Vice President Kamala Harris rallied supporters virtually from Michigan while former President Donald Trump spoke to Jewish voters and addressed anti-semitism in Washington.
Harris and Oprah
Television mogul Oprah Winfrey used her star power to host a two-hour “Unite for America” livestream event and rally support around Harris. Other celebrities including actor Bryan Cranston and comedian Chris Rock participated. The event was streamed on their social media accounts including YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.
Winfrey endorsed Harris and spoke at the Democratic National Convention last month. Winfrey partnered with Win with Black Women and more than 140 other pro-Harris grassroots groups for the virtual campaign event.
The livestream event was held from the battleground state of Michigan, with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer making an appearance and acknowledging the state’s important role in the 2024 presidential election.
A new Emerson College poll of likely voters in seven critical swing states shows Trump and Harris neck and neck in the 2024 presidential election. In Michigan, 49 percent support Harris, while 47 percent support Trump, according to the poll.
Winfrey sat down with Harris to discuss various topics and invited guests online and in the audience to ask questions. The vice president discussed reproductive rights, school shootings, and the cost of living, among many other issues.
Trump Woos Jewish Voters
Trump first attended an anti-semitism event in Washington where he proposed to strip the accreditation and federal tax support from any college that allows antisemitic propaganda on campus.
“My promise to Jewish Americans is this: With your vote, I will be your defender, your protector, and I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House,” Trump said at the event. “But in all fairness, I already am,” Trump added.
However, a new national poll of Jewish voters found overwhelming support for Harris over Trump.
Seventy-two percent of Jewish voters back Kamala Harris, while only 25 percent support Donald Trump, according to the poll by the Jewish Democratic Council of America. Of the 800 respondents, 72 percent are Democrat or lean Democrat, 21 percent are or lean Republican, 7 percent are Independent or lean so.
Trump, in his remarks later at the national summit of the Israeli-American Council (IAC), acknowledged his low support among Jewish voters but reiterated his policy changes during his four years of office that were supported by many advocates of Israel. Under his presidency, Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognized Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.
The summit included tributes to the victims and heroes of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel. It also featured several key speakers, including Andrei Kozlov, a former Israeli hostage freed from Hamas. Families of hostages still in captivity also attended the event.
“If I don’t get re-elected, I think Israel will be eradicated,” Trump stated.
He further blamed Harris for the handling of the Israel–Hamas war and the protests amid the conflict across college campuses across the nation.