Harris takes the stage for ‘closing argument’ speech at the National Mall

Vice President Kamala Harris is addressing the public Tuesday at the ellipse on the National Mall, giving the final planned speech of her 2024 campaign and urging voters to leave the Trump era behind.
“One week from today, you will have the chance to make a decision that directly impacts your life, the life of your family and the future of this country we love,” Harris said. “And it will probably be the most important vote you ever cast.”
“Tonight, I will speak to everyone about the choice and the stakes in this election.”
Harris repeated warnings that she has given all campaign about Trump’s intentions if he is elected to a second term: She said he plans to prosecute enemies and rivals and may even deploy military force against groups he has vaguely defined as “the enemy within.”
But “It is time to turn the page on the drama and the conflict, the fear and the division,” Harris said. “It is time for a new generation of leadership in America.”
Harris’ remarks come one week before Election Day, on the same spot where then-President Donald Trump held his Stop the Steal rally before the riots at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The setting gives “a stark visualization of probably the most infamous example of Donald Trump and how he’s used his power for bad,” said Harris-Walz campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon.
The speech, which drew a crowd of some 50,000 people, comes at a critical time in the race for president. Polls show Harris and former President Trump essentially deadlocked, one week before Election Day. With the speech, Harris is hoping to reach voters who might not otherwise cast a ballot and convince them to support her.
While Harris spoke, Trump was in Allentown, Pennsylvania, making his second visit in the state that day, working to reach Hispanic and Latino voters who make up a significant population in the city.
It came on the heels of his rally in Madison Square Garden in New York, which drew backlash over some speaker’s comments on the island of Puerto Rico. Trump allies and Trump himself have distanced themselves from the incident.
Polling has indicated top issues for Trump’s campaign include immigration, the U.S. border and the economy. On Tuesday, Republican officials reiterated that focus and sought to draw attention away from Harris’ comments on the Ellipse.
“Kamala’s ‘new way forward’ is just a more dangerously liberal version of the Harris-Biden administration’s failed policies,” Chairman Michael Whatley said. “Kamala Harris broke our country’s economy, border security, and peace in foreign countries, but President Trump will fix it.”