Vice President Kamala Harris took part in a high-profile political event on Thursday evening, with media titan Oprah Winfrey playing host. The event, known as “Unite for America,” was a two-hour livestream broadcast from Michigan. The purpose of the event was to highlight grassroots organizers who are backing Harris and to give voters an opportunity to ask her about her political agenda. However, Harris did not present any new policy initiatives during the event.
A significant moment of the evening occurred when Harris was questioned about her strategies for securing the southern border. Harris, who has a history as a prosecutor and has served two terms as the attorney general of a border state, took three minutes to respond to the question. Her answer ended with a critique of Republicans for their failure to pass a bipartisan border bill, but she did not propose any new policy solutions.
Winfrey, who had to intervene to guide Harris back to the question, asked if Harris would reintroduce the failed bill if she were elected. Harris answered in the affirmative, stating that she would ensure the bill was brought to her desk for signing into law if she were to become president. However, she did not offer any further strategies for dealing with the border crisis.
The “Unite for America” event was designed to reach a wide audience through Winfrey’s influence and various social media streaming platforms. Several celebrities, including Chris Rock and Ben Stiller, voiced their support for Harris during the event.
During the event, Harris spoke at length about abortion, characterizing it as “immoral” to deny individuals the right to make decisions about their own bodies. She also restated her plans to provide new homeowners with $25,000 for their down payment, increase tax deductions for new small business owners, and improve the child tax credit.
Winfrey, who had previously endorsed Harris and had spoken at the Democratic National Convention a month earlier, observed that Harris had become more active and confident since President Biden withdrew from the race. Harris agreed with this, stating that she felt a sense of duty and purpose after Biden’s exit.
Harris subtly criticized her opponent, former President Donald Trump, during the event, underlining the importance of democracy. Despite being a 2024 candidate, Harris has only had six media interviews prior to the livestream with Winfrey, which is significantly fewer than most recent presidential nominees.
Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris’s campaign manager, recognized the tight race against Trump and urged voters to get involved. She stressed the importance of securing 270 electoral votes and noted that the race was tied in Michigan and other battleground states.