Harris addresses assassination attempt on Trump, abortion rights and more at NABJ interview

Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Harris addresses assassination attempt on Trump, abortion rights and more at NABJ interview
Harris addresses assassination attempt on Trump, abortion rights and more at NABJ interview

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Vice President Kamala Harris was back in Philadelphia on Tuesday, this time for an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists.

It came one week after Harris and former President Donald Trump met on the debate stage at the National Constitution Center in Center City.

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Harris faced tough questions from NABJ panelists. Action News' TaRhonda Thomas was there for the sit-down interview.

One question thrown at Harris was how she would address the issue of the use of handguns -- which is a key question in cities like Philadelphia.

To that, the vice president replied, "It is reasonable to want reasonable gun safety laws. We should do background checks."

She also spoke on issues such as abortion rights.

"We need to put the protections of Roe vs. Wade back into law," Harris said.

During the event, Harris addressed some of Trump's claims from the presidential debate, including his claim that Haitian immigrants were eating people's pets in Springfield, Ohio.

That comment sparked a series of threats to the Haitian community in that area.

"It's a crying shame. My heart breaks for this community," Harris said. "Spewing lies that are grounded in tropes that are age-old."

Trump faced a similar NABJ panel this summer, weeks after an assassination attempt against him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

This week, a second attempt was made, according to the FBI. This time it happened on a golf course in Florida.

Harris said she spoke with Trump after the troubling incident.

"I checked on him to see if he was OK," she said. "There's no place for political violence in this country."

Harris did, however, discuss the state of the economy, placing blame on Trump. She said his presidency left the country in a bad spot.

She admitted it's hard for everyday Americans right now.

"Is the price of groceries still too high? Yes. Do we have more work to do? Yes," Harris noted.

As she made her case for the presidency, Harris made it a point to note that the campaign trail "keeps leading back" to Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania, a swing state, continues to play an important role in this election. Just Monday, President Joe Biden was also in town at the National HBCU Week Conference in Center City, where he delivered remarks to the crowd.

Tuesday is also National Voter Registration Day. There will be a lot of events going on in Philadelphia and around the area as Election Day inches closer.

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