1 week Ago By The Telegraph
Kamala Harris admitted she is not perfect but labelled Donald Trump “a petty tyrant” at a rally delivered at the spot where he “sent an armed mob” to storm the Capitol. Ms Harris used the powerful backdrop of the White House to warn of the danger of voters returning Trump to power in seven days’ time. A huge crowd of 75,000 roared their support for the vice president as she branded Trump a “wannabe dictator” and an “easy mark” for Vladimir Putin.
She said her rival was “unstable” and “obsessed with revenge” who was motivated by a desire for “unchecked power”. The site of the speech in Washington DC was chosen deliberately to contrast Ms Harris’s assurance she wished to unite the country with Trump’s politics of “division, chaos and mutual distrust”. JD Vance, Trump’s vice presidential candidate, denounced the speech, describing it as “such a disgrace”.
In what was described as “the closing argument” just a week out from the election, Ms Harris made an appeal to wavering Republicans concerned by Trump’s role in the January 6 riots to switch sides. Ms Harris’ team had said in advance of the speech the choice of venue had been chosen to create a “stark visualisation” of the choice the nation faces on election day. Ms Harris likened Trump to George III, the British king who suffered from a severe mental illness and is widely derided as “mad”, and from whom America gained its freedom in the War of Independence.
Ms Harris told the rally: “Nearly 250 years ago, America was born when we wrested freedom from a petty tyrant. Across the generations, Americans have preserved that freedom.” Highlighting Americans who fought for their freedom on the beaches of Normandy in the Second World War, for racial equality in the civil rights movement and for LGBT rights with the Stonewall marches, she said: “They did not struggle, sacrifice and lay down their lives only to see us cede our fundamental freedoms.
They didn’t do that only to see us submit to the will of another petty tyrant.” In a further thinly veiled attack on Trump, she continued: “We are not a vessel for the schemes of wannabe dictators” before going on to describe America as “the greatest idea humanity ever devised”. In a rousing finale to a speech designed for a television audience as well as the huge crowds stretching from the Ellipse to the Washington Monument, she declared: “Let us fight for this beautiful country we love.
And in seven days, we have the power to turn the page, and start writing the next chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.” She accepted her faults but used them to again draw a distinction with Trump, telling the crowd: “I’ll be honest with you: I’m not perfect. I make mistakes.
But here’s what I promise you: I will always listen to you, even if you don’t vote for me. I will always tell you the truth, even if it’s hard to hear.” Ms Harris told the crowd that the November 5 ballot was “the most important vote you ever cast”, adding: “This election is more than a choice between two parties and two different candidates.
It is a choice about whether we have a country rooted in freedom for every American, or one ruled by chaos and division. “This is not a candidate for President who is thinking about how to make your life better. This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power.
” Ms Harris launched a series of attacks on the former president, claiming Trump represents a threat to national security who would be easily manipulated by foreign dictators. “Trump is an easy mark,” she said. “Easy to manipulate with flattery or favours, and you can believe that autocrats like Putin and Kim Jong Un [the North Korean leader] are rooting for him in this election.
” Offering an olive branch to Republican voters, she said she will “work with everyone: Democrats, Republicans and independents” and asserted that she welcomed the support of Republicans “who have never voted for a Democrat before” but have “put the constitution of the United States over party”. Her comments follow the defection of a number of high-profile Republicans including former congresswoman Liz Cheney who joined Ms Harris on the campaign trail. The vice president also attempted to again distance herself from Joe Biden, characterising herself as “a new generation”.
She said: “We have to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms. It is time to turn the page on the drama and the conflict, the fear and division. It is time for a new generation of leadership in America.
” The Democratic candidate has struggled in the past to draw a clear distinction between her and the incumbent president, previously saying “there is nothing that comes to mind” when asked what she would have done differently. Instead on Tuesday she said it had been an “honour” to serve in his administration, but that her presidency will be different. ”I will bring my own experiences and ideas to the Oval Office.
My presidency will be different because the challenges we face are different,” she said. Casting herself as someone who understands the concerns of ordinary people, Ms Harris said she is “someone who has spent most of my career outside of Washington, so I know that not all good ideas come from here”. She described herself as a “child of the civil rights movement” and recalled her memories of her mother managing bills to empathise with voters “who are facing even greater financial pressures”.
