USA Harris warns against "tyrant" Trump: no more drama and chaos

In the final spurt of the US election campaign, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has called for an end to chaos, division and drama under her Republican opponent Donald Trump.

"This is an unstable man obsessed with revenge, consumed by resentment and bent on unchecked power," Harris said at a large rally south of the White House in the capital, Washington. This is exactly where Trump had stirred up his supporters with a speech on January 6, 2021, before storming the US Capitol.

Harris used the appearance in front of numerous supporters at the symbolic location to call for cohesion in the country a few days before the election and warn against another Trump presidency. She described her opponent as a "tyrant" and "would-be dictator".

Dark memories

Trump had incited his supporters in the same place at the time with the unsubstantiated claim that the Democrats had cheated him out of a victory in the 2020 presidential election. A violent mob then marched to nearby Capitol Hill and stormed the Houses of Parliament. On that day, Congress was in the process of formally confirming the election victory of Democrat Joe Biden against Trump.

To this day, Trump has not conceded his election defeat against Biden and is still claiming in the current election campaign that the Democrats tried to steal a victory from him by unfair means. The election will take place next Tuesday and there are concerns that similar upheavals could occur again as after the 2020 election. Trump's comments during the election campaign raise serious doubts as to whether he would accept defeat this time.

Harris' warnings - and her promise

Harris said that Trump had sent an armed mob to the Capitol at the time. One of his priorities if he were to return to the White House would be to release the violent extremists of January 6, 2021 and to take criminal action against his enemies. Trump also wants to use the US military against Americans who disagree with him. Harris warned that previous generations had not fought for fundamental freedoms in order to subject the country to the will of a "tyrant". Nor is the USA a venue for the behavior of "would-be dictators".

"Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to divide the American people and put them in fear of each other," criticized the 60-year-old. This must stop, she said. "It's time we put the drama and the conflict, the fear and the division behind us." She said it was time for a new generation of leadership in America.

"I promise to be a president for all Americans and to always put the country before the party and myself," the Democrat shouted to the crowd. She said she wanted to seek compromise and use common sense to find solutions. "I'm not perfect. I make mistakes," Harris admitted. "But I promise you that I will always listen to you. Even if you don't vote for me." She does not see dissenters as enemies.

Thoughtful audience

Harris struck a serious tone during the appearance, whereas in recent weeks she had often tried to add some lightness and good humor as a counterpoint to Trump during campaign appearances. Thousands of people of all ages came to her appearance. They had waited for hours in long queues to get onto the grounds. The atmosphere was peaceful, with many people waving US flags. The Democrat was repeatedly interrupted by chants of "Kamala".

Some spectators appeared thoughtful and silent in the face of Harris' powerful words. Some held each other in their arms. Many people also gathered far outside the fenced-in area. Occasionally, shouts could be heard from demonstrators who wanted to disrupt the event. Their words were mainly directed against the Middle East policy of the Biden-Harris government.

One is missing

Harris tried to distance herself from Biden during the speech. It had been an honor to serve as his vice president, she said, "but I will bring my own experience and ideas to the Oval Office. My presidency will be different because the challenges we face are different."

Biden did not attend the appearance of his deputy, for whom he had made room during the election campaign under pressure from his party. The 81-year-old followed the speech from the nearby White House. When asked by reporters why he was not attending, he said in advance: "This is your night."

Biden has generally made little appearance in Harris' election campaign. It seemed to be the Democrats' strategy to keep the number of his appearances low - after his many embarrassing appearances in recent months, which had led to his withdrawal.

Trump does Trump

Trump's campaign team criticized Harris' appearance as backward-looking: She only wanted to distract from her own failings during her time in office with Biden, she said. Trump himself made a parallel appearance around 300 kilometers away in Allentown in the particularly contested and potentially decisive state of Pennsylvania. The 78-year-old reeled off his usual election campaign program there. He promised to stop "the invasion of criminals" into the USA, accused Harris and the Democrats of destroying the country and said that his election victory could be "the greatest moment in world history".

The Republican did not comment further on the criticism of the tasteless joke by a comedian who described the US territory of Puerto Rico as a "floating garbage island" at a large Trump rally in New York. The phrase caused outrage in Puerto Rico - and around 500,000 Puerto Ricans live in Pennsylvania alone. Trump tried to limit the damage there, bringing a politician from Puerto Rico on stage to praise him. And he said that nobody loves the Puerto Rican community more than he does.

SDA