Elizabeth Warren says Harris will protect Americans in DNC speech : NPR

The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts gave an emphatic endorsement of her former colleague in the U.S. Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris, during her speech at the DNC on Thursday.

Before Warren even began her remarks, she was visibly emotional and the crowd met her with a warm reception and long applause.

Both Warren and Harris vied for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Harris dropped out in 2019 and Warren dropped out after a bad showing on Super Tuesday.

During her speech supporting Harris’ 2024 run, Warren drew a contrast between Harris and her opponent in the presidential race, former president Donald Trump, who Warren referred to as “the felon.”

She told the crowd that while Trump defrauded Americans, Harris “stepped up” and “enforced the law” during her time as California’s attorney general.

“Kamala was protecting families,” she said. “And Donald was scamming students at Trump University and trying to make money off people losing their homes.”

“That is the difference between a criminal and prosecutor,” Warren said.

Warren, who was integral to the creation of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, called Trump “a billionaire who doesn’t pay taxes.” In contrast, she painted Harris as a strong figure who will defend the rights and economic interests of Americans.

“She gets it,” she said. “We need to make life more affordable for working people.”