Harris hopes the Ellipse speech will recall Trump's chaos but also evoke her own promise

Washington
CNN
—

As Vice President Kamala Harris' aides considered where to hold her campaign's final big address, they had a few boxes to check.

She said the venue needed to convey a level of seriousness to voters about the election. But equally important, in her view, was the ability to evoke the promise of the office she sought.

They believe they have found this balance in the Ellipse – the parking lot where Donald Trump rallied his supporters within sight of the White House on January 6, 2021.

For Harris, striking a balance between dire warnings about a rival she describes as fascist and forward-looking optimism about the president she would be has become a key challenge in the final stages of the campaign.

Tuesday's high-profile speech is one of the last remaining opportunities for the vice president to try to reach a critical portion of the electorate known on the campaign trail as “conflict voters,” aides said, or those who may have concerns about Trump's behavior, but who are not yet convinced that Harris is a candidate for change who can put the country on the right path.

While it's hard to imagine a speech that could tip the balance, aides said, it was also intended to provide a clear contrast to Trump's controversial rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. That wasn't the original intent of Harris' keynote address, aides said, but they believe it is a timely rebuttal.

“It will crystallize a lot of the key arguments that she started with,” said a source familiar with Harris' speech, pointing to reproductive freedom and her framing of what she calls an “opportunity economy.”

Despite the sober undertones of the scene, Trump urged his supporters here to march on the Capitol on January 6; Many did, resulting in destruction and death – Harris' aides say the speech will be hopeful and optimistic and not focus solely on the events that unfolded at the site nearly four years ago.

If there's one thing she can take away from the day she's headed home, aides say, it's that her own victory would expose Trump's divisiveness.

Since the office she wants to occupy is 500 meters north, the location offers Harris an opportunity to outline her plans for the country, particularly on the economy, the most important issue for voters.

The speech in the final week of the campaign was not intended to cover entirely new ground, aides said. Rather, it should lay out the challenges of the race and highlight the deep contrast between Harris and Trump.

Standing on the Ellipse, aides said, will allow Harris to bring to life familiar arguments about democracy in an environment that explicitly highlights the efforts Trump and his allies made to overturn the 2020 election. The venue will also underscore that they believe a second term could be worse, they said.

“As I have said many times and will say in my speech tomorrow night, there is a big difference between him and me. If he were elected on Day 1, he would be sitting in the Oval Office working on his enemies list,” Harris said Monday. “If I am elected President of the United States on Day One, which I desperately want to do, my to-do list will be working on behalf of the American people.”

Preparations were underway Monday in advance of the speech, including the installation of a tall black fence to create a safe perimeter around the Ellipse.

A permit for the event indicated that up to 20,000 people were expected, with impacts on the National Mall – her first major outdoor campaign speech in Washington. Most of Harris' large rallies this year have been in arenas or stadiums in battleground states.

The vice president worked on her remarks as she traveled to Michigan for three campaign stops on Monday, aides said, working on final drafts of one of the biggest speeches since the Democratic National Convention. She is also expected to address the economy, lowering prescription drug costs and her broader middle class policies, although the sharpest contrasts will likely come with Trump's character.

In some ways, it's reminiscent of Harris' comments at campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, the day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, making Tuesday's speech something of a bookend to her extraordinarily truncated campaign.

“All of this means that building the middle class will be a critical goal of my presidency,” Harris said at the time. “Because we know here: When our middle class is strong, America is strong.”

Aides compared Tuesday's speech to the closing arguments Harris gave early in her career as a prosecutor. After presenting evidence to a jury – in this case, voters – she hopes to tie the disparate threads together into a single case for herself.

She had no shortage of advice. As has been the case since Biden took office, Democrats are somewhat divided over how much to emphasize Trump's character and the perceived threat to democracy rather than focusing more on pocketbook issues.

Last week, the leading super PAC supporting Harris' candidacy expressed concerns that the Harris campaign focused its closing message too much on calling Trump a fascist.

“This issue is not as compelling as contrasting messages to Harris' economic plans and her promise to protect reproductive rights,” the group warned in an email to Democrats about messaging in the final stretch of the campaign.

Still, Harris' advisers believe there are moderates who will be swayed by Trump's ties to fascism, especially when approached by his former top aide John Kelly.

More broadly, the Harris team sees the final days of the campaign as a moment to capitalize on widespread exhaustion and frustration with Trump's chaotic politics, not only shining a spotlight on the tumult but also offering a clear alternative.

Since Harris rose to the top of the ticket in July, her campaign has worked to use the trappings of office – and the power of powerful images – to help voters see her as president and take the historic step first woman to be elected as commander in chief.

The sprawling backdrop of the White House and National Mall was designed for maximum impact a week before the final day of the election. It's something of an analogy to an August rally in Detroit, where Harris spoke to thousands against the majestic backdrop of Air Force Two.

The prime-time speech on the Ellipse comes amid growing concerns by some about how much time Harris is spending trying to disqualify Trump compared to what she would do if elected. Aides told CNN that Tuesday night's address will be a balance between both messages.

“We don't have the luxury of just talking about what she would do as president,” said a senior Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss strategic decisions. “We can’t pretend this is an ordinary election.”