Whitehouse.gov Feed

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:38 P.M. EDT

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right, everyone. Good afternoon.

Q Good afternoon.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay. A couple things at the top, and then we’ll get to our guest.

Today, President Biden signed an executive order sta- –establishing the White House —

Q (Sneezes.)

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Bless you.

— establishing the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Hispanic-Serving Institutions, alongside nearly two dozen champions for these institutions and Latino communities.

The president also announced that today we are investing nearly $19 million to build research infrastructure for five HSIs.

We know that these institutions make an extraordinary contribution to our nation’s higher education system and shape the future of the nation, and over half of all Hispanic and Latino students attend a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

Today’s announcements are part of the historic actions this administration has taken to expand economic opportunity for Latino communities.

Next, one year ago today, President Biden issued a landmark executive order to ensure that America leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of A.I. The executive order directed sweeping actions to manage security risks, protect Americans’ privacy, advance civil rights, and stand up for consumers and workers, and promote innovation and competition.

Today, President Biden announced that federal agencies have completed on schedule each action that the executive order tasked for this past year, more than a hundred in all. As President Biden has said, A.I. is the most consequential technology of our time.

The president and the vice president will continue working to ensure that this technology is developed in a way that works for the American people.

We have chair of the Econo- — of the Council of Economic Advisers, Jared Bernstein, with us today to talk about some recent economic news. The economy has grown — has grown 12.6 percent under this administration, more than any presidential term in 25 years.

We have gone from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression to the strongest economy in the world: 16 million jobs created and the lowest unemployment of any administration in 50 years. And inflation has fallen to 2.4 percent, the same rate as right before the pandemic, with incomes up nearly $4,000.

Still, we know that there is more work to do, and we’ll keep fighting to lower costs and grow the middle class.

With that, Jared, I know you have more to share about this.

CHAIR BERSTEIN: Thank you, Karine, for inviting me back. And thanks to my CEA team for helping prepare the information I’m about to share with you. This has been a busy and quite positive data week so far, and it’s not over.

We learned today that real GDP rose 2.8 percent last quarter, largely accounted for by strong consumer spending. The quarterly PCE price index — this is the inflation measure watched most closely by the Federal Reserve — grew at an annualized rate of 1.5 percent last quarter. Consumer spending continues to come in strong, backed by the tailwind of a persistently tight labor market and easing inflation.

Real after-tax income was up a solid 1.6 percent in Q3. That’s more buying power and more breathing room for American households.

In other words, this is another in a series of GDP reports showing the U.S. economy is growing above trend and, as the slide on my left — your left, my right — shows, is — is outpacing other advanced economies. This is the U.S. and, you see, well ahead of the pack.

We also learned yesterday that consumer spending — I’m sorry, that consumer confidence — consumer confidence spiked in October, up about 10 percent for the month, its largest monthly jump in three and a half years. Relatedly, the gas price this morning was $3.14 per gallon and is below $3 per gallon in 20 states.

These data are consistent with the most important dynamics of the macroeconomy during our administration — strong GDP growth, strong job growth, accompanied by falling inflation.

In fact, as CEA has shown, real GDP is up just — just under 13 percent, as Karine said, since the president took office — and there you see that in the last bar there — since the president took office and has consistently beat forecasters’ expectation.

Case in point, if we compare real GDP, where G- — where GD- — the level of real GDP is today with the Congressional Budget’s Office — with the Congressional Budget Office’s last pre-pandemic forecast, today’s level is $9,800 higher per capita than it was expected to be.

Real wages and incomes have also consistently been on the upswing, with real incomes up almost $4,000 during this administration, boosting workers’ buying power.

Now, on Friday, we’ll get the October jobs report, which will reflect the labor market impact of several strikes, Hurricane Helene, and possibly Hurricane Milton.

The BLS, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, strike tracker estimates that there are three strikes that will be reflected in Friday’s report, reducing national payroll employment by about 41,000 jobs — a number well above the usual monthly strike count.

Note that the East Coast port strike ended before it could have an impact or an effect on the October payrolls.

Regarding the hurricanes, outside analysts estimate that the extreme weather could lower — could — lower payroll employment by as many as 60,000 jobs; though, unlike the strike estimate, this estimate is subject to considerable uncertainty.

In other words, outside estimates suggest that strikes and weather-related events could collectively lower October payrolls by — actually, could collectively lower the change in the October payroll by as much as 100,000 jobs.

Now, while — while we’re doing all we can to help with these temporary disruptions, we remain confident in the underlying strength of the U.S. labor market. At the same time, it’s important to keep in mind that these disruptions will make interpreting this month’s jobs report harder than usual.

Despite the recent positive data flow, let me be crystal clear that there are no victory laps here. We know that prices are still too high for families, making our cost-cutting agenda as urgent as ever, and we will continue to fight to lower costs in key areas, including health care, prescription drugs, childcare, housing, and more.

But what these data do show is a strong economic foundation that we must continue building upon. We must especially maintain this progress against efforts by congressional Republicans to drive inflation up with a large national sales tax in the form of tariffs, and we will fight their efforts to repeal the very cost-cutting measures I just referenced.

With that, I’ll take your questions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Aamer.

Q Thank you. There are signs that U.S. consumer durability is due to the spending by affluent households. I was wondering if you could just address how does this square with the administration’s bigger message about focusing on the middle class and the poor? Is this not just what we’re seeing, weal- — the wealthy doing better and the middle class staying at the same or even doing worse?

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: Well, first of all, one thing we know — we’ve documented this a great deal, but there have been some newspaper articles that also have this in the past week — is that when labor markets are persistently tight — and, as you heard Karine say, the unemployment rate has been at a 50-year low in terms of its average over our watch — that tends to disproportionately help the most vulnerable families.

So, one thing we can tell you with great certainty is that wages and incomes have grown most quickly for those in the bottom half of the — of the income or wage scale.

Now, you mentioned consumer balances. So, one thing that often gets looked at at this point in time is these balances and their — and their trends without reference to income. You have to really look at debt service obligations: how much people are — how — what — what is the burden on their income when they have to service their debt.

So, let me share a few numbers with you.

Consumer debt service ratios, okay? So, this is consumer debt — servicing your consumer debt as a share of your disposable income. This is a Federal Reserve number. And the most recent data is for the second quarter of this year.

In ‘24 Q2, the consumer debt service ratio was 5.6 percent — 5.6 percent of disposable personal income for consumers to service their debt.

In the quarter before the pandemic, it was 5.8 percent. So, it’s actually a tick down.

The average over the full spate of the data is just under 6 percent. So, again, that’s a measure where we’re doing pretty well relative to historical trends.

I think the key here is that when thinking about debt, we have to think about debt service as a share of income. We have to look at the debt — it’s something we track carefully; you’re right to raise it — but we also have to look at the income trends, which have actually been particularly favorable for lower-income families.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.

Q Thank you so much. So, you talked about the further need to continuing to lower prices for Americans. The vice president has talked a lot about going after corporate price gouging and groceries. So, just how much is corporate price gouging to blame for inflation and the prices of groceries? And how effective would a federal ban on corporate price gouging be?

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: Well, one thing that has really struck me and our team at CEA and NEC is the extent to which profit margins remain elevated and labor share of income remains somewhat lower — that is the share of national income, you know, going to workers. Typically, in a strong economy, we like to see that tilting up. And we have seen it trending up, much in the spirit of the answer to the last question I just gave, with the particular benefits going to lower-income families.

But profits are still quite elevated, and we see that particularly in the grocery sector. So, I do think there’s a connection between elevated profits and some of the price movements we’ve seen.

In terms of the impact of legislation, look, I think where the vice president is coming from there is that there are a bunch of states that already have the authority to take action against price gouging, for example, in the — in the case of an extreme weather event. And, you know, nobody should be ripping off consumers on a bottle of water when they’re in the midst of a disaster.

Having that legislation at the federal level, I think that makes a lot of sense.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead, Andrea.

Q Jared, I want to ask you about — you know, we’re in the — less than a week to go before the election. I know you can’t talk about the election, but can you say a few words about what you think the impact would be of the tariffs that former President Trump has sug- — you know, has proposed, in terms of, you know, the inflationary impact? And what can you do now, over the next three months, if he were to win the election, to secure the — the changes that have been made policy wise that have, you know, allowed the kind of positive trends that you’ve — you’ve outlined here?

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: Well, on the tariffs, there have been numerous outside analysis of the impact of not just the tariffs but an agenda that has sweeping tariffs — 60 percent on China, 10 or 20 percent on all imports coming in; de- — deportations; and compromising the independence of the Federal Reserve. Outside analysts have correctly labeled that as a pretty toxic inflationary brew, and I very much agree with that.

So, the first point is that I think it’s — I think that the consensus among the, at least, economics community is that that is an agenda that pushes exactly the wrong way if we’re trying to help households deal with price pressures, with cost pressures.

But then if you th- — if you then consider repealing the — the IRA, now you’re talking about taking a direct hit on measures that are actively in place: legislative measures that are at work in the economy, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, lowering the cost of health care coverage, lowering the cost of insulin. Those are — those are action items that are in the economy, helping families as we speak. To repeal those is to raise those prices.

In terms of — your second question was — oh, how — so, look, I mean, I’m not going to get into, kind of, the politics of — of what one victory would be relative the other. As you say, I can’t talk electoral politics.

I do think it’s important and interesting to note that the investments that this president and vice president have overseen have gone to all parts of the country and have disproportionately gone to places that have been historically left behind, places that have suffered from hollowing out by the loss of factories, by the loss of manufacturing jobs. And these places are just as likely — in fact, I believe, more likely — to be red than blue.

And there are many representatives I’ve seen with all different stripes who are pretty unhappy about the idea of repealing those measures, because they see them actively at work building a factory in their district.

So, I think it would be economic malpractice to reverse such positive developments. And I think there are members on both sides of the aisle who would agree with that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. Go ahead.

Did — do you have a follow-up?

Q Just a quick follow-up.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead.

Q Would you — would you stay on if — if Harris won and asked you to stay on?

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: Yeah, I’m not going to speculate about that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) Go ahead, Kayla.

Q Thank you, Karine. Jared, I have two questions, if I may. The first is on the overall economic agenda. You point out that economic growth has been the best of any administration since the turn of the century. You’ve had consistently better-than-expected economic data for the last four years, but yet, Americans, by and large, don’t give the administration credit for that. And in a recent poll by the Associated Press, 7 in 10 said the economy is going in the wrong direction. Why do you think that continues to be the case?

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: Well, I said in my comments — and I’ve said every time I’ve talked, either it’s from here at the podium with Karine or out there in front of the cameras, probably in interviews with you as well, Kayla — that — that prices are s- — are still too high for — for too many people, for too many products, too many households. And that’s why our cost-cutting agenda is as urgent today as it was yesterday or before we got any of these reports.

There’s no economic report that is going to make any of us say, “Oh, well, we don’t have to worry about that anymore” in terms of cutting the cost of drugs or health care or health coverage or — or housing or childcare.

I mean, those are serious structural issues where we have an affordability shortfall in housing and childcare, and the president and vice president have robust plans to go after them. We need Congress to work with us on that. And in my view, that is nothing like a red or a blue issue. You cannot find a state in this country that doesn’t need more affordable housing and more affordable childcare.

And I think you’d be pretty hard-pressed to find plans that are more robust than the ones we’ve articulated to add to the supply of affordable housing and add to the supply of affordable childcare.

So, we just need to roll up our sleeves and work together on those issues on behalf of the American people.

At the same time, I did mention that consumer confidence spiked in October. I don’t want to over torque on one month, but we do see an — an upward trend. And I think that that upward trend, while it’s not where we want it to be, it’s moving in the right direction. That’s what I mean when I say “building on the foundation we have.”

I think that upward trend in consumer confidence, in sentiment, while not where we want it to be — our work is not done — is telling us that easing inflation, strong growth, a solid job market, and real wage and income gains are helping to reach American households. But our work isn’t done.

Q You just mentioned the difference in the ideologies and the platforms of the two candidates for office through the perspective of outside analysts. And I know that you can’t comment specifically on the election, but given that GDP is backward-looking data that goes through just the end of September and the fact that this election has been in a dead heat in recent weeks, I’m wondering in some of the more real-time data that you look at, if you’re seeing that election uncertainty play out in any consumer or business behavior.

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: I think that — well, here’s a really arcane way of answering your question, and then I’ll try to speak English. But the arcane way is — and feel free to go ahead and test this — I believe that if you put the economic indicators that we’ve been generating in almost any election model, it would show the incumbent party winning. All right? Others have done that. You can look at those models.

So, I — I think that — that — I don’t necessarily buy the idea that these are necessarily backward-looking indicators. To be a little technical, if you look at one of the line items in the GDP report today, private domestic — private domestic spending, which is basically consumer spending plus business investment — consumer spending plus business — take out net exports, take out inventories, take out government, take out a lot of the noisy stuff, and look at the core of the private economy — again, consumer spending and private investment — it was up 3.2 percent, higher than the GDP, which was up 2.8.

The reason I reference that is that is the best predictor of where GDP is heading. “PDFP” is what we call it. We’ve written about it on our — on our website today. Please read the C- — CEA blog and follow our tweets. (Laughter.) And — and that — that’s a forward-looking measure. So, I feel pretty confident in those assertions.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Ed, in the back. Go ahead.

Q Thanks, Jared and Karine. So, average hourly wages, Jared, are down 1.4 percent from the month President Biden and Vice President Harris got into office in December of 2021. Overall prices are up 20 percent in that same time. Americans have racked up a record amount of credit card debt — $1.14 trillion. So, why does this economic growth come with such hardship?

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: So, we’ve had this conversation before, but let’s have it again. I think you make an analytic mistake, with respect. When — when you start measuring wage trends from — what? — I guess of January ‘21 — is that what you’re doing?

Q Yeah. January of 2021, yeah.

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: January of 2021.

Q Yeah.

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: I don’t have the graphic here, but we have it all over the place, and I’ll make sure you and others get it.

Wages were spiking in that month. Now, how the heck could wages be spiking? I mean, going way up. It looks like a mountain peak. How could wages be spiking in such a lousy economic month of January ‘21? The reason is that that is the heart of pandemic employment displacement. Who gets displaced? Low-wage workers. So, if you compare to that mountain peak, you’re always going to get a decline, and so it’s a distorted measure.

What you want to do is compare to a period, say, before the pandemic to where we are now, and if you do that, you see wages are up, you see incomes are up, just like I — I stated in my — in my comments today. And we have many of these indicators that we’re happy to share with you.

I think, again, on the — on the consumer credit point, it’s important to look not just at consumer credit but at debt service relative to income. We do see incomes — as I’ve mentioned, incomes have been rising — real incomes have been rising at a good clip, and, therefore, people have been able to service their debt at levels that are historically pretty low.

So, look, it’s something we have to watch. I do thin- — one else — thing that’s happening and that — that this may — this may resonate with you a bit more, because it’s a — it’s, again, related to pandemic — pandem- — pandemic economics, which is its own weird beast.

One of the things that we saw in the pandemic was that savings rates went also through the roof. People had what economists call “excess savings,” partly because they were spending less on services — right? — they couldn’t go out — and partly because of fiscal support.

Well, those excess savings led to low-income people having more savings than they’d ever had before. Their FICO — their credit rates — their credit scores were going up because their savings were so uniquely high. And so, there’s probably also a dynamic where people are needing to adapt to a world without those excess savings. And that — that also probably takes a little bit of time.

Q But it seems — you talk about the — it’s servicing credit debt. That’s — that’s almost treading water for a lot of families, just servicing and pushing that debt along.

CHAIR BERSTEIN: As long as your income is rising relative to your debt, you can service that debt. And so, that’s why the numbers I cited —

Q But that’s not getting ahead.

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: Well, I think if you want to look at getting ahead — so, there’s — there’s a couple of parts to this. You want to be able to s- — you’re right, you want to be able to service your debt while you’re getting ahead. So, that’s why, when I cite the fact that wages are up for workers, like over the past year, I think the increa- — well, we’ll know — we’ll know more on Friday, but over the past year, real wages are up 1.5 percent for middle-wage workers.

If you look at low-wage workers over the course of this recovery — this is an article from the media this week — we saw, I think, growth rates of, you know, 7 percent over this — over this recent period.

So, you can do two things. As long as you keep your debt-service ratio in — in — around historical levels, you can pay off your debt while your paycheck expands. And I think we’ve seen some of that.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Go ahead.

Q Thanks for doing this, Jared. At the top of your remarks, you — you mentioned, you know, the job numbers come out Friday. You talked about, you know, some of the strikes. Boeing, more specifically, they’re still on strike. How concerned are you with what’s going on with Boeing? And, you know, is there an urgent need, from your perspective, that workers need to get back? And can you just elaborate a little bit more on maybe how some of the strike impact and even hurricanes could be reflected in the job numbers?

