Kamala Harris nearly suffered an embarrassing stumble when she was greeted with a boisterous reception at a rally in Arizona.
The vice president, 59, jumped down the stairs at a packed stadium in Glendale and appeared to catch her foot but avoided falling — a gaffe President Biden has repeated several times during his term in office.
She was greeted on stage by her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who took the opportunity to launch several criticisms of Donald Trump in his speech.
Kamala’s Arizona rally coincided with Trump’s own event in the Republican-controlled state of Montana, which was delayed after his plane was forced to make an emergency landing earlier in the day due to a “mechanical issue.”
While pundits have said the Trump campaign has struggled to recover from Harris’ momentum after replacing Biden on the Democratic ticket, she surprisingly warned her supporters that they remain “the losers” in the election.
Kamala Harris received a boisterous welcome at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday.
Harris almost suffered an embarrassing stumble while jumping down the stairs at a rally in Arizona
After being introduced by Walz, Harris was quickly interrupted by pro-Palestine protesters in the crowd.
She responded to the interruption by calming her supporters and saying she wanted to “respect” the voices of those protesting, and sparked cheers by openly calling for a “ceasefire” in the Middle East.
“Let me say this, in relation to what I think I’m hearing there,” he said.
“I have been clear: now is the time to reach a ceasefire agreement and finalize the hostage deal.”
Harris’ campaign said more than 15,000 people packed Desert Diamond Stadium on Friday, and she was headlined by speakers including Walz and another Democrat who was on her vice presidential shortlist, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
Kelly praised Walz’s military record as the vice presidential nominee’s record came under scrutiny in recent days, including allegations that he retired early from the National Guard to avoid being deployed.
Harris was introduced by her running mate Tim Walz (right) and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly (left, with his ex-wife Congresswoman Gabby Giffords)
Kelly, a former Navy fighter pilot, said Walz “served honorably in uniform for decades” and said he “has brought that experience to everything he’s done since: fighting for our service members, fighting for veterans and fighting for military families.”
The Arizona senator also compared Walz to Trump, who avoided the Vietnam War draft by claiming to have “bone spurs,” as he said the former president “has no respect for any of us who have worn the uniform.”
The rally comes shortly after Trump held a news conference at Mar-A-Lago, where he claimed he draws bigger crowds than Martin Luther King.
While warming up the crowd Friday night, Walz referenced Trump’s comment when discussing the large crowd in Arizona, joking, “But it’s not like anybody cares about the size of the crowd or anything.”
The rally comes shortly after Trump held a news conference at Mar-A-Lago, where he claimed he draws bigger crowds than Martin Luther King.
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and Navy fighter pilot, criticized Trump for having “no respect for any of us who have worn the uniform.”
Carrying the message over to her November election fight, Harris clearly sought to draw contrasts between her campaign and Trump’s.
“Across our country we are witnessing a frontal attack on hard-won and fought-for freedoms and rights,” he said.
‘The freedom to be safe from gun violence; the freedom to love who you love openly and proudly; and the freedom for a woman to make her own decisions about her own body.’
Harris’ decision to listen and respond calmly to pro-Palestine protesters at her hearing on Friday marks a change of heart from the same situation that occurred at a demonstration in Detroit earlier this week.
At that rally, protesters interrupted her remarks by chanting “Free Palestine, free Palestine,” which the vice president quickly dismissed.
“You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say so,” he said. “Otherwise, I’ll do the talking.”
The apparent enthusiasm for Harris at the Arizona rally is an indication of the dramatic shift the election has seen in just three weeks since Biden dropped out of the race.
And in new polls, this shift is reflected in Harris quickly regaining ground lost by Biden in his final weeks of campaigning.
Overall, the race is tied according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll. Nationally, Harris now leads the race 50 percent to 49 percent among likely voters. In battleground states, the race is tied at 50 percent.
While the two major parties’ candidates are now statistically tied, the picture was very different for Democrats just a few weeks ago, when polls showed Trump with a five-point lead over Biden.
The July poll also showed Trump with a three-point lead in a hypothetical matchup against Harris, but the vice president appears to have eliminated his advantage since assuming the top spot on the ticket.
