Superstar Beyoncé has joined US Vice-President Kamala Harris on her campaign trail, with the singer introducing the Democratic presidential nominee at a Houston rally in Texas.
Ms Harris and republican nominee Donald Trump both made stops in the state on Friday, local time, taking a detour from touring the battleground states which will decide November’s election.
Texas was the first US state to implement a near-total abortion ban.
It has not backed a Democratic president since 1976 and Trump is expected to win the state’s 40 electoral college votes.
However, Democrats were hoping the state would provide a powerful backdrop for Vice-President Harris to talk about abortion rights in the final days of her presidential campaign.
Beyoncé and abortion rights at Texas rally
The rally saw people swaying and singing along to a DJ in between personal stories about abortion.
Beyonce, who was born in Houston, did not sing at the event but fired up the crowd with a recording of her song Freedom.
“For all the men and women in this room and watching around the country, we need you,” Beyoncé said in a rare political appearance.
“I’m here as a mother, a mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in.
“A world where we have freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided.”
Beyoncé joined Kamala Harris on stage during a campaign rally in Houston.
(AP Photo: Annie Mulligan)
Ms Harris led the Biden administration’s reproductive rights initiatives and has made the issue a cornerstone of her presidential campaign.
She came out to a roaring crowd in Houston and spoke about the danger former president Trump and Republicans could present to abortion rights across the country if re-elected.
“Texas, what is happening across this state and our country is a healthcare crisis and Donald Trump is the architect of it,” Ms Harris said.
Texas implemented a law in September 2021 which banned abortion after six weeks and allowed anyone to sue abortion patients and those who assisted them.
Ms Harris told the crowd Trump had erased half a century of hard-fought progress when he appointed the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v Wade — a landmark 1973 court ruling that recognised Americans’ right to abortion and legalised it across the nation.
Ms Harris was also joined by country music legend Willie Nelson, who sang some of his greatest hits including On the Road Again.
Trump tapes podcast with Joe Rogan
While in Texas, Trump taped a podcast episode with Joe Rogan before heading to a rally in Michigan three hours late.
In his interview with Rogan, Trump again suggested he would consider eliminating income tax and replacing the lost revenue with tariffs.
“Did you just float out the idea of getting rid of income taxes and replacing it with tariffs? Are we serious about that?” Rogan asked.
“Yeah, sure. Why not?” Trump replied.
Trump speaks at a campaign event in Michigan.
(AP Photo: Paul Sancya)
Polls show Trump has lost ground with women voters since Ms Harris has become the Democratic candidate, although the two are in a tight race in the battleground states.
Trump’s message on abortion has shifted during his campaign.
He had taken credit for appointing the justices who helped overturn Roe v Wade, but has since said he would not support a national ban on abortions.
He has also called for any ban to include exceptions for rape and incest or to protect the health of the mother.
Reuters/AP