CHAIR BERSTEIN: Okay. Well, starting from the last part of your question, as I said and as outside analysts have been writing this week — and you can find various articles to this effect — the expectation is that the payrolls — the report and payrolls — and the key number there is how much payrolls went up in a given mo- — in — in October. We expect payrolls to be affected by the strikes. That’s pretty much baked in. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has told us that there are 41,000-and-change workers who will not be counted on payrolls in October who were there in the previous month, due to the strikes. So, they can record that.

The hurricane is much more uncertain. If you’re someone who’s not getting paid during what we call the reference week — it’s when the survey was fielded — you’re not going to be counted in the payroll survey.

Now, I don’t want to get into dizzying weeds about this, but the unemployment rate can be different. If you’re — if you’re on strike or if you’re still at work but you haven’t been paid, but they call it — you’re — you’re surveyed in the house- — of the unemployment survey, you will — you will be recorded as — as still having a job.

So, the unemployment rate is expected to be less affected than the payroll number, but the payroll number is — is, as — as I — is, as I mentioned, expected to be affected by these distortions, though there is considerable uncertainty regarding that, particularly around the hurricanes.

In terms of the Boeing strike, look, you know that our administration puts workers at the center of our economic agenda, and the president and the vice president have focused considerable energy on jobs, wages, and on worker bargaining power.

So, I’ve worked with Joe Biden for many decades, and that has always been at the core of his model. Workers need clout in order to get a fair share of the growth that they’re helping to contribute to. In fact, my favorite definition of Bidenomics is that “If you’re helping to bake the pie, you ought to get a fair slice.” And one of wa- — one of the ways that happens is through bargaining clout, bargaining power, and that’s why we’ve generally been so supportive of unions.

Any specifics about a particular strike, it would be inappropriate for me to weigh in.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Monica, last question.

Q Jared, you mentioned the recent wage growth, but as many Americans are going to be heading to the polls and voting based on what they’ve experienced and what they are feeling, when do you think people will feel wage growth and their wages starting to outpace inflation?

CHAIR BERSTEIN: Yeah, it’s a really important question. It’s not an easy one to answer. It has a lot to do with what C- — with — we at CEA have made up something that turns out to be a real thing. We call it your personal price vector.

This is this idea that everybody walks around with a list of prices in their head. What’s on that — what’s on that list? Gasoline, groceries, sure. But if, like my wife, you’re somebody who likes to garden, fertilizer is on that list. And you remember what things cost. You remember that you used to pay $3 for this, and now you’re paying $4 for this.

Now, one of the points that I’m making is that as your pay goes up, you know, that $4 becomes something you can afford again. So, here’s a calculation that we do that no normal person would do — (laughs) — which is that it says, if you look at how much work — how many hours of work does it take to buy a bag of groceries right now, it’s about the same, or even a little lower, than it was before the pandemic, right? Because, yes, grocery prices have gone up, but, especially recently, wages have gone up more — (laughs) — than — than grocery prices.

So, for — for whatever hours of work it took you to buy a bag of groceries before the pandemic, it’s about the same, even a little less, right now.

So, why don’t people feel better? Because they still remember what things used to cost. They still have that their — their PPV — their PPVs — their personal price vectors have yet to update completely, but they are in that process.

And so, one test of this theory is: Okay, time has to pass. Inflation has to stay low so that prices don’t get shocked again. You know, time passes — check, because that’s like a physical reality; inflation is — is low — 1.5 percent on a quarterly basis for the PCE last quarter; real pay has to go up; and we have to do all we can to help on the cost-cutting agenda.

Now, if all of that would help — in answer to your question, if all of that was truly helpful, we should see confidence and sentiment indices begin to tick up, starting around now, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen. We’re not back to pre-pandemic levels. Our work isn’t done, but the trend is our friend; we’re moving in the right direction, and we have a strong foundation to build upon, and a strong policy agenda with which to build upon that foundation.

Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: All right. Thank you so much, Chair. I appreciate it, Jared. Appreciate it.

CHAIR BERNSTEIN: Thank you.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Thank you for coming.

Okay, let me see if I have anything else — nope. Okay.

Go ahead, Aamer. (Inaudible.)

Q Yeah, can you just address the president’s comments yesterday referring to a Trump supporter as “garbage”? And I know he’s tried to clarify that he was —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — trying to talk about what the person said. But, one, I guess I’m — I want to know, does he think less of Americans who support Trump than he does of those who do not? And, two, why is he using that kind of rhetoric? How is that presidential?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So — so, a couple of things — couple of things. So, just to clarify, he was not calling Trump supporters garbage, which is why he put out — this is why he wanted to make sure that we put out a statement that clarified what he meant and what he was trying to say. And so, just want to make that very clear for folks who are watching.

And I’ll — and I just want to read that out to folks. So, he was — regarding to the comedian, and I quote, “I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage, which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments” — the comments — “at the rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”

And to your question — your other question that you asked, no he does not view Trump supporters or anybody who supports Trump as garbage. That is not what he views.

The president has said this for more than three years now. He has said multiple times that he is a president for all. It doesn’t matter if you live in a red state. It doesn’t matter if you live in a blue state. He has said this himself. I have said it on his behalf.

He believes that he’s a — a president for all, and it doesn’t matter who you voted for. It doesn’t matter if you voted for him or not. He’s a president for all, but hateful rhetoric — hateful rhetoric that he hears — and this is something that we’ve done many times from here — we will call that out. We will call that out. And that’s what the president said.

Q Is he — does he have any regret for not being more — his — his language was not specific. It came out — if you were listening to that video, it —
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I was in the room. Aamer, I was in the room.

Q I — I’m (inaudible) —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I —

Q — listening on —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I’m just telling you that I was in the room.

Q If you were listen- — but if you were any sort of normal person listening to that video or looking at the clips online, you could come to the conclusion that he was calling, at minimum, this one man “garbage” or not — if not all Trump supporters “garbage.”

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well — I —

Q Does he — should he be more —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay —

Q Does he regret not being more precise with this language?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, wait —

Q And does he — does he al- —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: (Laughs.) I’m waiting for the question to end, but go —

Q Well, I —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — ahead. Keep going. Keep going.

Q And the second — I apologize. And the —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, no, no. Go ahead.

Q — second part of that is, does he — does he any regret for how this has shadowed Vice President Harris’s campaign?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things there, because there’s — there’s a lot that you laid out.

So, look, the president wanted to clarify because he understood that what he may have said was being — he understood that what he was saying was being taken out of context, so he wanted to be very, very clear about what he was trying to say. And I just read that out mult- — once over. You all have the — have the — have the — the tweet, or, you know, the statement that’s on X. If you want to read it right now, feel free to do so.

And he was talking about hateful rhetoric. And we’ve called out hateful rhetoric from here. We have.

Obviously, this hateful rhetic — rhetoric was about a particular co- — community — a community that — the Puerto Rican community; they are Americans. They — this is somebody — this is a community that he respects, and he wanted to make sure he called that out.

And hateful rhetoric should be called out. It should be.

And — but at the same time, the president is a president for all; he will continue to do so. He will continue to serve for everyone.

I — I want to step back for a second, because I think this is really important. Yesterday, we went to Baltimore, Maryland. He announced a $3 billion project in Baltimore. That $3 billion project is going to help 27 states. Eleven of those states are — are — have Republican governors. This is what this president cares about, making sure that people who are in need, get the need — get — get the assistance that they need. Right? They — we talked about — he talked about port — port infrastructure, and we went to Baltimore. Obviously, we know what happened a couple of months ago with one of the bridges there: $147 million for — for Maryland in — in particular.

But just think about it: 27 states; 11 states are Republican governors.

And this is — we’re talking about the Inflation Reduction Act, which only Democrats voted for. Republicans didn’t vote for that. Republicans tried to repeal that. Let’s not forget what the speaker said yesterday about ACA — wanted to repeal ACA. He wanted to repeal ACA, which would hurt millions of Americans.

And so, that’s what the president wants to focus on, which is why he wanted to make sure he clarified what he said.

But if there is hateful rhetoric that is being said about communities, Americans, communities across this country, he’s going to speak out about it. It’s not the first time that he’s done so.

Q And then just briefly —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

Q — separately, is —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk headed to — back to the Middle East this week to try to revive ceasefire negotiations? And can you tell us anything about Bill Burns’ travel as well?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things. So, following Israel’s response in a self-defense against Iran, senior U.S. officials are following up on a range of matters in the region and with Israeli counterparts.

Bill Burns will be in Cairo on Thursday to engage with Egyptian counterparts on bilateral matters as well as the process to secure the release of hostages.

CENTCOM commander, General Erik Kurilla, is traveling to the region to discuss regional defense and will visit Israel to engage with counterparts and U.S. personnel.

And then you asked me about Bert — excuse me, Brett — and Amos. So, you have two White House officials. They’re going to visit Israel on Thursday to engage on a range of issues, including Gaza, Lebanon, hostages, Iran, and border [broader] regional matters as well.

In all of these engagement, you will see that the U.S. will reaffirm its iro- — ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, its warning against any further direct military attacks by Iran against Israel, and its support for de-escalation backed by deterrence in the region more broadly. And that’s the engagements that you will see from this administration over the next couple of days.

Go ahead, Selina.

Q Thanks, Karine. So, Did President Biden make a mistake in his comments yesterday?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: He clarified what he said. It was very clear what he was trying to do. He was wanting to make sure that what he was what — what he said was not taken out of context. And he clarified that.

Q This isn’t the first time the White House has had to defend or clarify the president’s comments.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: It’s — nobody — nobody is defending. The president himself — this is the president himself wanted to clarify what he said. He wanted to make sure that it was not taken out of context. These are the president’s words. Nobody here is defending. We are laying out what the president said himself, and he wanted to clarify that.

Q So, those comments were made as the vice president was speaking about unity at the Ellipse last night. Did the president speak to the vice president before or after that speech?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Well, I — I think in a — in a gaggle that the vice president did not too long ago, she confirmed that she had a conversation with the — with the president. The president was very proud of the vice president. She gave a historic — a historic speech last night, and he certainly wanted to congratulate her.

Q So, that was after the speech.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: That was after the speech.

Q And did the president make any reference to these remarks or apologize to the vice president?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I can say is I’m not going to get into private discussions here. That’s not something that we do from — from the podium. I’m not going to do that.

But the president and the vice president speak regularly. That is not uncommon. She is the vice president; he is the president. So, obviously, they have direct communications pretty — pretty often.

And he did have a conversation last night because he was proud of her — her historic speech, and he wanted to congratulate her.

And, again, they speak regularly.

Q And did you or anybody else speak to the president last night to seek clarification by what he meant —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, here’s —

Q — once realizing it was being taken —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I was — and —

Q — out of context?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Again, I was in the room when he delivered his remarks last night and during the live stream, and what I can say is he himself wanted to make sure that there was clarity in what he was trying to say.

Again, we are talking about hateful rhetoric — a hateful rhetoric that was being said, and the president wanted to be very clear. He feels — he also feels — and we’ve been doing this; this is nothing new here for the past more than three years — when hateful rhetoric is being said, the president believes it’s important to speak to it and call that out.

And that’s what the president was referring to: a comedian — a particular comedian from just Saturday night — I know you all covered this — at Madison Square Garden who was spewing hate — who was spewing hate against the Puerto Rican community. And the president felt that he needed to say something.

At the same time, he wanted to make sure that his words were not taken out of context. And so, he — he himself wanted to make sure that a statement was put out to clarify it.

Go ahead.

Q One more on this.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure.

Q Was the president reading from a script? It looked like he was reading from notes. Did he — did — so, did — were those comments written out for him in —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: What I —

Q — some form?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, go ahead. No, I’m sorry. Go ahead, Andrea.

Q No. No, it’s okay. You —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: No, no, no. Fini- — finish. I want you to finish your statement. I’m sorry.

Q I was just — I mean, you know, it would be useful to know whether there was, you know, a prepared remark that he was reading from and, if so, you know, whether that should have been changed or —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So —

Q — or whether he was adlibbing.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple things. I — I’m not going to get into specific here. It’s not unusual for a president or the vice president or any elected official to have notes in front of them when they’re speaking to a crowd or to a group of people. That is not unusual.

What I can say is the president wanted to make sure that his words were not being taken out of contax [context]. And so, he wanted to clarify, and that’s what you heard from the president. He was very aware.

And I would say I think it’s really important that you have a president that cares about clarifying what they said, and that’s what you see from this president. He took it upon himself to clarify what he said, and I think that that says a lot about who Joe Biden is — that he wanted to make sure it was clear that he was talking about the comedian and their — the hateful rhetoric that was coming from this comedian just a couple of days ago.

Q There have been a lot of comparisons made to the Hillary Clinton remark using the word “deplorables.”

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q Has the president indicated to you any concern that this comment — this one comment, that he has clarified now — could have similar reverberations to that previous comment? I mean, he was certainly active in politics then and was — you know, was — was aware of the impact that that had.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m not going to go back and litigate 2016. I’m just not going to do that from here.

He was not speaking about Trump supporters. He was not tre- — as a whole, he was not speaking about people who support a different candidate. That is not what he was doing, and he clarified that in his statement last night. That was not his intent. He wanted to be very clear about that, hence, again, why he said he was speaking about comments that were made by the comedian.

And let’s not forget — we can’t forget what we heard was the demonization of Latinos — that’s what we heard — of a community.

By the way, you know — and I know you all know this — Puerto Ricans are Americans.

And he wanted to make sure that, you know, we speak out against hateful rhetoric. It’s important to do that. Was he talking about Trump supporters? Absolutely not. As a whole? Absolutely not.

Q I just have one more.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.

Q A foreign policy question.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Sure. Sure.

Q So, the president of — who was — who was just here visiting President Biden said tha- — of Cyprus —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Cyprus.

Q — said that he thought that there could be some movement on a Lebanon ceasefire within one to two weeks. He said that he had discussed this matter with — with President Biden.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q I wonder if you can give us an — you know, a — sort of an indication of whether you think that is also true, that there could be a ceasefire in Lebanon within one to two weeks. And if you could just comment on Israel’s ban of UNRWA and whether you think that’s helpful for the process.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, we’re — o- — obviously, we’re going to remain committed to reaching a diplomatic resolution here to end the conflict along the blue line, which will allow Israelis and also Lebanese civilians on both sides to — to return to their homes, and this is something that we’ve been pretty consistent about. And we’re going to continue to have, certainly, that commitment to have a dip- — diplomatic resolution to end — to end what we’re seeing along the blue line.

Look, you know — and we’re — also been very consistent as — at — to not having — negotiating, certainly, in public. That is not something that we’re going to do from here. We’re going to certainly be optimistic, and we are committed to that. Just not going to go into any — any kind of where we are with those conversations, what’s happening. We’re not going to, certainly, negotiate out — from here.

As it relates to — I’m assuming you’re — you’re speaking about the Knesset vote on — on UNRWA.

So, look, certainly, we are deeply troubled by that, by this legislation that could shut down UNRWA operations in the West Bank, Gaza, and also East Jerusalem. So, we urge the government of Israel — we’re having this conversation with the government of Israel — to pause implement- — implementing this legislation.

We urge the government of Israel, certainly, to ensure UNRWA can effectively carry out its mission and facilitate humanitarian assistance.

But we also support steps to strengthen UNRWA as well, in part so that UNWRA’s impartially [impartiality] and neutrality, including to respond to allegations, as you have all covered, to ties to terrorism. But we are certainly deeply troubled by that, and we’re continuing to have conversations with the Israeli government.

Go ahead.

Q Thank you, Karine. First, on the comments last night, was the president aware in the moment, as soon as he had made those comments, that they could potentially be misconstrued and be problematic, or was it only after conversations with aides?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I’m not going to get into — into a process. I think what’s important is the president put out a statement and wanted to make sure that we clar- — he clarified himself, clarified what he meant here. And this is something that he wanted to do. And that’s what you saw from this president last night. And I think that’s important to note.

I would also say, and I’ve said this already and I’ll say it again: From day one, this president has always said that he will be president for — for all Americans. It doesn’t matter if you voted for him or not. And that continues to be the case.

He was making a particular point, a specific point, about a comedian and the hateful rhetoric that was heard by all — by all of us on Sunday.

But I’m not going to get into the back-and-forth. I think what’s important to note is that the president himself wanted to clarify this.

Q There have been a few times when the president has spoken off the cuff and appeared to be off message or had comments that have needed to be walked back or cleaned up. And I’m wondering, going into this final, very high-stakes stretch of the election, if there’s going to be any changes to preparation or format for any of the final events that he’s going to be participating in.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, the president looks forward to being out there, talking to the American people. You he- — you heard me talk about yesterday and how important that was — $3 billion in port infrastructure funding that’s going to make a difference in twenty- — 27 states. Eleven of them are red states. This is what the president cares about: to deliver for all Americans.

And so, that was an event that — that was a great event. We talked about the $147 million that’s going to — he talked about this — that’s going to go to the port and not just, like, dealing with infrastructure but also creating good-paying jobs — thousands of good-paying jobs.

