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Kamala Harris stood before an overflowing crowd near the White House on Tuesday and promised Americans she would fight for them every day as she urged voters to reject Donald Trump’s efforts to sow division and fear, declaring, “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
One week out from Election Day, the vice president tried to drive home the contrast with Trump by delivering her closing argument from the same spot on the grassy Ellipse where the Republican former president had fomented the Capitol insurrection in 2021, pledging that she would work to improve people's lives while arguing that her Republican opponent is only in it for himself.
“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’s hard to hear. I will work every day to build consensus and reach compromise to get things done. And if you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, there is nothing in the world that will stand in my way.”
Harris began her capstone speech by reminding voters of Trump's role in the chaos of Jan 6, 2021, when he spewed falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election that inspired a crowd to march to the Capitol and try unsuccessfully to halt the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's victory. She brought up his threats to use the military against his political rivals and his labeling of those who disagree with him as “the enemy from within.”
“Look, we know who Donald Trump is. He is the person who stood at 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,” she said. Trump, she added, “has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other.”
“This is not a candidate for president who is thinking about how to make your life better,” she said, branding Trump a “petty tyrant” and “wannabe dictator.”
Harris continued: “But America, I am here tonight to say: That’s not who we are.” She added, "It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Harris sought to use her largest remaining stage before polls close to make a broader case for why voters should reject Trump and consider what she offers, while still introducing herself to voters clamoring for more information.
The White House gleaming behind her, Harris encouraged the crowd to visualize their divergent futures depending on who wins on Election Day.
“In less than 90 days, either Donald Trump or I will be in the Oval Office,” she said. “On Day One, if elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list. When elected, I will walk in with a to-do list.”
Harris went on to list key policy goals, including expanding Medicare coverage of home health care, boosting the supply of housing in the country and working to restore nationwide access to abortion.
Her speech drew a massive crowd to Washington, with supporters spilling out toward the Washington Monument on the National Mall. More critically, her campaign hopes the setting will help catch the attention of battleground state voters who remain on the fence about whom to vote for — or whether to vote at all.
Ahead of Harris' remarks, her campaign showcased a line-up of ordinary Americans who spoke about their dream and priorities, rather than showcasing the star power that has been featured at some recent Harris events. They included Amanda Zurawski, a woman who nearly died from sepsis after being denied care under Texas' strict abortion ban, Craig Sicknick, the brother of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack, and a Pennsylvania husband and wife who previously vote for Trump but now back Harris.
Ruth Chiari, 78, of Charlottesville, Virginia, said she attended the rally with her husband to “support democracy.”
“I think everybody understands what’s on the ballot,” she said as she waited in line to enter the event. “We’re either going to have an autocrat or freedom.”
Kathleen Nicholas, 36, a government relations worker in Washington, remembered Jan. 6 and loved the contrast of Tuesday's crowd and atmosphere with that day. “I like she chose this place for her closing,” she said. “Having something that is a direct contrast to that day is what we needed.”
With time running out and the race tight, Harris and Trump have both sought big moments to try to shift momentum their way.
The address came days after Harris traveled to Texas, a reliably Republican state, to appear with megastar Beyoncé and emphasize the consequences for women after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That, too, was a speech meant to register with voters far away in the battleground states.
The vice president’s latest address has been in the works for weeks. But aides hoped her message would land with more impact after Trump’s rally Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where speakers hurled cruel and racist insults.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy,” Harris said. “He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at my table. And I pledge to be a president for all Americans. To always put country above party and above self."
Also central to her message: positioning herself as a “new generation” of leader after Trump and even her current boss, President Joe Biden.
“It is time to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms," she said. "It is time to turn the page on the drama and conflict, the fear and division. It is time for a new generation of leadership in America. And I am ready to offer that leadership as the next president of the United States.”
She acknowledged that “many of you are still getting to know who I am" after her surprise elevation to the top of the Democratic ticket after Biden dropped out of the race in July, and used her remarks to try to answer voters' curiosity.
“I recognize this has not been a typical campaign,” Harris said, adding that she is “not afraid of tough fights against bad actors and powerful interests.”
Ahead of Harris’ speech, Trump used remarks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Tuesday morning to accuse Harris of closing with a message that doesn’t address everyday Americans’ day-to-day struggles and kitchen-table concerns.
He said Harris keeps “talking about Hitler, and Nazis, because her record’s horrible,” a reference to Harris amplifying the warnings from his former chief of staff that Trump spoke admiringly of the Nazi leader while in office.
Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “His closing argument to the American people is simple: Kamala broke it; he will fix it.”
Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Palm Beach, Florida, Ayana Alexander in Baltimore, and Fatima Hussein, Chris Megerian, Dan Merica, Will Weissert, Colleen Long and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
35 Comments
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Wick's pencil
But Harris is on the page she wants to turn.
And everything she's accusing Trump of, she's been doing it for at least the last few years.
falseflagsteve
It’s a loss for. Kamala for sure. She has the personality of a baked potato
NOMINATION
Kamala: You want me to talk about policy? Here it is- I am not Trump drops mic
bass4funk
What’s her policies again?
FizzBit
Harris grasping for straws in her closing argument for 'turning the page' on Trump.
fixed
She doesn’t belong there
She was not chosen by the voters to be there
She doesn’t have the intellect or wisdom to be there
She can’t and won’t win. Better get used to it now
dagon
Putting aside Trump's meaningless bombastic rhetoric, Harris is still facing problems with voters on the economy.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/many-us-voters-economy-is-personal-they-blame-democrats-2024-10-28/
Harris already has my vote and my evaluation is she is a standard neo-liberal. Bernie Sanders recently addressed all his policy difference and concluded he is still endorsing here along with AOC.
Again, it is because the alternative is Trump and nothing good will come from him, while many still have a sliver of hope with Harris.
If Harris stopped making the debate about Trump's awful character and adopted some of Sander's policies she would be slam dunking Trump instead of neck and neck.
funkymofo
Tell us about trump’s health care policy, or his crazy tariffs idea. Project 2025 is his policy base.
owzer
Projection 101
Bad Haircut
Harris's goose is cooked, and everyone knows it, even if they can't openly admit it. Lacklustre campaign, no policies that will make the US a better place, no idea about foreign policy, terrible communication skills, race pandering, dud running mate for a dud candidate. All the while the momentum swings Trumps way.
ulysses
Sir, definitely better than the concept of a plan!!!
Antiquesaving
No fan of Trump but let's sum up Harris interviews and policies based on her speeches.
"Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump Trump," "I was raised middle class (despite living in mostly in upper income areas all my life)". "Hahaha, hahaha (sounding like the morning crows outside today)". And her final policy: " Trump, Trump, Trump Trump"
If she has said anything else then perhaps MSM could let us know!
bass4funk
She’s facing a lot of doubts, so what are her policies again?
Oh, dear lord, Comedy gold! Lol
If nothing good would come from him, why would all the major institutions support him? Even the Amish are supporting him, men and women from our largest energy power sectors, border patrol, so yes, a lot of good is yet to come.
Hmmmm
And still would lose.
Antiquesaving
I disagree, most people actually like baked potatoes.
To be exact if the Dems had a baked potato running against Trump, the Potato would possibly win.
bass4funk
Exactly.
Ricky Kaminski13
Anyone here seen Am I a Racist yet? Pity it wasn’t shown in Japanese cinemas. They could get a look at the lunacy of the DEI endgame too before they dip their toe in the waters of crazy too. I’d say most people that have wandered over to the Trump side now see the democrats as the ones pushing the identity politics and divisions. But hey, if it works for you guys Trump is the divisive one. His rallies don’t have that feel though. Madison Square garden looked like a celebration of being American to this humble Aussie. One week to go before all is revealed.
Good luck to both sides who have both been sadly divided to the point that they think that the other side are the bad faith actors. It’s actually quite sad in a way. Aussies will have a healthy robust debate on politics, strongly disagree , but we won’t take it to the levels you guys do and start hating each other for different opinions and approaches to life! Remember we get the leaders we deserve!
lincolnman
Turn the page on Trump? He did that himself this week with his his 'Disaster at the Garden" racist rally...
It couldn't have gone worse - unhinged racist rants, Tucker Carlson breaking down into a girly giggling fit, Rudy blowing a gasket, and Trump hovering over it all...I wonder if Rudy remined Trump again he is stiffing him in $2 million in legal fees?
As I said yesterday, this was Trump giving his white supremacist base a "surrender party"....Instead of Trump banners there should have been white flags flown everywhere...
This was Trump admitting Kamala will win and he's shifting from faux politician to full-on entertainer...
Better listen to him MAGA-fans, it will help you cope with the loss next week...
