Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – Vice President Kamala Harris spoke for about 30 minutes Friday to a packed audience at the McHale Athletic Center at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, but was interrupted at least twice by pro-Palestinian protesters.
“You are supporting war criminals,” one protester shouted about two-thirds of the way through the speech.
Shortly after the first was taken out, a second appeared and ran through the media cordon, yelling “Free Palestine” for several minutes before he too was taken out.
“I respect your opinion, but I’m speaking now,” Harris said, before continuing with the rest of her speech despite the disruptive noise.
Pro-Palestinian protester taunts Harris rally attendees, VP supporter fires back: ‘What about Hamas?’
Harris was introduced by local nurse Mary Grace, who said she was a longtime Republican supporter but could not support former President Trump.
After thanking Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Wilkes-Barre Democratic Mayor George Brown, who had appeared before her, she began the meat of her speech with a reference to the ABC News debate earlier this week.
“I think a lot of people here have seen that,” she said, drawing applause for the reference.
“That night, I spoke about issues that matter to families across America – reducing the cost of living, investing in American small businesses, protecting reproductive freedom, and keeping our nation safe and secure. But that’s not what we heard from Donald Trump. Instead, it was the same old show, the same boring playbook we’ve heard for years, with no plan, no blueprint for how to address the needs of the American people. Now, folks, it’s time to turn the page.”
Harris argued that President Trump would give “massive” tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations, while also cutting benefits.
She also said Trump, a Republican, wants to impose a “Trump sales tax,” which some observers have suggested could be a reference to the former president’s foreign tariff plans.
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US Vice President Kamala Harris during the second presidential debate. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Harris also spoke of the nation’s divisions, saying “we will not go back to the past,” and instead called for a “new path forward.”
“We need a president of the United States who will work for all Americans and end all attempts to divide us,” she said.
“People are tired of that stuff.”
She also called herself the “underdog” in the race and predicted a close race in the key Congressional seat she will be speaking at.
“So Pennsylvania, today I ask you: Are you ready to speak up? Do we believe in freedom?” Harris asked.
Shapiro, who traveled north on Interstate 81 from Harrisburg and was considered by many to be runner-up to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Harris’ running mate, offered a strong endorsement just before Harris took the stage.
“We’ve proven we can do anything!” Shapiro shouted, referring to a slogan of sorts from his administration.
“[We’ve invested] “These are historic numbers in our public schools… When children go to school, they have a right to live in a safe neighborhood,” he added.
“We want you to know that you are valued here, and whether you become a lawyer or a worker, we want you to know that you belong here. [in Pennsylvania]”
“No matter where you come from, who you love, who you pray for, you belong here and I am on your side,” Shapiro continued, adding that Harris’ campaign offers a similar vision.
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Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, Republican vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance, President Joe Biden, and Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris stand during a ceremony marking the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. (Reuters/Mike Seeger)
“She and I were both prosecutors,” said Shapiro, who served as separately elected attorneys general under previous Gov. Tom Wolf.
“Kamala Harris has always acted for the people…. She stood up for our fellow union members.”
Shapiro, in turn, borrowed Harris’ words, adding, referring to Trump’s time in the White House, “we’re not going back to that.”
“If you look at his record, the time Donald Trump was in power meant we saw fewer jobs and a lot less freedom,” he said, bringing up the issue of abortion, arguing that women have lost “the fundamental freedom to make decisions about their own bodies.”
Shapiro also pointed to Philadelphia, 100 miles away on the other side of the Northeast Extension from where he spoke, and said Americans “declared independence from the king.” [there, once] And we’re not turning back.”
Responding to Harris’ visit to the state, Kush Desai, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Trump team, told Fox News Digital that Pennsylvanians are tired of rising food, gas and utility costs due to the Harris-Biden administration’s disastrous anti-inflation and anti-energy policies.
“The choice for Pennsylvanians couldn’t be simpler: four more years of retirees surviving on ramen noodles under a Kamala Administration, or a return to the peace, prosperity and stability of a Trump Administration.”
During the Philadelphia debate, Ms. Harris referred to the roughly 800,000 Polish Americans who live in Pennsylvania, including sizable populations outside of the Port Richmond and Philadelphia areas in and around the county where Ms. Harris rallied on Friday.
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Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump met and spoke with Polish President Andrzej Duda at Trump Tower on April 17, 2024. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
In Wilkes-Barre’s Luzerne County, about one-sixth of the population is Polish American, and there are also sizable communities in nearby Northumberland County cities such as Nanticoke, Hazleton and Shamokin.
Asked about that, Desai said Trump was an “especially easy choice” for Polish Americans in Pennsylvania, pointing to his “blossoming friendship” with Polish President Duda and his efforts to build a stronger alliance with Warsaw, including its status as a NATO member.
During the debate, Harris appeared to draw a connection between her criticism of Trump’s handling of the end of the war in Ukraine, which borders Poland, and Polish-American voters.
“Just tell the 800,000 Polish Americans here in Pennsylvania how readily they would give up their jobs for the friendship and favor of a man known as a dictator who would eat them for lunch,” Harris said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
