Following a stellar performance by Bruce Springsteen at Kamala Harris’ rally in Atlanta last night, just days after publicly endorsing her, Beyoncé is set to appear today in her hometown of Houston at a rally for Harris.
Harris' presidential campaign has adopted Beyoncé's 2016 track 'Freedom' as its anthem, and the singer's planned appearance adds significant star power to a key theme of the Democratic nominee’s campaign: freedom. Harris heads to the traditionally Republican state today, just 10 days before Election Day, in an effort to refocus her campaign against Donald Trump on reproductive care.
Harris’ Houston trip will feature women affected by Texas' restrictive abortion laws, which came into effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Harris has centered her campaign on the idea that Trump poses a threat to American freedoms, from reproductive and LGBTQ rights to the freedom to be safe from gun violence.
At yesterday’s rally, Springsteen criticized Donald Trump, saying, “I want a president who reveres the Constitution, who does not threaten but wants to protect and guide our great democracy, who believes in the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power, who will fight for a woman’s right to choose, and who wants to create a middle-class economy that will serve all our citizens.” He added, “There is only one candidate in this election who holds those principles dear: Kamala Harris. She’s running to be the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump is running to be an American tyrant. He does not understand this country, its history, or what it means to be deeply American. That’s why on November 5th, I’m casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.”
Springsteen’s comment about tyranny resonates strongly, especially after recent remarks by General John Kelly, who served as Trump’s chief of staff. Kelly said in a New York Times interview that Trump fits the “general definition of a fascist” and confirmed the Republican candidate's fascination with Adolf Hitler. “He commented more than once that, 'You know, Hitler did some good things, too,'” Kelly said.
In a separate interview with The Atlantic, Kelly described how Trump lamented that he did not have generals who were loyal in the way he believed military commanders had been to Hitler. His statements have brought the issue of fascism to the forefront of the US presidential election, with Kamala Harris amplifying Kelly’s comments during a CNN town hall meeting. She called it “deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous” that he would “invoke” Hitler, and later agreed with moderator Anderson Cooper that Trump was a fascist.
Trump responded to Kelly on his Truth Social platform, calling him a “degenerate” and a “low life,” while inaccurately accusing Harris of calling him Adolf Hitler, when it was Kelly who made the direct reference. His post accusing Harris of “going so far as to call me Adolf Hitler, and anything else that comes to her warped mind,” because, he claims, polls indicate she is losing, has garnered over 28 million views.
Beyoncé is expected at Harris' Houston rally today, while Bruce Springsteen is next scheduled to appear at Harris’ Philadelphia rally on Monday, October 28th.
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