And so, the president is going to continue to do that. I don’t have any changes to speak to from here. And, you know, you saw the president in Pittsburgh just this past weekend as well. And this is more of a campaign — that was a campaign stop, so I’m going to be really mindful. But you saw him talking to laborers and union members, and they were thrilled to see him and very thankful for the work that he has done on behalf of union workers over the past three-plus years.

And so, that’s what you’re going to continue to see from the president. It doesn’t matter if it’s — because of the election is a couple of days away. This is what he’s going to go do on the next three months. And I think the president enjoys being out there, and that’s no- — and nothing is going to stop him from doing that.

Q On foreign policy, just finally. CNN is reporting, according to a high-ranking Iranian source, that Israel’s recent attacks on Iran will be met with a “definitive and painful” response that will likely come before the election on Tuesday. What preparations does the U.S. have underway for a —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Here’s —

Q — potential response?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — what I’ll say. Iran should not respond to Israel’s retaliation. They should not. If — if it chooses to do so — if they do, we will support Israel in defending itself. But they should not. They should not respond to Israel’s retaliation.

Go ahead, Karen.

Q Thanks. The White House had advised that the president will be heading to Pennsylvania twice at the end of this week — Philadelphia on Friday, Scranton on Saturday. Obviously, a very important battleground state.

First, can you talk about what he’s going to be doing there, at both of those stops? And second, is there any thought to not having him out on the campaign trail on a battleground state, given the criticism he’s facing for the comments from last night?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, look, as you just stated, it’s a campaign event. I’m not going to speak to the —

Q Saturday is.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: On Saturday, yes. So, I’m not going to speak to the details of — of the Scranton visit. I don’t have anything else to add beyond what we shared with all of you in the Week Ahead. I don’t have any changes. I don’t have anything more to — to advise from here.

What I can say is wha- — basically what I kind of said with Kayla in answering her question, which is, the president certainly looks forward to being out there, speaking directly to the American people, talking about what we’ve been able to do and deliver in the past almost four years of this administration. And that’s where — that’s what he enjoys, right? He enjoys having that d- — those direct co- — contact, if you will, with — with Americans.

I don’t have anything to share beyond what we already announced to all of you and shared with all of you about what the next couple days are going to look like.

Q Can you give us a sense of why those two places? Did he want to go to those — I mean, they’re pretty specific locations for him that he has ties to.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, I’m going to be super — super careful, super mindful from here. But, as you know, the president is from Scranton. He loves Scranton. We’ve been there a couple of times. And I think he always looks forward to going back there.

It is a place that he loves, a place where he spent a lot of time in his youth, growing up, and still have close friends and family there. But also, he also believes it’s important to continue to be out there to — to talk to folks directly about what we have done.

I — I’m going to be super careful and not speak to anything beyond that. Once we have more details and information, obviously, we’ll share that with all of you.

Go ahead, Michael.

Q Thanks, Karine. Where will — (clears throat) — excuse me. Where will the president be on election night?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, we’ll have more to share. Don’t have anything for you at this time. We’ll have more to share when we get closer.

Q Okay. And one more thing. Will he attend the inauguration in January, regardless of who wins?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I mean, this president believes in the peaceful transfer of power, and that’s what you’re going to see this president do — committed to the peaceful transfer of power. It’s not about him. It’s not about him.

Q So, is that a yes, or —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yes, he will.

It’s not about him. It’s about the American people. That’s what the American people need to see. Regardless — regardless of who wins, the American pe- — and he understands this — needs to see a peaceful transfer of power, and that’s what you’re going to see from the president. And that’s part of that — right? — attending the inauguration, being there, being part of a — a — what is regularly done, a historic kind of process. He certainly is going to partake in that.

Go ahead, Monica.

Q Karine, just following up on two questions from my colleagues. For the sake of clarity, was the president reading from prepared remarks last night?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Look, the president had certainly — it’s not unusual for — for a president, vice president —

Q Sure.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: — or any elected officials to have notes on what they are — what they want to say, prepared to say. I’m not going to — I’m just not going to get into specifics here.

What is — I think what’s important to note here is the president wanted to clarify what he said. That is what is important. And for a president to do that, I think, is important, and I think that shows the integrity of this president to want to make sure that, “Hey, I want to make really clear I was talking about the comedian and the hateful rhetoric that was coming out of his remarks on — on Sunday.”

I’m not going to get into — I’m not going to get into specifics here and — and just leave it as that. I think what’s important for the American people to note is that the president wanted to make sure that he clarified his statement and is going to continue to be a president for all. It doesn’t matter if you voted for him or not.

Q And then just second, the vice president is facing questions about his —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — comments today. So, does the president regret at all the distraction this is causing from her campaign in these final days?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I- — here’s what I’ll say: The — yes, the vice president spoke to this, and she said herself that the president clarified these statements. And, look, what — what I will say — and she also said, obviously, and you — you all saw this, that she believes that, you know, it doesn’t matter who you vote for, right? She — people should have their ability to — to make their decisions for themselves, which is something that this president also agrees on.

And I’m not going to — you all are covering this election. You all can speak to if this is a distraction or not. What I can speak to is the president wanted to make sure that he clarified these statement — his statement, and he did so.

Q And the vice president did say today she strongly disagrees with anybody who offers criticism of people based on who they vote for and why they vote for them.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Mm-hmm.

Q Does the president view that differently?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yes, he feels the same way. He feels the same way as what she stated. But that’s something that the president has been saying for some time. He has. He has been saying that it doesn’t matter if you voted for him or not; he’s your president. He’s a president for all Americans, whether you’re in a red state or a blue state. This is something that the president certainly believes and he has been saying himself. He has said this himself.

And that’s why he didn’t want what he said to be taken out of context. That’s why he wanted to make sure it was clarified because that is indeed what he believes. So, he agrees with the vice president.

Go ahead, Willie.

Q You touched on this just a little bit, about the president agreeing with the vice president. But will the president be a little bit more careful in his upcoming events? I know you can’t speak to the campaign events, but in his remarks, what is he going to do differently in terms of what he says to the American people for fear of isolating someone with his comments?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — look, here’s the thing. You have a president who wanted to make sure what he said was not taken out of context and took that extra step to clarify. I think that tells you where the president is. He took the extra step to clarify.

And, you know, you don’t see that from many elected officials. You certainly didn’t see that from the former president. And this president wanted to make sure it was not taken out of contax [context]. And so, he wanted to clarify. I think that tells you everything that you need to know.

Q Just two quick ones —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — if I — if I may. On North Carolina, I wanted to see if there’s an update —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — about resources there. Both candidates in North Carolina. I wanted to see what the hurricane response —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — ongoing response is. And on the ballot boxes and the fires that are — ballots. I- — is the White House in contact with local communities about how they can keep their ballots safe, or —

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q — what’s the White House doing there in response?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, a couple of things there. I do want to speak to North Carolina, and I think that’s a — thank you for that question, because I think it’s important for folks to — folks to have an update.

So, as you know, the Biden-Harris administration, when it came to dealing with these two historic hurricanes — Hurricane Helene and — and, obviously, Hurricane Milton — we did an — a robust, whole-of-government response, provided the — provided hundreds of millions of dollars in financial assistance to survivors and to substantial debris removal and power restoration. And that is what you saw from this administration.

As it relates to specifics there, this includes over $1.3 billion in assistance for individuals and families to help pay for housing, repairs, personal property replacement, and other recovery efforts; and over $1.5 — $1.1, pardon me, billion in public assistance, including a support local — to support local and state governments as they recover and rebuild.

And specifically, what — what we provided to North Carolina: over $193 million in direct financial assistance. This is for survivors, obviously. And as the president and the vice president have said many times, their administration will be there for the people of — of North Carolina as they continue to rebuild, as they continue to deal with the loss that they’ve had to deal with from both hurricanes — a historic hurricane.

And, as you know, both — both the president and the vice president have been on the ground, and FEMA continues to assist on the ground.

As it relates to the — the ballot drop box fires, first of all, we want to be very clear about this: It is unacceptable. It is unacceptable. Every eligible American has the right — has the right to make their voices heard.

And so, we are committed to making sure that Americans’ right to vote is — and — and is — occurs, right? We are committed to that, and we want to make sure that is not undermined.

And so, we’re working with state officials providing replacement ballots to those affected and are working to protect against future incidents. That’s what state officials are doing.

And FBI certainly is going to investigate these incidents, so I would refer you to them specifically about the incidents.

But we certainly will call that out, and it is unacceptable. Every eligible American has the right to exercise their — certainly their right to vo- — vote and make sure that their voice is heard.

AIDE: Karine, we have time for one more.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Okay.

Go ahead, Gerren.

Q Thanks, Karine. A Supreme Court ruling allowed the state of Virginia to purge 1,600 voters from the registration rolls suspected of being noncitizens. Critics argue that the ruling violates the National Voter Registration Act, which bars systematic changes to voting rolls 90 days before an election. What does the White House make of this ruling?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So look, it’s — it’s very similar to how I answered Willie’s question, but I’ll start off with this, saying: It is already illegal. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, and it is a federal crime that is punishable by prison and fines.

And again, as I stated to — to your colleague here, every single eligible American has the right to make sure that their voices are heard if they choose so. And so, that is something that we’re going to continue to make sure that that happens.

And I’ll just leave it as there for now.

Q Another topic.

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah.

Q The mother of Shanquella Robinson, the 25-year-old North Carolina woman killed in Cabo, Mexico, in 2022, after a physical assault caught on video while vacationing with people she believed to be her friends — her mother filed a wrong- — a wrongful death lawsuit against those six individuals who — and also names the State Department and FBI, accusing the agencies of negligence in their failure to extradite those involved and failure to properly investigate that case. Given that her family did have a meeting here at the White House, I wonder what — the White House has any reaction to that lawsuit?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Yeah, I’m going to be mindful and careful here. It’s — it’s an ongoing case. There’s a lawsuit obviously tied into this. So, what I will do is refer you to, certainly, the State Department and just not comment from here.

Q Has the White House been in contact with the Robinson family outside of that one meeting last year?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE: I — I would have to con- — connect with my colleagues here. I don’t have anything to share beyond that one — one-time connection, but I would have to connect with the — with the team here.

All right. Thanks, everybody. Have a good one.

2:36 P.M. EDT

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National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke by phone today with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.  The two leaders discussed regional security developments, underscoring the need for further efforts to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region and globally.  They welcomed progress in the bilateral partnership, including through the upcoming Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) Intersessional and Indian Ocean Dialogue.  They also discussed further opportunities for closer collaboration in key domains, including clean energy supply chains and defense cooperation. 

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The post Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Call with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval appeared first on The White House.

The United States strongly condemns the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) intercontinental ballistic missile test. This launch is a flagrant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. While U.S. INDOPACOM has assessed it did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory, or to our allies, this launch needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region. It only demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people. We urge all countries to condemn these violations and call on the DPRK to cease its destabilizing actions and engage in serious dialogue. The national security team is closely coordinating with our allies and partners. The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and Republic of Korea and Japanese allies.

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The post Statement by NSC Spokesperson Sean Savett on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s ICBM Test appeared first on The White House.

Joint Base Andrews
Prince George’s County, Maryland

10:11 A.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  Good morning.  Good morning. 

Well, last night was a good night.  We had the chance, in front of 100,000 people, to talk about what’s at stake in this election and to point out that the American people have a real choice and — and a very important decision to make in six days.  And it is about who will not only lead the country but occupy the White House, where critical decisions are made that include how we think about who we are as a nation and whether we are going to be a nation of people who attempt to unify and break through this era of divisiveness, or are we going to be a nation of people who has a president stewing in the Oval Office over his enemies list.

And I think that the turnout last night and the kind of feedback that we are receiving is a strong indication that the American people actually want a leader who is going to bring us together, and that’s the type of leader I intend to be.

Q    Have you talked to President Biden since his comment last night about “garbage”?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Listen, I think that, first of all, he clarified his comments.  But let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.  It’s — you heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career. 

I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not.  And as president of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans, whether you vote for me or not. 

     (Cross-talk.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s my responsibility, and that’s the kind of work that I’ve done my entire career, and I take it very seriously. 

Q    Have you spoken to him about his comments and — and his intention?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  He did call me last night, but this didn’t come up. 

Q    Did he speak to you about —

Q    Are you concerned about what impact this may have on voters, on the divisiveness of the election, and whether or not it’s going to dissuade some people from supporting you because of your affiliation with the president and this administration?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  I’ve been very clear with the American public.  I respect the challenges that people face.  I respect the fact that we all have so much more in common than what separates us and that most people want a president that understands that, that gets that, and approaches their role of leadership that way. 

I’ve been very clear, from my earliest years as a prosecutor, I never asked anyone, “Are they a Democrat or Republican?”  The only thing I asked folks is, “Are you okay?”  And that’s the kind of president I will be.

     Q    And what did you talk about with the president?

     Q    Madam Vice President, on a separate subject, last night you mentioned removing people in the country who are here illegally.  What do you mean?  Is that — that’s an immigration statement, obviously.  Were you referring to people who have come here before illegally, or can you expand on what you meant by that comment?

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  What I intend to do on the issue of immigration, as I said last night and have said continuously, is we need to fix our broken immigration system in a number of ways.  We need to strengthen the border and put more resources at the border, which is why I support the bipartisan bill that Donald Trump killed that would have otherwise put 1,500 more border agents at the border; put more resources into prosecuting transnational crime; and would, very importantly, put more resources into stemming the flow of fentanyl, which is killing people around the country.  And when I am elected president, I will bring that bill back, and I will sign it into law. 

I also have done the work and — and have — and — and my policy going forward will strengthen what we need to do to deal with, for example, illegal entries between ports of entry.  That is something that we need to tighten up. 

 I will do the work also about ensuring that we pass comprehensive immigration reform in a way that we allow hardworking people who have earned citizenship a path to actually be able to gain citizenship because they have earned it, and that includes everyone from our farm- — farmworkers to DREAMers.

     Q    And just to follow up on the —

     (Cross-talk.)

     Q    Madam Vice President, do you sympathize if any voters do feel —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Once again?

Q    Do you sympathize with any voters who do feel offended by or insulted by the “garbage” comments? 

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  I am running for president of the United States.  I will be traveling to three states today to do what I have been doing throughout, which is talking with the American people about the fact that, first of all, I get it, in terms of the concerns they have about challenges like the price of groceries. 

Second, my highest priority is to address that and to lift them up around their ambitions, their aspirations, and their dreams, which is why I have a very specific and detailed plan about strengthening our economy.  Leading economists have reviewed my plan and indicated it will strengthen the economy and that Donald Trump’s plan will weaken the economy. 

So, I’m going to be spending full time, as I’ve been, talking with the American people, whoever they voted for last time. 

And as I have said and will repeat over and over again — I am sincere in what I mean: When elected president of the United States, I will represent all Americans, including those who don’t vote for me, and address their needs and their desires. 

                              END                    10:16 A.M. EDT

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The First Lady’s theme, “Hallo-READ!,” highlights the spooktacular thrill of reading

On Wednesday, October 30th, the President and First Lady are hosting a Halloween event that will welcome local students and military-connected children to the White House for trick-or-treating.  A teacher for 40 years, including years spent as a reading specialist, First Lady Jill Biden created this year’s theme, “Hallo-READ!,” with the White House’s festive décor featuring famous literary tales and spooky story time. Dr. Biden’s theme encourages families and children to once again grab a flashlight, pick out their favorite Halloween book, and relish in the spooktacular thrill of reading together.

Children will trick-or-treat along the South Lawn of the White House up to the South Portico to receive both candy and books from the President and First Lady, as well as other White House friends and neighbors, including representatives from: Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of State, Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Endowment for the Humanities, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, National Archives, Smithsonian, Executive Office of the President, the White House Medical Unit, and the White House Military Office.

Approximately 8,000 guests will participate in this year’s Halloween event at the White House, with each family receiving candy treats provided by the National Confectioners Association and its member companies. Instacart is providing overall support for the Halloween celebration, in addition to supplying Halloween tote bags and treats to each child. The company will also distribute bookmarks with healthy eating tips in coordination with DC Central Kitchen.  

In a nod to this year’s “Hallo-READ!” theme, each family will also receive donated books from Scholastic to read and enjoy. Costumed characters will stroll the South Lawn for the Halloween festivities, including Corduroy, Peter Rabbit, Madeline, Barney, Disney friends Stitch and Angel, Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers, and others.

The White House will be decorated with autumnal foliage, with pumpkins and mums provided by the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), jack-o-lanterns, stacks of books, and multi-dimensional displays of literary tales. The IFPA will be providing apples and baby carrots to trick-or-treaters as well.  Lawn games and a spooky story time corner will be a part of the Halloween festivities again this year, featuring special guests reading their favorite books of the season to children and families, as well as live pumpkin carving demonstrations by Pumpkin Sculptor Deane Arnold. Readers will include First Lady Jill Biden, the Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, Hocus Pocus actress Kathy Najimy, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre, plus authors and illustrators Jane O’Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser, Pete Oswald, Katie Messner, Dan Santat, Tracey Baptiste, Ana Aranda, Hanh Bui, and others!

