Scenes from Vice President Kamala Harris' trip to a Fayetteville high school Thursday

Editor's note: This is an updated version of the original story. A Cumberland County Schools spokesman said the cheerleaders mentioned in this story are not current students.

Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage at Westover High School on Thursday to campaign for the reelection of President Joe Biden.

Harris' remarks, which lasted about 15 minutes, were preceded by several local politicians and business people who touted Biden's successes and led the hundreds of supporters at the rally in chants denouncing Donald Trump's policies.

At one point, the crowd spontaneously erupted into a chorus of "Four more years!"

Gov. Roy Cooper remarks before Kamala Harris take the podium | 2:40

Gov. Roy Cooper announced Harris' arrival but before doing so, he made a series of statements about Trump, asking after each, "Do we want Donald Trump's America?" to which the crowd replied, "No!"

"This election is not just about what kind of president we want to have. This election is about what kind of country we want to be," Cooper said as the crowd cheered. "Donald Trump's America is where the wealthy get the breaks and the working families get the shaft. ... Donald Trump's America is where the end of Roe V. Wade is a great thing and politicians police women's bodies. ... Donald Trump's America is where it's easier to get an assault rifle than it is to get healthcare. ... Donald Trump's America is where the president is a convicted felon, a chronic liar and the king of chaos. ... Four years ago we told Donald Trump, 'You're fired!'"

Fayetteville's Mayor Mitch Colvin and Sen. Applewhite take to the stage | 1:45 p.m.

Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin took to the stage shortly before 1:30 p.m.

"She and President Biden have delivered so much for Fayetteville and for North Carolina and now we are ready to deliver for them," Colvin said from the podium in advance of Harris' appearance. "I have served as mayor under President Biden and the other president and I can tell you firsthand there is a clear distinction …

"Unfortunately, Trump's failed leadership led many businesses to close."

Colvin said a second Trump term would be disastrous and he alluded to the recent Supreme Court ruling — made by the majority conservative court with two Trump nominees — that overturned the decades-long protection of women's right to abortion.

Colvin said a Trump reelection would "would rip away reproductive freedoms from our women."

"Let's flip this city and this county blue on Nov. 5," he said.

State Sen. Val Applewhite, a former member of the Fayetteville City Council, also spoke to the crowd, touting Biden's accomplishments and decrying Project 2025, being touted by some as a handbook for Trump's second term.

Newsweek reported the 900-page document, crafted by the conservative think-tank, Heritage Foundation, "includes policies that would uniquely affect women, including a clampdown on federal funding for abortion, the removal of 'gender equality' language from government websites, and reducing access to contraception."

Applewhite, a veteran, focused on the project's plan for veterans.

"Donald Trump called our fallen service members ‘losers.' Now, his project 2025 agenda is the latest affront to veterans and our service... (the) 2025 agenda cuts veteran benefits, including (those for) disabled veterans, and it threatens access to health care," she said.

The Associated Press reported July 6 that Trump has claimed to be unaware of the project.

Businessman Scott Peoples, who described himself as a former Republican and 82nd Airborne Division vet, said he now supports Biden.

"A second (Trump) term would be even worse ... Project 2025 (would) cut veteran benefits," Peoples said. "It’s one reason why I changed to Democrat. To quote former president Reagan, 'I didn’t leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left me.'"

Former county commission chair wants party to unite behind Biden | 1:10 p.m.

As cheerleaders led the cheer, "When I say Biden, you say Harris!" Charles Evans, former chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, said he was unhappy with the recent talk that Biden be replaced at the top of the ticket. The rumblings from Biden's own party came after his lackluster performance in a debate with Trump last month. The president, at times, fumbled his words or didn't complete sentences, prompting many to question the 81-year-old's mental acuity and ability to complete a second term.

“I think it’s ludicrous that they’re trying to force President Biden out. I think that we should stand firm behind him as a party to show that we possess unity," Evans said. "As far as Vice President Harris is concerned, if she has the opportunity to become the nominee for the person to run for president, we would have an excellent president, so we win on all accounts. But the first thing that we must do is show our support.”

Evans said he is not worried about Harris' performance in a debate with Trump's vice presidential pick, J.D. Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio.

“(She'll) blow him out the water," Evans said of the former prosecutor. "That’s another thing that Vice President Kamala Harris can do, she can debate and she doesn’t play."

But while Harris has accepted the invitation to a debate in August, the Trump campaign refused to commit until after the Democratic convention Aug. 19 when it will be certain that Biden is the nominee.

"We don’t know who the Democrat nominee for Vice President is going to be, so we can’t lock in a date before their convention. To do so would be unfair to Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, or whoever Kamala Harris picks as her running mate,” NBC News reported Trump campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes saying in a statement.

As the crowd inside the high school gymnasium grew to more than 250 people by 12:30 it became clear that those in attendance came from various points in Eastern North Carolina.

Sonya Bennetone, an accountant from Willmington, said she hopes Biden stays the course.

"I think he's our only choice for America, and replacing him would be political suicide," she said.

Dr. John Purakal, who practices emergency medicine, attended the event from Durham. He said no matter what name is on the ballot for the Democrats, that will be his pick.

"I know what a Trump presidency looks like so I know I'm voting for whoever the Democratic party candidate is that shows up on the ticket," he said.

People line up to enter the Gene Arrington Gymnasium at Westover High School | 12:20 p.m.

About noon on Thursday, a queue of more than 100 people awaited entrance into the Gene Arrington Gymnasium at Westover High School where Vice President Harris is set to speak shortly before 2 p.m.

Harris is in Fayetteville fresh off a campaign event in Michigan on Wednesday for the reelection of President Joe Biden.

At the Michigan campaign stop, Harris called for unity in the wake of an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Harris called the shooting a "heinous, horrible, and cowardly act," and offered her and her husband's condolences to the family of a spectator who was killed and at least two others who were injured.

"There must be unity around the idea that while our nation's history has been scarred by political violence, violence is never acceptable.  There can be no equivocation about that," she said.

Harris is expected to be joined on stage by N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper. Fayetteville Councilman D.J. Haire and Charles Evans, former chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, are also in attendance.

As those inside the auditorium — numbering about 120 by 12:15 p.m. — await Harris' arrival, Cyndi Lauper's song, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," is being played on the loudspeaker.

The vice president's visit is expected to be brief. She is scheduled to leave for Washington, D.C. at 2:50 p.m., according to the itinerary released Wednesday evening by her White House office.

According to the campaign, the event will be livestreamed on social media accounts for the Biden-Harris campaign. The campaign's Facebook account can be found at https://www.facebook.com/bidenharrishq.

Harris to arrive at Pope Army Airfield shortly before 1 p.m.

Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Fayetteville on a campaign stop Thursday for the reelection of President Joe Biden. Harris is scheduled to arrive at Pope Army Airfield at 12:45 p.m., according to a release from the Office of the Vice President.

The campaign event is at 1:55 p.m. in the Gene Arrington Gymnasium of Westover High School. Harris will make remarks before credentialed media, the release said.

Related: Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Fayetteville this week. Here's what we know

She is scheduled to leave Fayetteville for Washington D.C. at 2:50 p.m., the release said.

Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday afternoon he’d be joining Harris at the event.

The vice president was last in Fayetteville on the eve of the 2020 presidential election when she made a campaign stop at Fayetteville State University on Nov. 1, 2020.

The Fayetteville Police Department, State Bureau of Investigation, and State Highway Patrol will be in the area to assist the Secret Service, according to officials with each of those agencies.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Fayetteville high school