Kamala Harris sat down with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday for a “virtual rally” live-streamed from Michigan, a key battleground state.
Hundreds of thousands of viewers turned in to the broadcast, which also featured virtual appearances from a host of A-list celebrities, including Tracee Ellis Ross, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Chris Rock and Jennifer Lopez.
“This grassroots people-powered movement behind Kamala Harris has unleashed a unifying force unlike anything we’ve seen in politics in a very long time,” Winfrey said. “I know lots of people are feeling it, because it actually is hope and joy rising.”
Vice President Harris arrives at her Unite for America event with @Oprah 💙 pic.twitter.com/3BcK7hShtc
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 20, 2024
The 70-year-old media mogul made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month, endorsing Harris’s bid for the White House.
“There’s a real feeling of optimism and hope making a comeback … for this new day that is no longer on the horizon but is here,” Winfrey added. “We’re living it.”
Harris and Winfrey were also joined by the mother and sisters of Amber Nicole Thurman, who died in August 2022 after doctors failed to operate on her for 20 hours following complications from taking abortion pills, reportedly the first “preventable” death as a result of Georgia’s ban.
“They just let her die because of some stupid abortion ban. They treated her like she was just another number,” Thurman’s older sister said.
“You’re looking at a mother who is broken,” Thurman’s mother tearfully added. “It’s the worst pain that a parent could ever feel. I want you all to know that Amber was not a statistic. She was loved by a strong family and we would have done whatever to get our baby the help that she needed. Women around the world need to know that this was preventable.”
The mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, who died after not receiving urgent care needed for an infection under Georgia’s extreme abortion ban, speaks out: “I want you to know Amber was not a statistic” pic.twitter.com/S30ZcmQ571
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 20, 2024
Oprah Winfrey: “Let’s Do Better And Vote For Kamala Harris”
Oprah Winfrey urged “decent and caring people,” to step up and vote for Kamala Harris. “This is the moment for people who are tired of all of the bickering and all of the name-calling, people who are exhausted by the craziness and the made up stories and the conspiracies,” she urged. You know that we can do better and that we deserve better.”
.@Oprah: For all of you watching who are still on the fence, in the middle, independent as I am, or whether you just still don't know what you're gonna do. This is the moment for all decent and caring people who want the best for yourself and other people. This is the moment for… pic.twitter.com/QCHIHF3oyB
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 20, 2024
Check out some other highlights from the 90-minute broadcast below.
It is so good to be with @Oprah for a town hall to speak directly with Americans about the issues on their minds in this election.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 20, 2024
Our campaign is about who we are as Americans—and making clear that we stand for freedom, independence, and dignity. pic.twitter.com/5k8h5Ra7Uk
Tracee Ellis Ross is my MFing HERO 🥹
— Qondi (@QondiNtini) September 20, 2024
She said all the things to Oprah and Kamala:
Fangirling over Kamala
Making sure people vote for Democrats down ballot
Shouting out childless ladies, “You don’t have to push out a baby to push humanity forward!” #Kamala47 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2Ix0KKwqUL
.@Oprah: “You are a gun owner. I did not know that.” @KamalaHarris: “If someone breaks into my house, they getting shot… I probably shouldn’t say that. My staff will deal with that later.” pic.twitter.com/KFwYo4MnnG
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) September 20, 2024