Trump and Harris' closing arguments highlight tough electoral choice

NEW YORK (AP) In the shadows of the White House, seven days before final votes in the 2024 election, Kamala Harris vowed to put country before party and warned that Donald Trump was obsessed with revenge and his own personal interests.

Less than 48 hours earlier, at Madison Square Garden, Trump had called his Democratic opponent a wreck who destroyed everything in his path. Her allies on stage called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage and baselessly claimed that Harris, a former prosecutor and senator who is trying to become the first woman to be elected president, began her career as a prostitute.

Two nights and 200 miles apart, closing arguments described in stark terms the choice American voters will face on November 5 when they weigh two very different visions of America's leadership and future.

WATCH: Candidates fight to deliver final message to voters a week before Election Day

Trump's raucous rally, marked by crude and racist insults, highlighted the ugliest elements of his coalition. But other passages highlighted the former businessman's appeal as someone committed to repairing the economy and the border, and as a political outsider willing to defy all conventions despite the risks.

Harris, vice president for four years, chose a more formal setting, the grassy Ellipse near the White House, to emphasize the gravity of this moment in American history and the threat Trump poses to democracy. She faced a massive audience at the same location where Trump addressed thousands of his followers on January 6, 2021, before they stormed the US Capitol in one of the darkest days of modern history.

But more than just reminding voters of the danger Trump poses to American democracy, Harris' remarks were intended to highlight the fact that her opponent was prioritizing his personal interests over those of the nation.

“Donald Trump spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other. That's who he is. But America, I’m here tonight to say: That’s not who we are,” Harris said. I am committed to being a president so that all Americans always put country above party and above themselves.

WATCH: Examining how Trump and Harris' economic plans could affect inflation

Senior advisor Jen O'Malley Dillon noted that Harris' final plea is designed to reach a narrow slice of undecided voters; many moderate Republicans are among them.

We know there are still many voters who are still trying to decide who to support or whether to vote, O'Malley Dillon said. And this race is extremely close. We talk about it as a race for the margin of error. We know it will be closed during this last week.

Trump's team is working harder to energize his partisan base and reach infrequent voters across the political spectrum who are frustrated with the direction the country is heading and seeking change.

Yet Trump framed his comments in recent days with a simple question that cut across political divides, asking voters whether they are better off today than they were four years ago, like end of his first term. While the country was still in the grip of the pandemic when Trump left office, polls indicate that most voters are unhappy with the direction the country is heading today.

Trump has pledged to stage the largest deportation operation in U.S. history and impose sweeping tariffs to raise revenue and boost U.S. manufacturing.

Promises and policies: a look back at the campaign promises of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris

Still defying criticism from some Republicans, Trump on Tuesday called his Madison Square Garden event a love fest and did not respond to comments from pro-Trump comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a floating island. 'garbage. Hinchcliffe also made demeaning jokes about black people, other Latinos, Palestinians and Jews before Trump took the stage.

No one has ever had love like this, Trump said of the hour-long Sunday event attended by family members and high-profile surrogates and supporters, including billionaire Elon Musk, the psychologist television Dr. Phil McGraw and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. It was truly love for our country.

The former Republican president also offered a grim assessment of Harris' leadership on Tuesday. He said it had erased the country's borders, decimated the middle class, brought blood and misery to major cities and unleashed war and chaos around the world.

No person who has caused so much destruction and death at home and abroad should ever be allowed to become president of the United States, Trump told dozens of supporters gathered at his Florida estate.

Trump senior adviser Jason Miller said Trump has made clear his plans to fix the economy, secure the southern border and improve people's daily lives.

WATCH: Tamara Keith and Jasmine Wright on Harris and Trump's closing messages

Kamala Harris did none of that, he said. It's a message of desperation, personal attacks and nothing from Harris or her campaign about what they will actually do to help Americans. So it's a huge contrast.

Unlike Donald Trump, I do not believe that those who disagree with me are the enemy,” she said. He wants to put them in prison. I will give them a place at the table.

Harris has largely abandoned the happy-go-lucky campaign style that defined her entry into the presidential race this summer. She promised unity Tuesday night, but she also portrayed Trump as someone motivated more by revenge and grievance than by a commitment to the people.

He is an unstable person, obsessed with revenge, consumed by grievances and seeking unchecked power, Harris said. He's not a presidential candidate thinking about how to improve his life.

She has sometimes spoken directly to Republican voters and promised to listen to those who would not have voted for her if elected. Harris previously said she would include a Republican in her cabinet.

Unlike Donald Trump, I do not believe that those who disagree with me are the enemy,” she said. He wants to put them in prison. I will give them a place at the table.

Before the speech, the Democrat's campaign was aware of criticism from her party's far-left base that she had focused too much on courting moderate Republican voters. They urged Harris to focus more on the priorities of the working class rather than the threat Trump poses to American democracy.

Ultimately, the vice president's speech was designed to connect the two issues. She warned of Trump's threats to democratic standards and pledged to take action on high food prices and help first-time home buyers with a down payment.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a top Harris ally, said voters can walk and chew gum at the same time, meaning they can hear an argument about freedom and something something that affects their wallet. And I think she's certainly capable of pursuing both cases at the same time.

Sisters Michelle Detwiler and Renee Newell came from Virginia to attend Harris' speech at the Ellipse.

We both have daughters and we were both there for them, Newell said. Detwiler said the event location is a great counterpoint to the Jan. 6 images. DC is a great city for peaceful public gatherings.

We are so happy to be here and to feel this joy, she said.

Associated Press writers Zeke Miller and Fatima Hussein in Washington and Jill Colvin in New York contributed.

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