A video of Vice President Kamala Harris embracing a crying woman on Saturday in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state amid this year’s presidential election, has taken off online.
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, will go toe-to-toe with former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, on Tuesday night on the ABC News debate stage for the first time. Nerves and excitement will be high that night as Americans tune in to the much-anticipated debate in Philadelphia, following a dismal performance from President Joe Biden in Atlanta in late June when he went up against Trump.
In a video posted to X, former Twitter, user Julia Hamelburg shared a video of Harris meeting with locals at a small business in Pittsburg as she hugged a woman who began crying.
In the video, Harris can be seen embracing the woman and reassuring her that “we are going to be good, we are going to be fine. We are all in this together.”
As of Saturday afternoon, the video has garnered over 1.2 million views and has been shared by Kamala HQ on X where it has garnered over 325,000 views.
“Donald Trump could literally never. WATCH Kamala Harris steps out of debate prep in Pittsburgh to inspire the next generation, chat with voters, thank a teacher, and be a normal, wholesome person,” Hamelburg wrote on X as she shared the video.
Newsweek has reached out to Harris’ and Trump’s campaign via email for comment.
Donald Trump could literally never.
WATCH Kamala Harris steps out of debate prep in Pittsburgh to inspire the next generation, chat with voters, thank a teacher, and be a normal, wholesome person pic.twitter.com/kD3ZJaVRmv
— Julia Hamelburg (@juliahamelburg) September 7, 2024
In a campaign press release, the Harris campaign gave additional details surrounding the moment.
“During a visit to Penzeys Spices in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Vice President Harris took a break from preparing for Tuesday’s debate to meet young people, teachers, families, and community members. In a personal exchange, she reminded a voter that she is in this fight with and for all of them. She also thanked a teacher, met a young consumer protection lawyer, and inspired a middle school student to be a leader,” the Harris campaign said.
The moment comes as Harris is on day two of a five-day working session in Pittsburgh, getting ready for Tuesday’s presidential debate against Trump.
Harris arrived at the Omni William Penn Hotel early Thursday afternoon as The New York Times reported on Saturday that Harris is “holed up” for five days in a hotel room in the city in preparation for the debate. While Harris’ debate prep is “highly choreographed,” as the Times put it, Trump’s campaign is not even calling it “debate prep” but rather “policy time” in which the former president has held a few sessions so far.
Vice President Kamala Harris greets people during a campaign stop at Penzeys Spices in Pittsburgh on September 7. A video of Harris embracing a crying woman on Saturday in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state, has taken off online.
Getty Images
Pennsylvania remains a key battleground state in this year’s election with both candidates targeting the state, with Harris and Biden attending a Labor Day parade last week in Pittsburgh. It was the first time the two have shared a speaking slot on the political stage since Biden ended his reelection campaign in July, making Harris the candidate.
Their visit followed an appearance by Trump in the state late last month when he visited Johnstown, just 75 miles from where he was shot during a campaign rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. One person was killed and two others injured, while Trump was struck in the ear.
Battleground states will play a key role in determining the result of this year’s election due to the Electoral College, which awards each state a certain number of electoral votes based on population. A presidential candidate needs to secure 270 electoral votes for victory, and winning the national popular vote does not guarantee success.
According to FiveThirtyEight’s polling average, as of Saturday afternoon the vice president is 0.7 points ahead of Trump in the state, with 46.2 percent to his 45.5 percent.
Although Harris is leading in the polling averages, recent polls in Pennsylvania have also shown the pair tied, including the latest surveys conducted by Wick and Emerson College between August 25 and 29 where the two tied at 48 percent.
Meanwhile, other polls have shown Trump in the lead, including a Trafalgar Group poll from August 30, which put the former president 2 points ahead of Harris among likely voters with 47 to 45 percent. A SoCal Strategies poll from August 23 put the former president 1 point ahead with 48 percent to Harris’ 47 percent while a Fabrizio Ward poll from August 21 also put the Republican 1 point ahead in a head-to-head matchup.
