Harris will give a final speech at the Ellipse, the site of Trump's Jan. 6 rally, while issuing warnings about his fitness for office

Washington
CNN
—

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to deliver a final closing address next week at the same venue where her rival gave a fiery speech on January 6, 2021 that set in motion his supporters' attack on the US Capitol.

Harris' speech Tuesday at the Ellipse, a park just off the South Lawn of the White House, will amount to a high-profile condemnation of former President Donald Trump's fitness for office and a warning about the chaos she said he would wreak on the Oval He should win office.

Harris will use the big speech a week before Election Day to compare her own vision of the presidency with that of her rival. In doing so, she paints both pictures of what her first term in office would look like and a bleak picture of Trump's possible return.

Harris campaign advisers watched the speech on condition of anonymity to discuss an event they said was still in the development stages.

After losing the 2020 election, Trump tried to convince his supporters of his victory, including during a now-infamous speech at the Ellipse. During the speech, he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol so they could pressure lawmakers to overturn the election as they met in a joint session of Congress to formally certify President Joe Biden's victory.

“So we walk down Pennsylvania Avenue … and we go to the Capitol,” Trump said. “We're going to try to give our Republicans – the weak ones, because the strong don't need our help – we're going to try to give them the pride and the boldness that they need to take back our country.” So, let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.”

In the hours that followed, an insurrection broke out at the Capitol. Trump was impeached for his role in overturning the election results leading up to the attempted insurrection.

In the final days of this year's presidential election, the vice president and her team have sought to highlight the election's challenges, repeatedly warning about a possible second term for Trump and seizing on the former president's controversial policies and comments to make their case.

Harris approaches Tuesday's speech as prosecutor, her aides say: After presenting evidence against Trump, she plans to present her case to a “jury” of voters.

A permit application for the event obtained by CNN estimated the event's attendance at about 7,500, including 250 staff, organizers and volunteers.

It said the speaker program will consist of four to five individuals and elected officials.

Tuesday's event is a sign that the Harris campaign believes that remembering Trump's past actions can help solidify the election for any undecided.

Harris has often invoked the January 6 insurrection as part of her argument that democracy is at stake.

“Donald Trump has left us with the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War,” Harris said of the insurrection during the presidential debate in September. The campaign has also frequently used images from January 6 in advertisements.

Her upcoming speech in Washington also follows a campaign stop in Texas, where she is expected to speak about reproductive freedom.

The vice president opened the year during the then-Biden campaign focusing on abortion rights. The issue will loom large in the final days as Democratic officials say it is a galvanizing issue for voters.

She also plans to campaign with former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama in the days leading up to Tuesday's speech.