A protester demanding an end to the war in Gaza derailed the start of Kamala Harris’ speech at a campaign event with Michelle Obama on Saturday, less than 10 days before the election.
The vice president took the stage in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after the former first lady launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump and pleaded with men who planned to vote for him.
Just after the Democrat began her remarks, an audience member interrupted her with chants of “no more war in Gaza.”
Harris paused for a moment as the crowd booed and then said, “On the issue of Gaza, we must end that war.”
His comment came in a state over a weekend where Donald Trump received the endorsement of Muslim leaders at a statewide rally.
Harris’ response also came hours after Israeli warplanes attacked 20 military targets in Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s missile attacks earlier this month.
A protester demanding an end to the war in Gaza derailed the start of Kamala Harris’ speech at a campaign event with Michelle Obama on Saturday.
Outside their rally in Kalamazoo, a small group of about a dozen pro-Palestinian protesters marched and chanted that Harris and Biden “can’t hide.”
Nationally, the war in Gaza is a big issue heading into the 2024 presidential election. But in Michigan, one of the seven battlegrounds that will decide the race, it is critical.
The state’s large Arab-American population is angry and deeply divided over the endorsement of Harris because of her administration’s involvement in the war.
The mayor of Dearborn, the only Arab-majority city in the US, Abdullah Hammoud, refuses to endorse any of the candidates
President Joe Biden and the United States recently began criticizing Israel’s relentless military campaign in Gaza and calling for a ceasefire.
Recent polls have shown Trump gaining popularity among Arab Americans, who could be the deciding factor in the swing state even though he implemented a ban on immigrants from Muslim-majority countries at the start of his first term.
With 10 days until the election, Harris and Trump are tied and polls show them tied across the country.
In an attempt to regain momentum in her favor, Harris has used star power in recent days with appearances by Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama.
She continued on Saturday with Michelle Obama making her first appearance on the campaign trail with less than two weeks left.
The former first lady called for a “greater in the White House” and criticized Trump for lies, childish antics and moral decadence before making an emotional appeal directly to men.
Obama’s appearance in Kalamazoo comes as polls show the presidential race is tied just ten days before the election.
The former first lady questioned why Harris is held to a higher standard and must prove she belongs, while with Trump “we expect nothing at all, no understanding of politics, no ability to craft a coherent statement.”
The vice president took the stage in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after the former first lady launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump and the men who planned to vote for him.
Michelle Obama made her first campaign appearance with Kamala Harris on Saturday with an appeal to men who plan to vote for Trump.
Obama’s appearance in Kalamazoo comes as polls show the presidential race is tied just ten days before the election.
Obama accused the former president of “gross incompetence” as people call on Harris to “dazzle us at every turn.”
He highlighted what he called Trump’s obvious mental deterioration, being a convicted felon found responsible for sexual assault.
Obama said Harris “so completely dominated her opponent in the debate that he refused to debate her again.”
‘Why the hell is this race so close?’ the former first lady asked as the crowd went wild.
Obama said she stays awake at night wondering ‘what the hell is going on?’ He said Harris has shown she is ready, but asked, ‘as a country, are we ready for this moment?’
Harris with Obama at the Wings Event Center. The former first lady questioned why Harris is being held to a higher standard than Trump and praised her for being ready to meet the moment.
The former first lady said she fears for the country and her children if people forget what is at stake in the election. He said that if Trump becomes president, at some point ugliness will touch everyone’s life.
Obama said he was campaigning in Michigan because of that fear, saying, “and you know I hate politics.”
But midway through her speech, the former first lady struck an extremely somber tone when she asked men not to leave women’s lives in the hands of politicians when it comes to reproductive health care by overturning the case. Roe v. Wade.
Obama reviewed in graphic detail the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth.
He asked men from the depths of his being “to take our lives seriously” and said that voting for Trump is “voting against us.”
She also pleaded with women to remember that “we are more than baby-making vessels.”