The likely Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris has accused the Republicans around presidential candidate Donald Trump of questioning the basic freedoms of US citizens. At a campaign rally in front of the US teachers’ union on Thursday, Harris said: “While you are teaching students what democracy and representative government are, extremists are attacking the precious freedom to vote. While you are trying to create safe and welcoming places for our children to learn, extremists are attacking our freedom to live safe from gun violence.”
Referring to the US Republicans’ rejection of stricter gun laws, Harris added: “They have the audacity to tell teachers to strap on a gun in the classroom – while refusing to pass sensible gun laws.” Harris said the role of teachers was “critically important” and described them as “visionaries”. The teachers’ union was the first to recommend Harris.
On Thursday, Harris, who remains the only candidate for the Democratic nomination after incumbent President Joe Biden stepped down, released the first campaign ad. The one-minute and 20-second video culminates in the sentence “We choose freedom” and is accompanied by the song “Freedom” by US pop diva Beyoncé.
In it, Harris speaks of people who want to live in a “land of chaos, fear, hate” – pictures of Trump and his vice presidential candidate JD Vance are shown. In contrast, several of her promises are contrasted, such as the fight against gun violence and for universal health insurance.
