Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally at the Ellipse to give the “closing argument” of her presidential campaign to voters Tuesday.
In her speech in front of a crowd her campaign claims was 75,000 people, Harris called former President Donald Trump — who delivered a speech urging supporters to fight the election results at the same location in 2021 — a “petty tyrant” and told voters to choose the path of “unity.” Pro-Palestinian protesters were present throughout the duration of Harris’ 27 minute speech, with over 200 demonstrators gathering on Constitution Avenue under a screen displaying the rally and inside the fences of the Ellipse shouting chants, like “arms embargo now” and “baby killer Kamala,” which could be heard during Harris’ speech.
“Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other, that is who he is,” Harris said. “But America, I am here tonight to say that is not who we are.”
Before the rally, it was expected that over 50,000 people would be in attendance. Gates to the rally opened at 3 p.m. on the corner of 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, where a line quickly formed down Constitution and towards the White House.
Harris started her speech at 7:35 p.m., where she emphasized her willingness to work across the political aisle and highlighted policies from her platform, like the child tax credit, bans on price gouging and ensuring reproductive rights.
“I will work with everyone: Democrats, Republicans and independents to help Americans who are working hard and still struggling to get ahead,” Harris said.
At the beginning of Harris’ speech, a group near the stage chanted “ceasefire now” and “free Palestine,” which at times overpowered Harris’s voice. Event security removed at least two members of the crowd who were protesting the speech and chanting “arms embargo now.”
Charlotte Adams, a sophomore at GW, said she enjoyed listening to Harris speak and thought her speech was “well done.” Adams said she thought she should go to the rally to listen to Harris’ stance on issues since she could be the next president.
“We go to school in D.C. where we have opportunities to see things like this, she could potentially be our next president, so I thought it would be interesting to see, listen to what she has to say about what she wants to do with her presidency,” Adams said.
Elliott Hollingsbee, a junior and international exchange student at GW from England, said he felt he should go to the rally since the University is so close and wanted to observe the “vibes” of American politics during an election year. Hollingsbee said the vibes at the rally were “electric,” as Whitney Houston played on the loudspeakers as thousands of attendees sang along as they lined up on Constitution Avenue.
“I wanted to come to the rally to support the Harris campaign because I’m not able to vote as I’m a British citizen, so I wanted to show my support in this way, and it was just at my doorstep,” Hollingsbee said.
In addition to Harris — who polls show is deadlocked in almost every swing state with Trump — a group of Harris voters also spoke at the event, including Bob and Kristina Lange, a couple from Pennsylvania who said they were previous Trump supporters. In their remarks, they said they have been “lifelong Republicans,” but now they are supporting Harris because it is “very clear” now that Trump doesn’t care about helping “hardworking people” and only cares about dividing the country.
“We deserve better,” Bob Lange said. “It’s time to turn the page.”
A consistent theme between all the speakers was the need to leave the division and partisanship that came with Trump’s presidency behind and make room for change where the parties can work together. During one of the speeches, the crowd chanted “We’re not going back.”
Justin Cummings, a junior at GW, said he is “excited” going into the election and wanted to come show his support for Harris while the “momentum” is behind her.
“There’s so much momentum behind Harris and with seven days left it’s so important to support her and let America know and the undecided voters that she is for the people and that the energy is behind her,” Cummings said.
At 6:40 p.m. about 100 protesters from organizations, like the Palestinian Youth Movement and the Party for Socialism and Liberation marched from the lawn of the Washington Monument towards the screen displaying Harris’ speech on Constitution Avenue where over 18 Metropolitan Police Department cars and officers with bikes waited.
By 7 p.m. the protest had grown to amass over 200 demonstrators who chanted phrases, like “Kamala what do you say, we won’t vote on election day” and “from D.C. to Palestine, occupation is a crime.” Protesters booed and threw middle fingers in the air as Harris took to the stage at around 7:36 p.m.
Demonstrators made noise by beating drums and banging on pots and pans to drown out the sound of Harris’ speech, which was amplified through speakers to the thousands of attendees sitting on the lawn of the Washington Monument.
Following the speech’s closure, protesters marched down the sidewalk of Constitution Avenue toward 17th Street and directed chants towards rally attendees as they exited the rally. Protesters banged on the fences surrounding the Ellipse and chanted “no votes for genocide” toward Harris supporters as they marched down the street before turning up 17th Street.
Protesters then convened at one of the exits at the intersection of 17th and D streets, where attendees were leaving the rally. Demonstrators used megaphones to chant “what if it was your kids” and “don’t look away from genocide” at people passing by on the street and rally goers exiting the event.
During the presidential debate in September between Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump, Harris outlined her stance on creating a “two-state solution” to end the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and ensure “security” for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. Harris called for a ceasefire in Gaza back in March, adding that a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas would end the “immense scale of suffering” among the Palestinian people.
The protest ended at about 9 p.m. once attendees of the rally had finished exiting through the gate.
Sarah Gross, Mollie Weiner and Ryan Karlin contributed to reporting.
