Kamala Harris, the US Vice President and Democratic Presidential candidate for the 2024 United States Election has appeared in a talk show-style event hosted by television legend Oprah Winfrey, the Democratic candidate's latest attempt to reach undecided voters in an election campaign that has shunned traditional media.
Aljazeera reports that The livestreamed “Unite for America” event held in Michigan on Thursday featured a host of celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, alongside other Americans who key elections issues including abortion and guns had personally touched.
Harris started her discussion with Winfrey by casting her campaign as a movement for unity.
“I think in this moment where we’ve dealt with so much that I think is quite exhausting, around powerful forces that would try and divide us, and would try to have us as Americans pointing fingers at each other, that this movement that is about reminding each other that we have so much more in common than what separates,” Harris said.
Winfrey who commended the Democratic candidate for “stepping into her power”, asked Harris about the newfound confidence she appeared to gain after replacing President Joe Biden on the ticket.
“You know we each have those moments in our lives when it’s time to step up,” Harris said.
“I felt a sense of responsibility, to be honest with you, and with that comes a sense of purpose,” she added.
The presidential candidate also discussed her pledges on key issues such as the economy, reproductive rights and immigration, including tax incentives she has proposed to create an “opportunity economy”.
“Part of my plan is to give start-up small businesses a $50,000 tax deduction to start up their small business. Right now, it’s $5,000. Nobody can start a small business with $5,000,” she said.
Harris, who is a former prosecutor, also reached out to gun owners, a slice of the electorate that has traditionally voted in greater numbers for the Republican Party.
“I’m a gun owner, Tim Walz is a gun owner,” Harris said, referring to her running mate.
“If somebody breaks in my house they’re getting shot,” Harris added with a laugh. “I probably shouldn’t have said that, but my staff will deal with that later.”
During the event, Winfrey presented numerous audience members to address gun control and reproductive rights, including Hadley Duvall, a 22-year-old Kentucky woman who became an abortion rights activist after becoming impregnated at the age of 12 due to sexual abuse by her stepfather.
“You can’t wait until it’s too late to care about reproductive healthcare, because then it’s too late,” Duvall said.
It was learnt that Harris has largely avoided traditional media appearances since becoming the Democratic nominee, leading critics to accuse her of ducking tough questions about her record and agenda.
According to opinion polls, Harris and Trump are in a close battle for the November election.
In a New York Times/Siena survey issued on Thursday, Harris and Trump were even at 47 percent, with the Democratic candidate leading by four points in Pennsylvania, a vital battleground state.
