Kamala Harris Can’t Just Invoke Trump to Pro-Palestine Protesters

Harris told voters “Everyone’s voice matters,” then suggested that demonstrators protesting her administration's position on the genocide in Gaza were helping to elect Donald Trump.

By Kylie Cheung  |  August 9, 2024 | 10:48am
Photo: Getty Images Politics
Kamala Harris Can’t Just Invoke Trump to Pro-Palestine Protesters

On Wednesday evening, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally in Detroit, Michigan. It was Harris’ first since selecting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, whose strong support for Israel and past, racist comments about Palestinians sparked significant controversy. But if the large swaths of Democratic voters who want a ceasefire in Gaza saw cause for hope in Harris’ choice, some of that was surely deflated by her dismissive comments to pro-Palestine protesters at her Wednesday rally. 

“Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide! We won’t vote for genocide,” protesters chanted during Harris’ speech before being escorted out by security. In response, Harris initially told them, “We believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now.” But her tone grew harsher as they continued chanting, and she said, “You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”

Harris’ response has since been shared by online supporters as a badass one-liner. But these protesters are speaking out against at least 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza killed by Israeli forces—about half of whom are children—as well as an onslaught of horrific reports of atrocities and widespread sexual violence against detained Palestinians, including children. And all of this is not only enabled but arguably facilitated through funding and weapons from the Biden-Harris administration, which, as its name would suggest, includes Harris. 

A second Trump presidency poses an existential threat to a lot of basic rights, not the least of which include reproductive rights, which Harris has skillfully and passionately advocated for. But Trump isn’t the one currently in the White House, funding and arming Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Bringing him up without directly addressing protesters’ concerns is a politically inept strategy, especially in Michigan of all places, which is home to a significant population of Palestinian and Arab-American voters who were essential to the Biden-Harris campaign’s narrow victory over Trump in 2020.

There’s really no excuse for Harris’ response to these protesters. There is, however, some added context to the now-viral clip. Harris met with Uncommitted leaders before the rally to listen to their policy demands on Gaza. In February, 100,000 Michigan voters voted “Uncommitted” for president in the Democratic primary, declining to support Biden lest he take action to stop the genocide in Gaza. The New York Times reports that Uncommitted leaders told Harris and Walz they want to support the Democratic ticket, but asked that they consider an arms embargo toward Israel to stop its war crimes against Palestinians. According to the Times’ reporting on Wednesday evening, Harris “indicated she was open” to this demand. But early Thursday, Phil Gordon, the national security advisor to Harris, wrote in a tweet that Harris “has been clear: … She does not support an arms embargo on Israel. She will work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law.” Of course, international humanitarian law necessitates that the U.S. stop sending weapons to countries that are found to commit war crimes. So, there’s that.

“I wish it would’ve been handled differently,” Uncommitted National Movement co-founder Abbas Alawieh told Politico on Thursday of Harris’ response to protesters. “It was a tough moment because our community members here in Michigan are dealing with a lot of grief. I know that the vice president is trying, and my hope is that Gov. Walz and her team will lean into that instinct of engaging.”

In July, Harris met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to D.C. As a reminder, the International Criminal Court is currently seeking a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest for war crimes in Gaza. After their meeting, Harris claimed she’d pushed Netanyahu to work toward an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. “What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,” Harris said. She measured her comments with the usual lines—that “Israel has a right to defend itself”—but pointedly added that “how it does so matters.” Of course, words aren’t enough, and Palestinians’ suffering largely extends from the U.S. continuing to arm Israel. As the national Uncommitted movement wrote in a series of tweets on Thursday, “Palestinians cannot eat words. Our communities are in deep pain. The bombs must end and Palestinian and Israeli families must be reunited.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Wa’el Alzayat, CEO of the Muslim advocacy organization Emgage, who told Politico on Thursday that “it’s clear to us, through her statements and what’s been leaked and conversations with people behind the scenes, [Harris] does feel differently” from Biden. “But those are feelings. … What’s needed is an articulation of a policy vision that’s different from what we’ve seen so far.”

Since the disruption at Harris’ Wednesday rally, there’s been no shortage of the usual hand-wringing about “tactics” and how to protest “properly.” As always, it seems people need a reminder: Our elected officials work for us. Pressure campaigns are necessary to enact policy change. And I’d argue there are fewer things more worthy of disrupting powerful politicians than their role in the mass slaughter of tens of thousands of human beings.

 
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