WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris told Americans Tuesday that Donald Trump’s efforts to sow division and fear are “not who we are” as she reinforced her campaign’s closing plea by delivering it from the same website where the former Republican president instigated the 2021 Capitol insurrection.
With a week to go before Election Day, the vice president used the speech from the grassy Ellipse near the White House to promise Americans that she would work to improve their living conditions, while arguing that her Republican opponent does not is there only for himself.
Trump “spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other: that’s who he is,” Harris said. “But America, I’m here tonight to say: That’s not who we are.”
Delivering his closing speech from the spot where Trump, on January 6, 2021, spewed lies about the 2020 presidential election that incited a mob to march to the Capitol and unsuccessfully attempt to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory, Harris reminded voters of Trump’s speech. role almost four years ago and his focus on his own interest.
“Look, we know who Donald Trump is. He was the one who stood in this very spot nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election,” he said. -she declared.
But Harris did not deliver a treatise on democracy — a key part of President Joe Biden’s own attempts to draw a contrast with Trump. Instead, she aimed to explain more broadly why voters should reject Trump and consider what she offers, while introducing herself to voters who are still clamoring for more information and encouraging the crowd to visualize their divergent futures at stake. on election day.
“He has an enemies list of people he intends to sue,” Harris said. “He says one of his highest priorities is freeing the violent extremists who attacked law enforcement on January 6. Donald Trump intends to use the US military against US citizens who simply do not agree with him. People he calls “the enemy from within”. He’s not a presidential candidate thinking about how to improve his life.
His speech drew a massive crowd to Washington, with an overflow crowd spilling out under the Washington Monument on the National Mall. More importantly, his campaign hopes this framework will help capture the attention of voters in battleground states who still aren’t sure who to vote for — or whether they should vote at all.
Ahead of Harris’s remarks, her campaign organized a speaker list made up of everyday Americans, rather than the star power that has been featured at some of her recent events, or the parade of elected officials often on the agenda of events in Washington. They included Amanda Zurawski, a woman who nearly died of sepsis after being denied care under Texas’ strict abortion ban, and Craig Sicknick, the police officer’s brother of Capitol Brian Sicknick, who died following the January 6 attack.
Ruth Chiari, 78, of Charlottesville, Virginia, attended the rally with her husband to “support democracy.”
“I think everyone understands what’s on the ballot,” she said as she waited in line near the Treasury building to enter the event. “Either we will have an autocrat or we will have freedom. »
Kathleen Nicholas, 36, a government relations manager in Washington, remembers January 6 and loves the contrast in the crowds and atmosphere of that day. “I love that she chose this location for her closure,” she said. “Having something that directly contrasts with that day is what we needed.”
With time running out and the race tight, both Harris and Trump have looked for important moments to try to shift momentum.
That speech came days after Harris traveled to Texas, a reliably Republican state, to appear with megastar Beyoncé and highlight the consequences for women after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It was also a speech intended to register with voters far away, in battleground states.
The vice president’s final speech has been weeks in the making. But his aides hoped his message would have more impact after Trump’s rally Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where speakers hurled cruel and racist insults. Harris said the event “highlighted the point I’ve been making throughout this campaign.”
“He is focused and obsessed with his grievances, with himself and with the division of our country,” she said.
Harris sought to present a pragmatic, forward-looking plan for the country, including reminding voters of her economic proposals and pledging to work for access to reproductive care, including abortion.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that those who disagree with me are the enemy,” Harris said. “He wants to put them in prison. I’ll give them a place at my table. And I am committed to being a president for all Americans. Always put the country above the party and above yourself.
Also at the center of his message: positioning himself as a “new generation” of leader after Trump and even his current boss, Biden.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Harris said. “We need to stop pointing fingers and start shaking hands. It is time to turn the page on drama, conflict and confusion. »
She acknowledged that “many of you are still figuring out who I am” after her surprise elevation to the top of the Democratic ticket after Biden dropped out in July, and used her remarks to try to address the curiosity of voters.
“I recognize that this is not a typical campaign,” Harris said, adding that she “is not afraid of tough fights against bad actors and powerful interests.”
“I’ll be honest with you: I’m not perfect,” she said. “I make mistakes. But here’s what I promise you: I will always listen to you, even if you don’t vote for me. I will always tell you the truth, even if it is difficult to hear. I will work every day to reach consensus and compromise to move things forward. And if you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, nothing in the world will stand in my way.
Ahead of Harris’ speech, Trump used his remarks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Tuesday morning to accuse Harris of concluding with a message that does not address Americans’ daily and kitchen table struggles ordinary. concerns.
He said Harris continues to “talk about Hitler and the Nazis because her record is horrible,” a reference to Harris amplifying her former chief of staff’s warnings that Trump spoke admiringly of the Nazi leader during his time in office.
Harris aides, many of whom also advised Biden’s campaign before he dropped out, still believe that centering the race on who Trump is and how he is different will be their strongest message to voters.
“She’s already made her case, she’s presented the evidence. She offers a summary tonight and she has confidence in the wisdom of the jury,” said campaign communications director Michael Tyler.
Biden told reporters Tuesday that he would not attend Harris’ speech because the event was “for her,” but he planned to watch it on television. Before Harris’ remarks, Biden reacted to a cartoon calling Puerto Rico trash at a Trump rally last weekend by saying, “The only trash I see floating around there is his supporters . »
Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Palm Beach, Fla., Ayana Alexander in Baltimore, and Fatima Hussein, Chris Megerian, Dan Merica, Will Weissert, Colleen Long and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.
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