Kamala Harris mentions Trump 24 times in fired-up 'closing' plea to voters to put her in the White House

Kamala Harris delivered her closing argument to Americans on Thursday night, standing before the White House to ask them to vote for her instead of rival Donald Trump, whom she referred to as a 'petty tyrant.'

'This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power,' she said of Trump. 

She spoke on the Ellipse, a section of the National Mall that features the White House as its backdrop.

Her speech was a plea to reach the small number of undecided voters still out there and those voters who are on the fence about voting on November 5th. Polls show the presidential race is essentially tied with seven days to go.

Trump was the main focus of her remarks. She mentioned him 24 times. And she attacked the former president from the start, criticizing him for his response to the insurrection on January 6th.

She spoke from the same spot he spoke on January 6th, 2021, when he encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol to overturn the election results. The striking contrast in images is what Harris' campaign was going for, saying they picked they location deliberately.

'Donald Trump sat in the White House, watching as the violence unfolded on television,' Harris said.

'He was told by his staff that the mob wanted to kill his own vice president and Donald Trump responded with two words: so what?'

'And that's who is asking you to give him another four years in the Oval Office,' she added.

The night was the grand, sweeping event her campaign wanted. There were about 75,000 people cheering Harris on – with a few Gaza protesters on the sidelines – and all the cable networks carried her remarks.

In addition to attacking her rival, Harris also tackled the area where she is most politically vulnerable: border security. Trump and Republicans have attacked her repeatedly on the migration issue.

In her remarks, she pledged to remove illegal migrants who came to the country unlawfully if she becomes president.

'When I am president, we will quickly remove those who arrive here unlawfully, prosecute the cartels and give border patrol the support that they so desperately need,' Harris said.

She repeated her pledge to pass a border security bill that was killed in Congress earlier this year after Trump encouraged Republicans to do so.

'I will work with Democrats and Republicans to work on the border security bill for Donald Trump killed,' she said.

She also noted: 'At the same time, we must acknowledge we are a nation of immigrants. And I will work with congress to pass immigration reform, including an earned path to citizenship for hardworking immigrants like farmworkers.'

Her campaign said Tuesday night's speech would be Harris' 'closing argument' to voters.

Noting her background as a prosecutor, the campaign pointed out she has laid out the evidence and the facts and was not ready to make her final pitch.

The central argument of that pitch is that she is not Donald Trump.

'I offer a different path. And I ask for your vote,' Harris said.

'I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress. I pledge to listen to experts, to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make. And two people who disagree with me - unlike Donald Trump - I don't believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail I'll give them a seat at the table,' she noted.

Harris called on the country to reject 'the schemes of wannabe dictators' and to 'start writing the next chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.' 

'I pledge to be a president for all Americans,' she vowed.

Her remarks were also some of her most personal.

'I'm not perfect. I make mistakes but here's what I promise you: I will always listen to you even if you don't vote for me. I will always tell you the truth - even if it is difficult to hear,' she said.

'Donald Trump would walk into that office with an enemies list when elected, I will walk in with a to-do list to 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,' she said.

And she referenced her childhood as the daughter of immigrants, specifically referring to her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, who migrated from India with the goal of curing breast cancer. Her mother died of colon cancer in 2009.

'I've lived the promise of America. I saw how hard our mother worked to give her daughters the same chances this country gave her. Growing up, I was blessed to have family by blood and family by love who instilled in me the values of community, compassion, and faith. They have always defined our nation at its best,' Harris said.

Security was tight at the outdoor event.

Metal fencing surrounded the entire area south of the White House as long lines formed to go through the magnetometers.

Thick bullet proof glass stood in front and to the sides of where Harris would speak .

Helicopters buzzed overhead as it got closer to the vice president's arrival. Security was seen on the roof of nearby buildings.

Outbursts from pro-Palestinian protesters peppered her remarks.

One demonstrator held a hand-written 'Stop Arming Israel' sign. Just beyond the metal security gates, Palestinian flags could be seen - and a large Trump sign.