Vice President Kamala Harris stepped up her campaign rhetoric and attacked Donald Trump speaking in Indiana on Wednesday, where she vowed that “we’re not playing around.”
The vice president’s visit to Indianapolis was her second stop since securing enough delegates to become the Democratic presidential nominee in two days, when President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race on Sunday.
But this comes amid criticism from Republicans in Washington, who accuse her of not presiding over a joint session of Congress at which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address.
Harris delivered the address at the Grand Boulé of the historically black fraternity Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Zeta Phi Beta is part of the collection of nine historically black fraternities and sororities known as the “Divine Nine,” of which Harris’ sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, is also a member.
Her appearance at the event was scheduled before Biden’s exit from the race, but the vice president used the visit to drum up support for her presidential campaign among members of her sorority and to attack Trump.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Zeta Phi Beta, Inc. sorority’s Grand Boulé, where she rallied members ahead of the 2024 election and attacked Donald Trump.
“You know when he was President, Donald Trump, the former President hand-picked three members of the Supreme Court of the United States because he wanted them to overturn Roe v Wade,” Harris said.
“And since he wanted it, so they did,” she continued. “Well, let me tell you something: When I am president of the United States and Congress passes a law to restore those freedoms, I will sign it into law.”
When she mentioned that she would become president, the crowd erupted in cheers. It was the biggest applause of all her comments.
“We’re not playing,” Harris replied with a laugh as the applause died down.
“Right now, our nation needs your leadership once again,” he told the crowd. “Right now, I believe we are faced with a choice between two different visions for our nation, one focused on the future and the other focused on the past.”
Harris also mentioned the conservative 2025 Bill, which Democrats have been warning they will implement if Trump is re-elected.
“These extremists want to take us back, but we are not going back,” he said to cheers.
According to the vice president’s office, the lunch was attended by six thousand people.
Vice President Harris steps off Air Force Two upon arrival in Indianapolis on July 24
Attendees cheered Vice President Harris as she delivered the opening remarks at the Zeta Phi Beta event. During her visit, the phrase “when I am president” was met with thunderous applause.
During the stop, Harris also praised Biden’s leadership and gave a preview of what to expect from his primetime address on Wednesday night.
“He’s going to talk not just about the work, the extraordinary work he’s done, but about his work over the next six months,” Harris said.
The president is expected to address the nation from the Oval Office about his decision to step aside and not seek a second term.
“Joe Biden is a leader with a bold vision. He cares about the future. He thinks ahead. He has extraordinary determination and a deep compassion for the people of our country,” he said.
Harris’ visit to the Republican state comes as nearly 100 Democrats are expected to skip Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday amid tensions over the ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, DC, on July 24, before delivering a speech to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill
A group of Republican senators sharply criticized the vice president at a news conference Wednesday afternoon for not attending the joint address. They said the claim that there was a scheduling conflict was inappropriate.
But Harris is not the only senior Democrat who will not be present for the speech.Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and the second-most powerful Democratic senator, Dick Durbin of Illinois, will also be absent.
The vice president will meet separately with Netanyahu on Thursday, the White House said.