Trump pits Americans against one another, US deserves better: Kamala Harris

PTI, Nov 2, 2024, 9:03 AM IST

Washington: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pits Americans against one another, his Democratic rival and Vice President Kamala Harris alleged Friday and asserted her pledge to pursue common sense solutions and to be a president for all Americans.

“America deserves better than what Donald Trump is offering. America deserves a president who understands our role and responsibility to our people and to the rest of the world to be a model,” she said.

Campaigning in the presidential elections entered the last few days with both Harris and Trump making closing arguments before voters in the key swing states.

“As you have heard me say many a times, my pledge to the American people is to pursue common sense solutions, to listen to those, even those who disagree with me, to listen to experts, and to be a president for all Americans,” Harris told reporters in Wisconsin.

“Donald Trump’s closing argument is very different. He pits Americans against one another. He spends full time having Americans point their fingers at one another. And he spends a considerable amount of time plotting his revenge on his political opponents,” she said.

She said that as of last night, Trump has indicated that the person who would be in charge of healthcare for Americans people is someone who has “routinely promoted junk science and crazy conspiracy theories”, and who once expressed support for a national abortion ban. “And who is the exact last person in America who should be setting health care policy for America’s families and children.” Harris said Trump is increasingly someone who considers his political opponents his enemy, is permanently out for revenge, and is increasingly “unstable and unhinged”. “‘His enemies list has grown longer, his rhetoric has grown more extreme, and he is even less focused than before on the needs and the concerns and the challenges facing the American people,” she said.

“I have also thought a lot about what this means in terms of our standing in the world. As vice president, I have represented the United States of America around the world, and what I know is that when we walk in those rooms representing the United States of America, we have the earned and self-appointed authority to then talk about the importance of democracy, the importance of rule of law. And as a result, people around the world who are fighting for freedom and opportunity hold us up as a model,” she said.

Responding to a question, Harris said there is a real contrast in this race when one looks at who stands for democracy and democratic principles and who does not. “Donald Trump is talking about an enemies list… He talks in a way that suggests that there should be retribution and severe consequences just because people disagree with him,” she said.

“My point is very clear. I believe in our democracy. Democracies are complicated, in a wonderful way, because we like debate. We accept and receive differences of opinion, and we work them out. One of the reasons I am going to have a Republican in my Cabinet is because I want different views. I enjoy and benefit from diverse views, from different perspectives that allow me to make the best decisions I can make,” she said.

“That’s a big difference between me and Donald Trump, and that’s the big difference between someone who truly is a leader and someone who is in it for themselves and wants unchecked power,” Harris said.