Antiquesaving
Wow Bernie and AOC, great.
You want to see what Bernie and AOC will get you?
Look up North at Canada, and see the disaster unfolding.
No doctor's, extreme wait time for needed no longer just elective surgeries.
In major cities and provinces up to 40% of the population don't have and cannot get a family doctor and without a family doctor you cannot access any other medical services.
1 year to 1.5 years for something as simple as an echocardiogram.
Free speech is gone and now forced speech is enforced by laws that can lead to prison for refusing to say what the government tells you to.
This is the world Bernie and AOC would want for the USA but only if they are the ones in power.
I may not like a lot about the USA or it's government but these days the Bernie Sanders and AOC types will make things even worse like their counterparts did in Canada.
Underworld
Antiquesaving.
Seems like you haven’t been paying attention.
bass4funk
Not one poll states this
No, he didn’t, even Nate Silver is giving Trump a 67% chance of winning
Libs love trees, they need to invest in more tissue after Tuesday
dagon
Imperfect but preferable to medical bankruptcy leading to homelessness or dying because you could not afford insulin costs.
https://www.audacy.com/wwjnewsradio/news/national/medical-debt-is-forcing-people-into-homelessness
Bernie and AOC are looking to the Nordic model, much better run.
Luckily this will be the sum of your input about American politics.
lincolnman
Trump said it - open your eyes...
If that was true he wouldn't have held his racist cross burning at the Garden...his surrender party...
ROFL...Empty faux bluster...MAGA-world is crumbling - and they know it...
Antiquesaving
Sure until it is your father that dies because he spent one and a half years waiting for a simple test, until it was too late, or your brother that has 2 heart attacks because again waiting a year to check what should have been routine before even leaving the hospital, to verify a stent was correctly installed.
As I said I have problems with the USA system but what is now in Canada isn't any better.
We have it far better here in Japan on nearly everything.
Neither Trump, Harris, Bernie and especially AOC are offering what is actually good for the majority, all are playing and offering stuff to their own minority groups and wanting to impose the views and controls those minorities want on the rest.
None of them even care to compromise and despite the claims Trump will rule as a dictator, the other 3 would do the same if given the chance.
dagon
A bunch of false equivalencies backed up by zero evidence.
Dictator Bernie Sanders or AOC?
Redundant LOL
Harris is not Bernie or AOC but again preferable to the alternative.
burgers and beers
Harris seems out of depth and fake with that raised fist and those slogans on stage. She would be totally out of water on the world stage. Vote Trump and get peace, vote Harris get more war and chaos everywhere.
ok1517
After Trumps Madison Garden Ver 2.0 event it should be very clear:
either vote for democracy and freedom (VP Harris)......
..... or vote for a dictator in waiting position (Donald)!
ulysses
Sir, you are confusing donald with VP Harris
Again you are confusing them but then no surprise!!
Sir that is SNL level comedy!!!
bass4funk
Not what the polls say
Which has nothing to do with what Silver has said about a more realist Trump win.
Not according to the polls.
bass4funk
How do you equate voting for a Socialist equals freedom???
If people didn’t think this administration is a dictatorship why are they so repudiated?
burgers and beers
"What’s her policies again?"
I grew up in a middle class neighborhood & Trump is Mr. Evil fascist dictator who will destroy America and the world, just take my word for it ". Nice enough lady but not presidential material.
Bob Fosse
Why was Silver so wrong on 2016?
ulysses
Sir do you mean voting for the National socialists equals freedom????
Ken
Turn the page already, Nobody will remember Donald after he loses twice in a row, we already don't remember him doing a single good thing for America we only remember him doing illegal and weird stuff
ulysses
Sir, you obviously do not understand what repudiated means, maybe time to look it up in a dictionary!!!
lincolnman
Hmmmm.....
"Vice President Harris regained her 4-point lead over former President Trump in a new national survey from ABC News and Ipsos. Harris leads Trump by 4 points among likely voters nationally, 51 percent to 47 percent, in the survey conducted Oct. 18-22 and released Sunday."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/harris-widens-lead-over-trump-150602487.html
Huh?
Scroll up...
And just wait for the polls next week after the Garden Debacle...
bass4funk
easy, because at that time, no non-politician has ever won the presidency, so they did not take Trump seriously as a candidate, none of the posters did to the level that he had a serious chance of winning, the majority of the wrote him off, they’re not doing that again and haven’t done so since 2020.