Harris rally in Michigan interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters

A handful of pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris during her rally remarks at an airport hangar Wednesday night — prompting her to reprise a familiar line.

About halfway through the vice president’s remarks, roughly half a dozen protesters began to chant, “Kamala, Kamala you can’t hide! We won’t vote for genocide.”

Harris first acknowledged the protesters by borrowing a strategy President Joe Biden used earlier this cycle when pro-Palestinian demonstrators routinely interrupted his events, affirming the protesters’ right to voice their opinions while trying to redirect attention to the remarks.

“I’m here because we believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters,” she said. “But I am speaking now. I am speaking now.”

Harris famously told then-Vice President Mike Pence “I’m speaking” in cross-talk at a vice presidential debate during the 2020 election cycle.

As the protests continued, Harris’ tone grew more forceful.

“You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,” Harris said, aided by a crowd of several thousand attendees who chanted “Kamala” in an effort to drown out the protests.

Campaign staffers soon escorted the protesters out of the venue.

The interruptions — the first Harris has encountered at a rally since she replaced Biden atop the Democratic ticket — suggested the war in Gaza remains a salient issue among voters in Michigan, which has the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the country.

Leaders of the Uncommitted National Movement, which supported voting “uncommitted” on Democratic primary ballots rather than voting for Biden, briefly spoke with Harris at the Detroit rally.

“Michigan voters want to support you, but we need a policy that will save lives in Gaza right now. I meet with community members every day in Michigan who are losing tens and hundreds of family members in Gaza. Right now, we need an arms embargo,” Layla Elabed, a co-founder of Uncommitted, told Harris, according to the group.

The protesters were not the only interruptions at the event, which was Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s third stop as a ticket. Throughout the event, some of the thousands in attendance were outside without shade, leading to what appeared to be several heat-related episodes. Both Harris and Walz had to pause their remarks to call for urgent medical assistance on behalf of attendees.

Beyond those moments, Harris and Walz delivered stump speeches similar to the ones they gave earlier in the day in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, highlighting what they framed as middle-class backgrounds, referring to themselves as “joyful warriors” and criticizing Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, for an agenda they suggested would erode personal freedoms.

“On Monday, I officially became the Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” Harris declared before she paused as the crowd erupted in cheers.

When chants of “lock him up” broke out in the crowd, Harris quipped: “Hold on. Here’s the thing: The courts are going to handle that. We’re going to beat him in November.”

Walz laid out some of his top policy positions simply and with a uniquely Midwestern appeal. He outlined his stance on reproductive rights, suggesting the government should not be in the exam room with women and their doctors. He also shared his family’s IVF journey, including unsuccessful treatments.

“The agony of that I can feel to this day,” Walz said.

On gun violence, he took a similarly direct approach: “Our children should be free to go to school without being shot dead in their classrooms.”

Walz also continued to frame Republican opponents as “weird,” a word other Democrats have adopted.

“These ideas that they’re putting out there, they are weird as hell. No one’s asking for it. No one’s asking for it. We’re asking [for] a fair shot,” Walz said. “We’re asking for health care and child care. We’re asking for an education. We’re asking for safety in our streets.”

Nnamdi Egwuonwu