Vice President Kamala Harris reacted Tuesday to the news that public schools had closed in Springfield, Ohio in reaction to over 30 bomb threats called in to local officials.
Harris was asked about the growing controversy in Springfield as she attended a question and answer forum held by the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia.
‘It's a crying shame. I mean my heart breaks for this community,' she said, recalling that the schools were closed on ‘school photo day.'
Harris recalled being a child in school on ‘picture day' expressing further sadness that the event was disrupted.
‘You remember what that's like?' Harris asked, demonstrating what it was like to get dressed up for a special occasion by swaying her shoulders back and forth. ‘Going to school on picture day? Dressed up in their best, got all ready, knew what they were going to wear the night before?'
Vice President Kamala Harris denounces Donald Trump's comment about migrants eating pets during an event with the National Association of Black Journalists
The controversy in Springfield was sparked after former President Donald Trump claimed during the presidential debate last week that some migrants were ‘eating the dogs,' ‘cats,' and ‘pets' in the community.
Trump was accused of making ‘baseless' accusations after the claims when viral on social media, even as his supporters portrayed him as a champion of protecting their pets by sharing cat memes generated by AI.
Harris blamed Trump for the bomb threats, even though Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine described them as not credible and came mostly from overseas.
‘They had to be evacuated. Children. Children,' she lamented. ‘A whole community put in fear.'
DeWine ordered additional state troopers to the schools to help protect public schools in the community.
‘We know that people are very, very concerned,' DeWine said. ‘But we’ve moved resources into Springfield. People have the right to feel safe as well as being safe.'
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) speaks at a press conference at Springfield City Hall
Alimemby Estimable, 19, talks about being Haitian in Springfield, Ohio, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024.
Harris stressed the need for public officials like Trump and his running mate JD Vance to understand the power of their words and the impact it would have on communities.
‘When you are bestowed with a microphone that big, there is a profound responsibility that comes with that,' she said referring to the ‘public trust' of a president to be responsible for how they speak.
She criticized Trump for using ‘age old' tropes to describe immigrants to ‘divide' the United States.
‘This is not new,' she said. ‘This is not new in terms of these tropes.'
Harris said she believed that Americans were seeing through Trump's divisive attempts that they were no longer willing to tolerate.
‘Let's turn the page and chart a new way forward and say you can't have that microphone again,' she said.
