With less than two weeks left to the US Presidential Elections, Vice President Kamala Harris was confronted by undecided voters at CNN's Town Hall on Wednesday.
From working to end the war in Gaza to vowing to a "new generation of leadership" and taking more jibes at Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump, here are some of the key takeaways from Harris' town hall.
Kamala Harris' CNN Town Hall - Key Takeaways
New Generation Of Leadership
As stated multiple times before, Kamala Harris reiterated that she is "not Joe Biden". Ever since she was endorsed as the Democratic candidate after Biden's exit from the race, Harris has tried to distance herself to prove to voters that her leadership will be different than what America has seen in the past four years.
During the CNN Town Hall, Harris repeatedly stated she will carve a "new path and approach" to governing.
"My administration will not be a continuation of the Biden administration,” Harris said. “I bring to this role my own ideas and my own experience. I represent a new generation of leadership on a number of issues and believe that we have to actually take new approaches," she added.
Alluding to her stint as an attorney-general, Harris stated that she brings a "whole set of different experiences" if she is elected as POTUS.
Ending The War In Gaza
While Harris presented a similar Middle East policy to Biden's, she added that there is still a lot more to be done, and she plans on doing that once elected.
Speaking on the war in Gaza, of which the US has been accused of prolonging due to its support for Israel, Harris stated with Yahya Sinwar's death, there is a window to end the war in Gaza once and for all.
"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 they that they so rightly deserve,” the vice president said.
She acknowledged the mounting death toll in Gaza and said it was "unconscionable" how many innocent Palestinians have died due to Israel's bombardment.
Donald Trump - Unfit To Serve, A Fascist And Threat To America
Harris was asked many questions from undecided voters, including if she thinks if the former president is a fascist.
In response, Harris said "yes" and added that people "who know him best on this subject should be trusted", referring to senior military leaders such as former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, and Trump’s former White House chief of staff, retired Marine general John Kelly. Milley and Kelly have openly called Trump a "fascist".
Harris also spoke on Republicans endorsing her are motivated by "a legitimate fear, based on Donald Trump’s words and actions, that he will not obey an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
In context to the Middle East, the vice president was also asked if she thought Trump was antisemitic, to which she responded - "I believe Donald Trump is a danger to the well-being and security of America."
The US presidential elections will be held on November 5, 2024. Following Joe Biden's exit from the race to the White House, Kamala Harris is the leading Democrat candidate. Harris is up against former president and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
