Every move by the candidates and their allies counts in a race that's on a knife's edge US News

One hundred days after she was nominated by the Democratic Party as its presidential candidate, it was time for Kamala Harris to make her closing argument.

With the White House as her backdrop and tens of thousands of supporters in the outdoor arena, she introduced her stand to the American public.

What she offered was a binary choice; me or him, cohesion or chaos.

“On the first day, if elected, Donald Trump will walk in with an enemy list. “I’m going to come in with a to-do list,” she said to loud cheers from the crowd.

The Harris The campaign deliberately chose the Ellipse in Washington DC as the venue for this address. Just beyond the South Lawn of the White House was the garden where Donald Trump spoke January 6, 2021 in front of crowds of his fans.

He stood in almost the same spot as Ms. Harris, made false claims that the election was stolen and urged his supporters to “fight like hell.” According to the FBI, at least 2,000 of them then stormed the Capitol.

“We know who Donald Trump is, he is the person who stood in this spot four years ago and sent an armed mob to the US Capitol,” Ms Harris said.

The speech included references to reproductive rights, the economy and immigration. But it's clear that the Harris campaign believes the best way to win over wavering voters in the final week is to focus on the threat Trump poses to democracy.

“I think she really showcased the contrast between the two,” a man wearing a camouflaged Harris/Walz baseball cap tells me as he leaves the rally.

One of the criticisms of Ms. Harris is that she has not adequately defined herself and her policies to voters. But some in the crowd bristled at the suggestion.

“I think people will say they don’t know enough about her,” said Mary Laxton, a 70-year-old from the key swing state of Pennsylvania who is campaigning for Ms. Harris. “But I think what some people are really saying is, 'I don't want a woman as president.' I hate to say it, but that’s what I believe.”

“Maybe she started off a little slow, but she grew so strong and made it very clear who she was, what she would do for the United States and for all people, especially women.”

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Ms. Harris sought to draw a direct contrast with Donald Trump, whose final rally at Madison Square Garden was criticized for its hateful rhetoric and racist undertones. A comedian who appeared on stage before Mr. Trump spoke described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage”.

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Ms. Harris did not address the rumbling controversy surrounding Mr. Trump's rally. But from inside the White House, just a few feet away, President Biden was on a campaign video call.

“The other day a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of trash,” he said. “The only trash I see out there is his supporters.”

It was reminiscent of comments from Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign, in which she described “half” of Mr. Trump’s supporters as a “basket of deplorables.”

Mr Biden's comment was also unwise. Although he is no longer the candidate, Ms. Harris' big speech threatened to be overshadowed. It was also a reminder that in this knife-edge race, every word and every move of the candidates and their surrogates must be measured.