5 Takeaways From Harris’s Closing Argument Speech in Washington

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally on the Ellipse in Washington on Oct. 29, 2024. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—A week before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris made her campaign’s closing argument in the heart of the nation’s capital, telling tens of thousands of supporters from around the country, “I offer a different path, and I ask for your vote.”

Marking just more than three months since she entered the race after President Joe Biden dropped out, Harris sought to rally her supporters around key topics of her campaign, including abortion, housing, and tax incentives for caregivers.

“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,” she said. “And it will probably be the most important vote you ever cast.”

Harris’s speech was delivered two days after former President Donald Trump made his closing remarks in Manhattan at Madison Square Garden. In his speech, Trump focused on encouraging Americans to “dream big” again and a promise of fixing the economic, immigration, foreign policy, and other challenges the country faces.

Here are five key takeaways from Harris’s Ellipse speech.

Symbolic Importance of Location

Harris delivered her speech at the Ellipse, the same location Trump spoke from on Jan. 6, 2021, when the Capitol breach was beginning.

Capitalizing on the significance of the location, Harris sought to position herself as the more stable candidate. “It is a choice about whether we have a country rooted in freedom for every American or ruled by chaos and division,” she said.

She criticized Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, saying, “That’s who Donald Trump is, and that’s who is asking you to give him another four years in the Oval Office.”

Trump has frequently pointed to his remarks at the Ellipse, in which he told his supporters to “peacefully and patriotically” protest at the Capitol. He has since criticized the treatment of some Jan. 6 defendants, saying on different occasions he would pardon them.

Didn’t Explain Role as Change Candidate

During her remarks, Harris reiterated that she is offering “a different path,” yet her speech fell short of explaining how she would distinguish herself from President Joe Biden.

“I have been honored to serve as Joe Biden’s vice president, but I will bring my own experiences and ideas to the Oval Office,” Harris said.

“My presidency will be different because the challenges we face are different. Our top priority as a nation four years ago was to end the pandemic and rescue the economy. Now our biggest challenge is to lower costs, costs that were rising even before the pandemic, and that are still too high. I get it.”

Harris has campaigned on a platform of a “new way forward” and presented herself as the candidate who can help the nation “turn the page.”

Strategists and pollsters, however, suggest that Harris’s low approval ratings stem partly from her inability to differentiate herself from Biden on key policy issues.

Her closing argument didn’t offer any concrete details to allay questions on how her presidency would differ from Biden’s.

Not Like Other Washington Elites

Harris used her speech to set herself apart from Washington’s political establishment.

“Let me tell you, I am someone who has spent most of my career outside of Washington, D.C. So I know that not all the good ideas come from here,” she said.

“I am not afraid of tough fights against bad actors and powerful interests,” the vice president added.

These remarks appear to echo Trump’s criticism of Washington elites, a key theme of his campaign that has helped him secure support from both his core voters and independents.

Stoking Fears of Another Trump Term

Harris has been stressing the potential risks of Trump winning another term, a central theme in her campaign speeches. In her closing argument, she doubled down on this message, aiming to motivate undecided voters to support her.

“You will pay even more if Donald Trump finally gets his way and repeals the Affordable Care Act, which would throw millions of Americans off their health insurance and take us back to when insurance companies had the power to deny people with pre-existing conditions,” Harris said. “Well, we are not going back.”

Trump has said that he wants to reform the Affordable Care Act and that he has “concepts of a plan” to replace it.

Harris also said Trump would cut Medicare and Social Security if elected. Trump on the campaign trail has vowed to protect Medicare and promised no cuts to Social Security, including no changes to the retirement age.

Message of Compromise

Throughout a speech that traversed the spectrum between stoking fears and pitching optimism and hopefulness, Harris also said she would focus on making compromises in her work, even if it means having disagreements or debates.

“I will work every day to build consensus and reach compromise, to get things done, and if you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, there is nothing in the world that will stand in my way,” Harris said.

She also rebuked Trump’s rhetoric about the “enemy from within.”

In a Fox Business interview earlier this month Trump, when asked about whether there might be the possibility of violence from illegal immigrants, said the bigger problem is the “enemy from within” before suggesting that extremists within the United States may cause problems next month. He suggested that the National Guard should be called in if needed.