A Biden-Harris speech in Virginia on Tuesday about abortion rights was intercepted multiple times by hecklers shouting “Genocide Joe,” referring to the Israel-Hamas war.
President Biden was targeting Republicans for restricting abortion rights, the same day people were voting for their preferred presidential candidate in New Hampshire. He and Vice President Kamala Harris held an event for greater abortion access with the slogan “Restore Roe” in the background, in an effort to attract voters who disagree with their state’s abortion laws.
“The person most responsible for taking away this freedom in America is Donald Trump,” President Biden said about the former president and current frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court, with a conservative majority made possible by three justices who joined the court under President Trump, struck down the Roe v. Wade ruling that allowed the federal government to determine the details of when women can access an abortion.
The crowd cheered for President Biden but it was not entirely friendly. Multiple interruptions forced the president to pause or try to speak over shouts of “Ceasefire now,” and “Genocide Joe” over his support for Israel and its counteroffensive on Gaza.
The Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas launched a deadly invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people and capturing hostages. This led to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring, “We are at war.”
“They feel deeply,” President Biden said after some of the initial protesters were ushered out of the auditorium. As the heckling continued from other participants, the president kept speaking and said he expected that the constant interruptions would continue because they clearly had been planned. Supporters in the crowd shouted “Four More Years!” to drown out the heckling.
President Biden drew loud applause from the audience when he vowed to veto a national abortion ban if Republicans were to ever proposed one to Congress. His rally came after Virginia Democrats secured majorities in the state legislature after making abortion a central campaign issue last year.
President Biden and Vice President Harris kicked off events on Monday to highlight Democrat policies on abortion and what they describe as Republican threats to such rights, on what would have been the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
“Former President Trump hand-picked … three Supreme Court justices because he intended for them to overturn Roe,” Ms. Harris said.
Most opinion polls, including a Reuters/Ipsos poll in July, show that a majority of U.S. voters oppose presidential candidates who favor strict abortion limits. All seven statewide ballot initiatives to enshrine reproductive rights since 2022 have succeeded, including in conservative Ohio, Kansas, and Kentucky.
Reuters contributed to this report.
