Kamala Harris interviewed by Oprah as Hollywood celebs come out for vice president

But the Democratic Vice President was tight-lipped during much of the interview, revealing little of her feelings about the presidential race.

In a seemingly unguarded comment while discussing gun laws, Ms Harris told the TV personality: “If somebody breaks in my house, they're getting shot."

She added, laughing: "I probably should not have said that. But my staff will deal with that later.”

Winfrey noted Harris' swift transformation after President Joe Biden stepped out of the race in late July, lauding Harris for "stepping into her power."

"You know we each have those moments in our lives when it's time to step up," Harris said.

Celebrities including comedians Chris Rock and Ben Stiller along with actors Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and Bryan Cranston joined the event and offered their reasons for backing Harris or peppered her with questions.

"I want to bring my daughters to the White House to meet this Black woman president," Rock said.

During the virtual rally, Harris spoke of the need to tighten border security, blaming  Donald Trump for killing legislation that would have provided more funding for law enforcement at the border.

“The bill would have allowed us to have more resources to prosecute transnational criminal organisations,” she said. 

“Donald Trump called up his folks and said, ‘Don’t put that bill on the floor for a vote.’ He preferred to run on a problem instead of addressing the problem. And he put his personal political security before border security.”

She also repeated her criticism of the overturning of Roe v Wade, the US Supreme Court case which had guaranteed a federal right to access an abortion, which she has dubbed the Trump abortion ban.

The 90-minute rally, watched by more than 200,000 people, was organised by Win with Black Women.