US Vice-President Kamala Harris has sought to define herself and draw a sharp contrast with Republican Donald Trump as she accepted the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nomination.

“On behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth, I accept your nomination for president of the United States,” Harris said to the roars of Democrats at their national convention.

Harris emerged as the Democratic candidate little more than a month ago when allies of President Joe Biden, 81, forced him to quit the race.  Her address in Chicago caps a whirlwind eight weeks in US politics and manifests the stunning reversal of Democratic fortunes just 75 days until Election Day.

Party leaders who had publicly despaired over Biden’s candidacy after his disastrous debate against Trump, were jubilant both at the historic nature of Harris’ candidacy and their buoyed hopes for November.

The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, Harris became the first black woman and person of south Asian descent to accept a major party’s presidential nomination. If elected, she would become the first female US president.

“America, the path that led me here in recent weeks was no doubt unexpected. But I’m no stranger to unlikely journeys,” she said.

Harris talked about being raised primarily by her mother after her parents divorced in a small apartment in San Francisco’s East Bay, and being raised as well by friends and caregivers who were “family by love.”

Outlining her career as a prosecutor, state attorney general, senator and now vice president, Harris said, “My entire career I’ve only had one client: The people.”

Meanwhile, she said Trump has only ever acted in the interests of “the only client he has ever had: Himself.”

Harris drew one of her biggest cheers when she addressed on the ongoing issue of abortion.

“Donald Trump hand-picked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom,” she said.

“Now he brags about it in his words. Quote, ‘I did it, and I’m proud to have done it.’

“Understand he is not done as a part of his agenda. He and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication, and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress.

“Get this: he plans to create a national anti-abortion coordinator and force states to report on women’s miscarriages and abortions.

“Simply put, they are out of their minds.”

On Thursday, the final, and most anticipated, night of the Democratic National Convention convention, Chicago’s United Centre brimmed with energy – and people. The arena’s 23,500 seats were filled and arena staff briefly blocked more people from entering the facility, saying the city’s fire marshal had declared the building at capacity.

Country band The Chicks sang the national anthem, and Pink performed in Chicago’s United centre, an arena that seats more than 20,000 people.

But there was no sign of popstar Beyonce, despite feverish rumours online earlier on Thursday that a “big star” would appear at the DNC.

“She was never scheduled to be in Chicago,” Beyonce’s representative Yvette Noel-Schure told CNN.

Harris has incorporated Beyonce’s 2016 song Freedom in campaign rallies and in her ads. She walked on stage on Thursday to the song.

Also on Thursday, the Central Park Five, black men who were exonerated after being wrongly convicted of rape as teenagers and incarcerated for years, got a standing ovation. Members criticised Trump, who as a New York City real estate developer denounced the teenagers at the time. He has refused to recant his incorrect claims.

Harris said Trump and his running mate JD Vance were “denigrating America” and “talking [on the campaign trail] about how terrible everything is”.

“Well, my mother had another lesson she used to teach. Never let anyone tell you who you are, you show them who you are,” Harris said.

“America, let us show each other and the world who we are and what we stand for: Freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, fairness, and endless possibilities.”

Trump’s spray in response

Trump wasted no time in responded on his Truth Social platform.

“IS SHE TALKING ABOUT ME?” he wrote in one of several rapid-fire posts as Harris spoke.

“She said, ‘Chart a new way forward,’ but she’s had 3½ years, and has done nothing but HARM!” a second post said.

Trump also pushed back on Harris’ characterisation of the conservative policy plan Project 2025, which he has repeatedly tried to distance himself from.

“LYING AGAIN ABOUT PROJECT 2025, WHICH SHE KNOWS, AND SO DO ALL DEMOCRATS, THAT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH!” he wrote.

The Democratic crowd also went wild for Senator Elizabeth Warren, who grew emotional and wiped away tears. Warren, who made her own White House bid in 2020, delivered a ringing endorsement of Harris as she belittled Trump as “the felon.”

Victims of gun violence, including former US Representative Gabby Giffords, also appeared.

Former US Representative Adam Kinzinger, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-president Trump, was one of several Republicans to speak at the convention against Trump.

“Democracy knows no party,” Kinzinger said, telling his fellow Republicans that “Democrats are as patriotic as us. They love this country as much as we do.”

Harris’ forceful stump speeches have been met by a surge in enthusiasm from voters ahead of the November 5 election. Harris has raised a record-breaking $500 million in a month and has narrowed the gap or taken the lead against Trump in many opinion polls of battleground states that will decide the election.

-with AAP