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with President Nikos Christodoulides of the Republic of Cyprus at the White House.  Following the inaugural launch of the U.S.-Republic of Cyprus Strategic Dialogue earlier this month, the leaders had an in-depth discussion on a range of foreign policy issues of mutual interest including energy diversification, regional security, and support to Ukraine.  President Biden expressed his gratitude for the Republic of Cyprus’s support for the maritime humanitarian corridor that delivered more than 8,000 metric tons of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.  Acknowledging the 50th anniversary of the division of the island of Cyprus, President Biden reiterated his support for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality for all Cypriots consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolutions. 

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Today’s GDP report shows how far we’ve come since I took office—from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression to the strongest economy in the world. Since I took office, the economy has grown 12.6%, we’ve had the lowest average unemployment in 50 years, nearly 16 million jobs have been created, and incomes have risen $4,000 more than inflation. While critics thought we’d need a recession to lower inflation, instead we’ve grown around 3% a year on average, while inflation has fallen to the level right before the pandemic.

We need to keep building on this progress. Instead, Congressional Republicans are proposing across-the-board tariffs that would cost families nearly $4,000 a year, reignite inflation, and kill hundreds of thousands of jobs. The Vice President and I are fighting to lower costs on everyday goods—from housing and groceries to health care and child care—while Republicans fight for more tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations. The best way to grow the economy is from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.

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Today, President Biden will ceremonially sign Executive Order (EO) 14124, establishing the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity Through Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), alongside nearly two dozen champions for these institutions and Latino communities. President Biden and Vice President Harris will also announce nearly $19 million in transformational investments for five HSIs in Florida, Illinois, Texas, and Puerto Rico to build research infrastructure. These efforts build on the Administration’s historic investment of over $16 billion in more than 500 HSIs across 30 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico that educate more than 4.7 million students annually.

Over the past three years, President Biden and Vice President Harris have taken historic actions to expand opportunity for Latino families and communities, including: creating more than 15 million jobs – with 5 million created for Latinos, helping Latino entrepreneurs start new businesses at the fastest rate in over 10 years, addressing our broken immigration system, and working to ensure equitable educational opportunity for students.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new actions to advance educational opportunities for students at HSIs and giving them a fair shot at achieving the American dream. 

Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through HSIs

With student enrollment that is at least one-quarter Latino, HSIs are engines of economic mobility, propelling high numbers of students from low-income backgrounds and first-generation college students into good jobs and brighter futures. Today, President Biden will ceremonially sign EO 14124 to strengthen the Federal Government’s commitment to advancing opportunity for HSIs and the students they serve.

The EO creates a new Initiative and first-ever President’s Board of Advisors on HSIs to:

• Increase awareness of opportunities for HSIs to equally participate in Federal programs and enhance the capacity of HSIs to meet the educational needs of their students.
• Identify best practices for HSIs to scale effective strategies, programs, and initiatives to support the educational success and economic mobility of their students.
• Improve the ability of HSIs to align program offerings with the economic needs of the Nation and their local economies, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and teaching.
• Coordinate efforts to help HSIs become or remain fiscally secure institutions.
• Foster cross-sector collaboration among HSIs and philanthropic, public, and private sector organizations.
• Strengthen Federal recruitment activities at HSIs to build accessible and equal pathways into Federal career opportunities for HSI students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
• Provide tools, data, and analytics to support HSIs in improving educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunity for students.

Investing Additional $19 Million in Research Infrastructure at HSIs

To remain the most competitive economy in the world, the Nation’s most inclusive institutions of higher education must continue to lead in research and development. Yet too many HSIs report having unmet infrastructure needs that hold back their ability to engage in research that will propel forward these institutions, their students, and the nation as a whole.

To help address these needs, the Biden-Harris Administration established the Department of Education’s Research and Development Infrastructure Program (RDI) for the colleges and universities that play a central role in educating students from diverse backgrounds. The program provides funds to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)—including HSIs— to implement transformational investments in research infrastructure, including research productivity, faculty expertise, graduate programs, physical infrastructure, human capital development, and partnerships leading to increases in external funding.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced nearly $19 million in new grants to five HSIs to build their research and physical infrastructure including—

• Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida received $1.1 million.
• National Louis University in Chicago, Illinois received $3 million.
• Sam Houston State University in Houston, Texas received $5 million.
• Texas A&M University Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas received $4.7 million.
• University of Puerto Rico on the Rio Piedras Campus received $5 million.

The $19 million in grants to HSIs was a part of $49 million in RDI grants to 13 HBCUs, TCCUs, and MSIs.

Building on Historic Investments in HSIs

Today’s announcements build on President Biden and Vice President Harris’ historic investments of over $16 billion in direct funding to HSIs, including through COVID relief funds and the Department of Education’s federal grant program funds.

 The chart below provides a state-by-state breakdown of funding to date.

State Total Funds Received by HSIs in the State AR $11,356,918AZ $739,602,657CA $6,389,050,269CO $290,670,467CT $81,522,902DC $10,396,350FL $1,524,890,025GA $96,526,460ID $12,477,969IL $664,298,648IN $20,049,711KS $20,869,761MA $110,295,475MD $68,836,836MN $12,999,876NC $10,750,057NE $1,211,270NJ $582,987,076NM $399,198,109NV $336,899,054NY $327,800,182OH $875,529OK $9,372,922OR $58,864,009PA $66,357,824PR $1,135,872,342RI $48,066,707TN $7,383,933TX $3,433,719,411VA $14,730,892WA $124,035,244WI $23,119,648Grand Total $16,635,088,533

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One year ago, President Biden issued a landmark Executive Order to ensure that America leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of artificial intelligence (AI). The Executive Order directed sweeping actions to manage AI’s safety and security risks, protect Americans’ privacy, advance equity and civil rights, stand up for consumers and workers, promote innovation and competition, advance American leadership around the world, and more.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing that Federal agencies have completed on schedule each action that the Executive Order tasked for this past year—more than one hundred in all. Below are some of the Administration’s most significant accomplishments on managing AI’s risks and seizing its promise in the year since President Biden signed his Executive Order.

Managing Risks to Safety and Security:
The Executive Order directed the boldest actions ever taken to protect Americans from a broad range of AI’s safety and security risks, including risks related to dangerous biological materials, software vulnerabilities, and foreign actors’ efforts to develop AI for harmful purposes. Over the last year, to protect safety and security, agencies have:

• Used Defense Production Act authorities to require developers of the most powerful AI systems to report vital information, including results of safety and security testing, to the U.S. government. These companies have notified the Department of Commerce about the results of their red-team safety tests, their plans to train powerful models, and large computing clusters they possess capable of such training. Last month, the Department of Commerce proposed a rule to require the reporting of this information on a quarterly basis.

• Led the way on AI safety testing and evaluations to advance the science of AI safety. The U.S. AI Safety Institute (US AISI) at the Department of Commerce has begun pre-deployment testing of major new AI models through recently signed agreements with two leading AI developers. The Department of Energy (DOE) developed and expanded its AI testbeds and evaluation tools, which it has already used to test models’ risk to nuclear security.

• Developed guidance and tools for managing AI risk. The US AISI and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the Department of Commerce published frameworks for managing risks related to generative AI and dual-use foundation models, and earlier this month, AISI released a Request for Information on the responsible development and use of AI models for chemical and biological sciences. The Department of Defense (DoD) released its Responsible AI toolkit to align AI projects with the Department’s Ethical Principles.

• Issued a first-ever National Security Memorandum (NSM) on AI. The NSM directs concrete steps by Federal agencies to ensure the United States leads the world’s development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI; to enable agencies to harness cutting-edge AI for national security objectives, including by protecting human rights and democratic values; and to advance international consensus and governance on AI. This essential document serves as a formal charter for the AI Safety Institute, designating it as the center of the whole-of-government approach to advanced AI model testing, and will guide rapid and responsible AI adoption by the DoD and Intelligence Community. The NSM also directs the creation of a Framework to Advance AI Governance and Risk Management in National Security, which provides agile guidance to implement the NSM in accordance with democratic values, including mechanisms for risk management, evaluations, accountability, and transparency. 

• Finalized a framework for nucleic acid synthesis screening to help prevent the misuse of AI for engineering dangerous biological materials. The framework, developed by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), encourages nucleic acid synthesis providers to identify gene sequences that could be used to pose national security risks, and to implement customer screening to mitigate the risks of misuse. Federal agencies will require that funding recipients obtain synthetic nucleic acids from vendors that adhere to the framework, starting in 2025. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has developed an initial framework with principles for evaluating the effectiveness of screening mechanisms going forward.

• Launched a new Task Force on AI Datacenter Infrastructure. The Task Force provides streamlined coordination on policies to advance datacenter development operations in line with economic, national security, and environmental goals.

• Identified measures—including approaches for labeling content and improving transparency—to reduce the risks posed by AI-generated content. The Department of Commerce submitted to the White House a final report on science-backed standards and techniques for addressing these risks, while NIST has launched a challenge to develop methods for detecting AI-generated content. President Biden has emphasized that the public has a right to know when content is AI-generated, and agencies are working to use these tools to help Americans to know that communications they receive from their government are authentic.

• Combatted AI-generated image-based sexual abuse. Image-based sexual abuse—both non-consensual intimate images of adults and child sexual abuse material—is one of the fastest growing harmful uses of AI to date and disproportionately targets women, children, and LGBTQI+ people. This year, following the Vice President’s leadership in underscoring the urgent need to address deepfake image-based sexual abuse and a White House Call to Action to reduce these risks, leading AI developers and data providers made voluntary commitments to curb the creation of AI-generated image-based sexual abuse material. Additionally, the Department of Justice (DOJ) funded the first-ever helpline to provide 24/7 support and specialized services for victims of the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, including deepfakes. The Department of Education also clarified that school responsibilities under Title IX may extend to conduct that takes place online, including AI-generated abuse.

• Established the AI Safety and Security Board (AISSB) to advise the Secretary of Homeland Security on the safe and secure use of AI in critical infrastructure. The AISSB has met thrice this year to develop a set of recommendations for entities that develop, deploy, and promote accountability for AI systems that assist in delivering essential services to millions of Americans. The work of the AISSB complements DHS’s first-ever AI safety and security guidelines for critical infrastructure owners and operators, which were informed by agencies’ assessments of AI risks across all critical infrastructure sectors. To help protect critical infrastructure further, the Department of Treasury released a report on managing security risks of AI use in the financial sector, and the Department of Energy released an assessment of potential risks to the power grid, as well as ways in which AI could potentially strengthen grid resilience and our ability to respond to threats.

• Piloted AI for protecting vital government software systems. The Department of Defense and DHS conducted AI pilots to address vulnerabilities in government networks used, respectively, for national security purposes and for civilian governmental organizations.

Standing up for Workers, Consumers, Privacy, and Civil Rights
AI is changing the products and services Americans buy, affecting jobs and workplaces, and introducing or exacerbating risks to privacy, equity, and civil rights. President Biden’s Executive Order stands up for Americans in each of these domains, and over the last year, agencies have:

• Developed bedrock principles and practices, along with guidance, to help protect and empower workers as AI is built for and used in the workplace. The Department of Labor (DOL) released AI Principles and Best Practices for employers and developers to build and use AI in ways that center the wellbeing of workers and improve the quality of jobs. DOL also published two guidance documents to assist federal contractors and employers in complying with worker protection laws as they deploy AI in the workplace. In addition, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released resources for job seekers and workers to understand how AI use could violate employment discrimination laws.

• Protected patients’ rights and safety, while encouraging innovation, as AI is developed and deployed for healthcare. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established an AI Safety Program to track harmful incidents involving AI’s use in healthcare settings and to evaluate mitigations for those harms. HHS has also developed objectives, goals, and high-level principles for the use of AI or AI-enabled tools in drug development processes and AI-enabled devices. Additionally, HHS finalized a rule that established first-of-its-kind transparency requirements for AI and other predictive algorithms that are part of certified health information technology. HHS also finalized a civil rights regulation, implementing Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, that requires covered health care entities to take steps to identify and mitigate discrimination when they use AI and other forms of decision support tools for care.

• Published guidance and resources for the safe, secure, and trustworthy design and use of AI in education. In July, the Department of Education released guidance calling up on educational technology developers to design AI in ways that protect rights, improve transparency, and center teaching and learning. This month, the Department of Education released a toolkit to support schools and educational leaders in responsibly adopting valuable AI use cases.

• Issued guidance on AI’s nondiscriminatory use in the housing sector, which affirms that existing prohibitions against discrimination apply to AI’s use for tenant screening and housing advertisements, while explaining how to comply with these obligations. Additionally, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau approved a rule requiring that algorithms and AI used for home valuations are fair, nondiscriminatory, and free of conflicts of interest.

• Set guardrails on the responsible and equitable use of AI and algorithmic systems in administering public benefits programs. The Department of Agriculture’s guidance provides a framework for how State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments should manage risks for uses of AI and automated systems in critical benefits programs such as SNAP, while HHS released a plan with guidelines on similar topics for benefits programs it oversees.

• Affirmed commitments to prevent and address unlawful discrimination and other harms resulting from AI. DOJ’s Civil Rights Division convenes federal agency civil rights offices and senior government officials to foster AI and civil rights coordination. Five new agencies also joined a 2023 pledge to uphold America’s commitment to fairness, equality, and justice as new technologies like AI become more common in daily life.

• Advanced privacy protections to safeguard Americans from privacy risks that AI creates or exacerbates. In particular, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and DOE established a research network dedicated to advancing the development, deployment, and scaling of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs), while NSF launched the $23 million initiative Privacy-preserving Data Sharing in Practice program to apply, mature, and scale PETs for specific use cases and establish testbeds to accelerate their adoption. Simultaneously, DOE launched a $68 million effort on AI for Science research, which includes efforts at multiple DOE National Laboratories and other institutions to advance PETs for scientific AI. The Department of Commerce also developed guidelines on evaluating differential privacy guarantees. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a Request for Information (RFI) on issues related to federal agency collection, processing, maintenance, use, sharing, dissemination, and disposition of commercially available information containing personally identifiable information. OMB also released an RFI on how federal agencies’ privacy impact assessments may be more effective at mitigating privacy risks, including those that are further exacerbated by AI and other advances in technology and data capabilities.

Harnessing AI for Good
Over the last year, agencies have worked to seize AI’s enormous promise, including by collaborating with the private sector, promoting development and use of valuable AI use cases, and deepening the U.S. lead in AI innovation. To harness AI for good, agencies have:

• Launched the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) pilot and awarded over 150 research teams access to computational and other AI resources. The NAIRR pilot—a national infrastructure led by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in partnership with DOE and other governmental and nongovernmental partners—makes available resources to support the nation’s AI research and education community. Supported research teams span 34 states and tackle projects covering deepfake detection, AI safety, next-generation medical diagnoses, environmental protection, and materials engineering.

• Promoted AI education and training across the United States. DOE is leveraging its network of national laboratories to train 500 new researchers by 2025 to meet demand for AI talent, while NSF has invested millions of dollars in programs to train future AI leaders and innovators. These programs include the EducateAI initiative, which helps fund educators creating high-quality, inclusive AI educational opportunities at the K-12 through undergraduate levels that support experiential learning in fields such as AI and build capacity in AI research at minority-serving institutions.

• Expanded the ability of top AI scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to come to the United States, including by clarifying O-1 and H-1B visa rules and working to streamline visa processing.

• Released a report on the potential benefits, risks, and implications of dual-use foundation models for which the model weights are widely available, including related policy recommendations. The Department of Commerce’s report draws on extensive outreach to experts and stakeholders, including hundreds of public comments submitted on this topic.

• Announced a competition for up to $100 million to support the application of AI-enabled autonomous experimentation to accelerate research into—and delivery of—targeted, industry-relevant, sustainable semiconductor materials and processes.

• Established two new National AI Research Institutes for building AI tools to advance progress across economic sectors, science, and engineering. The NSF-led AI Research Institutes launched in September will develop AI tools for astronomical sciences, with broader applications across scientific disciplines. Earlier this year, NSF also funded 10 inaugural Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines), seven of which include a focus on advancing AI.

• Announced millions of dollars in further investments to advance responsible AI development and use throughout our society. These include $13 million invested by DOE in the VoltAIc initiative for using AI to streamline permitting and accelerate clean energy deployment, as well as $68M from DOE to fund AI for scientific research to accelerate scientific programming and develop energy efficient AI models and hardware. DOE has also launched the Frontiers in AI for Science, Security, and Technology (FASST) initiative roadmap and request for information to harness AI for scientific discovery, national security, energy and electric grid resilience, and other national challenges, building on AI tools, models, and partnerships. NSF, in partnership with philanthropy, announced an inaugural investment of more than $18 million to 44 multidisciplinary, multi-sector teams across the U.S. to advance the responsible design, development, and deployment of technologies including AI, ensuring ethical, legal, community, and societal considerations are embedded in the lifecycle of technology’s creation.
• Issued a first-ever report analyzing AI’s near-term potential to support the growth of America’s clean energy economy. DOE’s National Laboratories also issued a long-term grand challenges report identifying opportunities in AI for energy over the next decade. 

