Beyonce told a packed stadium in Texas it was time for America to elect Kamala Harris president, urging voters to “sing a new song,” before the vice president delivered a message that Donald Trump was dead set on eroding women’s rights.
“For all the men and women in this room, and watching around the country, we need you,” Beyonce told the rally in Houston.
Joined by her mother Tina Knowles and her former bandmate Kelly Rowland, the singer told the cheering crowd she was not at the rally as a celebrity or as a politician.
“I’m here as a mother,” Beyonce said, talking about how her children would see “the sacrifices made so we can witness the strength of a woman… reimagining what leadership is.”
Ms Harris came out to huge cheers. She told the crowd Mr Trump had erased half a century of hard-fought progress when he appointed the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v Wade and sparked a healthcare crisis.
“For anyone watching from another state, if you think you are protected from Trump abortion bans because you live in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York, California, or any state where voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know: No one is protected,” she said.
“Because a Donald Trump national ban will outlaw abortion in every single state.
“All that to say, elections matter.”
Ms Harris listed the effects she sees from various bans, such as “women having fewer options, fewer medical students choosing to specialise in women’s health”.
Her campaign said it was her largest rally to date, the crowd waiting for hours and wearing flashing red, white and blue LED bracelets as “trust women” and “freedom” flashed on big screens between acts.
She was joined at the rally by women who have nearly died from sepsis and other pregnancy complications because they were unable to get proper medical care, including women who never intended to end their pregnancies.
With the presidential election in a dead heat, Ms Harris is banking on abortion rights as a major driver for voters — including for Republican women, particularly since Mr Trump appointed three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn the constitutional right.
Mr Trump has been inconsistent in his message to voters on abortion and reproductive rights, although he has said he would veto a national abortion ban.
He has repeatedly shifted his stance and offered vague, contradictory and at times nonsensical answers to questions on an issue that has become a major vulnerability for Republicans in this year’s election.
Mr Trump was also in Texas on Friday, where he predicted he would break records for the number of people deported from the United States if he wins the election. He taped a podcast with Joe Rogan.
