Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a speech Wednesday about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, her first public on-camera address about the shooting since it happened Saturday.
Harris spoke about the attempted assassination of Trump ahead of a roundtable discussion on abortion rights in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
“As we all know, it was a horrible, terrible, cowardly act,” she said. “My husband Doug and I are thankful he was not seriously injured.”
Harris said she was thinking of Trump’s wife Melania and was worried about her.
“That day, when we saw what happened, we immediately prayed for his well-being,” she said. “And our thoughts immediately went out to Melania, who we met, and her family.”
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke openly about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump
First Lady Melania Trump attends a campaign event for her husband Donald Trump
Harris and Melania Trump both attended funeral of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter in November.
The Vice President expressed shared concerns about family members holding public office.
“The bottom line is that no one should have to fear for the safety of a loved one because they hold public office,” she said.
Harris reminded Americans of the traditions of a peaceful democracy, but also said it was important to continue campaigning on these issues.
“Violence is never acceptable … at the same time, the hallmark of American democracy is a fierce competition of ideas,” she said.
Harris’ comments appeared to be a reset of her campaign narrative, after she disappeared from the campaign stage for three days following the Trump shooting.
Harris accused Trump of “manipulating” voters by claiming he only wanted abortion rights to be regulated by individual states, citing the history of the Civil War.
“First of all, every historian here knows what it means when we start talking about states’ rights, but let’s put that aside for a moment,” she said.
The vice president’s public profile has increased as more Democrats express concerns about Biden’s re-election after his disastrous debate performance and concerns about his age.
Harris would be the first to replace Biden if he were to resign. Democrats already seem open to that.
A YouGov/Economist poll issued On Tuesday, it emerged that 79 percent of Democrats support Harris as the Democratic nominee if Biden leaves office.
President Joe Biden arrives to deliver a speech at the White House with Vice President Kamala Harris
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) urged Joe Biden to end his presidential campaign
On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff, who is running for Senate in California, called on Biden to abandon his re-election campaign.
“A second Trump presidency undermines the foundation of our democracy, and I have grave concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Schiff said in a statement.