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More than 75,000 people gathered to hear the vice president’s closing argument for an America under her leadership.
Vice President Kamala Harris addressed a crowd of over 75,000 in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday at the Ellipse, with the White House and Washington Monument as her backdrop. Just a week before Election Day, she stood on the same ground where former President Donald Trump had incited supporters before the Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, asking Americans to embrace a future of unity and inclusion. Harris’s speech was a powerful reclaiming of a space marked by division and called for Americans to “turn the page” on an era she described as tumultuous and divisive.
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Standing at the Ellipse, where Trump once addressed supporters before the Capitol attack, Harris spoke purposefully, transforming a space tied to division into a platform for hope and unity. Among signs that read “Freedom” and “USA” and bathed in a sea of American flags, she called on Americans to put aside political differences and “stop pointing fingers and start locking arms,” pitching herself as a unifying force who would lead with empathy. Invoking E Pluribus Unum — Latin for “out of many, one” — Harris framed this motto as “a living truth about the heart of our democracy.”
Reproductive rights were front and center in Harris’s message, as she pledged to restore protections rolled back by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. “The government should not be telling her what to do with her body,” Harris declared, describing restrictive laws on abortion access and IVF as “immoral.” She assured the crowd that she would sign federal legislation protecting reproductive rights if Congress were to pass it. “When Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, as President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law, proudly,” Harris said.
With a focus on easing economic burdens, Harris promised relief for working- and middle-class families facing rising costs. She outlined plans to cap insulin prices, limit out-of-pocket prescription costs, and implement a federal ban on grocery price gouging. “I will deliver tax cuts to working people and the middle class,” she assured the crowd, contrasting her approach with Trump’s proposed tariffs, which Harris called a 20 percent tax on imported goods, arguing they would drive up the price of daily essentials. Harris’s economic message centered on making life affordable for families feeling the impact of rising costs.
In one of the most poignant moments of her speech, Harris paid tribute to America’s legacy of civil rights struggles, connecting her campaign to key milestones.
“Nearly 250 years ago, America was born when we wrested freedom from a petty tyrant,” she said. Harris honored the generations who preserved and expanded freedom, “proving to the world that a government of by and for the people is strong and can endure.” She continued, “Those who came before us, the patriots at Normandy and Selma, Seneca Falls and Stonewall, on farmland and factory floors, did not struggle, sacrifice and lay down their lives only to see us cede our fundamental freedoms. They didn’t do that only to see us submit to the will of another petty tyrant.”
Harris promised to bolster America’s global standing by strengthening alliances with democratic nations, positioning her foreign policy as one of respect and cooperation. “Our alliances keep American people safe and make America stronger,” she said, contrasting her approach with what she described as Trump’s susceptibility to authoritarian manipulation. She emphasized that the United States would remain “a champion of liberty,” standing firm against the influence of autocratic leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
In her focus on housing, Harris outlined a plan to make homeownership more accessible for families struggling with rising costs. She pledged down payment assistance for first-time buyers, rent stabilization measures, and partnerships with the private sector to expedite affordable housing construction. “Homeownership is about more than just financial security,” she said. “It’s about the pride of hard work.”
Throughout her speech, Harris outlined a leadership style she said was aimed at finding common ground and serving Americans of all backgrounds. “America, we know what Donald Trump has in mind: more chaos, more division, and policies that help those at the very top and hurt everyone else. I offer a different path, and I ask for your vote,” she said, promising to “seek common ground and common-sense solutions to make your life better.” Harris pledged to listen to “experts, to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make, and to people who disagree with me.” Unlike her opponent, Harris added, “I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table.” She said her approach would be guided by “the joy and optimism that comes from making a difference in people’s lives” and prioritize “country above party and self.”
As Harris closed her remarks, she urged supporters to “turn the page” on division and use their votes to write a new chapter. “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,” she said, leaving the crowd with a renewed sense of purpose and hope for Election Day.
