ESPN sports commentator Stephen A. Smith weighed in on Vice President Harris’s speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) earlier this week, saying that she got off to a rough start but after the first 10 minutes, Harris was “sensational.”
“I thought she was too much into her resume and her bio, sort of capitulating to all the noise about, you know, her qualifications,” Smith told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo Friday, adding “but after that, I thought she was sensational.”
The TV personality said he was “very, very” proud of Harris’s acceptance speech.
“She made the case for being the Democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States of America, reminding folks over her credentials in a way that basically, you know, shoved aside notions of her being some radical leftist,” Smith said.
Harris delivered remarks Friday evening from the Chicago convention where she was officially nominated as the Democratic Party’s nominee to take on former President Trump in November. The convention was seen as a pivotal moment in her short campaign, and she sought to keep the momentum and excitement going.
Other political figures took the stage over the week, making the argument that Harris was more fit to be in office than Trump.
“She fed off the momentum that was built in the days leading up to the encore performance,” he continued, also calling speeches from former President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama “sensational.”
Harris’s speech capped off a whirlwind few weeks where she broke fundraising records and hosted packed rallies across the country as she rose to the top of the ticket following President Biden’s exit. She and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) have been busy, but Walz said they can sleep when they’re dead.
According to Smith, Harris’s speech was a perfect way to end the DNC because it contrasted from Trump’s long speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month.
“You were waiting for the encore performance and praying that Kamala Harris did not resemble Donald Trump and his speech to cap off the Republican National Convention in any way,” Smith said. “And she certainly was not guilty of that.”
“She was absolutely sensational for the last 25 to 30 minutes, making her case to the American people on behalf of the Democratic Party,” he added.
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