Kamala Harris promised Tuesday that she would put country before party and herself in the final speech of her presidential campaign.

A week before Election DayThe vice president used her speech from the grassy Ellipse near the White House to promise Americans that she will work to improve their lives while arguing that her Republican opponent is only in it for himself. A Harris campaign official said more than 75,000 people were on hand at the National Mall to watch Kamala Harris deliver her closing remarks.

She deliberately spoke from the same location where Donald Trump incited the Capitol riot to highlight the stark contrast for voters.

“I’ll be honest with you: I’m not perfect,” she said. “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’s hard to hear. I will work every day to build a consensus and compromise to move things forward. And if you give me the chance to fight on your behalf, nothing in the world will stand in my way.

Harris began her closing speech by reminding voters of Trump’s role in the chaos of January 6, 2021when he spewed lies about the 2020 presidential election that incited a mob to march to the Capitol and unsuccessfully attempt to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. She discussed his threats to use the military against his political rivals and his calling those who disagree with him the “enemy within.”

“Look, we know who Donald Trump is. He’s the person who stood in this very spot almost four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people during free and fair elections,” she said. said. Trump, she added, “spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other.”

“This is not a presidential candidate who is thinking about how to improve his life,” she said, calling Trump a “little tyrant” and a “wannabe dictator.”

Harris continued: “But America, I’m here tonight to say: This is not who we are.” She added: “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Harris sought to use her largest remaining stage before polls close to explain more broadly why voters should reject Trump and consider what she offers, while introducing herself to voters clamoring for more information.

With the White House gleaming behind her, Harris encouraged the crowd to visualize their divergent futures based on who wins on Election Day.

“In less than 90 days, either Donald Trump or I will be in the Oval Office,” she said. “From day one, if elected, Donald Trump would walk into this office with a list of enemies. Once elected, I will walk into this office with a to-do list.”

Harris then listed key policy goals, including expanding Medicare coverage of home health care, increasing the nation’s housing supply, and restoring access to abortion in the country. national scale.

His speech drew a massive crowd to Washington, with supporters streaming to the Washington Monument on the National Mall. More importantly, his campaign hopes this framework will help capture the attention of voters in battleground states who still aren’t sure who to vote for — or whether they should vote at all.

Before Harris’ remarks, her campaign featured a group of everyday Americans who talked about their dreams and priorities, rather than showcasing the star power that has been on display at some of Harris’ recent events .

They included Amanda Zurawski, a woman who nearly died of sepsis after being denied care under Texas’ strict abortion ban, Craig Sicknick, the brother of Texas police officer Capitol Brian Sicknick, who died following the January 6 attack, and a Pennsylvania man. husband and wife who once voted for Trump but now support Harris.

Ruth Chiari, 78, of Charlottesville, Virginia, attended the rally with her husband to “support democracy.”

“I think everyone understands what’s on the ballot,” she said as she waited in line near the Treasury building to enter the event. “Either we will have an autocrat or we will have freedom.”

Kathleen Nicholas, 36, a government relations manager in Washington, remembers January 6 and loves the contrast in the crowds and atmosphere of that day. “I love that she chose this location for her closure,” she said. “Having something that directly contrasts with that day is what we needed.”

With time running out and the race tight, both Harris and Trump have looked for important moments to try to shift momentum.

The speech came days after Harris visited Texas, a reliably Republican state, to appearing with megastar Beyoncé and highlight the consequences for women after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It was also a speech intended to register with voters far away, in battleground states.

The vice president’s final speech has been weeks in the making. But his collaborators hoped his message would have more impact after Trump’s rally on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York, where speakers hurled cruel and racist insults. Harris said the event “highlighted the point I’ve been making throughout this campaign.”

“He is focused and obsessed with his grievances, with himself and with the division of our country,” she said.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that those who disagree with me are the enemy,” Harris said. “He wants to put them in jail. I will give them a seat at my table. And I pledge to be a president for all Americans. To always put country above party and self.”

Also at the center of his message: positioning himself as a “new generation” of leader after Trump and even his current boss, President Joe Biden.

“It’s time to stop pointing fingers and start shaking hands,” she said. “It is time to turn the page on drama and conflict, fear and division. It is time for a new generation of leaders in America. And I am ready to provide that leadership as the next president of the UNITED STATES.”

She acknowledged that “many of you are still figuring out who I am” after her surprise elevation to the top of the Democratic ticket after Biden dropped out in July, and used her remarks to try to respond to the curiosity of voters.

“I recognize that this has not been a typical campaign,” Harris said, adding that she “is not afraid of tough fights against bad actors and powerful interests.”

Ahead of Harris’ speech, Trump used his remarks to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Tuesday morning to accuse Harris of concluding with a message that does not address Americans’ daily and kitchen table struggles ordinary. concerns.

He said Harris continues to “talk about Hitler and the Nazis, because her record is horrible,” a reference to Harris amplifying her former chief of staff’s warnings that Trump spoke admiringly of the Nazi leader during his time in office.

Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said: “His final argument to the American people is simple: Kamala broke it; he will fix it. »

Biden told reporters Tuesday that he would not attend Harris’ speech because the event was “for her,” but he ignited a firestorm ahead of Harris’ remarks. React to a comic strip call the garbage of Puerto Rico in a Trump rally last weekendBiden said: “The only trash I see floating out there is his supporters.”

As Republicans amplified his comments apparently disparaging Trump supporters, Biden sought to clarify them in an article on Trump at his rally at Madison Square Garden trash – which is the only one. “The word I can think of to describe him. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I wanted to say. The comments at this rally do not reflect who we are as a nation.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.