ATLANTA (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris stated Saturday that Republican former President Donald Trump was “cruel” for the way he talked in regards to the grieving household of a Georgia mom who died after ready 20 hours for a hospital to deal with her problems from an abortion capsule, as she put combating restrictions on reproductive care on the heart of her pitch to voters.
At a rally in Atlanta, Harris blamed Amber Thurman’s loss of life on Georgia’s abortion restrictions that took impact after the Supreme Courtroom in 2022, with three Trump-appointed justices, overturned Roe v. Wade. It comes as Harris is trying to the problem to propel help to Democrats, who’ve pledged to revive a nationwide proper to abortion in the event that they win the White Home and sufficient seats in Congress.
“Donald Trump still refuses to take accountability, to take any accountability, for the pain and the suffering he has caused,” Harris stated.
Thurman’ story options on the heart of one among Harris’ closing marketing campaign adverts, and her household attended her Atlanta rally, together with her mom holding a photograph of her daughter from the viewers. Harris confirmed a clip of Trump saying throughout a current Fox Information Channel city corridor, when he was requested in regards to the Thurman household becoming a member of a separate media name, “We’ll get better ratings, I promise.”
“A grieving family, a grieving family, sharing the memory of their daughter with our nation. Where is the compassion?” she requested. “What we see continually from Donald Trump is exactly what that clip shows,” Harris added. “He belittles their sorrow, making it about himself and his television ratings. It is cruel.”
Earlier than Harris grew to become the Democratic nominee, Ian Summer season, 19, deliberate on voting in opposition to Trump — however he wasn’t smitten by President Joe Biden. Since Harris stepped into the race “she’s brought great energy,” Summer season stated. Summer season is frightened about restrictions on abortion entry beneath Trump. “The fact that I could have a wife in the future that may not be able to receive the care that she needs, that’s a very scary thing,” he stated.
Early voting can also be underway in Georgia. Greater than 1.2 million ballots have been forged, both in particular person or by mail. Democrats hope an expansive organizing effort will increase Harris in opposition to Trump within the marketing campaign’s last weeks. Harris referenced that former President Jimmy Carter just lately voted by mail days after his one hundredth birthday.
“If Jimmy Carter can vote early, you can too,” Harris stated.
Roderick Williams, 56, introduced his three daughters to Harris’ Atlanta rally. His youngest daughter was born across the time former President Barack Obama entered workplace, and he hopes they will witness historical past once more by seeing Harris turn out to be the primary Black girl to be president.
“It’s important for them to see that anything’s possible,” Williams stated.
Harris was joined on the rally by hometown music icon Usher, drawing once more on star energy as she appears to be like to excite voters to the polls. Earlier Saturday she appeared with Lizzo on Saturday within the singer’s hometown of Detroit, marking the start of in-person voting and lavishing town with reward after Trump just lately disparaged it.
“All the best things were made in Detroit. Coney Dogs, Faygo and Lizzo,” the singer joked to a rally crowd, pointing to herself after itemizing off the recent canines and soda that town is legendary for.
She stated it was time to “put some respect on Detroit’s name” noting that town had revolutionized the auto and music industries and including that she’d already forged her poll for Harris since voting early was “a power move.”
Heaps of reward for the Motor Metropolis got here after Trump, the previous president, insulted it throughout a current marketing campaign cease. And Harris continued the theme, saying of her marketing campaign, “Like the people of Detroit, we have grit, we have excellence, we have history.”
Arms large open as she took the stage, Harris let the group see she was carrying beneath her blazer a “Detroit vs. Everybody” T-shirt that the proprietor of the enterprise that produces them gave her throughout a earlier cease within the metropolis earlier within the week. She additionally moved across the stage throughout her speech with a hand-held mic, not utilizing a teleprompter.
Greater than 1 million Michigan residents have already voted by mail within the Nov. 5 election, and Harris predicted that Detroit turnout for early voting can be robust.
“Who is the capital of producing records?” Harris requested when imploring the group to set new highs for early voting tallies. “We are going to break some records here in Detroit today.”
She slammed Trump as unstable: “Somebody just needs to watch his rallies, if you’re not really sure how to vote.”
“We’re not going to get these 17 days back. On Election Day, we don’t want to have any regrets,” the vice chairman stated.
Lizzo additionally informed the group, “Mrs. Commander-in-Chief has a nice ring to it.”
“This is the swing state of all swing states, so every last vote here counts,” the singer stated. Then, referencing her music of the identical title, Lizzo added, “If you ask me if America is ready for its first woman president, I only have one thing to say: “It’s about damn time!”
Republican Nationwide Committee Chairman Michael Whatley stated in an announcement that Harris wanted Lizzo “to hide the fact that Michiganders were feeling good under President Trump – real wages were higher, prices were lower, and everyone was better off.”
Talona Johnson, a product supervisor from Rochester, Michigan, attended Harris’ rally and stated that Harris “and her team are doing the things that are required to make sure that people are informed.”
“I believe she’s telling the truth. She’s trying to help the people,” stated Johnson, who stated she deliberate to vote for Harris and noticed girls’s rights as her high concern.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything that she’s put out, but she’s better than the alternative,”
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In feedback to reporters earlier than the rally, Harris stated she was in Detroit “to thank all the folks for the work they are doing to help organize and register people to vote, and get them out to vote today. She also called Detroit “a great American city” with “a lot of hard-working folks that have grit and ambition and deserve to be respected.”
The vice chairman was requested about whether or not the Biden administration’s full-throated help for Israel in its battle with Hamas in Gaza would possibly damage her help in Michigan. Dearborn, close to Detroit, is the biggest metropolis with an Arab majority within the nation.
“It has never been easy,” Harris stated of Center East coverage. “But that doesn’t mean we give up.”
Related Press writers Matt Brown in Detroit, Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta and Will Weissert and Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.
