Harris’ closing argument focused on bashing Trump

In an address to tens of thousands of supporters, with the White House as her backdrop, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a closing argument centered on demonizing former President Donald Trump, who she warned is “unstable” and would conduct a second term “obsessed with revenge.”

Ms. Harris delivered the prime-time address at the Ellipse with just one week to go before Election Day. Her words aimed to discourage votes for Mr. Trump, who has developed a minuscule but consistent lead over her nationally and in the seven battleground states that will likely decide who wins the election.

Her location choice was also intended to send a message: Mr. Trump addressed his own supporters in the same place on Jan. 6, 2021, with a speech critics say inspired angry supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol in a bid to block the certification of Joseph R. Biden’s victory.

“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, an election that he knew he lost,” Ms. Harris said.

Sprinting toward the finish line of an essentially tied race, Ms. Harris offered a stark warning about a second Trump term to the dwindling number of undecided voters and Democrats who might be considering sitting out the election.

“Donald Trump intends to use the United States military against American citizens who simply disagree with him. People he calls — quote — the enemy from within. This is not a candidate for president who is thinking about making your life better. This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power,” Ms. Harris said.

Mr. Trump denied her accusations and, in a prebuttal address delivered earlier Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago, accused Ms. Harris of spreading “vicious lies” about him and said she is conducting a campaign that is dividing the country.

Mr. Trump trashed Ms. Harris as someone who has governed ineptly alongside President Biden and who, if elected, “will destroy the whole country.”

Harris campaign aides pitched her address as one that would assure voters she would unite the country and “turn the page” on the divisive Trump era.

Ms. Harris told supporters she would “seek common ground and common sense solutions to make your lives better.”

The vice president, who said she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet, promised to make progress instead of scoring political points.

“I pledge to listen to experts. To those who will be impacted by the decisions I make,” Ms. Harris said. “And to people who disagree with me. Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at my table.”

Top Democratic donors are concerned that Ms. Harris’ focus on attacking Mr. Trump’s character is not catching on with voters.

Democratic polling found voters would be more persuaded to vote for her if she articulated how she would fix inflation and secure the border.

The same polling found voters were not interested in claims that Mr. Trump would govern like Adolf Hitler or is a fascist, attacks that Ms. Harris and her team frequently level.

Despite the polling data, Ms. Harris doubled down Tuesday on attacking Mr. Trump’s persona even as she offered a preview of her own presidency. She pledged to focus on lowering costs and cutting taxes for workers and the middle class. She repeated her proposals to stop alleged price gouging and to allow Medicare to cover home health care.

She also promised to sign a bill to federally legalize abortion, which she called “reproductive freedom.”

On the other hand, she said, Mr. Trump would ban abortion nationwide, curtail birth control and require the government to monitor pregnancies — none of which he has ever said and has repeatedly denied.

“America, we know what Donald Trump has in mind. More chaos. More division. And policies that help those at the very top and hurt everyone else. I offer a different path. And I ask for your vote,” Ms. Harris said.

She said Mr. Trump would cut taxes for billionaires and big corporations and raise the cost of goods by imposing tariffs.

She pitched herself as a candidate who has spent most of her time outside Washington, D.C., and has an instinct to protect people.

“There’s something about people being treated unfairly or overlooked that, frankly, just gets to me. I don’t like it. It’s what my mother instilled in me, a drive to hold accountable those who use their wealth or power to take advantage of other people, the drive to protect hardworking Americans who aren’t always seen or heard and deserve a voice,” Ms. Harris said.

“I will tell you that is the kind of president I will be,” she said.

The Ellipse was packed with supporters waving flags and cheering for the vice president.

The campaign received a permit for up to 40,000 spectators, but President Biden was not among them. His official schedule said he was at the White House.

Outside the Ellipse, the rally had the flavor of a street carnival. Local musicians stood on the sidewalk playing songs such as “Dancing Queen” by Abba and “Love Train” by the O’Jays.

Supporters of the vice president held up anti-Trump signs including, “Intelligence, not Insurrections” and “Bullies Never Win.”

Anti-Israel demonstrators outside the security perimeter banged drums and chanted, “No more bombs. No more cargo. We demand an arms embargo.” They also chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan that would mean the destruction of Israel.

Martha Joseph and her husband, Brett, said they traveled from Cleveland because it was important to show that Ms. Harris had support from “around the county.”

Mrs. Joseph said retaining reproductive rights is the most critical campaign issue for her.

“For me, reproductive rights extends beyond abortion to include contraception and women’s health issues,” she said. “But I also support her view of the U.S.’s role in the world. She supports all our allies, including NATO and Ukraine.”

Ms. Harris’ address was the centerpiece of a pre-Election Day blitz. Ahead of her remarks. Ms. Harris sat down for five interviews, including four with TV outlets in Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Republicans called her D.C. speech divisive and warned a Harris presidency would be a more liberal version of the Biden administration, which has suffered historically low approval ratings amid high inflation and interest rates and uncontrolled illegal immigration on the southern border.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said Ms. Harris is stirring up division, “because her ‘America Last’ agenda has nothing to offer the American people. Kamala Harris broke our country’s economy, border security, and peace in foreign countries, but President Trump will fix it.”