Vice President Kamala Harris plans to deliver a final-stretch closing argument address next week at the same location her rival delivered a fiery speech on January 6, 2021, that set in motion the attack by his supporters at the US Capitol.
Harris’ speech Tuesday at the Ellipse, a park just outside the South Lawn of the White House, will amount to a high-profile denunciation of former President Donald Trump’s fitness for office and a warning about the chaos she says he would bring to the Oval Office should he win.
Coming a week ahead of Election Day, Harris will use the major address to contrast her own vision of the presidency with her rival’s, painting pictures both of what her first term would look like and a dire portrait of Trump’s potential return.
Harris campaign advisers previewed the speech on the condition of anonymity to discuss an event they said was still in the development stage.
After he lost the 2020 election, Trump sought to convince his supporters he won, including during a now-infamous speech from the Ellipse. He told his supporters during the speech to march to the Capitol so they could pressure lawmakers to overturn the election while they met for a joint session of Congress to formally certify President Joe Biden’s victory.
“So, we’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue … and we’re going to the Capitol,” Trump said. “We’re going to try and give our Republicans – the weak ones, because the strong ones don’t need any of our help – we’re going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country. So, let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.”
In the hours afterward, a riot unfolded at the Capitol; Trump has been indicted for his role in working to overturn the election results in the run-up to the insurrection attempt.
In the closing days of this year’s presidential election, the vice president and her team have sought to underscore the stakes of the election, repeatedly warning of a potential second Trump term and seizing on the former president’s controversial policies and comments to make their argument.
Harris is approaching Tuesday’s speech as a prosecutor, her advisers say: After laying out evidence against Trump, she plans to bring together her case to a “jury” of voters.
A permit application for the event obtained by CNN estimated a crowd of roughly 7,500 at the event, with 250 staff, organizers and volunteers.
It said the speaking program will consist of four to five individuals and elected officials.
Tuesday’s event is an indication of the Harris campaign’s belief that reminding voters of Trump’s past actions can help cement the choice for any who remain undecided.
Harris has often invoked the insurrection on January 6, as part of her argument that democracy is at stake.
“Donald Trump left us the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War,” Harris said of the insurrection during the presidential debate in September. The campaign has also frequently used images of January 6 in ads.
Her upcoming speech in Washington will also come on the heels of a campaign stop in Texas, where she’s expected to speak on reproductive freedom.
The vice president kicked off the year, during what was then the Biden campaign, focusing on abortion rights, and the issue will feature prominently in the closing days as Democratic officials maintain it’s a galvanizing one for voters.
She also plans to campaign with former President Barack Obama, as well as former first lady Michelle Obama, in the days ahead of Tuesday’s speech.
