With just one week to Election Day and over 51 million ballots already cast, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a historic closing argument Tuesday before an enthusiastic crowd estimated at over 75,000 at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C.
Initially planned as an intimate gathering of around 8,000, the rally quickly transformed into a record-breaking show of support, highlighting Harris’ momentum in the final days of her campaign as she aims to become the first woman — and first Black and Asian person — to serve as president of the United States.
The atmosphere was likened to a festival, with loudspeakers blaring upbeat music and flags distributed to attendees.
Southeast D.C. resident Fatimah Glasnow, who arrived five hours early to secure her spot, said the thousands gathered to promote positivity and unity.
“The feeling here is hope, love and peace,” Glasnow said. “An America where we can all thrive, regardless of our race or gender. I needed this kind of energy in my life.”
At 7:37 p.m. EST, Harris took the stage to a thunderous, rockstar-like reception, complete with red and blue lights strobing and a standing ovation that roared on.
“Good Evening America!” Harris greeted the crowd. “Thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives,” she said, as chants of “Kamala, Kamala” echoed through the crowd.
“One week from today, you will have a chance to make a decision that directly affects your lives, the lives of your family, and the future of this country. It will probably be the most important vote you’ve ever cast,” she continued. “It’s more than just a choice between two parties and two different candidates. It’s about a choice of whether you have a country of freedom, or one ruled by division.”
Compare and Contrast: Harris and Trump at the Ellipse
Harris drew a sharp contrast between herself and her opponent, former President Donald Trump, who held his farewell rally at Madison Square Garden two days prior, a gathering that featured racially charged rhetoric.
Standing at the same Ellipse where Trump, on January 6, 2021, encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol, Harris recalled that tragic day.
“We know who Donald Trump is. He is the person who stood at this very spot nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob to the U.S. Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election — an election that he knew he lost,” Harris said during her 30-minute speech. “Americans died as a result; 140 law enforcement officers were injured.”
The crowd’s response was electric as Harris emphasized the Republican presidential nominee’s actions when he occupied the Oval Office.
“While Donald Trump sat in the White House watching as the violence unfolded, he was told the mob wanted to kill his own vice president, and he responded with two words: ‘So what.’ That’s who Donald Trump is. He wants you to give him another four years.”
Harris’ electrifying rally at the Ellipse, with its powerful visuals of American flags and banners of unity, drew a clear contrast with Trump’s rhetoric.
“If elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office,” Harris said, gesturing toward the White House, “with an enemies list. When elected, I will walk in with a to-do list.” She stressed that her administration would prioritize solutions to lower costs, support working families, and restore a sense of unity and purpose.
In an unflinching critique, Harris called Trump “unstable, obsessed with revenge, and out for unchecked power,” and warned that a Trump administration would mean more division, chaos, and retribution. “Donald Trump wants to avoid his problems. He intends to use the U.S. military against Americans who simply disagree with him,” Harris charged. “He’s not focused on making your life better. He’s consumed by grievance.”
Harris emphasized her dedication to uniting the country, saying her focus was on “common ground and common-sense solutions.” She pledged to be president for all Americans, a theme underscored by banners reading “Freedom” and “USA” that adorned the event space.
“I am not looking to score political points; I am looking to make progress,” she asserted.
She underscored the importance of unity to address issues nationwide and abroad.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail.” Harris assured the crowd, “We have to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms. It’s time to turn the page on the drama, conflict, fear and division.”
Harris Gets Personal Tackles Issues, Attendees Confident in VP’s Leadership
For Harris, the event carried personal significance, serving as a moment to explain what drives her as a leader.
“There’s something about people being treated unfairly or overlooked that, frankly, just gets to me,” she shared. “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 others.”
Harris remembered watching her mother work to provide her and her sister with a supportive community and semblance of the American dream.
“I saw how hard our mother worked to give her daughters the same chances this country gave her,” Harris said. “Growing up, I was blessed to have family by blood and family by love, who instilled in me the values of community, compassion and faith that have always defined our nation at its best. I’ve lived the promise of America.”
She said she “grew up as a child of the civil rights movement,” and is committed to continue justice fights.
“My parents would take me to marches in a stroller where crowds of people of all races, faiths and walks of life came together to fight for the ideals of freedom and opportunity. … I’ve spent my life fighting for the people who have been hurt and counted out, but never stopped believing that in our country anything is possible,” Harris said. “I have lived the promise of America, and I see the promise of America in all of you. In all of you, I see it.”
Harris emphasized that, despite her time serving under President Joe Biden, her presidency would take a different course because of the unique difficulties that America is currently facing.
“I have been honored to serve as Joe Biden’s vice president,” she said. “But I will bring my own experiences and ideas to the Oval Office. My presidency will be different because the challenges we face are different.”
The vice president also tackled the political lightning rod of immigration.
“Politicians have got to stop treating immigration as an issue to scare up votes in an election, and instead treat it as the serious challenge that it is,” Harris said. “I will work with Democrats and Republicans to sign into law the border security bill that Donald Trump killed.”
Further, while Harris said she will focus on prosecuting cartels and transnational gangs, she stressed “we must acknowledge we are a nation of immigrants,” before sharing more hopes to address immigration challenges.
“I will work with Congress to pass immigration reform, including an earned path to citizenship for hardworking immigrants, like farmworkers and our laborers,” the vice president said.
Addressing the fall of Roe v. Wade, Harris assured the crowd that she would fight to restore the reproductive rights she argued Trump and his Supreme Court appointees had taken away.
“I will fight to restore what Donald Trump and his hand-selected Supreme Court justices took away from the women of America,” she declared, reiterating her commitment to preserving and expanding civil rights.
Glasnow expressed confidence in Harris’ promises, particularly on issues of social and maternal justice.
“She’s advocated for social justice and, really, justice itself,” Glasnow said.
Harris Leaves Audiences Empowered, Focused on Unity
Harris emphasized that her campaign was about more than just policy changes; it was about ensuring fairness and justice for every American.
“If you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, there is nothing in the world that will stand in my way,” she promised, highlighting her experience as a prosecutor who fought against cartels, banks, and for-profit colleges.
Capitol Hill resident Leander Davis, a social services worker, said Harris’ words resonated deeply.
“She’s all of us,” Davis said. “She’s been criticized, ostracized, demonized, and called all sorts of names, yet she hasn’t stopped fighting for what’s right. When she’s president, we will all be better off.”
At the close of her speech, Harris delivered a final rallying cry.
“America, for too long, we have been consumed with division, chaos, and mutual distrust. But it doesn’t have to be this way,” she asserted. “It is time for a new generation of leadership in America, and I am ready to offer that leadership as the next president of the United States.”
As the crowd’s cheers filled the night, Harris left her supporters with a message of hope and unity: “Together, we will turn the page and build a country that rises together.”
