NEW YORK (AP) — In the shadow of the White House, seven days before the final votes are cast in the 2024 election, Kamala Harris He vowed to put country before party and warned that Donald Trump is obsessed with revenge and his own personal interests.

Less than 48 hours before inside. Madison Square GardenTrump called his Democratic opponent “a disaster that has destroyed everything in its path.” Her allies on the scene labeled Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and said Harris, who would be the first woman to be president, had begun her career as a prostitute.

Two nights and 200 miles apart, the dueling final arguments outlined in stark terms the choice American voters will face on Nov. 5 as they weigh two very different visions of America’s leadership and future.

Trump’s raucous rally, marked by crude and racist insults, highlighted the ugliest elements of his coalition. But other parties underscored the former businessman’s appeal as someone who promises to fix the economy and the border, and as a political outsider willing to defy any and all conventions despite the risks.

Harris, vice president for the past four years, chose a more formal setting — the grassy Ellipse near the White House — to underscore the gravity of this moment in American history and the threat Trump poses to democracy. He faced a massive audience in the same place where Trump addressed thousands of his loyalists on January 6, 2021, before they stormed the US Capitol on one of the darkest days in modern history.

But more than simply reminding voters of the danger Trump poses to American democracy, Harris’ comments were designed to highlight her opponent’s record of prioritizing his personal interests over those of the nation.

“Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other. That’s what it is. But America, I am here tonight to say: that is not who we are,” Harris said. “I am committed to being a president for all Americans, to always put country above party and above self.”

Senior adviser Jen O’Malley Dillon noted that Harris’ closing argument is designed to reach a narrow segment of undecided voters; many moderate Republicans are among them.

“We know there are still many voters who are still trying to decide who to support, or whether to vote,” O’Malley Dillon said. “And this race is extremely close. We talk about it as a race with margin for error. We know it will close in the last week.”

Trump’s team is more focused on energizing his partisan base and reaching infrequent voters across the political spectrum who are frustrated with the direction of the country and seeking change.

Still, Trump framed his comments in recent days with a simple question that cuts across political lines: asking voters if they are better off now than they were four years ago, at the end of his first term. While the nation was still mired in the pandemic when Trump left office, polls indicate that most voters are unhappy with the direction the country is taking today.

Trump has promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history and impose sweeping tariffs to generate revenue and boost American manufacturing.

Always defiant in the face of criticism even from some Republicans, Trump on Tuesday called his Madison Square Garden event “a love fest” and did not address comments from pro-Trump comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island.” of garbage.” Hinchcliffe also made degrading jokes about black people, other Latinos, Palestinians and Jews in his routine before Trump took the stage.

“No one has ever had a love like this,” Trump said of the hours-long Sunday event featuring members of his family and high-profile representatives and supporters, including billionaire Elon Musk, TV psychologist “Dr. . Phil” McGraw and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. “It was really love for our country.”

The former Republican president also offered a dark assessment of Harris’ leadership on Tuesday. He said she “erased” the nation’s borders, “decimated the middle class,” brought “bloodshed and misery” to major cities and “unleashed war and chaos around the world.”

“No person who has caused so much destruction and death at home and abroad should be allowed to be president of the United States,” Trump told dozens of supporters gathered at his Florida estate.

Jason Miller, Trump’s senior adviser, said Trump has made clear his plans to fix the economy, secure the southern border and “improve people’s daily lives.”

“Kamala Harris hasn’t done any of that,” he said. “It’s a message of desperation, personal attacks and nothing from Harris or her campaign about what they are really going to do to help Americans. So it is a huge contrast.”

Harris has largely left behind the “upbeat” campaign style that defined her entry into the presidential race this summer. He promised unity Tuesday night, but also described Trump as someone driven more by revenge and grievance than by a commitment to the people.

“This is someone unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed by grievance and seeking unchecked power,” Harris said. “This is not a presidential candidate who is thinking about how to improve his life.”

At times she spoke directly to Republican voters and promised to listen to those who didn’t vote for her if they were elected. Harris previously said she would include a Republican in her Cabinet.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t think people who disagree with me are the enemy,” he said. “He wants to put them in jail. “I’ll give them a seat at the table.”

Before the speech, the Democrat’s campaign was aware of criticism from her party’s far-left base that she had focused too much on courting moderate Republican voters. They urged Harris to focus more on working-class priorities than the threat Trump poses to American democracy.

Ultimately, the vice president’s speech was designed to tie the two issues together. He warned that Trump threatens democratic norms and promised to take action against high food prices and help first-time home buyers make down payments.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a top Harris ally, said voters can “walk and chew gum at the same time, which means they can listen to a discussion about freedom and something that affects their wallets.” And I think he’s certainly capable of prosecuting both cases at the same time.”

Sisters Michelle Detwiler and Renee Newell traveled from Virginia to attend Harris’ remarks at the Ellipse.

“We both have daughters and we’re both here to support them,” Newell said. Detwiler said the location of the event is a “great counterpoint to the images from January 6th. DC is a great city for peaceful public gatherings.

“We are very happy to be here and experience the joy,” he said.

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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Fatima Hussein in Washington and Jill Colvin in New York contributed.

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