Manassas (Virginia)
It had everything to be a destination. A closed rally with an audience of guests and rows of journalists to defend abortion rights. But it was embarrassing.
Joe Biden was interrupted several times by proPalestinian activists who called him a genocider, called for a ceasefire and questioned him about the rights of women in Gaza as the president cited the need to protect women from antiabortion laws.
The demonstrators were spread across several parts of the auditorium at George Mason University in Manassas in northern Virginia. Every time one of them stood up and shouted slogans against the president, police and organizers rushed to contain them, while the rest of the public drowned out the protest with chants of “four more years.”
In each of these moments, Biden remained silent, waited for the protester in question to be removed, and continued his speech as if nothing had happened. The emergency struck the police and the politician's advisers, who spread out around the room and continued to look around anxiously until the end of the speech, trying to prevent another protester from interrupting them as quickly as possible.
It is not the first time that the president has faced protests over his support of Israel in the fight against the terrorist group Hamas. However, on other occasions he responded to these objections with friendly comments and softened the atmosphere which did not happen this Tuesday (23).
Even before the rally began, a small group of demonstrators had gathered a few meters from the event's entrance, waving Palestinian flags and a banner reading “Stop Aid to Israel.”
The clash highlights Biden's challenge to win over young voters who are more critical of the traditional alliance between Washington and Tel Aviv. The problem is that this is precisely one of the target groups for the abortion rights campaign that has become a priority of the president's campaign.
In addition to Biden, his Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke at the rally; her husband, Doug Emhoff; and the First Lady, Jill Biden. This was the first campaign event to bring together both presidential and vice presidential candidates from the Democratic Party.
The rally was closed to the public and only people who received invitations distributed by abortion rights organizations and regional chapters of the party could attend. Everyone in attendance received a bracelet of a different color that determined which row they were allowed to sit in. A select group even received the distinction of “special guest.”
At the back of the stage, behind the pulpit, were rows of people many of them young carrying signs that read “Restore Roe,” in reference to the Supreme Court's decision that upheld the right to Abortion guaranteed and was overturned by the same court in 2022) and “BidenHarris”.
The image of diversity contrasts with the view that many of Biden's supporters have on his campaign.
“A lot of people are apathetic,” said Grace Lintner, 59, of Manassas, sitting in a back row of the auditorium. Wearing a Tshirt from the Prince William County Democratic Party, which she joined two months after Donald Trump's victory in 2016, she says she will vote for Biden and that she came to the event to show her support but she's worried about the results.
“In the local elections, people have already lost by one vote. Could this happen to the president? Yes. Am I worried about this? Yes,” she says.
Asked whether the ticket would have a better chance if Kamala and not Biden were at the helm, she says the president is popular, adding that she hopes “nothing happens to Joe.”
“But if he has to resign or, God forbid, something happens… I mean, Kamala is young and has experience. I believe the ticket is as it should be and that all the talk about Biden's age is nonsense,” he concludes.
39yearold professor Jessica Berg, who sits a few rows ahead, also says she is not satisfied with the electoral prospects of the ballot.
“I am very, very worried. I think if we have a high turnout it won’t be a problem, but I’m more worried about what.” [Trump] basically fuels the kind of violence that it caused,” he explains.
As an abortion rights activist, she says she came to the rally to both defend the flag and express her support for Biden — which she says are one and the same.
Two young people excited by the prospect of seeing the president in person are making their support for the Democrat much clearer, rejecting any notion that Kamala could come out on top. At the same time, they realize that their enthusiasm is not shared by their colleagues.
They ask that their names not be published. For both sides, Biden would lose if the election were held today. But they add that jumping on the abortion flag is the right way to change that by November.
Speaking before the protests during the event, one of the youth mentioned that Biden's position on Palestine could be an obstacle to his campaign. He believes this is one of the reasons for the apathy he inspires among his colleagues.
“Biden is no Barack Obama, but… no one is,” he concludes.
The campaign brought to the stage Amanda Zurawski, who was prevented from having an abortion after learning her pregnancy was not viable due to Texas law where she lives. Doctors recommended she wait until she went into septic shock and the situation became lifethreatening.
The procedure was carried out. Amanda stated that she was in the hospital for three days and almost died. In her speech, she blamed Donald Trump for the situation.
Republican attitudes toward abortion are unpredictable. He sometimes boasts that he appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court who were instrumental in overturning Roe vs. Wade. Wade, the decision that upheld the right to abortion throughout the United States. However, he has also stated that he is not against the procedure, but instead advocates for limiting the gestation period in which it can be carried out.
The inconsistency was seen as an opportunity by Biden's campaign, which accused his likely opponent in the November election of wanting to impose a national abortion ban currently each state has the autonomy to regulate the issue. The flag appeals to independent and moderate voters, and even a significant portion of Republicans are for the right.
The Vice President was elected as speaker of the agenda. This Monday, when Roe vs. Wade would have been 51, Kamala gave a speech in Wisconsin, a swing state, as those who have no clear tendency to vote for one party or the other are called. In the coming weeks, she will travel around the country at more reproductive rights rallies.