‘If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that’: Harris fires back at Gaza protesters at rally

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/08/07/harris-to-protesters-if-you-want-donald-trump-to-win-then-say-that/74714086007/

42 comments

  1. > Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, fired back at pro-Palestinian protesters of Israel’s war in Gaza as they interrupted her speech during a Wednesday night campaign rally in Detroit.
    >
    > **”You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,”** Harris said, drawing long applause from supporters in the crowd before chants of, **”We’re not going back!”**
    >
    > The exchange was a reminder of the lingering divisions among Democrats over the war that pose challenges for Harris in her race against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
    >
    > As Harris spoke, a group of protesters interrupted the vice president about halfway through her remarks: **”Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide! We won’t vote for genocide,”** they shouted.
    >
    > More: Harris, Walz bring historic campaign to Michigan, rallying at Detroit Metro Airport
    >
    > Directing her remarks at the protesters, Harris said: **“I’m here because I believe in democracy. I believe everyone’s voice matters. But I’m speaking now. I am speaking now.”**
    >
    > More than 15,000 attended the Harris rally held at a Detroit airport hangar with Air Force Two in the background − the type of campaign setting Trump has made a staple during his three runs for president.
    >
    > It was the most well-attended rally yet for the still-young Harris campaign as she conducts a multi-state blitz with her new running-mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, this week.
    >
    > Throughout the year, protesters have regularly followed President Joe Biden at his public events but the demonstrations have been less of a reoccurrence for Harris, who launched her campaign after Biden dropped out of the race July 21.
    >
    > Dearborn, Michigan outside of Detroit is home to a large Arab American and Muslim population that has criticized the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas following the militant group’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
    >
    > In Michigan’s Democratic primary in February, a majority of primary voters in Dearborn, 57%, chose “uncommitted” over Biden in a protest over his position on Israel’s war in Gaza.
    >
    > Michigan, with 15 electoral votes up for grabs, is a critical battleground state that Biden carried in 2020 en route to his election victory over Trump.
    >
    > Although Harris, like Biden, has remained steadfast in her backing of Israel, she helped take the lead in the administration’s criticism of Israel for the number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza. **”Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed,”** Harris said last December. **“Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating.”**
    >
    > Harris last month told reporters, **”We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.”**
    >
    > *Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.*

  2. Sometimes it really feels these “pro Palestine protesters”do it for the clout and don’t really care about the issue. I can’t wrap my head around why they would want heckle the person who has said they shouldn’t ignore the truth of what’s going on in Gaza. Why not go protest the person who said they should just finish the job and flatten them?

  3. It is horrible that we’re stuck in a system that defaults to just 2 viable parties over and over again. We need to beat Donald in a landslide, with all the dirty dealings that’s already underway. Vote even if you’re in a solid blue or solid red state. Donald will be far worse for Palestinians.

  4. It’s strange to me that these protestors are civically engaged enough to know about the horrors in Gaza, but don’t seem to realize that protesting Harris is helping Trump, who we all know will make the situation much worse. I’m all for protesting, but this seems less like protesting Israel and more like supporting Trump, especially since I never hear about Gaza protestors at Trump events.

    Right now, Biden is in charge so protest him and push him to act. When Harris wins, then we should protest her if she doesn’t take appropriate action.

  7. Gaza protesters threatening to not vote for Kamala are basically asking for dozy don to end their suffering with nukes, tbh.

  8. “Before her rally in Detroit, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke briefly with the co-founders of the Uncommitted National Movement, which mobilized tens of thousands of voters in Michigan to withhold their votes from President Biden in the primary earlier this year over his support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Abbas Alawieh and Layla Elabed said they were in the welcoming line for Harris and Governor Walz, and communicated to Harris that they wanted to support her but that voters wanted her to consider an arms embargo to immediately stop the carnage in the besieged enclave.”

    “Harris listened to stories of people in Michigan who have had dozens of family members killed in Gaza. The leaders asked to meet with her about the embargo request, and she indicated she was open to it, and introduced the two leaders to her staff.”

    From the NYT

  9. Can you imagine having the absolute PRIVILEGE necessary to be a single-issue Gaza voter in this election? With abortion, voting, and LGBTQ rights on the line and Harris being the only thing standing in Project 2025’s way, and they’re gonna campaign against her? I cannot fathom the blinders these people have on.

