Harris hammers Trump on abortion in surprise Los Angeles appearance

Staff Writer

April 13, 2024 4:08 PM PT

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday continued to hammer Arizona’s new abortion ban and former President Trump’s role in overturning Roe vs. Wade during a surprise appearance in Century City.

“Here’s the thing about what they’re doing and the cruelty of it: No exception in some states even for rape and incest. You are saying to a survivor of a crime of violence to their body, a violation to their body, that they have no right to make a decision about what happens to their body next,” Harris said. “That’s immoral.”

Harris made the remarks at the Power Leadership and Influence of Black Women luncheon, where Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) was being honored. As she was answering a question about abortion rights, Butler paused to introduce “one of our biggest champions in this movement” and “one of my best friends,” as Harris emerged onstage from the wings.

The vice president has been a vocal force for the Biden administration on the issue since Arizona’s Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated a law from 1864 — decades before Arizona became a state — banning abortions except when the mother’s life is at risk. Her comments Saturday reiterated what she said Friday in Tucson and what is expected to be a major theme of President Biden’s reelection campaign.

“There is no ambiguity about who is to blame. The former president Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo Roe, and they did exactly as he intended,” Harris said.

“And now he walks around talking about, ‘Well, you know, the states can do what they want to do,’” she continued. “Well, look at what the states are doing. The states are passing Trump abortion bans. So we’re not going to fall for the ‘okey-doke.’ We are not going to be gaslit about what is at play and who is to blame.”

The previous night, Harris headlined a fundraiser at “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane’s Spanish revival mansion in Beverly Hills. About $1.5 million was raised for the Biden Victory Fund at the event, which was attended by 30 people, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

“When I was asked to host this event, I immediately agreed, because I realized if it’s at my house, I can drink as much as I want,” MacFarlane said. “I’m not going to get a DUI on the way to bed.”

He then turned to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who was in attendance.

“Anyway, now I wanted to get everything right to this introduction. So I practiced how to pronounce your name. Is it Doug?” MacFarlane said, a reference to some Republicans’ refusal to properly pronounce Harris’ first name.