• Released a vision for how AI can help us achieve our nation’s greatest aspirations. AI Aspirations sets forth goals to create a future of better health and opportunity for all, mitigate climate change and boost resilience, build robust infrastructure and manufacturing, ensure the government works for every American, and more. In furtherance of these goals, HHS launched CATALYST, a research and development program focused on the potential use of AI to better predict drug safety and efficacy before clinical trials start. In complement, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology also authored a report outlining AI’s potential to revolutionize and accelerate scientific discovery.

• Published guidance addressing vital questions at the intersection of AI and intellectual property. To advance innovation the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has released guidance documents addressing the patentability of AI-assisted inventions, on the subject matter eligibility of patent claims involving inventions related to AI technology, and on the use of AI tools in proceedings before USPTO.

Bringing AI and AI Talent into Government
AI can help government deliver better results for the American people, though its use by Federal agencies can also pose risks, such as discrimination and unsafe decisions. Bringing AI and AI-enabling professionals into government, moreover, is vital for managing these risks and opportunities and advancing other critical AI missions. Over the last year, agencies have:

• Issued the first-ever government-wide policy to strengthen governance, mitigate risks, and advance innovation in federal use of AI. OMB’s historic policy, M-24-10, requires agencies to implement concrete safeguards when using AI in a way that could impact Americans’ rights or safety. These safeguards include a series of mandatory risk management practices to reliably assess, test, and monitor AI’s impacts on the public and provide greater transparency into how the government uses AI. OMB’s policy also directs agencies to designate Chief AI Officers to coordinate the use of AI across their agency, while expanding and upskilling their AI workforce and removing barriers to adopting AI for all manner of purposes—from addressing climate change to advancing public health and safety.

• Released a government-wide policy to advance responsible acquisition of AI by Federal agencies. M-24-18, published this month by OMB, helps ensure that when Federal agencies acquire AI, they have the information and tools necessary to manage risks, promote a competitive marketplace, and collaborate on strategic planning. This work directs the Federal government—the largest buyer in the U.S. economy—to advance AI innovation and risk management through responsibly exercising its purchasing power.

• Hired over 250 AI practitioners into the Federal government through the AI Talent Surge. Tech talent programs ramped up hiring for AI talent, with the Presidential Innovation Fellows bringing on their first-ever AI cohort, DHS establishing their AI Corps with over 30 members onboarded to date, and the U.S. Digital Corps providing pathways for early-career technologists to join Federal service. AI talent has been instrumental in delivering on critical AI priorities, from using AI to deliver top-tier government services, to protecting the public’s rights and safety in the use of AI.

• Established the Chief AI Officers Council to harmonize best practices and sharing of resources across the interagency to implement OMB’s guidance and coordinate the development and use of AI in agencies’ programs and operations.

• Introduced expanded reporting instructions for the federal AI use case inventory to include identifying use cases that impact rights or safety and how the agency is addressing the relevant risks in line with OMB’s policies. 
• Bolstered the public interest technology ecosystem. Building on the AI Talent Surge, the White House announced funding across government, academia, and civil society to support education and career pathways that will help ensure government has access to diverse, mission-oriented technology talent.

• Activated new hiring authorities to bring AI and AI-enabling talent into agencies. As part of the AI Talent Surge, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) granted new hiring authorities, including direct hire authorities and excepted service authorities, for agencies to rapidly bring on top-tier AI and AI-enabling talent, and released guidance on skills-based hiring and pay and leave flexibilities to best position agencies to hire and retain AI and AI-enabling talent. Additionally, OPM collaborated with partners to run three National Tech to Gov career fairs to connect the public with AI and tech jobs in government, surfacing roles from over 64 Federal, state, and local government employers to over 3,000 job seekers.

Advancing U.S. Leadership Abroad
President Biden’s Executive Order directed work to lead global efforts to capture AI’s promise, mitigate AI’s risks, and ensure AI’s responsible governance. To advance these goals, the Administration has:

• Sponsored and passed a landmark United Nations General Assembly resolution. The unanimously adopted resolution, with more than 100 co-sponsors (including the People’s Republic of China), lays out a common vision for countries around the world to promote the safe and secure use of AI to address global challenges.

• Engaged foreign leaders on strengthening international rules and norms for AI, including at the 2023 UK AI Safety Summit and the AI Seoul Summit in May 2024, where Vice President Harris represented the United States. In the United Kingdom, Vice President Harris unveiled a series of U.S. initiatives to advance the safe and responsible use of AI, including the establishment of AISI at the Department of Commerce.

• Announced a global network of AI Safety Institutes and other government-backed scientific offices to advance AI safety at a technical level. This network, which will formally launch in November at the inaugural network convening in San Francisco, will accelerate critical information exchange and drive toward common or compatible safety evaluations and policies.

• Expanded global support for the U.S.-led Political Declaration on the Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy. Fifty-six nations now endorse the political declaration, which outlines a set of norms for the responsible development, deployment, and use of military AI capabilities. DoD has expanded the scope of its international AI Partnership for Defense to align global Responsible AI practices with the Political Declaration’s norms.

• Developed comprehensive plans for U.S. engagement on global AI standards and AI-related critical infrastructure topics. NIST and DHS, respectively, will report on priority actions taken per these plans in 90 days.

• Signed the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on AI and Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law. This first multilateral treaty on AI represents a powerful affirmation of the relevance of existing human rights obligations to AI activities and establishes a strong baseline in international law for responsible government use of AI. The United States’ signature reflects its commitment to ensuring that AI technologies are designed, developed, used, and governed in ways that promote respect for human rights and democratic values. 

• Led the development of a Joint Statement on Responsible Government Practices for AI Technologies. The Joint Statement, to which the 41 countries of the Freedom Online Coalition committed, calls on governments to develop, use, and procure AI responsibly, including by respecting international obligations and commitments, assessing impacts of AI systems, conducting ongoing monitoring, ensuring adequate human training and assessment, communicating and responding to the public, and providing effective access to remedy. 

• Launched the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse.  The 15-country Global Partnership has advanced international policies to address online safety, and spurred new programs to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including through AI.

• The Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development published resources to advance global AI research and use of AI for economic development. The AI in Global Development Playbook incorporates principles and practices from NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework to guide AI’s responsible development and deployment across international contexts, while the Global AI Research Agenda outlines priorities for advancing AI’s safe, responsible, and sustainable global development and adoption.

The table below summarizes many of the activities that federal agencies have completed in response to the Executive Order.

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Via Teleconference

2:38 P.M. EDT

MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone.  Thanks so much for joining today’s call.  As a reminder, this call will be on background, attributable to senior administration officials, and it is embargoed until 5:00 p.m. Eastern today.

For your awareness, not for your reporting, on the call today we have [senior administration official], [senior administration official], [senior administration official], and [senior administration official]. 

We’ll follow up shortly after the call with embargoed materials as well, but I will turn it over to [senior administration officials] who will have a few words at the top, and then we’ll take your questions. 

Over to you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks, Eduardo, and thanks to everybody for joining us today.

Since the earliest days of the administration, President Biden has said we are at an inflection point with respect to advanced technologies.  And as he’s often said, we will see more technological change in the next 10 years than we saw in the last 50.

And that has motivated historic investments, mobilizing hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment to rebuild American manufacturing and innovation. 

The flipside of that, of course, of promoting critical technologies is, of course, protecting them.  And recognizing how transformative certain technologies can be, the President directed his national security team to ensure that where we have significant advantages, our world-leading technologies and know-how are not used against us to undermine our national security.  That’s been the guiding principle for the Biden-Harris administration’s export control policies, as well as the Outbound Investment Program that we’re glad to announce is being finalized today. 

As many of you know, we’ve been working on this approach to address certain outbound investments in sensitive technologies and critical sectors that could undermine American national security for some time.  And, in particular, we’ve been focused on the exploitation of certain intangible benefits that often accompany U.S. outbound investments and that help companies succeed through, for example, enhancing their standing and prominence, providing certain types of assistance, introducing investment and talent networks, opening up market access, and enhancing access to additional financing. 

The People’s Republic of China has a stated goal, as you know: to develop key sensitive technologies that will directly support the PRC’s military modernization and related activities, including weapons development, and it has exploited U.S. investments to develop domestic, military, and intelligence capabilities. 

So, today, the Treasury Department will issue a Final Rule to implement President Biden’s Executive Order 14105, from August of 2023, which is entitled “Addressing United States Investments in Certain National Security Technologies and Products in Countries of Concern.” 

The Final Rule provides the operative regulations and a detailed, explanatory discussion regarding its intent and application.  And as directed in the President’s executive order, the Final Rule does prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in certain transactions involving a defined set of technologies and products that pose a particularly acute national security risk to the United States. 

The Final Rule also requires U.S. persons to notify the Treasury Department of certain other transactions involving a defined set of technologies and products that may contribute to a threat to the national security of the United States. 

Covered technologies fall into three categories: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and artificial intelligence.  This set of technologies, we believe, is core for the next generation of military, cybersecurity, surveillance, and intelligence applications, providing what we believe are force multiplier capabilities. 

The United States already prohibits and restricts the export to countries of concern of many of the technologies and products covered by the Final Rule.  This program complements the United States’ existing export control and inbound screening tools by preventing U.S. investment from advancing the development of these technologies and products in countries of concern. 

The Treasury Department, as [senior administration official] will lay out, has used feedback through the notice and comment process to help design a carefully tailored approach.  And we also want to commend Senators Casey and Cornyn, Representatives DeLauro, Fitzpatrick, and Pascrell, as well as Representatives Meeks and McCaul in particular, for their leadership on this issue. 

The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote on Senators Casey and Cornyn’s Outbound Investment Transparency Act as an amendment to the Senate NDAA demonstrates the shared will of Congress and the administration to meaningfully regulate outbound investments. 

So, with that, I’ll turn it over to [senior administration official] to provide more detail on the content of the Final Rule. 

Over to you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks very much.  As mentioned today, Treasury is issuing, at the direction of the President, a targeted and narrowly scoped regulation that implements a new program to address this threat to U.S. national security.  The Final Rule has clear thresholds and definitions to implement the executive order, and provides detailed, explanatory discussion regarding its intent and application to assist investors and other stakeholders to help them navigate this new program. 

The Final Rule does two things at its core, as previewed: First, it prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in certain transactions involving semiconductors, quantum, and artificial intelligence.  And second, it requires U.S. persons to notify Treasury of certain other transactions involving semiconductors and artificial intelligence. 

The rule explains in detail the scope of the program, definitions, processes, requirements, and penalties for non-compliance, among other things.  Importantly, this rule has benefited from the input of a variety of stakeholders, industry experts, and allies and partners. 

We had two rounds of formal comments on the rulemaking to implement the executive order, first with the August 2023 ANPRM that was issued alongside the ENO and on which we got 60 comments from stakeholders.  Those comments were integral in developing the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that we issued in June of this year and on which we received more than 40 additional comments, which further informed the development of the Final Rule.

Over two-plus years, Treasury, along with the Departments of State and Commerce, have led extensive engagements with stakeholders across the globe.  These engagements and our deliberate decision to offer two rounds of public comment have helped us receive insightful feedback that has helped inform the Final Rule to ensure to choose our national security objectives while taking into account the need to be focused, targeted, and clear. 

Now, I’ll briefly discuss a few key aspects of the rule. 

First, as [senior administration official] suggested, the rule imposes requirements on U.S. persons.  This includes prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in certain transactions with what the rule identifies as covered foreign persons, and requires the U.S. persons to notify the Treasury Department about other transactions that involve covered foreign persons. 

Second, the Final Rule focuses on specific categories of investment transactions where the target of the investment has a nexus to the PRC and activities involving sensitive technologies and products. 

In terms of what transactions are covered, the Final Rule applies to, among other things, a U.S. person’s acquisition of an equity interest or contingent equity interest, certain debt financing, certain greenfield investments, or investments that could result in corporate expansion and joint ventures.  This would include, for example, a U.S. investment firm taking an equity stake in an advanced semiconductor manufacturer in the PRC.  It would also cover a U.S. company’s purchase of land in the PRC to develop a quantum computing research facility. 

There are exceptions for certain types of transactions that are less likely to contribute to the national security threat we’re worried about. 

For example, the Final Rule excepts or carves out certain investments by a U.S. person to publicly trade securities and certain investments made by a limited partner in a pooled investment fund, among others.

In light of our ongoing conversations with allies and partners on the importance of multilateral efforts in this area, the Final Rule also includes an exception for certain transactions involving a person of a country or territory outside the United States where the Secretary of the Treasury has determined that the country or territory is addressing national security concerns posed by outbound investment. 

And third, in terms of the technologies and products in scope for the program, the Final Rule provides technical details on the subsets of semiconductors, quantum, and artificial intelligence that are relevant to the program. 

For example, a U.S. person is prohibited from acquiring equity in a PRC entity that manufactures advanced semiconductors or that is developing an AI system designed exclusively or intended for a military end use.  A U.S. person would be required to notify Treasury if they are acquiring equity in a PRC company that manufactures legacy semiconductors. 

Other examples include direct equity investments by a company or private equity fund into any PRC company that is repurposing an AI model for penetration testing or automated vulnerability detection and exploitation, which would be covered under the rule as either notifiable or prohibited, depending on the design end use and computing power used to train an AI system. 

In addition to direct investments, indirect investments through a parent of a PRC company that is using AI models to improve targeting, intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance, or autonomous weapons systems for military use would be prohibited, as would such indirect investments in a PRC company developing or scaling quantum computers or networks to undermine encryption systems.  These technologies can be used for advanced code breaking, the development of next-generation military applications, or offensive cyber operations. 

Additionally, in general, the rule is based on a U.S. person’s knowledge of the relevant facts, rendering a transaction to be covered under the rule.  Enforcement and penalties are consistent with the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, the authority by which the President issued the executive order. 

The Final Rule takes effect on January 2nd, giving stakeholders time to organize internal infrastructure and processes to ensure compliance with the rule. 

The lengthy preamble to the rule summarizes the response to the comments received, as well as provides an explanation of the changes since the proposed rule issued over the summer. 

And let me make two additional and final points before concluding. 

First, this program is calibrated to help ensure our actions can be supported multilaterally, which is a critical component to maximize its effectiveness and reduce backfill from other investors.  The administration has been engaged in extensive conversations with allies and partners on the issue, and we are encouraged to see some allies and partners, including the European Commission and the United Kingdom, exploring the issue of outbound investment security in their own jurisdictions.

Second, cross-border investment flows have long contributed to U.S. economic vitality.  This targeted action is focused on national security and scope to address specific risks posed by certain U.S. outbound investment, and it maintains our longstanding commitment to open investment. 

Thanks.  And back to you, Eduardo, for questions.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We now have time for a few questions.  If you’d like to ask a question, please use the “Raise Your Hand” feature on Zoom, and we’ll come to you. 

First up, we’ll go to Michael Martina.

Q    Hi there.  Appreciate you doing this.  So, what you described sounds quite similar to the notice for proposed rulemaking earlier in the year.  I’m wondering if you can detail any specific or key changes that you made to the original notice you said it was used to inform this Final Rule.  So, are any changes from earlier?

And just an effort at clarification.  You know, given the exemptions for publicly traded securities, is it the White House’s contention that China has not significantly exploited publicly traded security purchases by U.S. investors to enhance their military or intelligence capabilities?  My understanding is that this is perfectly fine — you could trade public securities for Chinese defense companies under this; that’s totally within the rules.  Is that correct?  Thanks. 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So, maybe I’ll take the first question, Eduardo.  And then, [senior administration official], if you want to chime in on the second from a White House perspective.

So, I think while largely consistent with the NPRM in scope and structure, the Final Rule does contain some changes, including with respect to clarity of the rule and thinking forward to compliance. 

So, for example, we’ve selected clear technical thresholds for notifiable and prohibited transactions involving AI systems based on the amount of compute power to train an AI system that is open in the NPRM; refine how the rule applies to U.S. persons with investment banking authority and non-U.S. entity, such that it clearly applies only to those who actually exercise authority, for example; and clarifying with respect to compliance and enforcement with the rule. 

And so, there are a number of areas where we have honed and focused and sharpened the rule since then, and those are some examples.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks for the question, Michael.  So, I will say we do have existing authorities to address the threat you were discussing.  So, for example, Treasury has authorities — the Chinese military industrial complex sanctions regulations that are intended to address U.S. persons from purchasing or selling publicly traded securities and companies that are involved in this sector, and there are others as well. 

MODERATOR:  Next up, we’ll go to the line of Anita Powell.

