Rushdie endorses Harris for US presidency

Author Salman Rushdie has endorsed Kamala Harris's candidacy for the US presidency, expressing his belief that she is the person who can prevent former president Donald Trump from dragging the country towards authoritarianism.

Rushdie extended his support for US Vice President Harris during a virtual 'South Asian Men for Harris' event on Sunday. The event was attended by prominent figures from the Indian-American community, including lawmakers, authors, policy experts, entrepreneurs, and diaspora organisations.

"It's a critical moment. I'm a boy from Bombay, and it's great to see an Indian woman running for the White House. My wife is African-American, so we like the fact that a Black and Indian woman is running for the White House," Rushdie said.

Harris, 59, is the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. She officially declared her candidacy after incumbent President Joe Biden withdrew from the race for a second term on July 20. She is expected to be officially announced as the presidential candidate by the Democrats next month.

The 77-year-old British-American novelist noted that ethnicity alone is not enough. "We would not be gathering in this way for Usha Vance or Nikki Haley," he said, referring to the Indian-American wife of Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance and the Indian-American former South Carolina governor.

Rushdie emphasised that Harris's candidacy has brought a significant and positive shift in American politics. "The conversation has entirely changed with the arrival of Kamala Harris's candidacy, and it's changed most joyfully, with optimism and positive, forward-thinking," he said.

He stressed the importance of supporting Harris to prevent the country from heading towards authoritarianism. "We can't allow the alternative to happen," he said, referring to 78-year-old Trump, a Republican. "This hollow man without a single noble quality, trying to drag this country towards authoritarianism. That cannot happen."

Rushdie voiced his confidence that Harris "is the person who can prevent it. And so I'm 1,000 per cent in for her." 

Source: NDTV