With her plans for economic support for the middle class, she drew a sharp distinction with Trump, who she said would introduce “another trillion dollars in tax cuts for billionaires”. She also drew cheers from the crowd when she trumpeted her core messages on bringing down healthcare costs, clamping down on price gouging and reinforcing reproductive rights, telling voters she would “proudly” sign into law the federal right to an abortion. “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to simply agree that government should not be telling women what do with their bodies,” she said.
Ms Harris also talked tough about ensuring America has the “strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world”. She contrasted this stance with Trump, who has called soldiers “suckers” and “losers”, and was recently accused of showing sympathy for the Nazis by former marine John Kelly. “I will always honour - never denigrate - the service and sacrifice of our troops and their families.
And fulfil our sacred obligation to care for them.” Ms Harris said. The vice president also struck a conciliatory tone on border policy, pledging to “quickly remove” illegal migrants and to “give border patrol officers “the support they so desperately need” while also passing progressive immigration reform.
“We must acknowledge we are a nation of immigrants,” she said, adding that there must be an “earned path to citizenship for hard-working immigrants like farmworkers and Dreamers” - the generation of undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children. Despite the widespread approval Ms Harris received on stage, the speech was heckled by pro-Palestinian protesters who gathered outside the perimeter. One protester managed to breach a police line to stand in front of a big screen and wave a Palestinian flag during Ms Harris’ speech.
The Vice President will deliver her final rally of the presidential campaign alongside Jennifer Lopez in Las Vegas on Thursday. Defending Trump, his running mate JD Vance said: “Kamala Harris’s closing message is such a disgrace. You’re not a bad person for wanting the border secured.
You’re not a bad person for wanting to be able to afford groceries when you go to the grocery store, and it’s disgraceful for a person who wants to lead the whole United States of America to say that people are Nazis or fascists or racist because they think that she’s doing a bad job.” 02:40 AM GMT That’s a wrap Thank you for tuning in to our coverage of Kamala Harris’ rally. This liveblog is now closed.
01:22 AM GMT Harris’ closing message is a ‘disgrace’, says Vance JD Vance has slammed Kamala Harris’ closing messaged delivered at The Ellipse in Washington DC as a “disgrace”. “Kamala Harris’s closing message is such a disgrace,” the Republican vice presidential candidate said. “You’re not a bad person for wanting the border secured.
You’re not a bad person for wanting to be able to afford groceries when you go to the grocery store.” Mr Vance continued: “It’s disgraceful for a person who wants to lead the whole United States of America to say that people are Nazis or fascists or racist because they think that she’s doing a bad job.” 12:08 AM GMT Trump is a wannabe dictator, Harris suggests Drawing on American history, she says the country has always been “united in our pursuit of freedom”.
“I’m in this race to fight for the people,” she says. “We are not a vessel for the schemes of wannabe dictators”, in a apparent barb at Trump. “Let us fight for this beautiful country we love, and in seven days, we have the power, each of you has the power, to turn the page and start writing the next chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.
” Ms Harris’ speech has come to a close. 12:05 AM GMT I’ve lived the promise of America, says Harris Kamala Harris has rarely drawn on her own racial background on the campaign trail, but she tells the crowd in her closing message that as a daughter of the civil rights movement “I have lived the promise of America”. The vice president says she sees this promise in those who wish for reproductive freedom, the men who support them and even in Republicans who have “never voted” for a Democrat before, in an attempt to reach across the country’s political divides.
12:02 AM GMT Trump is an easy mark for dictators, says Harris Ms Harris says that Donald Trump is an “easy mark” for dictators, saying he is “easy to manipulate with flattery or favours. “You can believe that autocrats like Putin and Kim Jong Un are rooting for him in this election,” she says. She adds that she will ensure that America is “forever” a “champion of liberty arond the world”.
12:00 AM GMT Harris gets tough on the border Ms Harris treads a delicate balance between getting tough on illegal immigrants and supporting people’s right to citizenship. “When I am president, we will quickly remove those who arrived here unlawfully, prosecute for ourselves, and give border patrol the support they so desperately need,” she says. “At the same time, we must acknowledge that we are a nation of immigrants.
” 11:58 PM GMT Harris takes aim at Trump over reproductive rights “I will fight to restore what Donald Trump and his elected Supreme Court justices took away from the women of America,” Ms Harris says. She adds that one in three women in the country live in a state “with a Trump abortion ban” and hammers home her point that “the government should not be telling women what do with their bodies”. The vice president says she will “proudly” sign into law the federal right to an abortion if she is voted into office.
