Kamala Harris was heckled at two daytime rallies on Wednesday in different battleground states, using both occasions to present herself as a unifier as she shouted over the disruptions.
“I will listen to experts,” she said while an audience member began shouting at a Get Out the Vote rally in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I will listen to those impacted by the decisions I make. And to people who disagree with me.”
But she didn’t listen for long. The heckler, whose words were unintelligible, continued yelling as people gathered around to escort him away. The crowd began to shout, “Kamala,” drowning him out.
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Later, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, protesters began shouting and at least one loudly blew a whistle and waved a Palestinian flag.
“We are six days away from an election and ours is about a fight for democracy and your right to be heard, that is what is on the line in this election. Look, everybody has a right to be heard but right now, I am speaking.”
As her supporters began booing the demonstrators, Harris waved them off. “At this particular moment, it should be emphasized that, unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy from within,” she said. “He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table.”
She used the same approach in North Carolina.
“Hey everybody, okay,” she said. “See, this is the thing. Because you know, we’re actually fighting for a democracy. And unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail; I’ll give them a seat at the table.”
Trump has used violent rhetoric about protesters who dare to interrupt his events. This month, he suggested one protester “go back home to Mommy,” who would beat her up for her behavior. During his first presidential bid, he told his fans to “knock the crap” out of hecklers.
This year, protesters have frequently interrupted the vice president on the campaign trail. She has handled the intrusions in a variety of ways, at times telling them that she’s speaking and on other occasions addressing the substance of their comments, often related to the war in Gaza.
On Tuesday night, for instance, the Daily Beast witnessed security dragging a man out of Ellipse as he yelled something unintelligible Harris' remarks about giving people who disagree with her a seat at the table. But she continued on as if nothing had happened.
