Kamala Harris Vows to Never Treat Her Opponents as 'Enemies' in Speech Where the Capitol Riot Began

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Kyodo via AP

Kyodo via AP

At the site where former PresidentDonald Trumpspoke before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection,Kamala Harrisvowed to set the nation on a new course.

Speaking from the Ellipse in Washington, D.C.,in front of an estimated 75,000 peopleon Tuesday, Oct. 29, Harris made her closing argument for the country’s future — one that would be free of “chaos.”

“For too long we have been consumed with too much division, chaos and mutual distrust,” Harris, 60, said. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“Look, we know who Donald Trump is,” Harris said. “He is the person who stood at this very spot nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election, an election that he knew he lost.”

Lawmakers hunker down as pro-Trump rioters breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock

As president, Harris said she would focus on taking care of business, and not continue to fan a flame of fury.

“In less than 90 days, either Donald Trump or I will be in the Oval Office,” she said. “On Day 1, if elected, Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list. When elected, I will walk in with a to-do list, full of priorities of what I will get done for the American people, and I will work with everyone, Democrats, Republicans and independents, to help Americans who are working hard and still struggling to get ahead.”

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Later in the speech, Harris further offered her opinion on those who might not always agree with her.

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

She added, “I pledge to you to approach my work with the joy and optimism that comes from making a difference in people’s lives, and I pledge to be a president for all Americans. And to always put country above party and self.”

Kamala Harris speaks at a Wisconsin campaign rally on Oct. 17, 2024.Andy Manis/Getty

Andy Manis/Getty

During a call with Latino voters on Tuesday, Biden condemned a pro-Trump comedian’s racist joke about Puerto Rico being a “floating island of garbage.”

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” Biden seemingly said.

Biden later aimed to clarify his comment in an X post, asserting that he was calling hateful rhetoric toward Puerto Ricans “garbage,” not Trump’s supporters. The White House said that his quote should have been read with an apostrophe: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s.”

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning, Harris shot down Trump’s attempt to suggest that Biden’s gaffe reflected on Harris' politics.

She continued: “And as president of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans whether you vote for me or not.”

source: people.com