US Vice President Kamala Harris launched her election campaign Monday with a sharp personal attack on Donald Trump and promised to win in November despite President Joe Biden's surprising exit.

As she neared the Democratic party's nomination with strong support and large donations, Harris criticized Trump in her first speech to campaign workers since Biden's announcement on Sunday.

Biden, 81, made his first public comments in nearly a week as he recovers from Covid. He called into the campaign meeting to say that stepping down, after concerns over his health and mental fitness, had been the "right thing to do" and praised Harris as "the best."

"We are going to win in November," Harris told campaign workers in a fiery speech at campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. She said she came to the Wilmington office to speak to them personally after the "rollercoaster" of the last few days.

Criticizing Trump, Harris mentioned her past role as California's chief prosecutor, saying she "took on perpetrators of all kinds."

"Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump's type," she said to applause.

Harris also promised to focus on the issue of abortion after Trump praised the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn the federal right to the procedure.

'Limitless optimism'

Biden dropped out on Sunday and endorsed Harris after weeks of increasing pressure, following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.

Harris, aiming to become the first woman president in US history, won the support of many Democrats, including former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi, 84, said she endorsed Harris "with immense pride and limitless optimism."

Donors have also rallied, pouring a record $81 million into Harris's campaign in 24 hours after Biden stepped aside. The campaign said this was the largest one-day donation haul in presidential history, with 60 percent of the 888,000 grassroots donors making their first 2024 contribution.

Biden, sounding hoarse, explained his decision to step aside from the race and pledged to continue working on key issues, including ending the war in Gaza. Addressing Harris, he added, "I'm watching you, kid. I love you."

In a symbolic moment on Monday morning, Harris hosted a ceremony for college athletes at the White House while Biden remained in isolation with Covid at his Delaware beach house. "Joe Biden's legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history," Harris said in brief remarks on the White House South Lawn, as a light rain fell.

Biden's symptoms "have almost resolved completely," his doctor said Monday, though the White House has not yet announced any events on his schedule this week.

'Threat to democracy'

Biden's withdrawal has completely changed the 2024 race, transforming it from a contest between two unpopular elderly men into one of the most compelling in modern US history. The move has energized a demoralized party that Harris could now unite, potentially giving America its first female president.

It has also hit Republicans hard, with Trump, 78, now the oldest presidential nominee in US history, having to change a strategy that was built around attacking Biden over his age and health.

Harris's entry not only flips the age issue but also puts Trump, a convicted felon found liable of sexual assault, up against a woman and former prosecutor. Trump has struggled to move on from Biden, launching a series of angry social media posts after Biden quit, mocking the president's age and saying he and Harris posed a "threat to democracy."

Trump's running mate J.D. Vance echoed that attack at a rally in Ohio on Monday, telling supporters that Harris had the momentum because "elite Democrats got in a smoke-filled room and decided to throw Joe Biden overboard."

"That is not how it works. That is a threat to democracy," he said.

Source: Danny Kemp and Frankie Taggart, AFP