In the garden south of the White House, in that Ellipse from which Donald Trump had effectively launched the assault on January 6 Kamala Harris looks out at the never-ending crowd. It reaches the mall, well beyond the barriers. Tens of thousands of them arrived for what the American vice president had announced as her most important speech. No guest stars, no singers, no Obama to steal the show. There are ordinary people telling their story, a story in which Donald Trump is inevitably the bad guy, and then there’s her.
Volunteers distribute water, snacks, but above all: American flags. Opponents have said there are none at his rallies. In response, this time they are everywhere. Choreographing the giant screens with the writing on it Freedom. More than a political rally, it seems like a sort of coachella: from 3pm, when the gates were opened, people do nothing but dance to the rhythm of the music coming from the speakers. Absolute protagonist Jennifer Lopez: it’s time to make Puerto Ricans, or those who have their origins in Puerto Rico, feel at home among the Democrats. The Madison Square Garden offense against them is one of those surprise elements that can change the fate of the elections, in a scenario in which – even in such a vast country – a few hundred thousand votes are able to make a difference.
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Harris arrives, takes the floor, does not have time to mention the hatred and division that Trump promises to bring to the country, when near the stage – immediately after the area reserved for guests – a girl with her head covered by a veil begins to shouting against Israel and in favor of Palestine. Embargo now, also shouted two old men who until then had remained looking at the photos of their grandchildren on their cell phones and who were forcibly taken away by the police. Throughout Harris’ speech, with helicopters flying overhead, bulletproof glass protecting it and a widespread security service, an echo can be heard coming from afar: beyond the barriers, beyond the garden, in the mall a stone’s throw from the White House the pro-Palestine demonstrators act as a counterpoint to the Democratic candidate. They believe it is too soft on Netanyahu. His supporters do not participate in the party, who instead shout: Kamala Kamala, to drown out the voices of the protesters.
Ma Harris he appears aware that this is his moment, and does not stop his speech even for a moment. It doesn’t waver, it doesn’t derail. It starts from chaos and division, moving on to economic issues: the purchasing power of the middle class, affordable housing, medicine at decent prices, repaid university loans. He raises his voice when talking about the state of the Supreme Court that has put the reproductive health of women and girls at risk. It says: you have the power to choose. In a few weeks in the Oval Office – and she stops pointing to the White House behind her – there could be Donald Trump with his list of enemies, or there could be me with the list of things to do.
He beats this issue a lot: Trump wants to deploy the army against those who don’t think like him, Harris promises to bring everyone to the table. To be ready for the compromises needed to change things. Above all, to be ready to fight against the big banks, financial speculators, those who profit from rents and houses: on the side of those who work hard with the American dream in mind.
She remembers her mother, who did everything so that America could give her daughters what it gave to her, a young Indian researcher. He asks: vote for me, choose not to go back, to turn the page and write a new story. America is not hatred and division, she repeats, she promises to remain alongside the allies of the United States, who with her at the helm will continue to be “champions of freedom in the world”.
The war in the Middle East is a thorn in my side, and although the protesters were very few compared to the thousands of people who came, it is not a secondary issue. Trump may be an “aspiring dictator”, as Harris claims, but the credibility of the Democrats in foreign policy has dropped dramatically.
When night falls and from the Ellipse the view must stretch for kilometers to be able to see all the people who have gathered, Kamala Harris takes her husband’s hand and waves to the crowd. Who screams, invokes her, supports her, says boo every time it comes to Trump, and “same here sister”, “same to me, sister”, when it comes to what needs to be done to defeat him. The event was a success, people leave smiling and more convinced than when they arrived. There is that echo though: enough weapons, enough support for Israel, which doesn’t go away even as the crowd moves away. They are few, there are fewer, but they make noise. With their megaphones and their slogans, they make noise. And they are destined to weigh, too. Like the Puerto Ricans for Trump, like the women who are almost all on Harris’ side. The guys who are against the war in the Middle East and against Benjamin Netanyahu’s reaction to October 7th don’t trust Harris and her promise: I will be the president of everyone, even and especially of those who don’t think like me.
