Kamala Harris exhorts Asian-Americans to back her and Biden in ‘existential’ election
“Someone who vilifies immigrants, who promotes xenophobia, who stokes hate and who incites fear, should never again have the chance to stand behind the microphone and never again have the chance to stand behind the seal of the President of the United States of America,” Harris said.
The comments by the nation’s first Asian-American vice-president came at a politically fraught time as Biden, 81, comes under growing pressure to step aside before the November 5 election.
The turmoil in the Democratic Party over Biden’s viability has forced Harris to walk a delicate line, remaining a loyal number two and chief defender of the president even as she quietly prepares to take over if called upon.
“The past few days have been a reminder that running for President of the United States is never easy,” she said, addressing Biden’s missteps obliquely. “But one thing we know about our President Joe Biden, he is a fighter. And he is the first to say when you get knocked down, you get right back up.”
Saturday’s town hall saw Harris speak to a supportive audience proud of her status as one of their own. Interrupted at one point during her 20-minute speech by protesters critical of the administration’s support for Israel in the Gaza war, the crowd largely drowned out the critics with cries of “Four more years”.
US Representative Judy Chu of California, a Democrat, also spoke at the event, noting the discrimination against Asians in American history, including the Chinese Exclusion Act and when Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.
“Because we have a seat at the table, we’re pushed for the needs of our communities,” she said pointing to passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
She said Asians went from being the “marginalised to being the margin of victory.”
Harris outlined several of the Biden campaign’s main themes, including its record on defending abortion, expanding health care, reducing drug costs and building infrastructure, but she also tailored her message for the audience, citing a US$160 million project to revitalise Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
The event on Saturday follows a two-day AAPI conference focused on bolstering the community’s political activism.
The diverse community is the fastest-growing racial group and the fastest-growing voting bloc in the United States, increasing by 15 per cent, or about 2 million eligible voters, in the past four years. Both major political parties are courting the group.
“President Biden and Vice-President Harris have delivered for Asian- American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander families,” the Biden campaign said Friday in advance of the town hall. “We won’t take any vote for granted.”
But enthusiasm for Biden has declined significantly among Asian-Americans since 2020, in line with the overall electorate. Some two-fifths of those polled view him unfavourably compared with 62 per cent for Trump.
Harris ticks several diversity boxes as the highest ranking female US official and daughter of a South Asian mother and black father. Among AAPI eligible voters, nearly half viewed her favourably, with Indian-Americans the most supportive and Chinese-Americans the least.
“President Biden and I know this is a community that is a force and must always be recognised and must always be recognised for the leadership that it has provided for so much progress throughout the history of our country,” she said. “And in 2024, we are counting on your leadership once again.”
Another survey of the broader electorate released this week found Harris generally matched Biden in battleground states but outperformed the president among younger minority voters.
As her prospects have improved, Trump has stepped up his attacks, calling her “bad” and “pathetic” in a video clip that surfaced this week of him on a golf course.
“I will not repeat the vile, vile language that Trump has used,” Harris said. “President Biden and I fight for the American people. Donald Trump does not.”
Trump also was campaigning in Pennsylvania on Saturday, holding a rally in Butler. He is expected to name his vice presidential candidate at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which begins on Monday.
Additional reporting by Associated Press