Harris makes statement on Gaza war after closed UW-Milwaukee event

Vice President Kamala Harris and billionaire businessman Mark Cuban met with students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Thursday – an event that was closed to the news media at the last minute.

The campaign had planned to allow the press to attend when Harris met with UW-Milwaukee students Thursday morning, along with Cuban, a longtime owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and a prominent investor on the television show “Shark Tank.”

A university spokesman said the campaign was responsible for the logistics of the event. The campaign did not immediately explain the decision to bar news media from meeting students.

Instead, Harris made a brief statement to reporters about Israel's killing of Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar is considered the architect of the militant group's attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Harris said Thursday that Israel has the right to defend itself and that the threat to Israel from Hamas must be “eliminated.”

“Today there is clear progress toward that goal,” Harris said. “Hamas is decimated and its leadership has been eliminated. This moment gives us the opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza. And it must end in such a way that Israel is safe, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

“And it is time for the day after to begin without Hamas in power,” she added.

Harris did not answer questions.

She was greeted at UWM by pro-Palestinian protesters who accused her of genocide and said UWM had blood on its hands for inviting Harris to campus because she was vice president during the Israel-Hamas war.

Harris' visit to Wisconsin came less than three weeks before Election Day, when she will face former President Donald Trump. The Democratic candidate planned to travel to La Crosse for an afternoon rally, followed by another evening event in Green Bay. Cuban was also scheduled to join her in La Crosse.

Harris' trip to Wisconsin and other key battleground states came as the race with Trump remains tight in the final weeks before the Nov. 5 election. In the Marquette University Law School poll released earlier this month, Harris maintained a four-point lead over Trump, well within the poll's margin of error. Among registered and likely voters in Wisconsin, it was 52% for Harris and 48% for Trump.

Vice President Kamala Harris met with pro-Palestinian protesters at UWM

As Harris' motorcade pulled up, the demonstrators who had gathered behind the police line were surrounded by police from multiple departments.

Dina El Kassas, a second-year student majoring in global studies, initially protested with the group of students closest to the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center who were surrounded by police. She has a green card and did not want to be arrested. El Kassas comes from Germany and has Egyptian roots. Still, she believed that the heavy police presence was just for show and that the police were not actually arresting the student protesters. “I think they are just there to intimidate us,” El Kassas said.

Shortly after Harris' motorcade left, the students were released from the area inside the police line to cheers from other protesters. There were no apparent arrests.

El Kassas has been involved in pro-Palestinian student protests at UWM since last year, including the two-week camp on campus. She refused to pay tuition to any school that would accept Harris, whom she sees as complicit in Israel's devastating military operation in Gaza. She was also frustrated that UWM released a statement days ago saying it was politically neutral.

“It’s a lie, it’s a blatant lie,” El Kassas said.

Trump's campaign, Republicans criticize Harris' visit

Trump's campaign team said Thursday that Harris' visit “will not be decisive in their failed campaign.”

“Wisconsin will prove to be Trump country if it votes in November for a return to the peace, prosperity and stability of the first Trump presidency,” said Jacob Fischer, Wisconsin communications director.

Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming said in a statement that Harris “expects us to ignore what our bank statements and monthly budgets make clear: that we were better off under President Trump four years ago.”

Trump last attended a rally in Juneau, Wisconsin, on October 6, which was his fourth event in the swing state in just nine days. His campaign has not yet announced when Trump or his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, will next return to Wisconsin, although Trump has also hinted at a future rally in Milwaukee or Green Bay.

Harris is traveling to Wisconsin for the sixth time as a presidential candidate

This week's trip marks Harris' sixth visit to the state as a presidential candidate and her third stop in Milwaukee County. She launched her presidential campaign here in late July with a rally in West Allis.

Harris' last campaign event in Milwaukee was at the Fiserv Forum in August, when she appeared with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on the second night of the Democratic National Convention. She has held other rallies in Eau Claire, Madison and Ripon.

Walz was just in Eau Claire and Green Bay on Monday, where he joined Gov. Tony Evers to launch a bus tour with Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in support of Harris. First lady Jill Biden campaigned in Madison the same day. And former President Barack Obama will join Walz and others in Madison on Tuesday, the first day of early voting in Wisconsin.

Harris visited UW-Milwaukee back in May 2021, when she toured the university's clean energy labs and discussed President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan during her first trip to Wisconsin as vice president. The following year, in September 2022, she also met with UWM students and Latino leaders and took a political science class.

Editor's note: The Journal Sentinel requested an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during her event Thursday in Milwaukee. The campaign declined to provide it.

This story has been updated to add new information.

Journal Sentinel reporter Kelly Meyerhofer contributed to this story.

Vice President Kamala Harris met with pro-Palestinian protesters at UWM

Trump's campaign, Republicans criticize Harris' visit

Harris is traveling to Wisconsin for the sixth time as a presidential candidate

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