Q    Thank you so much.  As you guys are surely aware, Elon Musk is developing a data center in China to train the algorithm to work on self-driving cars.  That’s a lot simpler than I think it really is.  But anyway, is this the type of investment that might be restricted under this new rule?  Can you just kind of flesh that out for us?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sure.  Happy to start. 

Look, I don’t think we’re going to get into hypothetical scenarios, but just reiterate some of the points that I’ve said. 

What the rule is really targeted on is capital and the intangibles that can flow from such American capital to go into the development of PRC-based — not just based, but PRC-based entities that are developing these advanced technologies.  And so, that’s sort of the scope of the rule. 

And one thing I will mention is that Treasury will provide some guidance and other documents during this interim period before the rule goes online.  That’s certainly our intent to help flesh this out.  But I think going back to the core tenets of the rule is the best way to answer that.

MODERATOR:  Next up, we’ll go to the line of (inaudible).

Q    Yeah, hi.  Thanks for doing this and for taking my question.  Could you talk a little bit more about the engagement with allies and partners in the process of finalizing this rule, specifically which allies specifically you engaged with and whether there are any allies who are going to create similar rules of their own?  Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  [Senior administration official], maybe you could start with engagements with allies that you’ve had, but then maybe, [senior administration official], if we could go to you, you could talk a little bit about the G7 as well.  That might be helpful.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:   Yeah, sure.  Thanks. 

So, in terms of — just to sort of put a topper before going to [senior administration official], we’ve had a number of engagements with partners and allies, which have resulted in not only sort of technical exchanges about what we are doing and why we’re doing it, but also various statements.  And [senior administration official] will allude to one of them with regard to the G7, but obviously the European Commission and the United Kingdom have made statements in support of these goals.  And so, it’s an ongoing process and one that will continue.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, and just to add on to what [senior administration official] said, this is something that, you know, even from the White House level we engage with our closest allies and partners on.  And [senior administration official] referenced, you know, a line in the G7 leaders’ statement from Apulia early this year that refers to, you know, recognizing that appropriate measures designed to address risk from outbound investments are important to complement our existing toolkit. 

So, it’s a conversation that we’re frequently having with our key partners and allies.

MODERATOR:  And we have time for one more.  We’ll go to the line of Patrick Tucker.

Q    Hey.  Thanks.  Patrick Tucker from Defense One.

So, when you say the rule prohibits people from acquiring equity in a PRC entity that manufactures semiconductors that might be used in autonomous weapons systems or that might be repurposed for AI penetration testing, is that based on an observation that there are U.S. firms that currently have investments in those areas of autonomous weaponry and penetration testing for China?  Or are you making the rule now in anticipation that firms might begin to invest in that sort of thing?  I’m trying to get a sense of the degree to which U.S. firms have exposure and have willingly made investments in these areas of the Chinese military.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So let me start, [senior administration official], and then perhaps, [senior administration official], pass it to you. 

I think what we are worried about, which I would focus on, is the kinds of scenarios that we have outlined, which is supported by data.  And one statistic that comes to mind — and I won’t get it exactly right, so I’d refer you to the Georgetown Center for — I think it’s Technology — that had a statistic that said something to the effect of: For a five-year period, I think between 2016 and 2020 or 2021, 17 percent of investment in Chinese artificial intelligence companies included U.S. participation, and of that, 91 percent was at the venture capital stage. 

I think if you think about those sets of facts and scenarios, that’s the kind of situation that when it comes to certain artificial intelligence capable of impacting our national security, from military intelligence, cyber, other related perspectives, that’s what we’re concerned about. 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yeah, I would just add to that that part of the motivation, as we were looking at some case studies to inform the development of this executive order and the regulation, actually was focused on cybersecurity, where we had a number — we saw a number of VC investments directly into firms working on cybersecurity that ended up on the entity list for working with Chinese military or intelligence services.

MODERATOR:  Thanks, everyone, for joining.  That’s all the time we have for today.  As a reminder, this call was on background, attributable to senior administration officials, and the contents of the call are embargoed until 5:00 p.m. Eastern. 

We’ll follow up shortly with embargoed materials as well. but do reach out to us, to the NSC or Treasury, with any questions in the meantime.  Thanks so much.

3:00 P.M. EDT  

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6:53 P.M. EDT
 
THE PRESIDENT:  (In progress) — and your friendship.  And thanks to everyone —
 
MS. TERESA:  So, President —
 
THE PRESIDENT:  — at Voto Latino.  (Inaudible.)
 
MS. TERESA:  So, President Biden, before we get started — before we get started, I just want to say, literally, three and a half years ago, we — when we were hunkered down, we were doing Zoom calls very similar to this, you came in and you talked to our community, and you said, “Maria Teresa, we are going to have the largest climate change legislation, the biggest infrastructure,” and you listed 20 things, and he’s like, “Will you be there with me?”  And I said, “Absolutely.”  And I said, “Do you think we’re going to get it done?”  You’re like, “Absolutely.”  And you know what?  You have. 
 
So, I’m incredibly grateful for all the work that you’ve done, and I would love for you to say a few words to — to the community based on your ability to deliver every single time.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  We got it done.  I didn’t get it done.  Every major thing we tried to do, from over a trillion dollars in infrastructure to work on communities that need help to health care to — I mean, a whole range of things, and we got it done.
 
As I said earlier, your partnership, your friendship, and your leadership has really made a big difference.  And thank everyone at Latino — you know — excuse me, thank everyone at your organization, Voto Latino, for all you do.  You know, you’ve always had my back, and I think it’s fair to say I’ve always had yours.
 
This is it.  This is it.  Seven days to Election Day, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.  And that’s not a — that’s not an exaggeration.  The choice couldn’t be clearer.
 
Presidential historians tell us the most important thing about a president is character — does he or she have character.  Kamala has character.  She’ll always stand up for Latinos, but not just Lati- — she’ll stand up for everyone who deserves to be stood up for, and that’s all Americans.
 
Donald Trump has no character.  He doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community.  He’s failed businessman.  He’s — he only cares about the billionaire friends he has and accumulating wealth for those at the top.

You know, he says immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of our country.  Give me a break.  He wants to do away with the birthright citizenship.  Who the hell else said that in the last 100 years? 

And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”  Well, let me tell you something.  I don’t — I — I don’t know the Puerto Rican that — that I know — or a Puerto Rico, where I’m fr- — in my home state of Delaware, they’re good, decent, honorable people.  The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.  It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.  
 
Now, Trump has di- — tried to divide the country based on race, ethnicity, anything that does harm, to take their eye off the ball about what the terrible things he’s done and will do.  But Kamala Harris has fought for all Americans and will be a president for all of America.
 
Look, folks, we’ve gotten a lot done together, as you pointed out.  Look, Maria Teresa, we did everything from the infrastructure bill to health care to making sure that veterans are taken care of.  I mean, across the board, we’ve done so much.  We’ve created over 16 million jobs.  More Latinos have jobs than ever before.
 
Look, a quarter of all — here’s the way I look at it.  A quarter of all the children in our schools today are Latino — are Latino, a quarter of them.  How could we possibly not invest everything we have in a quarter of our population that’s going to be our future?  It’s going to make a major, major, major, major piece of what this country looks like and what we think and what we believe.  So, these are going to have to be the doctors, the teachers, the scientists, and, yes, presidents.
 
You know, I know we’ve asked a lot of each other, but I’m talking to you about one more thing and asking you, as a favor, all of you listening, to vote.  Get out early and vote.  Do it early.
 
You know, I — I know the long waits on Election Day are all too common, especially in Latino communities.  You know, I cast my ballot yesterday.  I stood in line for 40, 45 minutes with all the people in Delaware, and I cast my vote yesterday in my home state.  I waited in line with a lot of other people. 
 
There was a woman ahead of me, an elderly woman, who was in her 90s in a wheelchair, and it was a heavy wheelchair and the person pushing it was having trouble, so I spent time with her.  She — she’s — she’s over 90 years old, and she’s breaking her neck to vote because she knows how important it is.
 
Today is National Vote Early Day.  Let me say it again.  Today is National Vote Early Day.  Remind folks to vote early, to return mail-in ballots. 
 
Vote for access to a good education so everyone has an opportunity.  Vote to eliminate not — what Trump wants — he wants to eliminate the Department of Education and no early education.  We’re fighting like hell, and we’re fighting like hell for early education because, you know, it increases exponentially the prospect of success for our sons and our daughters. 
 
Vote to give our daughters the same opportunities we give our sons, instead of taking away their rights. 
 
Vote to make sure we maintain a significant health care that would provide for our parents and our families and basic health care for all Americans.  Trump is trying like hell to get rid of it.  More people have health care now than ever before.  He says he’s going to — wants to get rid of it.
 
Vote to continue the progress we made on job growth — the growth in jobs for everyone, including Latinos — a significant job growth.
 
Vote for comprehensive imm- — immigration reform instead of mass deportation.  What’s he talkin- — think about it. 
 
You know, I travel the world because of my role as president and my knowledge of foreign policy.  I get inquiries from other heads of state, “Does Trump really mean it?  Are you really going to send out the police to gather up thousands and millions of people and deport them?”  What the hell is going on here?  Vote for comprehensive immigration reform instead of mass deportation. 
 
In short, vote to keep Donald Trump out of the White House.  He’s a true danger to not just Latinos but to all people, particularly those who are in a minority in this country. 
 
You know, we have to vote to elect Kamala as president, Tim Walz as vice president.  It’s (inaudible) — it’s never been more important.
 
We’ve known each other a long time, Maria Teresa — a long time.  And I want to tell you something I can say without equivocation.  Our democracy is at stake.  And to translate that into pure English — and that’s wh- — I should be able to speak Spanish, but I can’t.  We should be able to talk about what this means.
 
He wants to fundamentally change the way our Constitution works.  He wants to take away people’s rights.  He wants to concentrate power in the hands of a very few — people like him.
 
So, go to IWillVote.com and make your plan to vote early.  Make it today, because voting early (inaudible) now basically through election.  Make a plan to vote, please, please, please.  Your vote is critical.  A Latino vote is critical.  Let’s make it heard.
 
I want them to remember who you are and who we are.  We’re the United States of America.  And there’s nothing, nothing at all beyond our capacity when we do it together.
 
So, God bless you all.  And God bless you, Maria Teresa, for all you’ve been doing.  We have more to do, but we got to get it done. 
 
This el- — this election is the most consequential election we’ve ever voted in, no matter how old or how young you are — this election.
 
God bless you all.  And God protect our troops.
 
MS. TERESA:  Thank you so much, President Biden.  And I have to tell you, what you really — what you are saying is a clarion call.  It’s a multicultural democracy, and it’s us, as Americans first, that will save this country and our democracy.  And I’m so grateful for the time —
 
THE PRESIDENT:  The reason why we’re strong.
 
MS. TERESA:  — you’ve spent with us.  (Inaudible.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  We’re the most diverse country, and that’s why we’re strong.  That is our strength.
 
MS. TERESA:  Right.  (Laughs.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  (Inaudible) our weakness.  It’s our strength.
 
MS. TERESA:  No, I call it our superpower — our superpower.  And I always say, like, you don’t have to take my word for it.  The reason that you have disinformation around race is because the Russians and the Chinese recognize that racism is our Achilles heel, but it — they also recognize that it’s our multiculturalism that is our superpower and our strength.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  We bring all the best of every culture together.  We really do.  It’s not hyperbole.  That’s a fact.
 
MS. TERESA:  It’s true.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Sometimes I think our folks (inaudible) don’t realize it, but it’s truly a fact.  Anyway.
 
God love you for what you’re doing.  Keep it going, kid.
 
MS. TERESA:  I’m super grateful.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Keep it going.
 
MS. TERESA:  Yeah, we’re not done yet.  We’re just getting started.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  We’re not even close to done.
 
MS. TERESA:  (Inaudible.)  (Laughs.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  And I may be — I may be leaving office on January 20th, but I’m not leaving. 
 
MS. TERESA:  I — I —
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I’m not leaving.
 
MS. TERESA:  You promise?
 
THE PRESIDENT:  I’m leaving office, but I’m not leaving this fight. 
 
MS. TERESA:  (Laughs.)
 
THE PRESIDENT:  God love you.  Thank you so much.
 
MS. TERESA:  I’m going to remind you of that.  Much love.  Say hello to Jill.
 
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, you don’t (inaudible) — I’m going to ask for your help and let me join you.
 
MS. TERESA:  I will always be there, President. 
 

7:02 P.M. EDT

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BMORE LICKS
Baltimore, Maryland

3:02 P.M. EDT

Q    Mr. President, will you be watching the vice president’s speech tonight?

THE PRESIDENT:  I will.

Q    Why are you not attending?  It’s right there on the Ellipse?

THE PRESIDENT:  Because it’s for her.  This is her night.

Q    What do you expect to hear out of her tonight?  What’s the closing message from the vice president?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’ll let you hear it first.

Q    Mr. President, are you worried about the North Korean troops in Kursk, in Russia?

THE PRESIDENT:  I am concerned about it, yes.

Q    Should the Ukrainians strike — strike back?

THE PRESIDENT:  If they cross into Ukraine, yes.

3:03 P.M. EDT

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Today, the White House Task Force on AI Datacenter Infrastructure convened experts from power companies, grid operators, software companies, NGOs, and other stakeholders to explore how advanced computing and software solutions, including artificial intelligence (AI), can accelerate grid integration of clean energy. Maintaining U.S. leadership of AI globally is a national security and an economic imperative. That is why the Biden-Harris Administration is focused on maintaining the strongest AI ecosystem in the world here in the United States and ensuring AI datacenters run on clean energy and without raising costs for American consumers. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta, and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi encouraged participants to invest in innovative solutions that further accelerate deployment and ensure we reliably meet our energy needs, keep electricity costs low, and achieve U.S. climate targets.

Participants discussed efforts underway to get more sources of supply on the grid by addressing the backlog of projects to power the grid currently waiting in “interconnection queues,” situations where additional computing solutions can make the biggest difference, and strategies on how to pursue those opportunities.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Willie Phillips joined the convening and explained how stakeholders would benefit from the Commission’s July 2023 rule on interconnecting new generation resources.

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced a forthcoming new program that will use AI to help clean energy project developers submit applications that grid operators can evaluate more quickly. DOE also highlighted an investment announced earlier this month to help transmission owners and grid operators replace fragmented data management systems with a standardized, cloud-based software solution that supports a faster interconnection process.

Moreover, participants discussed DOE initiatives unveiled earlier this year as part of its novel Interconnection Innovative e-Xchange, or i2X, program, highlighting roadmaps with recommended solutions to implement a simpler, faster, and fairer interconnection process and opportunities for stakeholders to get involved.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda has accelerated hundreds of billions of dollars of investments in clean electricity generation across the country and enabled historic actions to get energy projects funded, permitted, and deployed across the country – fueling over 250,000 new, good-paying energy jobs in 2023, which are growing at twice the rate of the rest of the economy. Applications for nearly 2,600 gigawatts of generation and battery storage capacity – twice current U.S. generation capacity – are waiting in interconnection queues to be connected to the grid. Accelerating the process by which grid operators study, determine, and approve needed grid upgrades to interconnect projects will enable clean energy to come online faster – energy America needs to fuel our economic growth, from our expanding manufacturing sector to datacenters that ensure U.S. leadership in AI to electric vehicles and more.

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The United States has long stood with the Georgian people and supported the country of Georgia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. That is why I have been deeply alarmed by the country’s recent democratic backsliding, including the enactment of legislation mirroring Russian laws that restrict fundamental freedoms and limit the space for independent civil society organizations. Most recently, Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary elections were marred by numerous recorded misuses of administrative resources as well as voter intimidation and coercion. Georgian citizens have a right to peacefully express their views regarding the conduct of these elections, which independent international and domestic observers have not said were free and fair. We call on the Georgian government to transparently investigate all election irregularities, to repeal laws such as the so-called “Foreign Influence Law” that limit freedoms of assembly and expression, and to begin an immediate, inclusive dialogue with all political forces in Georgia about restoring election integrity. We call for all parties to strictly respect the rule of law and fundamental freedoms, which remain the foundation for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future. 

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President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria.  President Biden offered his condolences on the recent flooding that has impacted northeastern Nigeria and underscored his appreciation for President Tinubu’s leadership in securing the release on humanitarian grounds of American citizen and former U.S. law enforcement official Tigran Gambaryan last week.  The two leaders also spoke about the value of the U.S.-Nigeria partnership in addressing global challenges and advancing security and prosperity across multiple sectors. In particular, President Biden expressed appreciation for cooperation on law enforcement, including through the recently announced Bilateral Liaison Group on Illicit Finance and Cryptocurrencies, for collaboration on new and innovative technologies, and on shared interests in reforming international organizations to reflect African voices.

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On October 30, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will host President Nikos Christodoulides of the Republic of Cyprus for a bilateral meeting at the White House. Building on the successful inaugural U.S.-Republic of Cyprus Strategic Dialogue, launched on October 23, the leaders will discuss a range of global issues, including energy security and cooperation, events in the Middle East, and continued robust support to Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression. Acknowledging the 50th anniversary of the island’s division, President Biden will reiterate U.S. support for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality for all Cypriots.  

