Harris makes closing campaign arguments at D.C. rally

Vice President Kamala Harris addressed supporters on Tuesday night at the Ellipse near the White House in Washington D.C. Harris’ team chose to hold her campaign closing remarks at the same place former President Donald Trump rallied supporters ahead of the fatal Jan. 6 Capitol riot. During her speech, Harris told the crowd that this election represented a contrast between freedom and chaos, and characterized it as the most important ballot voters would ever cast. She accused Trump of being a man consumed with revenge who planned to walk into the Oval Office with an enemies list. She urged voters to turn the page on what she described as an era of drama and conflict, and claimed to represent a new generation of leaders. She promised tax cuts for the middle class, a cap for the price of insulin and a limit to out-of-pocket prescription costs. Harris also reaffirmed her commitment to a controversial economic proposal that has drawn criticism from both parties: the first-ever federal ban on price gouging for groceries. Authorities expected over 50,000 people to attend the rally, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said Tuesday.

Is Trump planning a closing rally? The former president also hosted thousands of supporters on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York City for a wrap-up rally cementing his campaign message. However, the rally’s message was overshadowed in the mainstream media by controversial jokes made by the opening comedian, Tony Hinchcliffe. Members of both parties condemned Hinchcliffe’s off-color joke referring to Puerto Rico as a floating pile of garbage. Democrats parallelled Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally to a Nazi gathering hosted at the venue in 1939. Despite the controversy, Trump described the rally as a lovefest that he was honored to be involved with.

Both campaigns hustled for exposure in recent weeks, making use of podcasting platforms to rally support. In early October, Harris appeared on the controversial Call Her Daddy podcast hosted by Alex Cooper, an extremely popular among female listeners known for its raunchy edge. The pair discussed policy on issues like abortion, the cost of living, and personal attacks by political opponents. It’s been widely reported that Cooper lost thousands of listeners after posting the 40-minute interview, with listeners complaining that the host was pushing unwelcome political propaganda.

Trump also appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast over the weekend, a mega-popular and equally controversial program with a majority male audience. The pair discussed a plethora of wide-ranging topics–a common theme on the comedy program–including UFOs, hosting The Apprentice, and Abraham Lincoln, among other things. Trump also discussed policy issues like lowering the corporate tax rate and enacting tariffs, while continuing to insist fraud caused his 2020 loss was the result of election fraud. Trump’s VP candidate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, is also set to appear on The Joe Rogan Experience, after appearing on the This Past Weekend with Theo Von podcast last week.

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