During a town hall on CNN on Wednesday, 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris responded to a question on if she thinks she’ll be more pro-Israel than her Republican counterpart former President Donald Trump by declaring, “I believe that Donald Trump is dangerous.”
Host Anderson Cooper asked, “He has said that he — he’s casting himself as a protector of Israel. Do you believe you would be more pro-Israel than Donald Trump?”
Harris responded, “I believe that Donald Trump is dangerous. I believe that, when you have a president of the United States who has said to his generals, who work for him because he is commander-in-chief…in essence, why can’t you be more like Hitler’s generals? Anderson, come on, this is a serious, serious issue. And we know who he is. He admires dictators, sending love letters back and forth with Kim Jong-un, talks about the president of Russia, and then, most recently, the reports are that, in the height of COVID, when most Americans could not get their hands on a COVID test, Americans were dying by the hundreds a day, he secretly sent COVID tests to the president of Russia for his personal use.”
She continued, “So, again, this election in 13 days is presenting the American people with a very significant decision. And, on the one side, on this issue of who is going to model what it means to use the bully pulpit of the president of the United States in a manner that, in tone, word, and deed is about lifting up our discourse, fighting against hate, as opposed to fanning the flames of hate, which Donald Trump does consistently, I’m going to tell you, we are an incredible country, and we love our country. We all wouldn’t be here unless we love our country. And there are certain things where we’ve just got to come together and realize that we do believe in the importance of healthy debate on real issues, but there are certain standards we’ve got to have. And, another point that even John Kelly talked about, I believe, and many have, is January 6, where you have the president of the United States defying the will of the people in a free and fair election and unleashing a violent mob who attacked the United States Capitol, 140 law enforcement officers were attacked, some were killed. And so, I say that to say, the American people deserve to have a president who encourages healthy debate, works across the aisle, [is] not afraid of good ideas wherever they come from, but also maintains certain standards about how we think about the role and the responsibility and certainly not comparing oneself, in a clearly admiring way, to Hitler.”
Earlier, Harris said that the number of innocent Palestinians who have been killed is “unconscionable. And we are now at a place where, with Sinwar’s death, I do believe we have an opportunity to end this war, bring the hostages home, bring relief to the Palestinian people, and work toward a two-state solution where Israel and the Palestinians, in equal measure, have security, where the Palestinian people have dignity, self-determination, and the safety that they so rightly deserve.”
She also responded to a question on what she’d say to those who are considering voting for a third-party candidate or staying home over the Israel issue by stating that while she won’t deny the feelings people have, those voters also care about other issues.
Harris also stated that there has been an increase in antisemitism and there needs to be education about what constitutes antisemitism, strong penalties for hate crimes, and that we must make sure that college students feel safe.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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