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On October 25, 2024, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands and ordered Federal assistance to supplement territory and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Tropical Storm Ernesto from August 13 to August 16, 2024.

Federal funding is available to territory and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by Tropical Storm Ernesto in the islands of St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, and Water Island.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the entire territory.

Lai Sun Yee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the territory and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), or by using the FEMA App. Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give FEMA the number for that service. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

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President Biden will travel to the Port of Baltimore to announce $147 million in awards, which will support up to 2,000 good-paying and union jobs at the Port

Today, President Biden will travel to the Port of Baltimore to announce a $3 billion investment from his Inflation Reduction Act to improve and electrify port infrastructure, support an estimated 40,000 good-paying and union jobs, reduce pollution, and combat the climate crisis.  The announcement includes $147 million in awards for the Maryland Port Administration, which will support over 2,000 good-paying and union jobs by enabling the purchase and installation of zero-emission port equipment, charging infrastructure, and power improvements. During the visit, President Biden will highlight how his Investing in America agenda is making an historic impact on communities and workers in Baltimore and across the country.

$3 Billion Investment to Strengthen Port Infrastructure

Today, President Biden is announcing $3 billion in Environmental Protection Agency Clean Ports grants, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, to 55 selectees across 27 states and territories, including $147 million in implementation and planning grants for the Maryland Port Administration. The nation’s ports are the lynchpin of our nation’s supply chains and employ over 100,000 union workers across the United States.

This funding will protect and create good-paying and union jobs and better working conditions by upgrading port operations and infrastructure to cleaner equipment, while ensuring cleaner air for port workers and nearby communities. The Clean Ports program will support an estimated 40,000 jobs across the economy, including over 6,500 manufacturing jobs, and is expected to increase demand for American manufactured electric cargo handling equipment at least six-fold over the life of the program.

While a major economic driver, our nation’s ports are a major source of pollution for workers and surrounding communities. Communities living near ports and other transportation corridors are exposed to toxic pollution which can cause respiratory and cardiovascular harm, especially in children. The Clean Ports program will improve air quality at ports across the country by installing clean, zero-emission freight and ferry technologies along with associated infrastructure, eliminating more than 3 million metric tons of carbon pollution over the first ten years of implementation, equivalent to 391,220 homes’ energy use for one year. The funds announced today will support the purchase of battery-electric and hydrogen-powered human-operated and human-maintained equipment, including over 1,500 units of cargo handling equipment, 1,000 drayage trucks, 10 locomotives, and 20 vessels, as well as shore power systems for ocean-going vessels, battery-electric and hydrogen vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure, and solar power generation. The Clean Ports program advances the President’s Justice40 Initiative and aligns with the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal for a zero-emission freight sector.

Investing in the Port of Baltimore

President Biden will announce the funding at the Port of Baltimore in Maryland. The Port of Baltimore is one of the busiest ports on the East Coast and is a major hub for the import and export of vehicles. More than 20,000 workers support daily Port operations, including unionized longshoreman and truckers. Each day the Port’s economic impact represents $192 million or more than $70 billion a year, representing 13% of Maryland’s gross domestic product.

The Maryland Port Administration’s Equipment Electrification and Terminal Decarbonization project has been selected to receive over $145 million to purchase zero-emission cargo handling equipment and drayage trucks and facilitate the transition of the port to a zero-emission facility, as well as a nearly $2 million planning grant to help the port chart a path to greater emissions reductions in the future, delivering cleaner air for the port and neighboring communities. The port is a major economic engine for the region, providing thousands of jobs and contributing billions of dollars to the local economy—and this new investment will support over 2,000 jobs, including more than 350 manufacturing jobs.

Creating Good Paying, Union Jobs in Baltimore and Across the Country

President Biden is the most pro-union president in history. He’s the first and only president to walk a picket line, and under his Administration, unions have secured historic labor wins. Last month, President Biden signed an Executive Order that calls on agencies to promote strong labor standards such as family-sustaining wages, workplace safety, and the free and fair choice to join a union, and encourages agencies to implement these standards through their Investing in America programs. This builds on a record of pro-worker accomplishments throughout the Biden-Harris Administration. For example:

• Workers are filing for union representation at twice the rate they were at the start of the Biden-Harris Administration—the first Administration in five decades to have an increase in union petitions. In Maryland, union petitions increased by 55% percent. The National Labor Relations Board has met this historic moment by reducing unnecessary delays in union representation elections and by expanding remedies available to workers when their employers engage in unionbusting.
• The vast majority of Investing in America programs require grantees to pay Davis-Bacon prevailing wages for workers. The Administration also published the first update to Davis-Bacon prevailing wages in nearly 40 years, which will increase pay for one million construction workers over time.
• The Department of the Treasury finalized a rule implementing prevailing wage and apprenticeship bonus credits for certain clean energy projects funded by the President’s Inflation Reduction Act to ensure clean energy workers are paid good wages and that these projects create equitable pipelines to these good jobs.

Building on Historic Investments in Maryland’s Infrastructure and Economy

Today’s announcement builds on a historic investment in the state of Maryland under the Biden-Harris Administration. To date, the Investing in America agenda has delivered over $13 billion for over 970 projects in Maryland, spurring over $3 billion in private sector investments.

This includes a number of projects in Baltimore, for example:

• $4.7 billion for Amtrak’s Frederick Douglass Tunnel—which will replace the 150-year-old Baltimore and Potomac tunnel that is currently one of the largest rail bottlenecks on the Northeast Corridor;
• $213 million to replace the Maryland Transit Administration’s entire fleet of 52 aging light rail vehicles with new, modern rail cars;
• $80 million for interchange improvements at the I-895 Baltimore Harbor Tunnel;
• $68 million for upgrades at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall airport;
• $43 million to identify and replace toxic lead pipes across Maryland;
• $31 million to rehabilitate a section of the Dundalk Marine Terminal at the Port; and
• $9 million to Baltimore City Public Schools for clean school buses.

Baltimore was also named an Investing in America Workforce Hub, where the Administration is bringing together industry, government, educators, non-profits and unions to help workers in Maryland access good jobs created by private and public sector investments in the state. In November 2023, Hub partners announced new efforts to train and hire local residents to support major infrastructure projects. These commitments include one from the State of Maryland to incorporate a Project Labor Agreement in the bidding process for nine projects covering $9 billion in investment and 11,000 jobs—including 7,000 construction jobs. One of these commitments includes Amtrak promising to invest at least $5 million in funding received through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to create recruitment and training programs for new jobs for Baltimore residents as part of the Frederick Douglass Tunnel Program.

The Department of Commerce also awarded the Maryland Department of Labor $23 million through the Economic Development Administration’s Good Jobs Challenge to create a new apprenticeship model for the growing offshore wind industry in Maryland, working with leading employers and local unions to develop a training model focused on underserved populations. The Maritime Administration is further supporting the Maryland offshore wind industry through a $47 million grant to Sparrows Point Steel to retool, a former Bethlehem Steel mill in Baltimore, to establish an offshore wind logistics and manufacturing hub in partnership with the United Steelworkers.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda has also unleashed $3 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in Maryland, including:

• A $350 million investment by United Safety Technology in Baltimore to produce critical medical supplies, including personal protective equipment.
• A $300 million investment by AstraZeneca in a state-of-the-art facility in Rockville to launch life-saving cell therapy platforms for cancer trials.
• A $230 million investment by Catalent to expand its advanced gene therapy manufacturing campus in Harmans.

The Administration’s Investing in America agenda continues to make critical investments that will improve the lives and futures of all Marylanders.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Ongoing Support for Baltimore

President Biden was last in Baltimore in the immediate aftermath of the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge, which claimed the lives of six construction workers and closed ship traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore. There, he said his Administration would move heaven and earth to reopen the Port of Baltimore as quickly as possible to support Maryland’s workers and economy. A Unified Command led by the United States Coast Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers cleared 50,000 tons of wreckage from the channel, allowing the Port to fully reopen 78 days after the bridge collapse. The Department of Labor and Small Business Administration mobilized quickly to support workers and small businesses impacted by the port closure, including thousands of Longshoremen and Teamsters who rely on the port for their livelihood. And the Department of Transportation and the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force worked to limit supply chain disruptions, keep costs down, and ensure cargo quickly returned to the Port once it reopened. Today, port workers are back on the job, once again moving more than 100,000 tons of cargo per day.

The President also committed to rebuilding the bridge as quickly as possible. Thanks to close collaboration with the Department of Transportation, Maryland is on the fast track to rebuild the bridge. In July, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Categorical Exclusion, allowing the project to clear a critical permitting milestone. And in August, Maryland selected a contractor to design and build the new bridge.  Immediately following the bridge collapse, President Biden called on Congress to fully fund the replacement bridge and his Administration reiterated this request in July.

The Biden-Harris Administration also committed to holding the owners of the DALI cargo ship accountable for the disaster. Just last week, the Department of Justice announced a settlement of over $100 million with the owners of the DALI to cover federal government costs incurred in responding to the collapse. While the State of Maryland continues to pursue a separate lawsuit for damages incurred to the local economy, community, and families impacted by the collapse, the Biden-Harris Administration remains committed to working with Baltimore and the State of Maryland to ensure the city’s long-term recovery and success.

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The University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA

SECOND GENTLEMAN DOUGLAS EMHOFF: Thank you, Meryl and Yoni, and thank you Pittsburgh. You’ve welcomed me many times to mourn, to remember, and to rededicate ourselves to living proudly as Jews.
 
Thank you for opening your doors and arms once again, at this critical moment.
 
We have one week to go. One week to turn the page, chart a new way forward, and elect Kamala Harris.
 
I am so proud of the way she has stepped up, shared her vision, and prosecuted the case against Donald Trump’s unhinged view of America and of our fellow Americans.
 
Kamala brings both joy and toughness to everything she does – and this campaign is no different.
 
Yesterday we marked the anniversary of the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history, a massacre at Shabbat services not far from where we gather right now.
 
And one year after the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, we are all still reeling.
 
So I want to talk about how we feel when we wake up, walk through the world, and stare at the ceiling at night:
 
It is an uncomfortable and unsettling time to be Jewish. These are hard days.
 
There is pride in our people, but also a deep sense of insecurity.
 
Like you, I know people who think twice about wearing a kippah or a Star of David.
 
Parents who are worried sick about their kids’ safety on college campuses.
 
Young people who aren’t just afraid that they’re going to grow up with fewer rights than their grandparents, but who are being targeted for being Jewish in ways we thought only happened in our grandparents’ time.
 
Everywhere I go, people tell me they also feel something else: loneliness.
 
In the rooms where you used to feel safe, you no longer feel welcome. It didn’t always feel this lonely to be Jewish in America.
 
Like many of you, my family came to this country to escape these very fears. To feel this way in 2024 is disorienting and disconcerting.
  
But I’ll tell you one place I’ve never felt that – where I’ve actually felt the opposite: the home I share with Kamala.
 
When we’re shaken, we go home and talk to the people we love.
 
After Charlottesville, after Tree of Life, after October 7, the person I turned to and talked to was my wife.
 
After Hamas executed Hersh and the other hostages, she and I grieved together.

When we see the antisemitic attacks that are happening week by week in America – like the students wearing kippot who were assaulted while walking to the Hillel on this very campus, like the Federation building in Detroit that was vandalized on the anniversary of October 7, like the historic synagogue in Philadelphia that was defiled just last week, like the man who was shot in Chicago while walking to Shabbat services two days ago – Kamala and I recommit ourselves to extinguishing this epidemic of hate.
 
And let me make something else clear: we do not cower.
 
We take inspiration from communities like this one, which came together as one after Tree of Life – and from those Pitt students, who say they wear the signs of their Judaism even more proudly since being attacked.
 
We heard the antisemitic and racist speeches at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally yesterday.
 
It’s appalling to hear those slurs, especially in the closing days of a campaign – and even more painful to hear them on the anniversary of the massacre at Tree of Life.
 
But nothing will stop me from living fearlessly as a Jew. Nothing will stop Kamala and me from speaking out. Nothing will take away our joy or our faith in America.
 
Kamala is someone whose conviction and compassion is driven by empathy as well as experience.
 
She hears the stories of people who practice a different faith – and especially those who are targeted because of it – and comes away with a sense of personal responsibility.
 
She knows how deeply our community has been re-traumatized and our fears about the future.
 
So this is not a footnote in her agenda. Bringing us together, defending those who are wronged, disparaged, and excluded is the essence of her life and her leadership.
 
And that is what we need in the Oval Office.
  
Now, anybody can say the right things on the campaign trail, and then go home and turn it off. Not Kamala.
 
Because when Kamala walks through the door at the end of the day, that door has a mezuzah on it.
 
And three months from now, with your help, the White House residence could have a mezuzah on its doorpost.
 
Let me be direct and answer the question that Jews have asked for generations: Yes, she feels it in her gut. Kamala feels it, as we say, in her kishkes.
 
Her commitment to the security of Israel is unwavering. I know this not just because of what she’s said publicly – though she has said it consistently her entire career – but also by what she does and says when it’s just us.
 
I’ve talked to her before and after her calls with Israel’s leaders and diplomats.
 
She takes seriously her pledge – and I’m going to quote Kamala here – to “always ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself from Iran and Iran-backed terrorists.”
 
I saw her determination earlier this month after she spent hours in the Situation Room, coordinating in real time with our military to shoot down the missiles Iran launched into Israel’s skies.
 
I’ve been next to her as she’s steeled herself, with such care and compassion, to meet the hostage families.
 
And I’ve seen how those conversations both break her heart and strengthen her resolve.
 
I know what’s in her soul. She feels what you and I – and Jews across America – are feeling today. She gets it.
 
And to tell you the truth, it’s not because she married a nice Jewish boy. To be honest, she’s been working on this longer than I have.
 
Growing up, she collected donations, in those iconic blue-and-white tzedakah boxes, to plant trees in Israel.
 
As District Attorney of San Francisco, she prosecuted antisemitic attacks as hate crimes.
 
As Attorney General, she published an annual report on hate crimes.
 
As a U.S. senator, the first resolution she passed – the very first – was to speak out against antisemitism.
 
Throughout her career, Kamala has strengthened the bonds between the United States and Israel, between the Israeli people and the American people.
 
She knows those bonds must remain strong regardless of which administration or leader is in power.
 
Over the last year, Kamala has worked every day for a deal to bring the hostages home and for a ceasefire – to protect innocent civilians in Gaza and make sure aid gets to those in need – and for a reality in which Israel is secure and Palestinians know the dignity, freedom, and self-determination they deserve.
 
Throughout her career, Kamala has been crystal clear in pledging – again, I’m going to use her words – to “always work to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people here and around the world” and “support the existence of a secure, democratic homeland for the Jewish people.” Those are direct quotes.
 
When Kamala is President, she will continue to stand with Israel and with the Jewish community – our community. She will reject antisemitic hate and the notion that Israel does not have the right to exist.
 
Kamala also knows that the justice Judaism commands us to pursue is not only about foreign policy.
 
It is also about ensuring everyone is respected, every vote is counted, and every woman has the freedom to make decisions about her own body.
  
Like some of you, I have walked along the train tracks that led into, but not out of, Auschwitz.
 
I have spoken to Holocaust survivors who hear in the present-day propaganda and intolerance the echoes of the 1930s – and warned us what was heading for America.
 
Last year, I met with a survivor who escaped to present-day Ukraine from Germany – but who now has been forced, in her advanced age, to escape to Germany from Ukraine.
 
And I went with Kamala to visit Yad Vashem. Before we left, Kamala wrote a note to share how devastated she was by – as she put it – “the silent testimonials of those who perished in the Shoah.”
 
Kamala hears the silence of those we lost – she hears the silence of those who look the other way – and she urged me to use my voice. That is why I have used this role to do this work of fighting antisemitism and hate.
 
That’s right: it was Kamala who encouraged me to take up this mission as Second Gentleman.
 
I am so proud to have helped the President and Vice President establish the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, mobilizing the full force of the federal government to protect Jewish communities.
 
One thing we know about antisemitism is that those who discriminate against us discriminate against all of us. There are many Jews far more religiously observant than I am – but as I said to an Orthodox rabbi, they hate us all equally.
 
Another thing we know is that anti-Semites usually don’t stop there.
 
Those who hate Jews often hate Muslims, hate people of color, hate LGBTQ people, hate anyone who doesn’t look or pray or think like they do.
 
And a third thing we know about antisemitism is that whenever chaos and cruelty are given a green light, Jew-hatred is historically not far behind.
 
That matters today because Donald Trump is nothing if not an agent of chaos and cruelty.
  
People run for office for one of two reasons: to hold power or to lead people.
 
And when you look at the candidates on your ballot, that is the choice.
 
