Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Detroit, MI
Westin Book Cadillac Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
1:08 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon. Well, it’s good to be back in Detroit, and so we’re here back today to thank all the folks for the work that they are doing to help organize, register people to vote, and get them out to vote. And today, early voting begins in Detroit.
So, it is good to be back here and — and, obviously, to be in a great American city and to applaud it for being just that: a great American city with a lot of hardworking folks who have grit and ambition and deserve to be respected for all of that.
And then, on Monday, I will be headed to Pennsylvania, to Michigan, and Wisconsin to spend some time with a great American leader, Liz Cheney, and talk with folks about why it’s important for us to — to put country before party and value the very important foundational principles on — that we stand on, in terms of particular — respecting and upholding the Constitution of the United States and — and the rule of law and the importance of having a president in the White House who actually understands their job and is fit to serve.
So, with that, I’ll take any questions.
Q On early voting.
AIDE: Chris with the AP.
Q On early voting. Are you concerned that Republicans are cutting the Democratic strength for early voting, and what are you seeing in the numbers now and how do you feel about them?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, what I’m hearing is that we’re seeing record turnout. What I’m hearing is that in Georgia, for example, we’re beating all records in terms of early voting, and in North Carolina. And in fact, today in Michigan, I’m going to challenge the folks here to do the same.
So, you know, I don’t — I don’t yet have enough data to tell you who’s voting for who and — or how they’re leaning, but I think it’s great that people are turning out and voting and being active. I — it’s what we should all want — right? — in our democracy, that people understand it’s their civic duty, but also that they can make a difference.
Q Vice President Harris —
AIDE: And we’ll go to Nancy at Bloomberg, right here.
Q Thank you.
AIDE: Yep.
Q I wonder what you think of Elon Musk just getting increasingly involved in the election, both through his financial contributions to Trump’s super PAC, but also holding campaign events, attending rallies.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I mean, listen, I think that the most important thing that any one of us could do right now is pay attention to the issues that are at stake, and there’s a lot at stake.
We are looking at — as I say repeatedly, because it is true — two very different visions for our country. And Donald Trump has proven himself to be increasingly unstable and unfit, and he’s trying to take us backward.
He is someone who demeans the American people, who has no actual plan for uplifting the middle class, no actual plan that is about any sense of optimism in who the American people are and what we are capable of doing. And I think that that’s really what’s most important in these remaining — I believe it’s 17 days of the election, which is focusing on the issues themselves and reminding the American people they not only have a choice, but they have the power to decide the future of our country through this election.
Q Madam —
AIDE: We’ll go to Andrea right here.
Q Hi.
AIDE: Reuters.
Q So, yesterday, you called out Assad Turfe, one of the elected —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
Q — officials here, an Arab American. He’s faced a tremendous backlash since you mentioned his name at the rally, and obviously there’s a lot of churn and turmoil within the Arab American and Muslim communities here in Michigan.
Do you think you could lose the election because of Gaza? And what — you know, overnight, there were more strikes. Thirty-two more people were killed in Gaza, some in hospitals. You know, how risky is it that you could lose the election?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, it is undeniable that it is something that everyone is aware of — what is happening there. I speak publicly all the time about the fact that there are so many tragic stories coming from Gaza.
And, of course, the first in this phase of everything that has happened, the first and most tragic story is October 7th and what happened that day, and then what has happened since.
And I think what’s critically important as we look at this moment is, one, acknowledging the tragedy of what has happened in Gaza in terms of the extraordinary number of innocent Palestinians who have been killed and taking that seriously and speaking truth about that, in addition, of course, to what I said about what happened on October 7, in terms of 1,200 innocent Israelis being slaughtered, women being horribly raped.
And then fast-forwarding to today, with the killing of Sinwar, this creates an opening that I believe we must take full advantage of to dedicate ourselves to ending this war and bringing the hostages home.
Q But it’s not working so far.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know what? Listen, as it relates to the issues in the Middle East and in particular in that region, it has never been easy, but that doesn’t mean we give up. Okay? It is always going to be difficult. It does not mean we give up. We can’t give up.
Q Madam — Madam —
AIDE: We have time for one more from Tamara at NPR.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Sure.
Q You’ve been doing some more, sort of, Trump “rapid response,” I’d describe it — you know, responding to him in near real time — in recent days. It feels like something slightly different from the way you were handling it before, and I’m wondering: Why that shift?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: He’s becoming increasingly unstable and unhinged, and it requires that response. I think the American people are seeing it, witnessing it in real time, and we must take note of the fact that this is an individual who wants to be president of the United States, and I think the American people deserve better than someone who actually seems to be unstable.
Q Madam — Madam Vice President —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. Thank you all. Thank you.
END 1:13 P.M EDT
