‘We want to ban assault weapons, they want to ban books’: VP Kamala Harris rallies teachers’ union in Houston

HOUSTON – Attendees at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Downtown Houston anxiously waited for Vice President Kamala Harris to deliver her keynote speech during the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th national convention.

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As soon as she took to the podium, the Vice President was met with a roar of applause. She began her speech by thanking President Joe Biden for his service and recently endorsing her as his successor.

“He showed what true leadership looks like,” she said. “We are deeply, deeply grateful for his continued service to our nation.”

She also acknowledged to the crowd of how the American Federation of Teachers was the first labor union to formally endorse her candidacy.

“Thank you for being the first Union to endorse me this week,” she said.

However, not everyone appeared to be happy with the Vice President’s visit to Houston. The Harris County GOP shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying she “is not welcome in Houston.”

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, however, looked to honor Vice President Harris with an official proclamation.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has been instrumental in helping residents affected by Hurricane Beryl quickly receive direct financial aid from the federal government through FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) program,” Hidalgo’s office said in a post on X. “Judge Hidalgo has greatly appreciated the partnership with the President and Vice President during recent disasters that have significantly impacted recovery efforts. The direct federal aid from the Administration, has assisted hundreds of thousands of Harris County residents with recovery costs.”

Having emerged as the likely Democratic nominee after President Biden exited the race, Harris plans to travel aggressively to spread her message and rally voters. The outreach occurs as the former and retooled Biden campaign, now under Harris’ control, figures out its strategy for generating turnout and maximizing her time in a 100-plus day sprint to the November election against Republican nominee Donald Trump.

But in Trump, Harris is up against the survivor of a recent assassination attempt with tens of millions of loyalists who are devoted to putting him back in the Oval Office. Just as Harris is trying to draw a contrast with Trump, he is trying to do the same with her.

Trump went on the offensive against Harris at a Wednesday rally in North Carolina, telling his crowd of thousands that she is a “real liberal” who is “much worse” than Biden. The former president said Harris had misled voters about the health of the 81-year-old Biden and his ability to run for the presidency.

“For three and a half years, Harris shamelessly lied to the public to cover up Joe Biden’s mental unfitness, claiming that ‘crooked Joe’ was at the absolute top of his game,” Trump said. “I don’t think so. I don’t think so.”

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Harris fired back Thursday acknowledging the controversial Project 2025.

“Donald Trump and his extreme allies want to take us back to failed, trickled-down policies,” she said. “We are not going back.”

The 1.8 million-member AFT has backed Harris and her pro-union agenda on the premise that a Trump return to the White House could result in restrictions on organized labor and a potential loss of funding for education.

“We want to ban assault weapons, they want to ban books,” Harris said. “Unions helped build America’s middle class. And when unions are strong, America is strong.”

Randi Weingarten, the union’s president, posted on social media ahead of Harris’ appearance, saying, “We are fully committed to this fight: united, mobilized and ready to vote in this year’s election.”

The AFL-CIO, which represents 60 labor unions including the AFT, has backed Harris. But the vice president has yet to get the endorsement of the United Auto Workers, with its president, Shawn Fain, telling CNBC in a Monday interview that the decision will be made by his union’s executive board.

Fain spoke at the AFT conference on Wednesday and was blistering in his criticism of Trump. The former president has relied on blue-collar voters to compete politically nationwide, but he failed to win a majority of union households in 2020 and lost to Biden, according to AP VoteCast.

“It’s very clear a Donald Trump White House would be a disaster for the working class,” Fain said. “Donald Trump is a scab. He stands for everything that we as union and in the labor movement stand against.”

After her speech, Harris will return to Washington and meet in the afternoon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.