Vice President Kamala Harris launches presidential campaign: Hails Joe Biden's ‘unmatched’ legacy

US Vice President Kamala Harris has lauded President Joe Biden for his service to the country in her first public appearance since he abruptly abandoned his re-election bid and endorsed her as his successor.

“Joe Biden’s legacy over the last three years is unmatched in modern history,” Harris said at a White House event to honour college athletes.

“Every day, our president, Joe Biden, fights for the American people and we are deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation.”

Harris did not specifically refer to her new status as the leading Democratic candidate for president after Biden stepped aside on Sunday under growing pressure from fellow Democrats.

Campaign officials and allies have already made hundreds of calls on Harris’ behalf, urging delegates to next month’s Democratic Party convention to join in nominating her for president in the November 5 election against Republican Donald Trump.

Biden’s departure was the latest shock to a White House race that included the near-assassination of former president Trump by a gunman during a campaign stop and the nomination of US Senator JD Vance as Trump’s running mate.

Harris said in a post on X that she would visit what had been the Biden campaign headquarters in Delaware - now the Harris campaign headquarters - on Monday afternoon.

She said Biden, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, was feeling better.

Virtually all of the prominent Democrats who had been seen as potential challengers to Harris have lined up behind her, including governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gavin Newsom of California and Andy Beshear of Kentucky.

“My intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said in a statement on Sunday.

“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party - and unite our nation - to defeat Donald Trump.”

Biden, at 81 the oldest person to have occupied the Oval Office, said he would remain in the presidency until his term ends on January 20, 2025.

The president has not been seen in public since testing positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.

Biden was isolating at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and tentatively plans to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday if he has recovered.

Biden’s shaky June 27 debate performance against Trump led senior Democrats to urge him to end his run but senior Republicans have demanded he resign from office, arguing that if he is not fit to campaign, he is not fit to govern.

Harris spent Sunday working the phones, dressed in a Howard University sweatshirt and eating pizza with anchovies as she spoke with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a potential vice presidential running mate, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Congressional Black Caucus chair Representative Steven Horsford, according to sources.

Despite the early show of support for Harris, talk of an open convention when Democrats gather in Chicago on August 19-22 was not totally silenced.

Former president Barack Obama has yet to endorse a candidate.

In a post on X that did not mention Harris, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, a major Democratic donor, encouraged the party to “take the pulse of voters” before making a decision.

With Democrats wading into uncharted territory, Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison said the party would soon announce the next steps in its nomination process.