Rising Democratic star Kamala Harris took aim at President Donald Trump from the altar of the First Congregational Church of Atlanta on its 150th anniversary.

The U.S. senator from California, a possible presidential candidate in 2020, tacitly invoked the president when she said there are "forces of hate and division trying to tear us apart." And she said the nation faces ossifying divides over racism, sexism homophobia and anti-Semitism.

She also offered her first comments about the widespread demonstrations by NFL players and coaches during the national anthem, saying those who kneel should not be "threatened or bullied."

"When we sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' we rightly think about the brave men and women from all backgrounds who proudly defend the freedom of those they may never meet and people who will never know their names," she said.

"When we sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' we also think about those marching in the streets who demand that the ideals of that flag represent them too."

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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