American TV host Oprah Winfrey made an unannounced surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Oprah electrified the crowd during her speech on the third night of the convention nominating Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.
“When a house burns down, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t ask who their partner was or how they voted,” she said.
“No, we just try to do the best we can to save them. And if it happens to belong to a cat owner who doesn’t have any children, then we try to get that cat out as well.”
The comment was a reference to Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, who made a famous comment about women who don’t have children.
In 2021, Senator Vance said in an interview that the United States is run by “a bunch of childless catgirls who are unhappy with their own lives and the choices they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too.”
Oprah, whose production company is based in Chicago, has no children.
“The sweet promise of tomorrow, we’ll never go back,” Oprah told delegates, leading to chants of “never go back.”
Tracy Prince and Kathy Sykes jumped out of their seats when they saw Oprah, who was born in their hometown of Mississippi, take the stage.
“We love Oprah so much,” Ms Sykes told BBC News. “Everyone in Mississippi is so proud that she adopted us.”
She said Oprah’s speech was a “powerful message” to independent voters in particular to vote for Harris.
“She gives very good reasons – to choose what is right over what is meaningless,” Ms Sykes told the audience.
Wednesday night also featured a number of entertainment celebrities including Stevie Wonder, Mindy Kaling and Kenan Thompson.
Democrats are enlisting their high-profile members to help draw attention to the convention, hoping their presence will get voters to pay attention — and then possibly vote for Kamala Harris in November.
It’s a common tactic in US politics. Last month’s Republican National Convention featured appearances by rock musician Kid Rock and wrestler Hulk Hogan.
With additional reporting from Max Matza
