US Vice President Kamala Harris appeared at a talk show-style event hosted by television legend Oprah Winfrey, the Democratic nominee's latest attempt to reach out to undecided voters in an election campaign that has shunned traditional media.
The livestreamed “Unite for America” event in Michigan on Thursday featured a host of celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, along with other Americans who had been personally affected by key election issues, including abortion and guns.
Harris began her discussion with Winfrey by describing her campaign as a movement for unity.
“I think in this moment when we’ve had to deal with so much that I think is pretty exhausting, around powerful forces that would try to divide us and would try to get us as Americans to point fingers at each other, this movement is about reminding each other that we have so much more in common than what divides us,” Harris said.
Winfrey praised the Democratic nominee for “stepping into her power” and asked Harris about the newfound confidence she seemed to gain after replacing President Joe Biden on the ticket.
“We all have moments in life when it’s time to step up,” Harris said.
“I felt a sense of responsibility, to be honest, and with that comes a sense of purpose,” she added.
Harris then discussed her promises on key issues such as the economy, reproductive rights and immigration, including the tax incentives she has proposed to create an “economy of opportunity.”
“Part of my plan is to give small businesses that are starting a $50,000 tax deduction to get their small business up and running. Right now, it’s $5,000. Nobody can start a small business on $5,000,” he said.
The Democrat, who is a former prosecutor, also reached out to gun owners, a sector 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 anyone comes into my house, I will shoot them,” Harris added with a laugh. “I probably shouldn’t have said that, but my staff will deal with that later.”
During the event, Winfrey also introduced several people in the audience to discuss gun control and reproductive rights, including Hadley Duvall, a 22-year-old Kentucky woman who became an abortion rights activist after becoming pregnant at age 12 as a result of years of sexual abuse by her stepfather.
“We can’t wait until it’s too late to worry about reproductive health, because then it will be too late,” Duvall said.
Harris has largely avoided mainstream media appearances since becoming the Democratic nominee, leading critics to accuse her of dodging tough questions about her record and agenda.
On Thursday, Axios reported that Harris and Walz were on track to do fewer interviews and press conferences than any other candidate in modern U.S. history.
Harris and Walz have participated in just seven interviews and press conferences, compared to more than 70 such engagements by former US President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance, according to Axios.
Opinion polls suggest Harris and Trump are in a tight race for the November election.
In a New York Times/Siena poll released Thursday, Harris and Trump were tied at 47 percent, although the Democratic nominee led by four points in the key state of Pennsylvania.
