Before Harris’ comments, her campaign organized a speaker list of everyday Americans, rather than the star power seen at some of her recent events, or the parade of elected officials often scheduled at Washington events. They included Amanda Zurawski, a woman who nearly died of sepsis after she was denied care under Texas’ strict abortion ban, and Craig Sicknick, the brother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the aftermath of the Jan. 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 stood in line at the Treasury building to enter the event. “We either get an autocrat or freedom.”
Kathleen Nicholas, 36, a government relations officer in Washington, remembered Jan. 6 and liked the contrast between the crowd and the atmosphere of that day. “I like that she chose this place for her closing,” she said. “Having something that provides a direct contrast to that day is what we needed.”
With time running out and the race tight, Harris and Trump have both looked for big moments to try to change the momentum their way.
The address came days after Harris traveled to Texas, a reliably Republican state appear with megastar Beyoncé and highlight the impact on women after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That, too, was a speech intended to resonate with voters far away in the battleground states.
The vice president’s final address has been in the works for weeks. But aides hoped her message would have more impact afterward Trump’s rally on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where speakers hurled cruel and racist insults. Harris said the event “underscored the point I made throughout this campaign.”
“He is focused and basically fixated on his grievances, on himself and on dividing our country,” she said.
Harris sought to craft a pragmatic and forward-looking plan for the country, including reminding voters of her economic proposals and pledging to work on access to reproductive care, including abortion.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy,” Harris said. “He wants to put them in jail. I give them a place at my table. And I promise to be a president for all Americans. To always put the country above the party and above oneself.’
Also central to her message: positioning herself as a “new generation” leader after Trump and even her current boss, Biden.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Harris said. “We need to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms. It is time to turn the page on the drama, conflict and confusion.”
She acknowledged that “a lot of you are still getting to know who I am” following her surprise rise to the top of the Democratic ticket after Biden dropped out of the race in July, and used her comments to try to answer voters’ curiosity.
“I recognize that this has not been a typical campaign,” Harris said, adding that she is “not afraid of tough fights against bad actors and powerful interests.”
“I will work every day to build consensus and reach compromises to get things done,” she said.
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 the everyday issues and kitchen table issues of everyday Americans. to assure.
He said Harris “keeps talking about Hitler and Nazis because her record is terrible,” a reference to Harris amplifying his former chief of staff’s warnings that Trump spoke admiringly of the Nazi leader while in office.
Harris’ aides, many of whom also advised Biden’s campaign before he quit, still believe focusing the race on who Trump is and how she is different will be their strongest message to voters.
“She’s already made her case, she’s presented the evidence. She’s coming out with a summons tonight and she has confidence in the wisdom of the jury,” said Michael Tyler, director of campaign communications.
Biden told reporters on Tuesday that he will not attend Harris’ speech because the event is “for her,” but he planned to watch it on television. Comments on Biden precede Harris’ comments a comic strip Puerto Rico garbage calling on one Trump rally last weekend saying, “The only trash I see floating around there are his supporters.”
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Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Palm Beach, Florida, Ayana Alexander in Baltimore, and Fatima Hussein and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.