Updated October 29, 2024 at 18:30 PM ET
On Jan. 6, 2021, then-President Donald Trump held a rally on the Ellipse, with the White House in the background, telling his supporters to 鈥渇ight like hell鈥� before a mob of them violently stormed the Capitol where Congress was certifying that he had lost the election.
Tonight, a week before Election Day, Vice President Harris will use the same backdrop to lay out the closing argument of her campaign: that it鈥檚 time to turn the page on the divisive and chaotic Trump era.
More than 20,000 people are expected for the event, which is aimed at reaching what campaign operatives call "low propensity" voters who aren't usually all that interested in politics 鈥� to try to convince them to cast a ballot.
"This speech is really designed to reach those undecided voters, those folks that are making the decision to break through in a moment when it's sometimes hard to break through, and really to talk about what's at stake in this election," campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon told reporters.
"It's really a reminder of the gravity of the job: how much a president can do for good 鈥攁nd for bad 鈥� to shape the country and impact people's lives," she said.
Harris plans to highlight Trump's 'enemies list'
In her remarks, Harris plans to talk about Trump's "enemies list of people he intends to prosecute," and describe him as "unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power," according to excerpts released by her campaign.
"He says one of his highest priorities is to set free the violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers on January 6," Harris plans to say.
"Donald Trump intends to use the United States military against American citizens who simply disagree with him. People he calls鈥攓uote鈥� 'the enemy from within.'"
In her remarks, Harris will pledge to "seek common ground" and listen "to people who disagree with me," according to the excerpts.
There was a party-like atmosphere as people gathered ahead of Harris' remarks. But Sharon Shomette from Ellicott City, Md., said she's worried about the division in the country, no matter who wins this election.
"There's just anxiety and fear everywhere, and you go on Facebook and read the comments and your mind just gets blown," Shomette told NPR. "But it's important to recognize that no matter what the outcome of this election is, that there's going to be a lot of angry and disappointed people either way."
Rally after rally, Harris has talked about Jan. 6
Harris started off her campaign as a joyful warrior. But as the race wore on and polls showed it tightening, Harris has increasingly elevated dire warnings about Trump.
Last week, she agreed that Trump is a 鈥渇ascist鈥� after the New York Times with retired Marine Gen. John Kelly making that same charge.
Kelly had been White House chief of staff to Trump and said his former boss, in private, even praised Hitler and his generals. The Trump campaign dismissed Kelly鈥檚 stories as fabrications.
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For Harris, this was another opportunity to drive home her warning. 鈥淭his is a window into who Donald Trump really is from the people who know him best,鈥� Harris said.
Echoes of Clinton鈥檚 campaign
Hillary Clinton also issued dire warnings in the closing days of her 2016 campaign, reminding voters that in a debate, Trump had refused to say he would accept the results of the election.
鈥淢ake no mistake: by doing that, he is threatening our democracy,鈥� Clinton said.
Trump won the 2016 election and gladly accepted the results.
At the time, Clinton鈥檚 warnings were seen by many as over the top: a last-minute effort to try to move voters. People were skeptical, said Brian Fallon, who worked on the Clinton campaign and is a senior adviser to Harris now.
鈥淭here was a phenomenon of taking Trump seriously but not literally,鈥� Fallon said echoing a line that became a mantra after Trump鈥檚 2016 win.
But now, Fallon argues it鈥檚 different 鈥� because Trump refused to accept his loss in 2020, and still hasn鈥檛.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not asking anybody to suspend disbelief in order to entertain these warnings,鈥� said Fallon. 鈥淭his is something that is the American people鈥檚 actual experience over the past several years.鈥�
The argument is persuasive for some groups of voters
The Harris campaign has its attention trained on swing-state suburbs where tens of thousands of Republicans voted for Nikki Haley rather than Trump in the Republican primary 鈥� in some cases, even after she had dropped out of the race.
In polls and focus groups, voters say they are worried about violence around this year鈥檚 election.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 hypothetical anymore,鈥� said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster. 鈥淚t鈥檚 real lived experience.鈥�
Warnings about Trump are persuasive to women swing voters, and are mobilizing for women and Democratic men, Lake said. These are voters like Susan Shurina, who spoke to NPR鈥檚 Asma Khalid after voting early in Alpharetta, Ga.
Thank you, Barbara Bush, for standing for truth, decency, and freedom.
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney)
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鈥淚 supported the Democratic party this time although I鈥檓 a registered Republican,鈥� Shurina said last week. 鈥淚鈥檓 just fearful of the rhetoric I hear from Trump. He seems to be very violent in wanting to control, and vengeful.鈥�
But Marc Lotter, who served in the Trump administration and now works at a pro-Trump think-tank, argued Harris鈥� warnings will ring hollow with a lot of voters, who already lived through one Trump term.
鈥淲ell, he didn鈥檛 lock her up,鈥� Lotter said of Trump鈥檚 threat to Hillary Clinton.
Lotter said he sees Harris鈥� warnings as a desperation move 鈥� a scare tactic 鈥� because Harris hasn鈥檛 been able to convince undecided voters she would be better for them than Trump.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see how that鈥檚 going to be the winning factor at the end,鈥� Lotter said.
Harris will present a contrast
Some Democrats have worried Harris鈥� warnings are not enough to get across the finish line in a very tight race where voters rank economic concerns as their top priority.
Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, a group that grew out of Sen. Bernie Sanders鈥� 2016 campaign, said he is worried some on the left will stay home rather than vote, or will consider .
Harris is set to argue that Trump, if elected, will continue to focus on himself and his growing list of personal enemies, citing his own increasingly inflammatory closing arguments.
鈥淗e calls these Americans the enemy within and says that he would use the American military to go after American citizens,鈥� said Harris.
She will contrast that with what she has been calling her 鈥渢o-do list鈥� of policies to try to bring down prices and make life easier for Americans.
"She's obviously going to touch on lowering costs on things like groceries, housing, health care," Harris' campaign chair O'Malley Dillon said. "You're going to hear her really speak to middle class families, and what they're worried about and what she's going to do about it."
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