Kamala Harris reaffirmed that shes a gun owner and will fire away if anyone tries to sneak into her house.
The vice president made the statement in an attempt to burnish her credentials as a common sense gun control candidate during her hour-and-a-half long livestream fundraiser with Oprah Winfrey.
If somebody breaks into my house, theyre getting shot, she said, before showing off her trademark cackle.
She then expressed regret, similar to how her boss Joe Biden would try to take back foolish statements: I probably should not have said that. My staff will deal with that later.
The statement made headlines on social media, including an immediately condemnation from the National Rifle Association, who accused her of being a walking contradiction.
Kamala Harris reaffirmed that shes a gun owner and will fire away if anyone tries to sneak into her house
The vice president made the statement in an attempt to burnish her credentials as a common sense gun control candidate during her hour-and-a-half long livestream fundraiser with Oprah Winfrey
Harris said that both she and vice presidential running mate Tim Walz are gun owners and will find a middle ground on the issue.
I think for far too long on the issue of gun violence, some people have been pushing a really false choice to say youre either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyones guns away, she said.
Im in favor of the second amendment, and Im in favor of assault weapons bans, universal background checks, red flag laws, she added.
Conservatives accused her of hypocrisy on the issue for wanting to have it both ways.
Others began to photoshop images of Harris carrying a gun.
Winfrey also featured an interview with a family involved in the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia earlier this month.
The legendary talk show host kicked off the hour-and-a-half long livestream by introducing a whos who of Hollywood A-listers including Bryan Cranston, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Lopez, Tracy Ellis Ross, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep.
I am smiling from ear to ear Oprah, Breaking Bads Cranston said. I have never felt this much joy and optimism in a campaign in a long time.
The statement made headlines on social media, including an immediately condemnation from the National Rifle Association, who accused her of being a walking contradiction
But with Winfrey at the helm of the production, there were some tear-jerking moments too - including introducing the mother of the first woman who died a preventable abortion-related death since the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Sitting in the studio audience in the swing state of Michigan, Winfrey introduced Shanette, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, who died in August 2022 after doctors failed to operate on her for 20 hours.
ProPublica published a report this week telling Thurmans story and naming her as the first preventable death since the Dobbs decision.
Thurman had taken abortion pills but hadnt expelled fetal tissue from her body, creating an infection and leaving her in need of a common procedure called a dilation and curettage.
But that procedure was now a felony in Georgia.
Initially, I did not want the public to know my pain. I wanted to go through in silence. But I realized that it was selfish, Shanette said. I want you all to know that Amber was not a statistic. She was loved by a family, a strong family, and we would have done whatever to get my baby, our baby, the help that she needed.
Shanette recalled that when ProPublicas Kavitha Surana first approached her, she pushed the journalist away, but she recalled Surana saying, People around the world need to know that this was preventable.
Youre looking at a mother that is broken, Shanette told the audience Thursday night as she fought back the tears.
Thurmans sisters hammered the healthcare professionals for not acting to save their sisters life.
We trusted them to take care of her and they just let her die becauase of some stupid abortion ban, Thurmans sister C.J. said.
Winfrey then asked Harris to react.
Im just so sorry, the vice president said. And the courage that you all have shown is extraordinary, because also, you just learned about how it is that she died.
Winfrey explained that the family just recently learned the full story of Thurmans abortion gone awry.
And Ambers mom shared with me that the word over and over again in her mind is "preventable - preventable," that word keeps coming to her, Harris said.
The Democratic nominee blamed her rival, former President Donald Trump, for appointing three pro-life justices who intended to overrule Roe v. Wade.
Harris also said that exceptions for when the life of the mother is in danger are problematic, because of how that could be legally defined.
Heres the problem with that, heres the problem with that - so she on deaths door before you decide to give her help? Harris asked.
Winfrey also had teen rape survivor Hadley Duvall address the crowd.
Duvall, who was continually raped by her stepfather, appears in a Harris-Walz campaign ad, blasting Trump for appointing the justices who took her right to an abortion away.
Hadley, youve just been so remarkable, Harris gushed.
And the idea that, these same legislators who would be saying criminalize healthcare providers are also saying that after a persons body has been violated that they have no right to make a decision about what happens to their body next, Harris continued. Thats immoral.
Winfrey then expressed her own view on the matter.
I just dont believe that those legislators, that the government has the right to be in your womb, the talk show icon said.
A-listers joining the two-hour event included Julia Roberts (left) and Jennifer Lopez (right)
A giddy Meryl Streep referred to the vice president as President Harris but then asked what would happen if former President Donald Trump refused to, again, concede the election to the Democrat
Throughout the night, Winfrey tossed to the celebrities.
Hello President Harris, said Streep with a giggle. From my mouth to Gods ear.
Streep then asked Harris what happens if Trump refuses to concede the election again.
More Americans than we may realize who voted for Trump before have decided that January 6 was a bridge too far, Harris said.
She added that the other piece is that the lawyers are working.
Its very important that we speak to our friends and neighbors about misinformation, she went on, also encouraging supporters to stand up for the integrity of poll workers.
Harris also pleaded: Do not be afraid to vote.
I think there is also something quite insidious about these attacks on the electorate in these various forms that are intended to convince people that their vote wont matter, the VP said.
She reassured the crowd, including Streep, we are going to have a good Election Day.
Oprah Winfrey (right) had Michigans popular Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (left) warm up the crowd with her Thursday night as she took over a soundstage in Oakland County to essentially recreate her popular daytime talk show
Ahead of the event, the Harris-Walz campaign said that nearly 200,000 people had signed up to watch.
Winfrey took over a soundstage in Oakland County, Michigan for filming, inviting Michigans popular Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to rile up the crowd.
The longtime talk show host explained that the idea for the event came from the Zoom calls different groups took part in immediately after Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee - starting with Win With Black Women.
Winfrey said members of all sorts of groups were turning in Thursday night - including Swifties for Harris and even Train Lovers for Harris.
I didnt know there were train lovers, Winfrey mused.
She said Republicans for Harris were part of the crowd.
Love that group even more, Winfrey commented.
The self-described independent first backed former President Barack Obamas campaign in 2008. She endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 but didnt hit the campaign trail for her.
Winfrey has been super involved this cycle, first speaking at the Democratic National Convention and then hosting the event Thursday night.
She had Harris answer questions from her in-person and livestream audience - mainly focused on the economy.