  10. I’m tired of trying to appease to the unappeasable. Of course she wants a ceasefire, the overwhelming majority of the party does.

    But it’s also a difficult political position that continues to get tougher when you see Hamas flags in the protest groups and people burning the American flag and vandalism…

    No president is gong to cuddle up to that.

  11. Imagine that, the people who were threatening to cause trouble if they weren’t listened to by picking Shapiro still aren’t happy. Funny 

  12. Where have their asses been on republican rallies? They seem to target only democrats while republicans openly support the war and Palestine’s destruction.

  13. Ain’t it weird how these protestors never seem to show up at a Trump rally? Interesting

  14. They are so pro-Palestine that they want the anti-Muslim candidate to win…

    Weird!!

  15. Ever get tired of carrying the weight of these single issue voters? Project 2025 will harm my immediate family, my parents, my in-laws. Not to mention the many other ways it harms a majority of America. But sure…heckle the person that will prevent all of that as if she can wave a wand a make rainbows and unicorns appear in Palestine, not that there is a sitting president that she is the VP for and that president is in charge of negotiation (between two parties that each selfishly want the war to continue) nor can she subvert / agree to any details that could jeopardize that.

    You can fight for the correct cause (ceasefire) and still go about it in a way that really makes you a total AH in everyone’s eyes. slow clap….

  16. Look:

    I wish the Biden Administration was much stricter on Israel. And I support anyone who wants to, peacefully, protest the rights of all the Palestinians who are suffering right now.

    But in all seriousness, what are you expecting at this point? Either you get Kamala who, while still wanting to support Israel, has publicly said she won’t be AS kind as Biden was. Or you get Donald Trump who has made it clear he is NEVER going to support Palestine.

    At this rate these protestors in Michigan are either super suspect like Kamala is implying here or they’re just so angry they cannot see the forest through the trees.

  17. People know that they don’t need an excuse not to vote, right? If you are a crappy American and you just don’t want to vote, then don’t vote. Own it. Don’t pretend that one issue is more important than all the other serious things hanging in the balance.

    And heck, with Harris at least a ceasefire and an arms embargo could be on the table. Couldn’t be said for either Biden or Trump. The only way for Gaza to get justice from the US is for all the old guard to be voted out completely.

  18. I was there. For what it’s worth, it was six people.

  20. It’s unfortunate that some care more about virtue signaling than the fact that more Palestinians would end up dead under a Trump administration.

  21. Trump met with Bibi last week.

    What do you think he’ll do to Palestine if he wins office?

    Damn, these protesters are morons.

  22. I think it’s a very important issue, one that made me not support Biden as much as I would have wanted to but right now, in the US, there are very very important issues at stake….its kind of an emergency situation at the moment. I lived in the Bay Area for ages, I have never been a fan of Harris but right now, I think she’s the best shot we have and I will throw my entire support behind her. I think Walz was the right choice and possibly the equalizer to people who are lukewarm on Harris, it’s ALMOST like having Sanders in there. Abortion, education, climate and environmental problems, democracy in general etc etc are on the line now in our own country right now, if she wins, I hope she calls for a cease fire and stops supply weapons to Israel but we have to take care of our own right now.

  23. How big was the group? These news outlets want to paint Palestinian protesters as all like this, and it’s BS. It’s a small number.

    I’m pro Palestine, I’ve demonstrated, and I’m voting for Kamala.

  24. 2 things:

    First, I respect the hell out of her for saying that. I was never a big Kamala fan, but was going to vote for her simply because I don’t want Trump. Stuff like this has actually made me excited to get out and vote for her.

    Second, if the pro-Palestinian people allow Trump to win because they want to act like children then they fully deserve everything coming to them if he gets elected. You have to be a complete and total moron to think that allowing a Trump win would help your cause in any way

  25. saw an activist at my college (columbia) post that they want trump to win so that they can organize liberals easier against a conservative leader for their “revolution.” I’m all for supporting Gaza, but some of these protesters are losing the message in their push for moral superiority.

  26. She literally took time to meet with this group before the rally and reaffirmed her call for an immediate ceasefire. Despite that they still disrupted it. She was patient with them interrupting the rally until they wouldn’t stop.