He is running for himself. She is running for you – for us. In fact, that distinction has been the driving force for each of them throughout their very different careers.
 
He is a conman and a convicted criminal who tears others down. She is a prosecutor and a public servant who lifts people up.
 
He has lost the support of those who worked with him the closest. She proudly accepts their endorsements.
 
He demeans immigrants with the same hateful slurs hurled at our ancestors – “vermin” and “animals” who “poison the blood of our country.”
 
He scapegoats Jewish voters to our faces, saying that if he loses, it will be the fault of the Jews.
 
He looks at Adolf Hitler’s generals and sees something to admire.
 
Let that sink in. 
 
You do not reward someone like that with a platform – or with power – and never again with the Presidency.
  
Now, you and I have heard the arguments that give Trump the benefit of the doubt despite all his nonsensical, hateful rhetoric; despite his takeover of the Supreme Court; despite his insurrection at the Capitol; despite his promise to be a dictator on day one.
 
But this is different. Last time, there were people around him who checked his worst instincts.
 
If there is a next time, they won’t be there. The people who know that Trump should be nowhere near the Situation Room are the ones who will be locked out.
 
Just listen to his own Vice President, his own Chief of Staff, his own Defense Secretary, his own National Security Advisor.
 
Donald Trump demands loyalty – but he is loyal to nothing but himself. If it suited his selfish interests, Trump would turn his back on Israel and the Jewish people on a dime.
 
Whenever antisemitism rears its ugly head in this country, we should never have to wonder where our government stands.
 
We should never have to wonder whether our leaders are praising Nazis behind closed doors.
 
When I used to speak to a jury at the end of a trial, I would often say to them: Believe what you see. Trust the facts staring you in the face.
 
So when Donald Trump says something unhinged, do not roll your eyes. Roll up your sleeves.
  
Let me finish where I started: this has been a heartbreaking year to be a Jew in America.
 
The question is: will next year be even harder – for us and for Americans of every background, for all of us who believe in freedom?
 
The answer is in our hands. The answer is on our ballots.
 
How many times have you read our history and asked: What were they thinking? Why didn’t they stop it? Why didn’t they act?
 
Embedded in that question is this truth: we have a choice.
 
There is a fire in this country. Either we pour water on it, or we pour gasoline.
 
That is the choice every one of us faces right now. Because fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate is the responsibility of every American.
 
Kamala and I planted a pomegranate tree at the Vice President’s residence this past October 7.
 
It commemorates both the pain and the perseverance of the Jewish people.
 
We pray that this symbol of hope will grow into a tree of life, reflecting the resilience of the congregation here in Pittsburgh of the same name.
 
Our Proverbs liken the Torah to a Tree of Life. But there’s an important condition attached. The full verse says it is “a tree of life – for those who hold fast to it.”
 
In other words, it is only a source of goodness if you choose to honor it.
 
That is the story of America, too.
 
Our Constitution only works if we choose to respect the rule of law.
 
Our democracy only works if we choose to respect one another – and if we elect leaders who serve us rather than themselves.
 
As Ben Franklin famously said here in Pennsylvania, it’s only a republic if we can keep it.
 
This is the most important election in our lifetimes – and as Kamala says, the most important election in the lifetime of our nation.
 
We’re being asked whether we will protect America’s promise as a welcoming society – for Jews and for everyone. A nation where no one ever feels attacked or alone.
 
There is only one candidate in this race who will bring us closer to that reality.
 
In your gut – in your kishkes – you know that’s true. And you know what we need to do to elect her as our next President.
 
Thank you.

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Burns Park
Ann Arbor, Michigan

7:41 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Good evening, Ann Arbor!  (Applause.)  Good evening. 

Can we hear it for Tim Walz?  (Applause.)

Oh, it’s great to be back in Michigan.  How’s everybody doing?  (Applause.)  Go Blue!  (Applause.) 

So, let me just say about Tim Walz.  He’s been such an extraordinary running mate, and he will be an extraordinary vice president of the United States.  (Applause.)

And let me tell you why I love Coach Walz.  As he travels to every corner of our country, meeting with people in small towns, big to- — towns, everywhere in between, Cal- — Coach Walz is always bringing the joy.  He is always bringing the joy.  He cares about people.  He understands people.  He understands hard work.  And he understands what it means to be a leader who lifts people up instead of trying to beat people down.  That is Tim Walz.  (Applause.)

And, Ann Arbor, I can feel the joy tonight.  Thank you all so very much.  (Applause.)

And we have some other incredible leaders with us here tonight.  Mayor Taylor, thank you.  (Applause.)  Where’s — there you are.  Deputy County Executive Turfe, I thank you so very much.  (Applause.)  Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist.  (Applause.)  Representative Dingell, a champion for this community.  (Applause.)  And let’s also send Elissa Slotkin to the United States Senate.  (Applause.)  We need her in D.C.

And I also want to thank all the labor, elected, and community leaders who are here today.

And can we please hear it again for Maggie Rogers?  (Applause.)

All right.  We got business to handle.  (Laughter.) 

Okay.  So, Ann Arbor, I have a question for you.  Are we ready to do this?  (Applause.)

Are we ready to vote?  (Applause.)

Are we ready to win?  (Applause.)  Yes.  And we will win.  (Applause.)  And we will win. 

So, you just heard from the coach: Early voting has started here in Michigan.  You can vote early now through Sunday, November 3rd.  And we need you to vote early, Michigan, because we have just eight days to go — eight days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. 

And as everybody here knows, this is going to be a tight race until the very end. 

So, we have a lot of work ahead of us, but we like hard work.  (Applause.)  Hard work is good work.  Hard work is joyful work. 

And make no mistake, we will win.  We will win.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  We will win!  We will win!  We will win!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:   Yes, we will. 

And we will win because together —

AUDIENCE:  We will win!  We will win!  We will win!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And we will win, yes.  Yes.  (Laughs.)

AUDIENCE:  We will win!  We will win!  We will win!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We can keep going all night.  (Laughs.)

But one of the reasons we will win is because we are all in this together.  We are all in this together — people from every walk of life, understanding that the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. 

And we here are fighting for the future.  (Applause.)  We are fighting for the future, and we understand the opportunity that we have before us to turn the page on the fear and divisiveness that have characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump. 

We have an opportunity to turn the page and chart a new and joyful way forward where we tap into the ambitions — (applause) — and we will tap into the ambitions and the aspirations and the dreams of the American people.  (Applause.)

And let me tell you something.  As I travel our country, there is an overwhelming call for a fresh start — people from all walks of life.  And they are calling for a new generation of leadership that is optimistic and excited about what we can do together.  (Applause.) 

There is a yearning in our country for a president who will see you, who gets you, and who will fight for you.  (Applause.)

And, listen, hey, on the subject of Gaza.  Hey, guys — (the vice president waves to audience members) — I hear you.  On the subject of Gaza, we all want this war to end as soon as possible and get the hostages out.  And I will do everything in my power to make it so.  (Applause.)

And let’s be clear.  We are all here because we are fighting for a democracy and for the right of people to be heard and seen.  (Applause.)  We’re not about the enemy within.  We know we are all in this together.  That’s what we are fighting for.  (Applause.)

     And my whole career —

     AUDIENCE:  Kamala!  Kamala!  Kamala!

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.

     AUDIENCE:  Kamala!  Kamala!  Kamala!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Okay, now I want each of you to shout your own name.  Do that — (laughter) — because it’s about all of us.  It’s about all of us. 

And, listen, I have fought my whole career to put the people first and to put the people above partisanship.  I never once asked in my career, “Are you a Democrat or are you a Republican?”  The only thing I ever asked is “How can I help you?  Are you okay?”  And that — (applause) — and that is a major difference between Donald Trump and me, and between the two extremely different visions that he and I have for our nation. 

His is focused on himself and the past.  Ours is focused on the future and it is focused on the people.  (Applause.)

So, together, we will build a future where we bring down the cost of living.  That will be my focus every single day as president, because while inflation is down and wages are up, prices are still too high.  You know it, and I know it. 

And unlike Donald Trump, who had $400 million handed to him on a silver platter — and don’t forget, he filed for bankruptcy six times, the great businessman — unlike him, I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood with a working mother who kept a strict budget and did everything she could to make sure that my sister and I had all we needed.  I come from the middle class, and I will never forget where I come from.  (Applause.)  Never.

And so, my commonsense plan will lower the prices you pay on everything from prescription medication to groceries to housing.  On the other hand, Donald Trump will raise costs on you and your family. 

In fact, independent economists have analyzed both of our plans and found mine will cut your costs and strengthen our economy, while his will increase inflation and lead to a recession by the middle of next year.  (Applause.)

And his agenda is laid out in Project 2025.  You know, I say everywhere —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And I know we’ve got a lot of students here, and I have to tell you, I just find it really interesting that they put that — that thing in writing.  (Laughter.)  They put it in writing.  They — they bound it.  They published it.  They handed it out.  And then they expect we’re not going to talk about it?  Are you kidding me?  (Laughter.)

And when you read it, you will see it is a detailed and dangerous blueprint for what he plans to do if he is elected president.

Donald Trump will impose a 20 percent national sales tax on everyday, basic necessities, which economists have estimated will cost the average American family an additional $4,000 a year. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Contrast, on the other hand, I’m going to take on corporate price gouging.  I’ve done it before, and I will do it again.  (Applause.)  

Donald Trump will give massive tax cuts, like he did before, to billionaires and the biggest corporations.  He did it the last time.  He is going to do it again. 

I, on the other hand, will give middle-class tax cuts to hundred million Americans, including $6,000 for the first year of a child’s life, because I understand how that will lift America’s children out of poverty, which what — must be one of our highest goals.  (Applause.)

Donald Trump will get rid of the $35-a-month cap on insulin for our seniors. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  He will cut Medicare and Social Security.  In fact, economists say he will bankrupt Social Security in the next six years. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And understand what that means.  So many of the seniors in America — that’s their only source of income.  That’s the only way they’re able to pay their rent and buy food. 

I have a plan to support our seniors, so they can grow older with dignity and so their families are not overwhelmed by the cost of home health care.  (Applause.)

On top of that, my plan will bring down the cost of housing; cut taxes for small businesses, because small businesses are the backbone of our economy — (applause); and lower health care costs, because I believe health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it.  (Applause.)

Donald Trump, on the other hand, intends to end the Affordable Care Act and take us back —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — which would take us back to a time when insurance companies could deny people with preexisting conditions.  You remember what that was like?

Well, we are —

AUDIENCE:  Not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — not going back.  We are not going back.  We are not going back. 

AUDIENCE:  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!  We’re not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We’re not going back.  We’re not going — and we’re not going back because we, together, will move forward to the future, because we believe in who we are and what is possible and because we know it is time to turn the page.  It is time to turn the page.  (Applause.)

Ours is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom, like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body — (applause) — and not have her government tell her what to do. 

And we all remember how we got here.  When Donald Trump was president, he hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. 

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And they did as he intended.  And now in America, one in three women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban —

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — many with no exceptions, even for rape and incest. 

I was just in Texas the other day.  You know they provide prison for life for doctors and nurses and health care providers for providing care?  Prison for life.

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And no exceptions for a crime that is a violation of someone’s body, and then to tell that survivor of that violation, “You have no right to make a decision about what happens to your body next.”  That is immoral.  It is immoral.  (Applause.)  And I know we all agree: One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be telling her what to do.  (Applause.)  Not the government.

And, listen, you all have heard me say, I do believe Donald Trump to be an unserious man, but the consequences of him ever being president again are brutally serious — brutally serious.  Consider, on the topic we were just discussing, Donald Trump still refuses to acknowledge the pain and suffering he has caused.  He insists that, quote, “everyone” wanted for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. 

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Everyone wanted this?  Women are being denied care during miscarriages, some only being treated when they’ve developed sepsis.  They didn’t want this.  Couples trying to grow their family have been cut off in the middle of IVF treatments.  They didn’t want this.  The men of America are seeing their daughters and wives and sisters and mothers put at risk because their rights have been taken from them.  The men of America don’t want this.  (Applause.) 

And women have died because of these bans.  How could anyone say these folks wanted this? 

And I pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedoms, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.  (Applause.)  Proudly.  Proudly.

And I’m traveling our nation.  So, I have to tell everyone here: Across our nation, we are seeing a full-on assault on other and additional hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights, like the freedom to vote. 

I was just in Georgia.  You know they passed a law that makes it illegal to give people food and water for standing in line to vote?

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  The hypocrisy abounds.  Whatever happened to “love thy neighbor,” right? 

Attacks on the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water, the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride.  (Applause.)

     So, I say to everyone here what you know: Generations of Americans before us fought for freedom, and now the baton is in our hands.  The baton is in our hands.  And I want to speak specifically to all the young leaders, all the students who are here today.  (Applause.)  I want to speak to you for a moment. 

     So, I love your generation.  (Laughs.)  I really do.  And one of the things about it is you are rightly impatient for change.  I love that about you.  (Applause.) 

You are impatient for change.  Because, look, you have only known the climate crisis and are leading, then, the charge to protect our planet and our future.  (Applause.)  You — you, young leaders, who grew up with active shooter drills and are fighting, then, to keep our schools safe.  You, who now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, are standing up for reproductive freedom.  (Applause.) 

And for you — and for you, then, I know that these issues that are at stake, they are not theoretical.  This is not political for you.  It is your lived experience.  And I see you, and I see your power, and I know many of you are voting for the first time.  Can I see a raise of hands: Who’s voting for the first time?  (Applause.)

Can we hear it for our first-time voters?  (Applause.)  See, that’s why I know the future of our country is bright.  That’s why I know.

So, listen, so much is on the line in this election, and this is not 2016 or 2020.  We can all see that Donald Trump is even more unstable and more unhinged, and now he wants unchecked power. 

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And this time — and this time, there will be no one there to stop him, not even the Supreme Court, which, months ago, told the former president that he is essentially immune no matter what he would do in the White House. 

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  So, think about it.  Before, at least there was the threat, the possibility that there would be some accountability and consequence.  Now the Supreme Court has said he is effectively — would be immune. 

 So, just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails.  He who has vowed he would be a dictator on day one.  He who has even called for, quote, the “termination” of the Constitution of the United States of America. 

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And let us be clear.  Anyone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States of America.  (Applause.)  Never again.  Never again.

     AUDIENCE:  Never again!  Never again!  Never again!

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Never again.  (Inaudible.)

     AUDIENCE:  Never again!  Never again!  Never again!

So, Michigan, there is a huge contrast in this election, and I’d ask us to just imagine the Oval Office in three months.  Okay?  So, just picture it in your head.  So, either it’s Donald Trump sitting in there —

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — stewing — stewing over his enemies list — or me, with your help, working for you, checking off my to-do list.  (Applause.)

So, Michigan, it all comes down to this.  We are here together because we know what is at stake.  Everyone here, out of your busy lives, the time you have taken to be here tonight and to be here because we know not only what is at stake but we are here together because we love our country.  (Applause.)  We love our country.  We love our country. 

And, you know, when you love something, you got to fight for it.  (Applause.)  Ours is not a fight against something.  Ours is not a fight against something.  It is a fight for something.  (Applause.)

 And I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism — love of our country — to then fight for the ideals of our country and to fight to realize the promise of America.  That’s what our campaign is about.  That’s what we are about. 

And one of the most powerful ways that we will do that is with our vote.  So, now is the time to get out the vote, Michigan.  (Applause.)  Now is the time.

     AUDIENCE:  Vote!  Vote!  Vote!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And we have eight days to get this done.  So, obviously, nobody here is going to sit on the sidelines. 

     AUDIENCE:  No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And let’s make sure that we spend the next eight days knowing that in nine days, when we look back, we will be able to say and know we did everything we could to remind our friends and our classmates and our neighbors and our coworkers that we’re all in this together. 

You know, there’s been something about this Trump era that has been very backward in terms of trying to suggest that the measure of the strength of a leader is based on who you beat down, instead of what we all know: The true measure of our individual and collective strength is based on who we lift up.  (Applause.)  That’s what we are about. 

And over these next eight days, yes, we will win.  Yes, we must win.  But let’s also approach these eight da- — eight days knowing our power to build community, knowing our power to build coalitions, knowing our power to reach out to one another, reminding us that nobody is alone, that we are all in this together. 

And let’s do that then — (applause) — while we knock on doors, while we take the time to text and call potential voters.  Let’s reach out to our family and our friends and our classmates and our neighbors and make sure they know the stakes in this election. 

And let’s remind them: Your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power.  (Applause.)

And so, Michigan, I then ask you: Are you ready to make your voices heard?  (Applause.)

     Do we believe in freedom?  (Applause.)

     Do we believe in opportunity?  (Applause.)

     Do we believe in the promise of America?  (Applause.)

     And are we ready to fight for it?  (Applause.) 

     And when we fight —

     AUDIENCE:  We win! 

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — we win.

     God bless you.  And God bless the United States of America. 

Thank you all.  (Applause.)

                             END                8:05 P.M. EDT

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