11:56 PM GMT Harris mixes policy rhetoric with personal anecdotes Drawing on the personal anecdotes that have played well on the campaign trail, Kamala Harris tells those gathered about caring for her mother when she was diagnosed with cancer. “I took care of my mother when she got sick too..
.I understand, that caregiving is about dignity,” she says. 11:53 PM GMT Harris targets Trump over healthcare policy Ms Harris claims Donald Trump will repeal the affordable care act, “which would throw millions of Americans off their health insurance”.
Returning to her repeated campaign refrain, she says: “we are not going back,” to rapturous applause. She goes on to list her policies on clamping down on price gouging and home building in order to lower the cost of housing to help middle class Americans. “Enough with the excuses, I’m going to cut the red tape,” she says.
11:51 PM GMT Harris compares her to-do list to Trump’s enemies list “On day one, Donald Trump will walk into that office with an enemies list,” says Kamala Harris. “I will walk in with a to-do list, full of priorities of what I want to get done for the American people.” Drawing clear water between her and the incumbent President Biden, she says it has been an honour to serve him, but that she will bring her “own experiences and ideas to the Oval office” because “the challenges we face will be different”.
11:48 PM GMT Harris highlights her record as a prosecutor Ms Harris turns to her personal record, saying she spent “most of my career” outside of Washington. Addressing her credentials as a prosecutor who took on the big banks, cartels and predators, she says: “I did this work because for as long as I can remember, I have always had an instinct to protect.” She goes on to tell her supporters that she will give a voice to hard-working Americans, will “listen” and will tell voters the “truth”.
11:46 PM GMT Harris says America has been consumed with division “America for too long we have been consumed with too much division, chaos and mutual distrust, and it can be easy then to miss a simple truth: it doesn’t have to be this way,” Ms Harris says. “It is time,” she says, “to stop pointing fingers” and “to turn the page”. “It is time for a new generation of leadership in America,” she continues.
“And I am ready to offer that leadership as president.” 11:43 PM GMT Harris draws attention to legacy of Capitol riots Ms Harris draws attention to January 6 riots, which were triggered after Donald Trump gave a speech at the venue she is speaking from tonight. Drawing a comparison between her and Mr Trump, she says the former president “insulted law enforcement officers” on January 6 and tells the crow he intends to turn the military on “the enemy within”.
“America this is not someone who is thinking bout how to make your life better, this is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance and out for unchecked power,” she says. 11:41 PM GMT Kamala Harris opens with pitch setting out her argument to ordinary Americans. “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,” Ms Harris said.
The vice president added that it will be the most important election of voters’ lifetimes. “And this election is more than just a choice between two parties and two different candidates, it is a choice about whether we have a country routed in freedom for every American or ruled by chaos and division.” 11:38 PM GMT Kamala Harris walks out Kamala Harris has taken to the stage.
The rally is about to begin. 11:32 PM GMT Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside Harris rally Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators have gathered outside Kamala Harris’ rally at the Ellipse. Footage of the protesters shared on social media shows people in keffiyehs waving Palestinian flags and chanting: “Kamala what do you say - we won’t vote on election day.
How many kids did you kill today?” Ms Harris has faced regular interruptions from protesters in the final stretch of the race. A couple of hundred protesters on the outskirts of the Harris DC - small in number but very vocal. "Kamala what do you say - we won't vote on election day.
How many kids did you kill today?" — Sarah Hajibagheri (@SaraHajibagheri) 11:27 PM GMT Brother of police officer killed on January 6 address crowd The brother of a police officer killed in the January 6 riots told the rally: “my family know how dangerous Donald Trump is.” Brian Sicknick “was a hero” his brother Craig told the huge crowd gathered at the Ellipse in the half an hour before Kamala Harris addressed her supporters. Mr Sicknick was injured while confronting rioters during the January 6 insurrection, suffered a stroke and died from natural causes.
11:16 PM GMT Harris to make pitch to ‘exhausted’ voters Kamala Harris is planning to speak to voters who are “exhausted” by the politics of the Trump era with her speech this evening. “We know that there are still a lot of voters out there that are still trying to decide who to support or whether to vote at all,” the Democratic candidate’s campaign chair told reporters on Tuesday. “[Ms Harris is] going to focus on talking about what her new generation of leadership really means,” she said, adding that this message will be centred “around the American people”.
