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    • 6 takeaways from Kamala Harris’ graduation speech
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    6 takeaways from Kamala Harris’ graduation speech

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    WASHINGTON – Kamala Harris filed her final lawsuit against Donald Trump's return to the White House on Tuesday. In a speech intended as a “closing argument” for next week, she called her Republican rival “full of resentment” and portrayed herself as focused on the needs of Americans during election week.

    In front of an estimated 75,000 campaign supporters at the Ellipse on the National Mall – the biggest event of her White House bid – Harris sought to appeal to a remnant of undecided voters who could influence the election in seven closely contested states.

    “America, we know what Donald Trump has in mind: more chaos, more division and policies that help those at the top and hurt everyone else,” Harris said in a 30-minute speech as Trump also held a campaign rally in Pennsylvania held off. “I offer another way.”

    Still, Harris' pitch was almost immediately overshadowed by President Joe Biden, who undermined one of the main themes of her speech – a call for unity and civility – by seemingly calling Trump's supporters “trash” during a separate campaign event.

    Here are five takeaways from the address:

    “We know who Donald Trump is,” Harris said

    Harris portrayed Trump, the Republican nominee, as a vindictive “petty tyrant” out only for himself and “unchecked power,” arguing he would bring an “enemies list” to the White House while she pursues a “To -Do list of priorities.

    “Look, we know who Donald Trump is,” Harris said. “He is the person who stood on this very spot almost four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election.”

    More: Kamala Harris turns her attention to those undecided voters with a final warning about Trump

    The Ellipse on the National Mall wasn't just chosen to evoke memories of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in which Trump supporters tried to stop Congress from certifying Biden's election victory. But with the White House as a backdrop, the site was intended to remind Americans of the “gravity of the job,” the Democratic presidential campaign said.

    Harris said one of Trump's “top priorities is releasing the violent extremists” who led the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, a reference to her opponent's campaign promise to “absolutely” pardon convicted criminals “if they are innocent.” And she railed against Trump's use of the phrase “the enemy within” to describe his political opponents.

    “This is not a presidential candidate thinking about how to improve his life,” Harris said. “Donald Trump has spent a decade dividing the American people and making them fear each other. He is, but America, I’m here tonight to say that’s not who we are.”

    Pitch for unity and “Locking Arms”

    Harris called for unity, arguing that while Trump humiliates and threatens his opponents, she will work with them.

    “I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy,” Harris said. “He wants to put her in prison. I give them a seat at the table.”

    The offensive appeared to be aimed squarely at Republican voters who are not Trump fans but are still unsure whether to vote for a Democrat. On the campaign trail, Harris has highlighted her support from former Republican U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and more than 230 former White House officials from previous Republican administrations.

    “We need to stop pointing fingers and start closing arms,” Harris said. “It is time to leave the drama and conflict, fear and division behind. It’s time for a new generation of leaders in America.”

    Harris made a promise to her skeptics.

    “I'll be honest with you. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes,” Harris said. “But I promise you this. 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.”

    More: 'Fixed on his grievances': Harris criticizes Trump's Madison Square Garden rally

    Biden is undermining the message by triggering a Republican backlash

    But the unity message of Harris' speech was marred by comments that same evening from Biden, who did not attend the address and was on the sidelines for much of Harris's campaign.

    “The only trash I see floating out there is his supporters,” Biden appeared to say of Trump during a campaign call aimed at Latino voters. “His demonization of Latinos is incomprehensible and un-American.”

    Biden was responding to a heavily criticized insult from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating pile of trash” at a Trump rally on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

    More: Who is Tony Hinchcliffe, Trump's warm-up act at Madison Square Garden?

    Republicans seized on Biden's comments. “Just moments ago, Joe Biden declared that our supporters are trash,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said at a Trump campaign rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, while standing next to Trump. “We are not trash. We are patriots who love America.”

    Biden later issued a statement seeking to clarify that he was calling nonsense to the comedian, a Trump supporter.

    “Today I called the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico expressed by Trump supporters at his rally at Madison Square Garden trash — that’s the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden said. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That's all I wanted to say. The comments at this rally do not reflect who we are as a nation.”

    The message is aimed at a small group of undecided voters

    Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt accused Harris in a statement of “lying, name-calling and clinging to the past” to cover up the Biden-Harris administration's failures.

    Ahead of the speech, the Harris campaign said the closing argument was aimed at two different groups of undecided voters, who total about 3% to 5% of the electorate and could pull off a close election.

    One camp is to “persuade” voters to participate, a Harris official told USA TODAY. That includes young voters, voters of color and others who are inclined to vote for Harris but still need to be motivated. The group includes so-called “low-information voters” who do not closely follow daily news about the election campaign.

    The second group consists of more committed traditional swing voters – independent and suburban Republican voters who may have supported Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary against Trump but have not yet agreed with Harris.

    “These are the exact people we've been talking to all along,” Harris campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon told reporters. “And there is no doubt that we believe we have the opportunity to withdraw Trump’s past support.”

    Last minute introduction

    Harris noted the election's unusual circumstances. She became the Democratic nominee after Biden dropped out of the race exactly 100 days ago.

    She put together a snapshot campaign to introduce herself to voters — but with Election Day just days away, some still say they don't know enough about her.

    “I realize this wasn’t a typical campaign,” Harris said, drawing some laughter from the crowd. “I know many of you haven’t met me yet.”

    Harris said she has spent most of her career outside of Washington, “so I know not all the good ideas come from you.” She noted her track record as a prosecutor fighting “tough battles against bad actors and powerful interests.” have.

    “This is what my mother taught me: a drive to hold accountable those who use their wealth, wealth or power to take advantage of other people, a drive to protect hard-working Americans who are not always seen or be heard and deserve a voice.”

    Harris on Biden: “My presidency will be different”

    Harris used her address to answer one of her campaign's most common questions: How would her presidency differ from Biden's four-year term?

    “I will bring my own experiences and ideas to the Oval Office. My presidency will be different because the challenges we face are different,” Harris said.

    Harris said that when Biden and she took office in January 2021, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and “saving the economy” was the top priority as a nation. “Now our biggest challenge is to reduce costs – costs were already rising before the pandemic and they are still too high. I understand,” she said.

    Harris faced the challenge of charting her own course while remaining loyal to the president she serves — whose approval ratings remained low throughout much of his presidency.

    Harris ended her speech on a patriotic note, reminding Americans of those who fought in Normandy and for civil rights and equal rights for women.

    “They did not fight, sacrifice and give their lives just to see us promote our fundamental freedoms. “You didn’t do this just to see us bend to the will of another little tyrant,” she said, referring to Trump.

    “This United States of America is not a vessel for the plans of would-be dictators. The United States of America is the greatest idea ever conceived by humanity.”

    Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison.

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    Kathleen William
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