Why Kamala Harris made her 'closing argument' in front of the White House

• Harris delivered a "closing argument" reside astatine nan aforesaid spot Trump held his January 6 rally.
• It was nan VP's past chance astatine crystallizing nan connection of her short-lived campaign.
• But it besides highlighted immoderate of nan challenges her run has faced.

On Tuesday evening, precisely 1 week retired from nan extremity of nan 2024 race, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a reside successful nan bosom of Washington, DC that her run described arsenic their "closing argument."

By nan conventions of modern statesmanlike campaigns, it was a unusual spot to do it. DC is evidently not a battleground state. Under nan country's electoral system, it's difficult to deliberation of an American metropolis whose citizens' votes matter less successful a statesmanlike election.

But nan constituent wasn't to triumph votes successful DC, but for nan superior to service arsenic nan shape for a connection delivered to nan remainder of America. Her prime to clasp nan rally astatine nan Ellipse, a 52-acre parkland sandwiched betwixt nan White House and nan Washington Monument, was all-important. The last time a awesome governmental fig held a rally here, a information of that crowd marched 1 mile eastbound and breached nan US Capitol successful an effort to halt nan certification of nan 2020 election.

Harris talked astir January 6 successful her rally, noting that erstwhile President Donald Trump "stood astatine this very spot" erstwhile he delivered his reside that day. She described Trump arsenic "unstable" and "obsessed pinch revenge." But January 6 wasn't nan centerpiece of her speech. She utilized nan connection "democracy" conscionable once. The location of her reside was intended to do nan dense lifting successful getting that constituent across.

"It's for illustration if thing horrible happens successful your ain home," said Victoria Leacock Hoffman. The 61-year-old DC resident who useful successful theatre accumulation said she felt a "little anxious pit" successful her tummy erstwhile she initially learned that Harris' rally would beryllium held connected nan aforesaid tract of Trump's infamous speech. "But past I said, 'Oh, she's taking it back."

That seemed to beryllium nan constituent of Tuesday night's rally. In nan hours earlier Harris took nan stage, attendees waved miniature American flags and "USA" signs to nan hit of songs for illustration Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," Missy Elliot's "Lose Control," and Blacked Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling." It was an effort to recapture nan consciousness of "joy" that was salient astatine nan outset of Harris' run successful July. Though astir attendees were presumably from nan greater Washington metro area, astatine slightest 1 elector said she made nan travel each nan measurement from Florida.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime benignant of event," said Mitzi Maxwell, a 69-year-old retired nonprofit arts head from Orlando who brought her mother pinch her to nan rally. "And it's compelling that it's successful this location."

Harris made usage of nan White House arsenic her backdrop, dramatically motioning toward nan building arsenic she noted that "in little than 90 days, either Donald Trump aliases I will beryllium successful nan Oval Office."

But nan beingness of nan building was besides a reminder of its existent occupant, President Joe Biden, and his conspicuous absence from nan rally connected Tuesday. Eager to represent herself arsenic a cleanable break from nan past, Harris has created immoderate region from Biden since his disastrous statement performance prompted a unit run to get him to driblet retired of nan race.

Shortly aft nan rally ended connected Tuesday, a clip of Biden appearing to denigrate Trump supporters began to spell viral connected societal media, underscoring why he's been mostly kept astatine bay.

"I person been honored to service arsenic Joe Biden's Vice President, but I will bring my ain experiences and ideas to nan Oval Office," Harris said during her speech. "My presidency will beryllium different, because nan challenges we look are different."

As nan vice president began her speech, nan region sounds of chants and sirens could beryllium heard from pro-Palestinian protests astir a 100 yards away, a reminder of nan discontent wrong nan Democratic coalition complete some Biden and Harris' support for Israel amid nan warfare successful Gaza.

Harris' reside was besides aimed astatine providing a consciousness of attraction for a campaigner who's had to do a batch of different things astatine erstwhile — re-introducing herself arsenic personification abstracted from Biden, rolling retired a slate of argumentation proposals (while explaining why they haven't been enacted yet), and making a lawsuit against nan force — each successful nan span of conscionable 3 months.

After tackling Trump astatine nan outset, Harris quickly pivoted successful her reside toward nan economy, assailing Trump's tariff plan arsenic an across-the-board taxation connected Americans. "Think astir it: clothes, food, toys, cellphones," Harris said, listing a assortment of user equipment that are often imported from overseas.

She re-upped her connection to enact a federal prohibition connected value gouging and spent a important magnitude of clip connected her housing plan. "For years, we person heard excuses astir why America can't build capable housing. Enough pinch nan excuses," Harris said. "I'm going to trim nan reddish portion and activity pinch nan backstage assemblage and section governments to velocity up building and get it done."

That gave measurement to a variety of her emblematic stump speech, pinch references to abortion — "one does not person to wantonness their religion aliases profoundly held beliefs to simply work together nan government should not beryllium telling her what to do pinch her body" — and a slew of statements that look to beryllium geared much toward on-the-fence Republicans than her ain base, including her promise to motion a bipartisan separator information measure into rule and an affirmation that nether her leadership, nan US would person nan "strongest, astir lethal fighting unit successful nan world."

As acold arsenic closing arguments go, it whitethorn activity — peculiarly erstwhile her opponent's ain "closing argument" reside astatine Madison Square Garden was drowned out by 1 comedian's violative joke astir Puerto Ricans.