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On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to tens of thousands of Americans to make her closing argument about charting a new path forward for the country. She has put forward a vision that includes restoring Roe v. Wade, expanding Medicare to cover home care, cutting taxes for the middle class, protecting Social Security, and building millions of homes to help make rent and homeownership more affordable for Americans. She picked an excellent vice president in Gov. Tim Walz, who has made Minnesota a national model for protecting reproductive freedom, providing free school meals to students and supporting paid family leave. And she has promised to be a president for every American who will turn the page on the era of divisiveness and extremism that has defined Donald Trump’s impact on our politics and our country.
It is no accident that Harris delivered her speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. — the same venue where Trump incited the Jan. 6 mob to attack the U.S. Capitol so that he could cling to power after losing the 2020 election. And it’s no accident that some of the most vocal Harris supporters are Republicans who used to work for Trump and were appalled by what they learned about his character during Jan. 6.
The events of Jan. 6, 2021, were more than just an existential threat to our democracy. They were the ultimate test of whether Trump is willing or capable of putting America ahead of his own self-interest. The answer to that question was a resounding “no.” Even as the violent mob assaulted more than 140 officers and came within a few feet of reaching Vice President Mike Pence, Trump continued to egg them on despite pleas from Republican leaders and his own staff.
If Trump was not willing to set aside his desire for power and revenge on a day like Jan. 6, why should we believe that he will do what’s best for middle-class families instead of what’s best for himself and his billionaire pals? Why should we believe that he will put American interests and our national security ahead of the dictators who he has praised and befriended? Why should we believe that he won’t use the presidency to go after his enemies and enrich himself at the expense of the country?
Unfortunately, Jan. 6 is only one example of how Trump has put himself and his MAGA loyalists first. He ballooned the deficit to cut taxes for corporations and for ultrawealthy people like himself. He tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would have cost millions of Americans their health insurance. And he kept a promise to his hard-core MAGA base when he appointed the Supreme Court Justices that overturned Roe v. Wade, paving the way for abortion bans that have denied women their freedom and cost many their lives.
But a second Trump presidency would not be like the first — this time, there will be no guardrails to hold back a Donald Trump who has become singularly consumed by rage and his desire for revenge against those who have stood up to him. Pence defied Trump on Jan. 6, so Trump replaced him with a running mate, JD Vance, who would have been willing to cast aside our Constitution for him. Trump has promised to implement the Project 2025 plan to fire civil servants and replace them with partisan appointees loyal to him. He has said he will order the Department of Justice to drop the charges he is facing for his behavior on Jan. 6 and for stealing classified national security documents and then to go after his political opponents. He has opened the door to using the military against “the enemy within.” And after his hand-picked Supreme Court justices voted to give presidents sweeping immunity from prosecution, this time, he could do all of this without being held back by the rule of law. In short, Trump has plenty of plans to pursue his political enemies, but no plans to punish corporations who rip you off.
