Vice President Kamala Harris appeared at the 7th Episcopal District AME Church Women’s Missionary Society annual retreat in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Saturday to mark the two-year anniversary of attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Her appearance comes just weeks before the state’s Democratic primary is expected to take place.
“Three years ago today, on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob violently attacked the United States Capitol they used brutal force and fear to try to overturn the results of a free and fair election,” Harris said during a keynote address. “They tried to overrule the votes of millions of Americans.”
She continued: “On that day, we saw violence, chaos, and lawlessness, but some so-called leaders still tried to mislead and gaslight by saying it was a peaceful protest.
After Biden made scathing remarks denouncing Trump in the lead-up to the 2024 elections, Trump countered during a visit to Iowa on Friday.
“Not one thing has gotten better under crooked Joe Biden. Everything’s a mess,” Trump said at the rally.
He spoke briefly about the Jan. 6 attacks, stating that his 2020 presidential loss was tainted by pervasive voter fraud.
Meanwhile, Biden says South Carolina is in large part to thank for his win to become the 46th president of the United States. The state has since been moved to the number one position in the party’s nominating calendar. Iowa and New Hampshire trail in 2nd and 3rd place.
In the 1700s, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church was formed in response to racial discrimination in an American Methodist church. AME has since amassed several million members worldwide.
Biden is scheduled to speak at the Mother Emanuel AME in South Carolina on Monday, where nine members of the congregation were murdered by a white supremacist in 2015.
During her keynote address Saturday, Harris said the overwhelming support from South Carolina residents helped get Biden to the White House. But while he was able to win one term, now is the time to win a second.
“Let us not throw up our hands. It is time to roll up our sleeves. We were born for a time such as this and we love our country,” Harris said.
