Harris Steps Into the Spotlight, Reintroducing Herself on Her Own Terms

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday made her first public appearance since President Biden dropped his re-election bid, praising Mr. Biden’s record as “unmatched in modern history” as she began an effort to reintroduce herself to Americans on her own terms.

Speaking at an event honoring college athletes at the White House, Ms. Harris talked about her friendship with Mr. Biden’s son Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015, and commended the president’s “deep love of our country.”

But she wasted no time in starting to build her new profile as the presumptive nominee and the new hope among Democrats for defeating former President Donald J. Trump. Ms. Harris raised $81 million in her first 24 hours as a presidential candidate, began an effort to engage delegates and scooped up key endorsements.

In the three and a half months until Election Day, Ms. Harris still needs to define herself for the American people before Republicans do it for her. She also needs to quickly take over the campaign apparatus that Mr. Biden had spent more than a year building.

After the event at the White House on Monday, Ms. Harris traveled to Wilmington, Del., to say hello to staff members at what had been the Biden-Harris campaign headquarters.

“One day down,” Ms. Harris said in a social media post on Monday. “105 to go. Together, we’re going to win this.”