Kamala Harris contrasts sharply with Trump in closing speech

Kamala Harris contrasted sharply with Donald Trump as she delivered her closing argument against the backdrop of the White House on Tuesday, telling a huge crowd at the Ellipse that the election is a choice between a hopeful future, chaos and division.

“We, the United States of America, are not a vessel for the schemes of wannabe dictators,” Harris said. “The United States of America is the greatest idea humanity has ever conceived, a nation big enough to realize all our dreams, strong enough to withstand any fracture or rift among us, and fearless enough to imagine a future full of possibility.”

By the end of the little more than 30-minute speech, it was a tale of conflicting lower thirds, reflecting the country’s divisions in this difficult election. Harris makes his closing argument Elections 2024” said CNN, while Fox proclaimed: “Kamala is closing down with fear and fascism.” MSNBC reported: “Kamala Harris makes one final pitch to voters.”

The speech itself repeated many of the themes and policy proposals Harris had made on the campaign trail, but the address was widely publicized, attracted the attention of major cable news networks and ended just before the start of Game 4 of the World Series.

Harris acknowledged that “many of you are still learning who I am” and punctuated her speech with personal anecdotes about her mother, arguing that her presidency will be different from Joe Biden’s “because the challenges we face will be different.” .

She appears to have heeded warnings from experts who said she needs to focus more on herself and her policy proposals rather than just Trump in the final days of the election.

However, the delivery of the speech was laden with symbolism, as she noted from the outset that it was at the Ellipse that Trump held a rally on January 6, 2021, before sending “an armed mob to overthrow the free and unfettered will of the people.” fair elections.” As she talked about that day, police sirens could be heard in the background, which is not unusual for the area near the White House.

The event was broadcast by Fox News, CNN and MSNBC, with the BBC covering part of it before doing a split-screen that included Trump’s rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Broadcast networks continued to air regular programming, with the exception of streaming channels. Harris’ campaign said 75,000 people gathered in an overflow crowd outside the security perimeter near the Washington Monument. These figures have not been confirmed by law enforcement agencies.

During her speech, Harris sought to connect with Republicans, which could be crucial in what is known as a “margin of error” race. She seized on Trump’s own rhetoric, including his use of the term “enemy from within” talk about political rivals, while simultaneously calling her presidency unifying.

“Just because someone disagrees with us doesn’t make them an internal enemy,” Harris said. “They are our fellow Americans, and as Americans we rise and fall together.”

She also repeated a theme throughout her campaign that Trump sought a return to the Oval Office for his own interests, not voters. She said Trump would enter the Oval Office on Day One “with a list of enemies.” When I’m elected, I will come with a list of priorities of what I can do for the American people.”

“I am committed to finding common ground and common sense solutions to make your life better. I’m not trying to score political points. I hope to see progress,” Harris said. “…And for the people who disagree with me – unlike Donald Trump, I don’t think that people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I will give them a seat at the table.”

Trump’s team has attempted to characterize Harris’ rhetoric as divisive, arguing that she is calling the former president’s supporters Nazis. This appears to be a reference to a quote from Harris about comments made by former Trump chief of staff John Kelly, who told the newspaper last week New York Times that the former president met the definition of a fascist.

“Kamala Harris lies, name-calls and clings to the past to avoid facing the truth – the migrant crime crisis, sky-high inflation and raging world wars are the result of her terrible policies,” Trump National Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt. the statement says.