Using a format similar to her former long-running talk show, Oprah Winfrey hosted a campaign event with Vice President Kamala Harris in suburban Detroit on Thursday night that brought together a mix of celebrities, campaign organizers and a host of swing-state voters.
The Farmington Hills, Michigan, event, which drew a crowd of a few hundred in person and some virtual attendees, began with talk of a “new day” and the sense of “joy” that Democrats have associated with Harris’ campaign. But the conversation then shifted to questions featuring personal, intimate stories from people affected by state abortion bans and school shootings.
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Parents of Natalie Griffith, a 15-year-old girl injured in the accident Deadly shooting at Apalachee High School Earlier this month, in Winder, Georgia, protesters spoke out. Griffith’s mother, Marilda, made an emotional plea for “changes to be made” to combat gun violence. His father, Doug, who stressed that he is not a registered Democrat, called for metal detectors in schools.
Harris did not explicitly say whether she agreed with the call for metal detectors, but said, “We just have to use common sense.” repeated his calls for an assault weapons ban and universal background checks. When Winfrey took note of Harris own a firearmAs she revealed during previous campaigns and repeated during her debate with Trump, Harris said that “if someone breaks into my house, they’re going to get shot.”
“Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said that,” Harris joked. “My team will deal with it later.”
The mother and sisters of Amber Thurman — a Georgia woman who died in 2022 after medical care was delayed due to the state’s abortion ban — also spoke publicly for the first time since ProPublica’s report on Thurman was published.
“I’m beyond hurt, disappointed… We trusted them to take care of her, you know?” said Thurman’s sister, CJ. “And they let her die because of a stupid abortion ban. They treated her like she was just another number.”
Harris called Thurman’s death “preventable” and as she has it Throughout her campaign and vice presidency, she blamed former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominations for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She also criticized states that restrict abortion but carve out exceptions “to save the life of the mother,” saying that shouldn’t happen.
“So is she at death’s door before you decide to help her? Is that what we’re saying?” Harris asked. “It’s like a doctor or nurse saying, ‘She could die at any moment, you better get her some care.’”
Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky woman who was impregnated by her father at age 12 and was able to get an abortion, also spoke. Duvall had appeared in several of Harris’ campaign ads and had also spoken at the Democratic National Convention.
The event was broadcast live and conducted in an interview format, much like Oprah Winfrey’s old talk shows. It was billed as a way to bring together many pro-Harris coalitions, including “Win with Black Women,” “White Dudes for Harris” and “Swifties for Harris.”
All are groups that held Zoom conference calls have been a fundraiser for Harris’ campaign and a way to mobilize voters. Harris’ campaign advisers have seen the event as a way to reach voters who might be convinced, and Winfrey has often structured her questions to be geared toward undecided voters.
Several celebrities also appeared via video, including Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jennifer Lopez, Julie Roberts, Tracee Ellis Ross, Bryan Cranston and Meryl Streep.
Earlier Thursday, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley criticized the event, saying in a statement that Harris was campaigning with “a celebrity out of touch with reality, confirming once again that the Democratic Party is not the party of hard-working Americans, but the party of elitists.”
Streep asked Harris what her plan would be if she won in November and there was another attempt to overturn the election results, like Trump and some Republicans are criminally charged with what he would have done in 2020.
“We will be ready,” Harris said, pointing the finger at Republicans unhappy with the January 6th Capitol Insurrection “To try to overturn a free and fair election in which the American people voted was a step too far for a lot of people… I think there is absolutely no tolerance from the vast majority of Americans for this, and they have seen the lies.”
Harris quickly referred to her campaign’s legal team and asked the public to help combat misinformation and support election officials.
Winfrey, an independent who supported Harris and spoke at the DNC last month, closing the program by urging undecided voters to choose Harris.
“This is the time for those who are tired of quarrels and insults, for those who are exhausted by madness, made-up stories and plots. This is the time to resume the normal course of their lives, because you know that we can do better and that we deserve better.”
