American television pope Oprah Winfrey demonstrated on Thursday her ability to mobilize both stars and social networks, by welcoming Kamala Harris to a gala set entirely devoted to the Democratic presidential candidate.
This large support evening organized in the state of Michigan, highly contested for the November 5 elections, was broadcast live online on multiple platforms.
Oprah, who many in the United States call only by her first name, had brought together a host of stars for the occasion, who spoke via screen, via teleconference: singer Jennifer Lopez, actresses Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Tracee Ellis Ross, comedian Chris Rock, and actors Bryan Cranston and Ben Stiller.
Enough to attract tens of millions of viewers, who had the choice of following this grandiose campaign talk show called Unite for America in either woman’s YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Twitch accounts.
The Oprah Effect
Oprah Winfrey, who has long been close to the Democratic Party, made a notable appearance at the Chicago Convention in August, which placed Kamala Harris in the starting blocks of the race for the White House.
The American vice-president knows how beneficial the support of this businesswoman turned billionaire, a familiar embodiment of the American dream, and whose influence remains considerable in the United States, to the point that millions of Americans at one time considered the presenter as a presidential candidate, can be.
Photo SAUL LOEB / AFP
In the presence of this cultural icon, Kamala Harris urged the public to unite “in the face of the powerful forces that want to divide us”, thus targeting her Republican rival Donald Trump.
Trump was in Washington at the same time, addressing a pro-Israel organization at a rally to combat anti-Semitism.
Accusing Kamala Harris of not having defended Israel after the deadly attack, of an unprecedented scale, by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on October 7, Mr. Trump assured that it was in Israel’s interest that she be defeated in the presidential election.
“Any Jewish person who votes for her should have their head examined,” the Republican added.
The 59-year-old Democrat, for her part, responded to a series of questions posed very favorably by Oprah Winfrey, 70, on topics such as immigration, the cost of living and abortion.
Harris army
In an emotional moment, the candidate hugged 15-year-old high school student Natalie Griffith, who was seriously injured when a 14-year-old student opened fire at their school near Atlanta, killing four people on September 4.
Mme Harris confirmed that she has a gun in her home. “If someone breaks into my house, they’re going to get shot,” she said, before laughing: “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
Speaking via Zoom, Meryl Streep said she was worried about the danger that Donald Trump would once again refuse to acknowledge his possible defeat at the polls, as he did four years ago.
“I wonder if we’re ready for January 7th,” the actress said, referring to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 by supporters of the Republican billionaire in order to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s election.
