Vice President Kamala Harris stopped in Kalamazoo Wednesday as she campaigned for President Joe Biden’s reelection.
Harris started off by condemning the recent attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life. She said Americans must “reject political violence” but also engage in “robust and civil debate.”
She then sat down for a discussion with two self-described former Republicans, Amanda Stratton and Olivia Troye, who now advocate for abortion rights. Troye is a former member of the Trump administration.
Harris said after the fall of Roe v. Wade, no one should trust Trump to protect their fundamental rights.
“If we in this year of our lord 2024 have a state of being where the government can tell you what to do with your body, I mean, the most basic of thing you should have control over, everybody better watch out about what other freedoms you’re taking for granted,” said Harris.
Harris also stressed the Biden administration’s pledge to sign a national law codifying abortion rights, and said that reproductive rights advocates were upholding basic American values.
“We believe in freedom, freedom from the government telling us what to do about matters of heart and home,” she said. “We believe in the right of people to make basic decisions like when and if they will start a family and how.”
Harris also praised the gun safety laws that recently went into effect in Michigan.
Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller and Senator Debbie Stabenow spoke before the vice president. Stabenow called Republican Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance a “Trump clone.”