Vice President Kamala Harris made her final arguments for her presidential bid on Tuesday on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., where she gave an optimistic and hopeful message focused on the future.
Standing with the White House in the background, Harris offered a split screen between herself and former President Donald Trump and urged voters to “turn the page” on the Trump era by pledging to move the country forward before the party.
“He is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed by grievances and seeking unchecked power. Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other,” she said. she declared.
She criticized Trump for the “enemy within” language he used to describe his political opponents, calling him “unstable” and “consumed with grievances.”
Democratic Presidential Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally on the Ellipse October 29, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
True to her promise to Americans, she pledged to “seek common ground and common-sense solutions to improve your life. I’m not looking to score political points. I’m looking to make progress.”
“We need to stop pointing fingers and start shaking hands. It’s time to turn the page on drama and conflict, fear and division. It’s time for a new generation of leaders in America.” , Harris said.
“I don’t believe that those who disagree with me are enemies,” she said. “He wants to put them in jail. I’m going to give them a seat at the table.”
About 40,000 people were expected at the event, according to a permit approved by the National Park Service — an increase from the 20,000 people who were expected, according to the permit issued for the campaign last week.
Harris flatly stated that the speech location near the National Mall – the same place where Trump gave a speech before the January 6, 2021 attacks on the US Capitol – was intended to remind Americans of their choice between Harris and Trump and who would go at the White House.
“I would think and reflect more on this place in the context of what will be behind me, which is the White House. And I’m doing it there, because I think it’s very important for the American people to see and to think about who’s going to occupy that space on January 20,” Harris recently told CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell.
The crowd applauds as Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to deliver a speech during a campaign event at the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, October 29, 2024.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
“The reality is that most Americans can visualize the Oval Office. We’ve seen it on TV, and it’s a real-life scenario. Either it will be Donald Trump or me, sitting behind the resolute desk in the Oval Office . Oval Office.”
With a week until Election Day, Harris and Trump are scrambling to make their final appeals to undecided voters in what is expected to be a close fight.
Harris’ campaign said it wanted to portray Trump as someone who is consumed by his grievances and an endless desire for retaliation, emphasizing his promise to go after those on his “enemies list” and how that contrasts with Harris’ emphasis on her “making the list.” It’s a message she often incorporates into her stump speech.
“It’s full of grievances. It’s full of dark language that talks about retaliation and revenge, and so the American people have a choice. Either it’s going to be that, or it’s going to be me here, focused on my duty- making a list, focused on the American people, and going through this list of goals and plans to improve the lives of the American people,” Harris told reporters Sunday while campaigning in Philadelphia.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, right, greets supporters as he arrives before Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris delivers a speech during a campaign event at the Ellipse near the House Blanche in Washington, October 29, 2024.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
Her final argument highlighted what she claims is a desire among Americans to “turn the page” on Trump by emphasizing his plans and priorities for the country, namely the economy. The vice president has promised to cut costs and prioritize the middle class in her “opportunity economy.”
After her speech on the Ellipse, Harris plans to deliver that message while traveling through battleground states in the final days of the campaign. The events will center around a series of get-out-the-vote concerts.
“I spend time in all communities to make sure they hear me directly, so they can judge for themselves without filter. And I will continue to do that. I leave nothing on the ground in this election, leaving nothing on the ground,” Harris said in an interview with MSNBC earlier this month.
