Rallying Teachers Union, Harris Defies Trump to ‘Bring It On’

Vice President Kamala Harris rallied thousands of members of the most powerful teachers unions in the country to join her in a fight against what she called former President Donald J. Trump’s plans to roll back their rights, gut their protections and undermine their profession.

In a keynote address at the national convention of the American Federation of Teachers, Ms. Harris blasted efforts by “extremists” who she said wanted to take the country back to a “dark past” that included “failed trickle-down economics,” union busting, slashing social programs and curtailing student loan forgiveness.

And before the crowd of 3,500 people, she assailed fraught policies that flourished under the former president’s administration, such as attempts to ban books about Black history and arm teachers.

“Just think about it: So, we want to ban assault weapons, and they want to ban books,” Ms. Harris said, prompting the crowd to boo.

Ms. Harris, who has been on a blitz of events since announcing her candidacy this week, amplified attack lines against Mr. Trump, her Republican opponent, that have become the centerpiece of her already sharpened stump speech.

Ms. Harris used the platform to continue drawing attention to far-right plans that could come to fruition should Mr. Trump win a second term, pointing to a 900-page document compiled by his conservative allies called “Project 2025.” The document calls for cutting social safety net and education programs like Head Start, which provides preschool for millions of low-income children.