Biden, Harris kick off 2020 campaign

Former US vice-president Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris on Wednesday made their first public appearance as Democratic running mates, praising one another and each attacking US President Donald Trump on issues ranging from the economy to his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden and the 55-year-old senator from California－the first black woman and the first Asian American on a major party's presidential ticket－appeared in Wilmington, Delaware, at a school near Biden's home.

It was attended only by news media and campaign staff, as well as Biden's and Harris' spouses, Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff, a lawyer, due to social distancing protocols during the pandemic.

Their speeches were delivered in a silent room and livestreamed to a virtual audience. Biden and Harris did not shake hands and, for the most part, stayed more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart.

"I have no doubt that I picked the right person to join me as the next vice-president of the United States of America," Biden said."One of the reasons that I chose Kamala is that we both believe that we can define America simply in one word: Possibilities."

Biden said that his son Beau's respect for Harris heavily influenced his choice. Harris and Beau Biden knew each other when both served as state attorneys general－Harris in California, and Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46, in Delaware.

Biden also said he expected Harris, with whom he clashed during the Democratic debates, to challenge him at times. "I asked Kamala to be the last voice in the room, to always tell me the truth－which she will－to challenge my assumptions if she disagrees, to ask the hard questions."

In her remarks, Harris cast blame for the US death toll from the coronavirus－nearly 166,000 have died so far－and the country's economic trouble on Trump.

She explained her vision of the choice for the US public between Biden and Trump.

"This is a moment of real consequence for America. Everything we care about－our economy, our health, our children, the kind of country we live in－it's all on the line," she said.

"America is crying out for leadership, yet we have a president who cares more about himself than the people who elected him."

She said Biden, despite the personal tragedies he has faced, never focuses on himself.

"He's someone who never asks,'Why is this happening to me?'" Harris said."And instead asks,'What can I do to make life better for you?' His empathy, his compassion, his sense of duty to care for others is why I am so proud to be on this ticket."

$26m in 24 hours

Biden raised $26 million in the 24 hours after he named Harris as his running mate, doubling his previous one-day record and signaling enthusiasm among Democrats following the selection of the first black woman on a major party's presidential ticket.

"It's really palpable, the excitement," Biden said on Wednesday.

Soon after Biden announced his choice of Harris as running mate on Tuesday, Trump described her at a news conference four times as "nasty" or "nastier" and complained that she had not been nice to his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during confirmation hearings.

Chen Yingqun in Beijing and agencies contributed to this story.