    They aren’t really endearing anyone to feel Kamala was in the wrong here. It seems some of the uncommitted campaign was grateful for the willingness for open dialogue and others just want shit to burn.

  28. The fact they think that Trump would make the situation better is laughable. They’re cutting off their noses to spite their faces. If you’re against Kamala, you’re pro-Trump. It’s as simple as that.

  29. I am ardently anti-war and anti-genocide.

    The only way we get ANY of the policy we want is to progress towards a future Donald Trump is not part of. There are so many nuances and complications, and while the movement towards addressing this horrible genocide is extremely need and admirable, we cannot ignore that we must move forward DOMESTICALLY as well to have a shot at helping to end it.

    We need policies and politicians who want to further that, not themselves.

  30. Pro-Hamas protesters, we won’t vote for “genocide.” Trump wins, oh shit why are we being rounded up and deported?

  31. I’ve seen some friends get mad at this response. But what is she supposed to do? Stop the whole speech and rally to make it a dialog with these heckling protestors? That shows a massive disrespect to those that came for her speech. And these people shouting at her mid-speech wouldn’t exactly accept anything less because they feel entitled to her time clearly 

  32. Anyone talking about Gaza needs to just shut the fuck up for the next three months unless you want Donald Trump to win. Yes it is a terrible, terrible tragedy. Yes, you are more righteous and virtuous than the rest of us for taking a stand. Okay, feel better? Now please just shut the fuck up until November 6th. You can accuse her of genocide all you want at that point.

  33. These protestors feel so forced and stupid that id say it’s all staged, except I have some online friends (very liberal) who fall for all of it. This is just using your privilege to only care about one issue in an election with more on the table than ever, AND Kamala is no doubt better than Trump on this, and all things. It’s so fucking dumb to me

  34. I am pro Palestine but was so annoyed with these protestors. She met with members of the uncommitted movement right before the rally. Them heckling her on the same day makes the whole meeting look like a waste of time. Good luck getting additional meetings with any president after that.

  35. I seriously have to wonder how many shit stirrers are planted among legitimate pro Palestinian groups. Forces that want Trump in the Whitehouse now how to create derision. People truly invested have to Know Kamala Harris is the ONLY chance for any help to Gaza going forward.

  36. I’m 100000% team Free Palestine, but I’m not ignorant or single-minded enough to not recognize that if we have any chance of saving Palestine, we have to save America first. How much money will AIPAC spend to ensure Trump wins if we start calling them out now? We can’t. Not today.

  37. The situation in Gaza is dire and demands immediate resolution. However, I have observed that some supporters here in the States seem more focused on seeking attention rather than contributing to meaningful change. This past spring, while working on a local campus, I engaged with students about their views on the war. When I asked what specific actions they wanted the government to take, I received conflicting or vague responses.

    This experience led me to believe that, outside of those directly affected by the conflict, many protesters may be participating more for a sense of belonging than for genuine advocacy. It’s crucial that our activism is informed and directed toward effective solutions, rather than simply a means of seeking attention. Interrupting the speech of a candidate who has spoken about Gaza and the Palestinians more than anybody else on the Republican side is short sighted. They should heckle JV Vance about it.

  38. This is an issue for 6 months from now, because not a single thing matters before we defeat the immediate threat to our own democracy. Then we can get in Harris’ ear about what we want. Before then? Before she’s in office? I’m gonna look like the lady in the pink robe on North Korean tv

  39. I really feel for you Americans with your two party politics. If both parties are against what you feel is important then there is nothing to do. 

    Either throw away your vote or vote for the one that will do the least harm to you.

  40. Single issue voters are why we had Trump in 2016.

    Let us not repeat that mistake again and vote for progress.

  41. I’m so tired of the one issue voters. People have no idea how bad things can be. The privilege of youth and self-righteousness has put blinders on so many.

  42. There was a small group of similar protesters outside the event venue in Philly as well. They screamed over a bullhorn that was hard to make out what they were saying, and had a loudass buzzer that they’d buzz in time with their chants. Shit was fucking annoying and I cannot fathom who they think they were persuading with that. I hate Netanyahu and would love nothing more than for Kamala to not give him another dime in support, so please do not fucking yell and blare buzzers at me, Jesus

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