KAMALA Harris mentioned Donald Trump a total of 24 times in her closing election speech last night, dubbing the former president a “petty tyrant” and “wannabe dictator”.
The Vice President told voters “it doesn’t have to be this way” as she spoke before a huge crowd in front of the White House on Tuesday.
GettyVice President Kamala Harris addresses thousands of supporters in front of the White House on the Ellipse in Washington, DC[/caption]
“I’ll be honest with you: I’m not perfect,” she admitted.
“I make mistakes. But here’s what I promise you: I will always listen to you, even if you don’t vote for me. I will always tell you the truth, even if it’s hard to hear. I will work every day to build consensus and reach compromise to get things done.
“And if you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, there is nothing in the world that will stand in my way.”
The Democratic nominee went on to remind voters of the January 6 insurrection, where Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.
She said “we know who Donald Trump is,” adding that he has “spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other.”
“This is not a candidate for president who is thinking about how to make your life better,” she added, branding him a “petty tyrant” and “wannabe dictator.”
She went on to tell voters that while Trump would walk into the Oval Office with “an enemies list” she would walk in with “a to do list”.
“In less than 90 days, either Donald Trump or I will be in the Oval Office,” the VP said.
“On Day One, if elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list. When elected, I will walk in with a to-do list.”
Writing for The Sun, political commentator Joe Concha described the speech as “dark and divisive,” as well as “myopic and substance free”.
“The 35-minute speech was barely about her plans for the future as potentially the next president, or her (dubious) record in office as vice president during the Biden-Harris administration over the past 3 and 1/2 years,” he said.
“Overall, the Democratic nominee broached Trump’s name more than 20 times in a 35-minute speech.
“But one word she didn’t broach was inflation, which is considered the #1 issue for voters as they head to the polls.”
He also said the speech was “overshadowed” by President Joe Biden, who last night boldly called Trump supporters “garbage” – a vicious swipe after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe labeled Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” while speaking at a Trump rally on Sunday night.
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s – his – his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” the president said during a Zoom with Voto Latino.
Biden later put out a statement insisting he had “meant to say” earlier on Tuesday that a pro-Trump comedian’s “hateful rhetoric” about Puerto Rico was “garbage”.
Ahead of Harris’ speech, Trump used a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to accuse Harris of closing with a message that doesn’t address everyday Americans’ day-to-day struggles and kitchen-table concerns.
He said Harris keeps “talking about Hitler, and Nazis, because her record’s horrible,” a reference to Harris amplifying the warnings from his former chief of staff that Trump spoke admiringly of the Nazi leader while in office.
Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “His closing argument to the American people is simple: Kamala broke it; he will fix it.”
GettyDonald Trump speaks during a press conference in the ballroom of the Mar-a-Lago Club on October 29, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida[/caption]