DETROIT — On the final Sunday before Election Day, Democrat Kamala Harris said God offers a “divine plan strong enough to heal the divide” and urged voters not to be fooled by Donald Trump’s disdain for the electoral system he claims falsely that it is being manipulated against him.

The vice president delivered the latest iteration of her closing argument in Michigan, where she began her day at the pulpit of a black church in Detroit. From there, she embarked on several additional stops in the state, part of the Democratic “blue wall” of the Midwest, considered her best potential path to an Electoral College majority.

Harris avoided direct mention of Trump during her 11-minute speech at the Greater Emmanuel Institutional Church of God in Christ. But her comments still served as a stark juxtaposition to the former president and Republican nominee.

“There are those who seek to deepen division, sow hatred, spread fear and cause mayhem,” she said. She spoke as Trump was in Pennsylvania, calling the US a “failed nation” and saying he “shouldn’t have left” the White House after the 2020 election, which he denies losing to Democrat Joe Biden.

While Trump referred to Harris’ party as “demonic,” Harris quoted the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah and told his friendly audience that he saw “a nation determined to turn the page on hatred and division and start a new way forward”.

After the service, Harris dismissed Trump’s characterizations of the US election, telling reporters that his comments were “intended to distract from the fact that we have and support free and fair elections in our country.” Those “good systems” were in place in 2020, Harris said, and he “lost.”

The vice president said he was confident of the next vote count and urged voters, “especially people who haven’t voted yet, not to fall for this tactic, which I think includes suggesting to people that if they vote, their vote won’t count.” .

Separately, Harris nodded to Michigan’s significant population of Arab-Americans, many of whom are angry with the Biden administration for continuing the US alliance with Israel as the Netanyahu government presses its war against Hamas in Gaza.

“We have been very clear that the level of death of innocent Palestinians is unacceptable,” Harris told reporters. “We have to end the war and we have to get the hostages out. And as President of the United States, I will do everything in my power to achieve that goal.”

Harris, who is Baptist, has addressed a black congregation each of the past four Sundays — a sign of how important black voters are in Michigan and several other battleground states.

After church, Harris greeted customers and had lunch at Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles, where he ate greens at the Detroit restaurant owned by Detroit native Ron Bartell, a former Detroit Lions player. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, among other officials, joined Harris in the shutdown. Later, Harris stopped by the Elam Barber Shop, a black-owned business in Pontiac, where he took part in a moderated conversation with local leaders and people of color.

Michigan, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are central to Harris’ fortunes. Barack Obama swept the region in 2008 and 2012. But Trump flipped Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in 2016, drawing considerable criticism from Democrats who said nominee Hillary Clinton took the states for granted. Biden returned all three to the Democratic column in 2020.

Losing any of the three would put pressure on Harris to pick up wins among the four Sun Belt battleground states: North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.