DNC 2024 Day 4: Kamala Harris shares vision of her presidency

Harris has accepted the party's nomination.

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Last updated: Friday, August 23, 2024 3:46AM GMT
Kamala Harris invites voters to chart a 'new way forward'
Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president, and despite no surprise guest, her impassioned speech brought her party to their feet.

CHICAGO -- The Democratic National Convention will kick off its fourth and final night Thursday.

After a week of Democrats' most prominent figures rallying the party faithful, Vice President Kamala Harris accepted her party's nomination for president.

The theme of the final night is "For Our Future," according to convention organizers.

ABC News will have special coverage of the DNC -- including primetime coverage from 10 p.m. until 11 p.m. ET on ABC and on ABC News Live from 7 p.m. until 12 a.m. ET.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
ABCNews logo
Aug 26, 2024, 4:39 PM GMT

100,000 balloons drop on crowd

Some 100,000 red, white and blue balloons are falling in the arena while Beyoncé's "Freedom" plays as the final night of the DNC wraps up.

Balloons are released after Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on the final day of the DNC in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.
Balloons are released after Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris spoke on the final day of the DNC in Chicago, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.

In preparation, volunteers and convention staff began inflating them on Wednesday, a convention official said.

ByPolitiFact's Louis Jacobson and Grace Abels
Aug 23, 2024, 3:34 AM GMT

Harris correct that Trump's tariff proposal would act like a tax

Harris said Trump "intends to enact what in effect is a national sales tax -call it a Trump tax - that would raise prices on middle class families by almost $4,000 a year."

Trump has said that he would propose a 10% tariff on all non-domestic goods sold in the U.S. While tariffs are levied separately from taxes, economists say that much of their impact would be passed along to consumers, making them analogous to a tax.

Harris' figure about how much it will cost families is higher than current estimates.

The American Action Forum, a center-right think tank, has projected additional costs per household of $1,700 to $2,350 annually. The Peterson Institute of International Economics, another Washington, D.C.-based think tank, projected that such tariffs would cost a middle-income household about $1,700 extra each year.

ABCNews logo
Aug 23, 2024, 3:19 AM GMT

'America let us show each other and the world who we are'

Harris wrapped her historic speech by again citing her late mother's words.

"My mother had another lesson she used to teach. Never let anyone tell you who you are. You show them who you are," she said.

"America, let us show each other, and the world who we are, and what we stand for: Freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness and endless possibilities," she added

Harris pushed Americans to remember "the privilege and pride of being an American."

"Let's get out there and let's fight for it. Let's get out there, and let's vote for it," she said.

ByTia Yang ABCNews logo
Aug 23, 2024, 3:13 AM GMT

Fact-checking Harris' claim Trump would deploy the military against U.S. citizens

In a litany of attacks against Trump, Harris cited the former president's "explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens.'

In 2023, Trump told voters at a campaign rally in Iowa that he wouldn't wait for governors or mayors to "get crime out of our cities" by calling in the military.

Calling New York City and Chicago "crime dens," Trump said, "And one of the other things I'll do - because you're supposed to not be involved in that, you just have to be asked by the governor or the mayor to come in - the next time, I'm not waiting. One of the things I did was let them run it, and we're going to show how bad a job they do ... We don't have to wait any longer."

-PolitiFact's Aaron Sharockman