MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Let's stay with politics and this big moment. This is Kamala Harris closing out the Democratic Convention last night.
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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on earth, I accept your nomination to be president of the United States of America.
KELLY: There are just 73 days to go in this presidential campaign. So how did Harris do? And what might the next 2 1/2 months look like? Let's bring in NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro to discuss. Hey, Domenico.
DOMENICO MONTANARO, BYLINE: Hey, Mary Louise.
KELLY: How did Harris do at this convention?
MONTANARO: Well, this was a big moment for her. I mean, this was the most important speech she's ever given in her career. She tried to connect with the audience by telling her story, blue collar child of immigrants who dreamed big, strove to accomplish big things but didn't make excuses. She laid out the kind of future she sees for America while contrasting with Trump's vision. And she really laid claim to being the change candidate in this election. And I have to say that's really quite a remarkable thing for someone who's a sitting vice president to try and pull off.
KELLY: Well, exactly, and whose party already controls the White House and all of that. So stay there. How is Harris trying to show I'm the change candidate, I'm going to be different?
MONTANARO: Yeah. I mean, for so long, this race was between two men who people really had very locked-in views of, I mean, Trump and President Biden. And people were clamoring for something different. Harris certainly represents that. On the surface, there are big differences, obviously. She's decades younger than both men. She's a woman, a Black woman and of South Asian descent, all of which would be historic firsts for a president. But beyond that, she's also delivering a different message, not just from Trump, who's now been on the political scene, running for president or serving as president for almost a decade now, but also from President Biden.
KELLY: How is the message actually different, though, in terms of substance?
MONTANARO: Yeah. I mean, just look at their speeches from this week. The differences were underlined by how Harris talked about Gaza, for example. But Biden's speech was darker. You know, he painted Trump as a more urgent threat to democracy. At one point, she did say that Trump is basically a strong man wannabe, but she put it in the context of foreign policy and American values on the international stage.
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HARRIS: They know Trump won't hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself. And as president, I will never waver in defense of America's security and ideals because in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand, and I know where the United States belongs.
MONTANARO: You know, and that was really an effort to flip the script on some Republican attacks on Democrats, something that Democrats did a lot this week.
KELLY: Say more about that, Domenico. You're talking about Democrats working to combat vulnerabilities, vulnerabilities Republicans would like to exploit.
MONTANARO: Yeah. I mean, I thought this was one of the more interesting things that happened this week. You know, Democrats really inverted Republican themes on a whole host of issues, you know, from national defense, patriotism, standing up for veterans, to the very definition of freedom itself and what and who is blue collar? You know, Trump often likes to other people, make them seem different or like they're not true Americans. Kamala Harris has certainly faced a lot of that because of her name, people mispronouncing it often on the right intentionally so. But she didn't really dive into all of that. Instead, she painted her story as a truly American one, the product of immigrant parents raised in a community where neighbors were like family, and was taught that you get ahead by hard work and not complaining.
KELLY: So a question. Looking forward to next week and beyond towards November, Democrats have just had this big party, they've got all this enthusiasm. Can they keep it up?
MONTANARO: Well, we'll see. I mean, candidates usually do get a bounce out of their conventions that usually recede. Certainly she's on a bit of a high right now. But this is still a very close election. And there were lots of Democrats this week warning against irrational exuberance, stressing the need to do the work. And there are 2 1/2 months left. And now is when the real campaign begins.
KELLY: NPR's Domenico Montanaro, doing the work for us. Thank you, Domenico.
MONTANARO: Hey, you're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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