Ahead of Harris’s comments, her campaign organized a speaker lineup of everyday Americans, rather than the stars who have appeared at some of her recent events, or the parade of elected officials who often feature on the campaign agenda. events in Washington. They included Amanda Zurawski, a woman who nearly died of sepsis after being denied medical care under Texas’ strict abortion ban, and Craig Sicknick, brother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died following the January 6 attack.

Ruth Chiari, 78, of Charlottesville, Virginia, was attending the rally with her husband to “support democracy.”

“I think everyone understands what’s on the ballot,” he said as he waited in line near the Treasury building to enter the event. “Either we will have an autocrat or we will have freedom.”

Kathleen Nicholas, 36, a government relations worker in Washington, remembered Jan. 6 and loved the contrast of the crowds and atmosphere that day. “I like that you chose this place for your closing,” he said. “What we needed was to have something that was in direct contrast to that day.”

With time running out and the race tight, Harris and Trump have looked for big moments to try to shift the momentum in their own ways.

The speech came days after Harris traveled to Texas, a reliably Republican state, to appear with megastar Beyoncé and emphasize the consequences for women after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That, too, was a speech meant to capture the attention of far-flung voters in battleground states.

The vice president’s last speech has been in preparation for weeks. But his advisers hoped his message would have more impact later Trump’s rally on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where speakers hurled cruel and racist insults. Harris said the event “highlighted the point I’ve been making throughout this campaign.”

“He’s focused and really obsessed with his grievances, with himself and with dividing our country,” she said.

Harris sought to craft a pragmatic, forward-thinking plan for the country, including reminding voters of her economic proposals and pledging to work for access to reproductive care, including abortion.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that people who disagree with me are the enemy,” Harris said. “He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give you a seat at my table. And I promise to be a president for all Americans. “Always put the country above the party and above oneself.”

It is also central to his message: positioning himself as a “new generation” of leaders after Trump and even his current boss, Biden.

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” Harris said. “We have to stop pointing fingers and start crossing our arms. It is time to turn the page on the drama, conflict and confusion.”

He acknowledged that “many of you are still getting to know who I am” after his surprise elevation to the top of the Democratic ticket after Biden dropped out of the race in July, and used his comments to try to respond to voters’ curiosity.

“I recognize that this has not been a typical campaign,” Harris said, adding that she is “not afraid of tough fights against bad actors and powerful interests.”

“I will work every day to build consensus and come to compromises to get things done,” he said.

Before Harris’ speech, Trump used remarks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Tuesday morning to accuse Harris of closing with a message that does not address the everyday struggles of Americans and their problems in the kitchen table. concerns.

He said Harris continues to “talk about Hitler and the Nazis, because his record is horrible,” a reference to Harris amplifying her former chief of staff’s warnings that Trump spoke admiringly of the Nazi leader while in office.

Harris aides, many of whom also advised Biden’s campaign before he dropped out, still believe that centering the race on who Trump is and how she is different will be her strongest message to voters.

“She has already presented her case, presented the evidence. She will provide a summary tonight and has faith in the wisdom of the jury,” said campaign communications director Michael Tyler.

Biden told reporters Tuesday that he will not attend Harris’ speech because the event is “for her,” but that he planned to watch it on television. Before Harris’ comments, reaction to Biden a comic calling Puerto Rico trash in a Trump rally last weekend saying, “The only trash I see floating around is his followers.”

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Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Palm Beach, Florida, Ayana Alexander in Baltimore and Fatima Hussein and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.