CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the College of Charleston on Wednesday afternoon as part of a nationwide “Fight for Our Freedoms College” tour.
Her trip to the Lowcountry came shortly after she and President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamine Netanyahu where they discussed the United States’ unwavering commitment to stand with Israel and the Israeli people following a barrage of terror attacks from Hamas.
“I’m completely outraged by what has taken place,” VP Harris told News 2 shortly after stepping off Air Force Two. “We are looking at extreme acts of terrorism that must be condemned in no uncertain terms. There is absolutely no justification for terrorism. The President and I take very seriously our commitment to Israel and to the people of Israel to support them, and in particular, to give Israel what it needs to defend itself.”
In addition to providing support to Israel amid conflict, Harris said one of the Biden Administration’s highest priorities is the safety and well-being of American citizens.
“It is also critically important that as we have been, we will stay in constant communication with our allies, with our Israeli partners, with members of Congress as we have been doing,” she said.
VP Harris’s visit to the Lowcountry was delayed by a few hours Wednesday. After arriving in North Charleston, she was quickly escorted to the College of Charleston where she spoke with a panel at the Sottile Theater. The conversation was conversation moderated by Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and actress/activist Amelie Zilber.
She discussed a number of topics for about 45 minutes, telling the audience in many ways there has been an attack against the freedoms that make our democracy; a climate crisis, active shooter drills, and witnessing the highest court in the land take away a right.
Harris took three questions from students. Madison Meeks asked what should be done to address voting rights. The Vice President said everyone needs to visit vote.gov to verify they are registered to vote and to get registered if they are not.
Tyler Gadsden then asked about climate change, asking the VP what policies she plans to implement to deal with climate change.
Harris said the smoke from the Canadian wildfires that made its way to the Lowcountry is an example of how things around the world can impact everyone. She also said they put $1 trillion – a historic amount of money – toward combating climate change, investing in electric vehicles, and wind turbines.
“The College of Charleston is honored to host Vice President Harris on campus,” said Andrew Hsu, president of the College of Charleston days before the visit. “Vice President Harris’ visit to our university is a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear and see a world leader up close and provides them a chance to share their thoughts on policies important to them. We thank the White House for selecting the College of Charleston as part of its engagement initiative.”
VP Harris embarked on a month-long college tour throughout the country last month, with a goal to mobilize students and young people in the “fight for their rights,” according to the White House.
After making initial stops at several colleges and universities last month, Harris and her team announced a series of additional tour locations.
The tour has focused on discussions around reproductive freedom, common sense gun safety laws, climate action, voting rights LGBTQ+ equality, and book bans.
“The big problem with Kamala Harris is that she’s not taken seriously by the American people because she’s not a serious person. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be coming here to talk about climate change and gun control while Americans are suffering with inflation and higher interest rates and are desperate to get our borders secured – especially given the chance that terrorists could use our open borders to commit atrocities here in America like they have done in Israel,” said South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick ahead of VP Harris’s visit.
