By Jeff Mason, Arlene Eiras and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democrat Kamala Harris warned tens of 1000’s of individuals gathered in Washington at her largest rally that her Republican opponent Donald Trump was searching for unchecked energy as their tightening race for the presidency entered its closing week.
Harris spoke on Tuesday night to an out of doors rally estimated by her marketing campaign to quantity greater than 75,000 folks on the spot close to the White Home the place on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump addressed his supporters earlier than they attacked the U.S. Capitol.
“We know who Donald Trump is,” Harris mentioned. She mentioned the then-president despatched an “armed mob” to the U.S. Capitol to attempt to overturn his loss within the 2020 presidential election.
“This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance and out for unchecked power,” Harris mentioned throughout what her marketing campaign known as her closing argument earlier than a tightly contested Nov. 5 election.
Greater than 53 million Individuals have already voted within the election, based on Election Hub on the College of Florida, in a battle that can resolve who runs the world’s richest and strongest nation for 4 years.
Harris was flanked by American flags on stage and surrounded by blue and white banners that mentioned “FREEDOM” with a well-lit White Home behind her.
The gang included older folks and faculty college students, folks from abroad, from New York and from close by Virginia. Many ladies got here in teams with different feminine buddies.
“It’s important that we do not go back to the horrible past policies under President Trump,” mentioned Saul Schwartz, a former federal employee from Alexandria, Virginia.
“She is everything that I always wanted in a president. She is joyous. She is real, she is powerful. And she is a woman,” mentioned Danielle Hoffmann from Staten Island, New York. “It’s time for you guys… to take a backseat because we’re driving right now,” she mentioned, addressing males usually. Her husband, she famous, is a Trump supporter.
A Reuters/Ipsos ballot on Tuesday confirmed that Harris’ lead had eroded to simply 44% to 43% amongst registered voters.
Harris has led Trump in each Reuters/Ipsos ballot since she entered the race in July, however her benefit has steadily shrunk since late September.
Trump and his allies have sought to minimize the violence of Jan. 6.
Hundreds of his supporters stormed the Capitol, sending lawmakers fleeing for his or her lives after Trump’s tackle on the Ellipse, the place as president in 2021 he advised the group to “fight like hell” to stop Congress from ratifying his loss.
4 folks died within the ensuing riot on the Capitol, and one police officer who defended the Capitol died the next day. Trump has mentioned that if reelected, he would pardon the greater than 1,500 members who’ve been charged with crimes.
“We have to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms,” Harris advised the Washington crowd on Tuesday and urged Individuals to place divisions behind them.
TRUMP SAYS NEW YORK RALLY ‘AN ABSOLUTE LOVEFEST’
In Florida earlier within the day, Trump sought to maneuver on from the racist and different vulgar remarks made by allies at his New York rally on Sunday.
Trump didn’t touch upon the remarks made by audio system on the Sunday occasion the place comic Tony Hinchcliffe known as Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and disparaged Black Individuals, Jewish folks, Palestinians and Latinos.
Trump’s marketing campaign had mentioned beforehand that the feedback about Puerto Rico didn’t mirror the previous president’s views, however Trump on Tuesday known as the New York occasion “an absolute lovefest” and mentioned he was honored to be concerned.
President Joe Biden drew ire from Trump’s marketing campaign for remarks he made in regards to the Sunday rally throughout a fundraising name on Tuesday.
In keeping with a transcript posted by a White Home spokesperson on X, Biden mentioned: “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American.”
A number of information organizations cited the identical quote however with out the apostrophe.
Biden later posted on X, the social media website: “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”
COURTING HISPANIC VOTERS
As Harris spoke in Washington, Trump visited a closely Hispanic metropolis in Pennsylvania, two days after Hinchcliffe’s feedback about Puerto Rico drew outrage on the New York rally.
The U.S. Census Bureau says Puerto Ricans are the biggest Hispanic group in Pennsylvania, a state that holds the very best variety of Electoral Faculty votes of the seven battleground states anticipated to resolve the election.
“I’d like to begin with a very, very simple question: Are you better off now than you were four years ago? I’m here today with a message of hope for all Americans,” Trump mentioned.
Harris, who could be the primary feminine president, and Trump, searching for a return to workplace after his 2017-21 time period, diverge on help for Ukraine and NATO, abortion rights, taxes, fundamental democratic rules and tariffs that might set off commerce wars.
On tariffs, Trump on Tuesday explicitly talked about the European Union. “They’re brutal,” he mentioned in Pennsylvania. “They sell millions and millions of cars in the United States. No, no, no, they are going to have to pay a big price.”