The address is expected to be the most expansive speech Ms Harris has given as the Democratic nominee, a source told The New York Times. The vice president is due to focus on her own past experience and policy agenda, with a focus on her plans to bring prices under control. As previously trailed, she is also expected to attack Trump and highlight the threat he poses.
11:08 PM GMT Pictured: Democrat supporters gather for Harris speech 10:58 PM GMT Party atmosphere turns serious at Harris rally It was a party-like atmosphere here on the Ellipse earlier tonight, as pop music blared from huge portable speakers and volunteers handed out Pop Tarts and water bottles. But as the sun has gone down and the stage is filled with Harris surrogates, the mood has changed. There is a huge presence here tonight.
From where I’m standing, the crowd appears to be stretching as far as the eye can see. But the atmosphere doesn’t feel upbeat or optimistic in the way Kamala Harris’ early rallies did over the summer, when she had first become the nominee. A sense of obligation, rather than enthusiasm, seems to be filling the air.
10:52 PM GMT Watch: Thousands line up for Harris rally Here is just a PORTION of the line with thousands of people waiting to get inside the gates at The Ellipse for the campaign rally. — Alexis Wainwright (@AWainwrightTV) 10:45 PM GMT Trump hosts rally in Pennsylvania While Kamala Harris delivers her closing message to the American people in Washington DC, Donald Trump is hosting a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania. About a quarter of Allentown’s population is Puerto Rican, and the rally may offer the former president a chance to reconcile with Hispanic voters, after a warm-up act of his referred to Puerto Rico as an “island of garbage” at an event on Sunday.
In an attempt at damage control, the first two speakers at Trump’s event this evening were members of the Puerto Rican community and appealed directly to Hispanic voters in their remarks, the New York Times reported. It comes as Trump supporters have condemned the comments made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, with Florida senator Marco Rubio admitting that it “probably, in hindsight, wasn’t a good idea to have an insult comedian speak at a rally”. 10:34 PM GMT Biden ducks Harris rally President Joe Biden has said he’s not attending Kamala Harris’ closing argument speech near the White House because the event is “for her.
” Mr Biden said he’ll be watching the speech on television instead. The president’s comments came as he was campaigning with Democratic Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott at an ice cream parlour earlier today. 10:31 PM GMT Thousands still queuing for Kamala Harris rally With an hour to go until Kamala Harris’ speech is due to start, thousands of people are still stuck outside the Ellipse.
The line for entry to the grassy park just south of the White House stretches all the way back to the Washington Monument, around 0.5 miles away. The rally is expected to attract more than 52,000 people, DC Chief of Police Pamela Smith said earlier today.
10:26 PM GMT Donald Trump dodges Puerto Rico controversy at press conference Donald Trump failed to apologise for a disparaging joke his Madison Square Garden warm-up act made about Puerto Ricans despite being advised to apologise at a Tuesday press conference, Prominent Puerto Rican figures, including the chairman of the local Republican party, have demanded an apology from the former president after a comic called the territory a “floating island of garbage” during his Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday. Trump spoke for close to an hour at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Tuesday but did not mention the controversy or take questions on it. However, he did describe the Madison Square Garden rally where the comments were made as a “love-fest”.
10:21 PM GMT Kamala Harris has run out of time. Tonight will prove it with devastating clarity Every sports fan knows the feeling of watching the clock run out on their favourite team in a must-win game. Having one’s most optimistic expectations dashed, replaced with sorrow, regret, and what-ifs is a devastating, and often deranging experience, As the 2024 presidential election cycle comes to a close, it seems clear that Vice President Kamala Harris and her fellow Democrats are struggling through just such an experience, as her high-profile address outside the White House on Tuesday is sure to underline.
Harris was dealt a tough hand from the beginning. She is the second highest-ranking official in a historically unpopular administration, was thrust into the spotlight late in the process amid a scandal in which she was implicated, and had already done arguably insurmountable damage to her own brand. When she became the presumptive Democratic nominee, Donald Trump was on track to defeat President Joe Biden soundly, and her party felt it had little hope of turning the ship around.
10:18 PM GMT Good evening Hello and welcome to our coverage of Kamala Harris’ rally in Washington DC, where Democratic candidate is hoping to land the closing message of her campaign. We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates from the event..
