Oprah, Chris Rock and Ben Stiller demonstrate for Kamala Harris
Oprah Winfrey and other A-list celebrities boosted Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in the swing state of Michigan
Vice President Kamala Harris shared the stage with television host Oprah Winfrey on Thursday night for a live-streamed campaign rally with a live audience and virtual participants from a studio in Farmington Hills, where the two discussed a range of issues from the cost of living to abortion rights in light of the upcoming Nov. 5 election.
Harris is running against former President Donald Trump in a tight race for the White House, and her appearance in Michigan comes after her Republican opponent visited the swing state earlier in the week. Trump’s campaign mocked Harris’ appearance before it even began, saying she did not have a robust economic agenda. “We are sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you cannot reduce inflation by hiding gift bags under chairs,” Victoria LaCivita, communications director for Team Trump Michigan, said in a statement Thursday morning.
Winfrey first endorsed a presidential candidate in 2008, when she supported Barack Obama in the Democratic primary, several media outlets reported at the time. She endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and endorsed President Joe Biden again in the final days of the 2020 campaign.
At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month, Winfrey again announced her support for the Democratic nominee. And in Michigan, she voiced her full support for Harris, with the two sitting across from each other in beige accent chairs for over an hour.
An unusual format
In the post-COVID-19 era of hybrid work, where people work both in the office and from home, it’s perhaps no surprise that politicians on the campaign trail are embracing the virtual format, as Harris did on Thursday night. Winfrey said about 400 of her supporters attended in person at a Farmington Hills studio, while thousands, including celebrities, participated remotely.
While the massive Zoom calls from her supporters have boosted Harris’ campaign, Thursday’s live-streamed campaign rally appeared to be further proof that the 2024 campaign cycle has taken the next step in campaigning in an internet age that seems to reward social media influencers and political organizers adept at organizing online.
Those who were in the studio in person got a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes reality of viral moments. Photographers from national news outlets jostled for space with the film crew to get the best shots. “Can I get another water for OW?” an on-set crew member instructed. At the end of the show, Winfrey thanked everyone in the studio and said they had all been amazing.
Tearful stories
During the program, Winfrey invited several people to share their personal stories about abortion bans in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and school shootings.
Amber Nicole Thurman was a Georgia woman who died after receiving delayed abortion care in a state that banned abortion, according to a ProPublica investigation. Winfrey introduced Thurman’s mother, Shanette, on Thursday and invited her to speak publicly about her daughter’s story for the first time.
“At first, I didn’t want the public to know about my pain. I wanted to go through this in silence. But I realized that was selfish. I want you all to know that Amber was not a statistic. She was loved by a family – a strong family – and we would have done anything to get my baby – our baby – the help she needed,” Shanette said, her eyes moist and a tissue in her right hand. “You see a mother who is devastated.”
Winfrey later turned her attention to 15-year-old Natalie Griffith – an Apalachee High School student who was shot in a campus shooting earlier this month. When Winfrey asked her where Griffith had fired, she pointed to the bandages covering her shoulder and wrist. Through tears, her mother, Marilda, recalled receiving a call at work from a friend informing her of the shooting. “My heart sank,” she said, her voice shaking. No parent should have to experience what she experienced, Marilda said.
Michigan election 2024: Joy and tears as Oprah Winfrey expresses her full support for Vice President Kamala Harris in Michigan
Harris makes new comments on gun ownership
Harris emphasized her support for abortion rights and gun safety measures, while arguing that Americans should not have to make difficult choices on these issues when it comes to their religious beliefs in the event of an abortion or abandon their support for the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.
On the issue of abortion, Harris said one does not have to “give up one’s faith or one’s deeply held beliefs to believe that the government” should not tell women what to do with their bodies. She made a similar argument on the issue of guns.
“I think that for far too long, some people have been pushing a really false alternative on the issue of gun violence, saying you’re either for the Second Amendment or you want to take away everyone’s guns,” she said. “I’m for the Second Amendment and I’m for assault weapons bans, universal background checks and red flag laws.”
Harris talked about being a gun owner herself. “If someone breaks into my house, they’re going to get shot,” she said. “I probably shouldn’t have said that. My staff will deal with that later,” Harris laughed.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @clarajanehen.
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