Kamala Harris Frames Election As A Choice Between ‘Freedom’ And ‘Chaos And Division’ In Closing Argument Speech – Essence

With the White House glimmering behind her, Vice President Kamala Harris gave an impassioned closing argument to the American people. In an incredibly sped-up election cycle in which Harris has had only three months to define herself to voters apart from the Biden administration, she used this speech to draw a stark contrast between her values and vision for the country and that of Donald Trump.  Even her chosen venue, the Ellipse (the site of Donald Trump’s infamous January 6 speech in 2021, where he urged his supporters to “fight like hell” and preceded the insurrection), seemed to serve as a symbol of the different kind of governing she offers.

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Harris Says Donald Trump Is Thinking About Himself

Harris wasted no time laying out the stakes of the election, saying, “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 rooted in freedom for every American or ruled by chaos and division.” She went on to define Donald Trump as deeply selfish and focused on revenge against his perceived enemies. “Donald Trump intends to use the United States military against American citizens who simply disagree with him, people he calls, quote, “the enemy from within” America. 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.” Unlike Trump, who has an “enemies list”, Harris defined herself as someone who has a “to-do list” of things that she wants to get done for the country.

It’s Time To Turn The Page On Division

Unity was another theme of Harris’s speech. While the country has been “consumed with too much division, chaos and mutual distrust,” she said, “It doesn’t have to be this way.” Harris encouraged Americans to imagine a united country with her at the helm: “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 and I am ready to offer that leadership as the next President of the United States.” If elected, Harris also vowed to be a president for all people, even those who disagreed with her: “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 is difficult to hear. 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 Says Middle-Class Upbringing Inspires Presidential Priorities

Harris painted herself as someone who cares about and can relate to the average American due to her middle-class upbringing. “There’s something about people being treated unfairly or overlooked that, frankly, just gets to me. 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 other people, the drive to protect hard-working Americans who aren’t always seen or heard and deserve a voice.” At several points during her speech, she invoked memories of her mother and how it would inform her priorities as President. For example, in laying out her economic plan, she recalled, “I’ll never forget how our mother saved up and how excited she was when she could finally afford to buy our first home. I remember how excited she was, and I know that owning a home is not only a measure of financial security. It’s about the pride of your hard work, and as President, I will fight to help first-time home buyers with your down payments, take on the companies that are jacking up rents and build millions of new homes.” Due to her experience as a caregiver for her mother as she fought cancer–she’s aware of how expensive it can be, so Harris also proposed Medicare coverage of home health care for seniors to relieve the financial burden on families. 

Harris Vows Action On Abortion And Immigration

Since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris has repeatedly championed reproductive rights, and in this speech, she once again asserted that it was a woman’s right—not the government’s—to make her own choices regarding her body. In contrast to what she said was Trump’s plan to ban abortion nationwide, she vowed that “When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.” On the heels of demeaning remarks Trump made about immigrants at his controversial Madison Square Garden rally last week, Harris said: “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 that we must finally come together to solve.” In addition to promising to sign the previously scuttled bipartisan immigration bill, she also acknowledged immigrants’ value. She promised comprehensive immigration reform: “We must acknowledge we are a nation of immigrants, and I will work with Congress to pass immigration reform, including an earned path to citizenship for hard-working immigrants like farm workers and Dreamers.”  

In A Campaign Hallmark, Harris Ended On An Optimistic Note 

Remarking on her extraordinary journey to arrive at this moment, Harris said, “I grew up as a child of the civil rights movement. 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 lived the promise of America. I saw how hard our mother worked to give her daughters the same chances this country gave her.” She continued, “These United States of America, we are not a vessel for the schemes of wannabe dictators… 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.” While this speech was billed as her closing argument, it’s far from the last time voters will see her on the campaign trail. On Wednesday, Harris is scheduled to visit three cities in battleground states: Raleigh, North Carolina; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Madison, Wisconsin.