Harris says Trump was 'cruel' at Georgia rally while highlighting abortion restrictions: NPR

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally at the Lakewood Amphitheater on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Atlanta.

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ATLANTA – Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday that former Republican President Donald Trump was “cruel” for the way he spoke about the grieving family of a Georgia mother who died after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to receive her Treating complications from an abortion pill, she said, made fighting restrictions on reproductive medicine the focus of her election campaign.

At a rally in Atlanta, Harris blamed Amber Thurman's death on Georgia's abortion restrictions, which came into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 with three Trump-appointed justices. It comes as Harris is trying to use the issue to win support for Democrats, who have promised to restore national abortion rights if they win the White House and enough seats in Congress.

“Donald Trump still refuses to take responsibility for the pain and suffering he has caused,” Harris said.

Thurman's story is the focus of one of Harris' final campaign ads, and her family attended her rally in Atlanta, with her mother holding a photo of her daughter from the audience. Harris showed a clip of Trump saying during a recent Fox News Channel town hall when asked whether the Thurman family would attend a separate media call: “We'll get better ratings, I promise.”

“A grieving family, a grieving family sharing the memory of their daughter with our nation. “Where’s the compassion?” she asked. “What we see from Donald Trump all the time is exactly what this clip shows,” Harris added. “He trivializes their grief and focuses on himself and his television ratings. This is cruel.”

Before Harris became the Democratic nominee, 19-year-old Ian Summer planned to vote against Trump — but he wasn't keen on President Joe Biden. Since Harris entered the race, “she has brought great energy,” Summer said. Summer is concerned about restrictions on abortion access under Trump. “The fact that I could have a wife in the future who may not be able to get the care she needs is a very scary thing,” he said.

Early voting is also underway in Georgia. More than 1.2 million ballots were cast in person or by mail. Democrats hope a comprehensive organizing effort will bolster Harris in the final weeks of the campaign against Trump. Harris pointed out that former President Jimmy Carter recently voted by mail just days after his 100th birthday.

“If Jimmy Carter can vote early, so can you,” Harris said.

Roderick Williams, 56, brought his three daughters to Harris' rally in Atlanta. His youngest daughter was born around the time former President Barack Obama took office, and he hopes they can witness history again by seeing Harris become the first black woman to become president.

“It’s important for them to see that anything is possible,” Williams said.

Harris was joined at the rally by hometown music icon Usher, who is once again drawing on star power to get voters to the polls. Earlier Saturday, she performed with Lizzo in the singer's hometown of Detroit, marking the start of in-person voting and showering the city with praise after Trump's recent disparagement of it.

“The best things were made in Detroit. “Coney Dogs, Faygo and Lizzo,” the singer joked to a rally crowd, pointing to herself after listing the hot dogs and soda the city is famous for.

Lizzo attends a campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris at Western International High School in Detroit on Saturday, October 19, 2024.

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She said it was time to “give some respect to the Detroit name,” pointing out that the city has revolutionized the auto and music industries, adding that she had already voted for Harris since the early Voting is “a power movement.”

The Motor City received widespread praise after Trump, the former president, insulted it during a recent campaign stop. And Harris continued the theme, saying of her campaign: “Like the people of Detroit, we have courage, we have excellence, we have history.”

Arms spread wide, Harris took the stage, letting the crowd see that under her blazer she was wearing a “Detroit vs. Everybody” T-shirt that the owner of the company that makes them gave her at a previous stop in had given the week to the city. She also moved around the stage with a hand-held microphone during her speech and did not use a teleprompter.

More than a million Michigan residents have already voted by mail in the Nov. 5 election, and Harris predicted early voting turnout in Detroit would be high.

“Who is the record capital of the world?” Harris asked as he implored the crowd to set new highs for early voting. “We’re going to break some records here in Detroit today.”

She criticized Trump as unstable: “Someone just needs to watch his rallies if you're not really sure how to vote.”

“We will not get those 17 days back. “We don’t want to have any regrets on election day,” the vice president said.

Lizzo also told the crowd, “Mrs. Commander-in-Chief has a nice ring to it.”

“This is the swing state of all swing states, so every last vote here counts,” the singer said. Then, in reference to her song of the same name, Lizzo added, “If you ask me if America is ready for its first female president.” All I can say is, “It's about time!”

Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in a statement that Harris needed Lizzo “to hide the fact that Michiganders were doing well under President Trump – real wages were higher, prices were lower and everyone was better off.”

Talona Johnson, a product manager from Rochester, Michigan, attended Harris' rally and said that Harris “and her team are taking the necessary steps to make sure people are informed.”

“I think she’s telling the truth. She’s trying to help people,” said Johnson, who said she plans to vote for Harris and sees women’s rights as her biggest concern.

“I don’t necessarily agree with everything she puts forward, but she’s better than the alternative.”

In comments to reporters before the rally, Harris said she was in Detroit “to thank all the people for the work they are doing to help organize and register voters and get them to vote today,” she said Detroit also “a great American city” with “many hard-working people who have courage and ambition and deserve to be respected.”

The vice president was asked whether the Biden administration's full support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza could hurt her support in Michigan. Dearborn, near Detroit, is the country's largest Arab-majority city.

“It’s never been easy,” Harris said of Middle East policy. “But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up.”