On Tuesday, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her final pitch to voters.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
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Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
On Tuesday, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her final pitch to voters.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
On Tuesday night, one week before election day, Vice President Kamala Harris made her closing argument to the American people.
“America, for too long we have been consumed with too much division, chaos and mutual distrust, and it can be easy then to forget a simple truth, it doesn’t have to be this way,” she said.
Standing at a podium on the Ellipse with the White House lit up behind her, the democratic nominee spoke to what the Harris campaign said was a crowd of 75-thousand.
The choice of venue was both visually striking and symbolic: It’s the site where former President Donald Trump rallied his supporters on January 6, 2021 before they went on to attack the U.S. Capitol.
“Look, we all know who Donald Trump is,” Harris said. “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 that he knew he lost.”
Over about half an hour, Harris made her final pitch to voters, reviewing the agenda she would pursue as President, and arguing Donald Trump poses an existential threat to American democracy.
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Harris’ case against Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris started off her campaign with a joyful message, offering voters “a new way forward.” In the final weeks of the campaign, Harris has shifted to an anti-Trump focus, warning voters of the consequences of another Trump presidency.
Harris hit that point again in Tuesday’s speech, hoping to combat what Democrats call “Trump amnesia,” says NPR’s Deepa Shivaram.
“That’s why you have Harris referring to abortion restrictions as ‘Trump’ abortion bans, trying to bring things Trump did back into the spotlight.”
This is such a close election that Harris not only has to bring out her base of Democratic voters, but also expand on that. Shivaram says it’s essential for her to appeal to Republican voters who dislike the things Trump has done – like his actions on January 6th.
The campaign’s final push
While her campaign has shifted anti-Trump, Harris has consistently emphasized that her campaign isn’t all about voting against her opponent.
At Tuesday’s event, Harris reminded voters of the agenda she would pursue as president. Some policy priorities she highlighted in her speech include expanding and restoring reproductive rights, and expanding Medicare to cover at home care for seniors.
Harris also promised to be a voice of unity.
“Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other. That’s who he is,” she said. “But America, I am here tonight to say: That’s not who we are.”
With less than a week until Election Day, Harris will be visiting seven swing states multiple times, doing more interviews, podcasts and other non-traditional media in an effort to appear in as many places as possible.
This episode was produced by Brianna Scott. It was edited by Roberta Rampton and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.