goers to clear a path. After a few moments, Harris declared: “We’re going to be OK. This is what we’re about, looking out for each other.”
The vice-president, alongside her running mate Tim Walz, made a brief virtual appearance at the Democratic convention, which continues throughout the week.
At the start of her address to the convention, Harris praised Joe Biden for his valedictory speech: “Wasn’t he terrific last night? I know we are all deeply grateful for his lifetime of service to this nation. Thank you, Joe. We know this is going to be a tight race until the very end … We will win.”
She sounded hoarse, but energetic: “This is not just about us versus Donald Trump. This is about two very different visions for our nation. Ours is focused on the future.”
