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Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Youth Basketball Facility
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4:26 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, Philly! (Applause.) Hey, Philly! (Inaudible.) Hey, Philly! (Applause.) Oh, I love this city. I just love this City of Brotherly Love. (Laughs.) (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: MVP! MVP! MVP!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re doing this.
We need a medic. We need a medic. We need a medic. We need a medic. Sounds like we need a medic.
AUDIENCE: MVP! MVP! MVP!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.
Well, hold on, everybody. Le- — hold on. Just a p- — let’s — we need a medic over there. Do we have somebody r- –part the way. So, we got a medic over there. Okay? All right.
That’s what we do. We look out for each other. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We’re not going back! (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You got that right.
Are we good?
Hold on. Let’s just make sure that’s handled.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Philly loves you, Kamala! (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: All right. Do we have a medic over there? Okay. Let’s — let’s handle that first. I have time. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Are we getting a medic over there? We good? We good?
Okay. All right.
Hey, Philly, it’s good to be back. (Applause.) It’s good to be back. And can we hear it for Coach Butler? (Applause.) Thank you.
So, Philly, I’ve got a question for you: Are you ready to do this? (Applause.) Are we gonna do this? (Applause.) Yes! Are we ready to vote? (Applause.) Are we ready to win? (Applause.)
It’s good to be back. (Applause.) (Laughs.)
So, I want to thank all the incredible leaders who are here. I want to start with Mayor Parker. Where are you, Mayor? (Applause.) A phenomenal leader. She has been an extraordinary friend.
Speaker McClinton, thank you. (Applause.) Representatives Dean and Scanlon, thank you. (Applause.) And let’s send Bob Casey back to the United States Senate. (Applause.)
And to all the community and elected leaders here, I thank you. I had a chance to visit with many of you this afternoon. I thank you for the leadership you provide in so many ways.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And I love you back. I love you back. (Applause.)
So, to everyone here, I thank you. I thank you, because you have taken time this afternoon, this Sunday afternoon, out of your busy lives, for us to all be here together under one roof to make the point that we are all in this together. (Applause.) We are all in this together.
And we are all here together because we also understand how high the stakes are at this very moment.
Philly, we’ve got nine days — nine days — nine days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. And we know 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. (Applause.) Hard work is joyful work. (Applause.)
And make no mistake: We will win. We will win. We will win. We will win. (Applause.)
And we will win because here’s how I think about it: When you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. (Applause.) And this election is about two extremely different visions for our nation: one, Donald Trump’s, who is focused on the past and himself —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We are not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And here’s why — here’s why: Because we — because we are focused on the future, and we are focused on the needs of the American people, as opposed to a Donald Trump, who spends full time looking in the mirror, focused on himself. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, you know what? Hold — hold on a second. Listen — no, hold on. Hold on. Let’s — I want to talk about Gaza for a minute. I want to talk about Gaza for a minute. Okay?
We can and we must seize this opportunity to end this war and bring the hostages home. (Applause.) And I will do everything in my power to meet that end. (Applause.)
And we are here because we are fighting for our democracy — (applause) — and we respect the voices of all people — (applause) — and we’ve got a job to do in the next nine days to fight for this da- — democracy we love. (Applause.) Nine days.
And we understand we have an opportunity before us to turn the page on the fear and the divisiveness that have characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump. We have the ability to turn the page on that same old, tired playbook, because we are exhausted with it — (applause) — and we are ready to chart a new way forward.
And, yes, we will be joyful in the process. (Applause.) Yes, we like to laugh. (Applause.) Yes, we know that when you care about the people and you understand what you are fighting for, there is joy in that fight, and that is why we are all in this together. (Applause.)
We are fighting for a future of our nation where we tap into the ambitions and the aspirations and the dreams of the American people. We are a new generation of leadership that is optimistic and excited about what our nation can do together. (Applause.)
And the great thing about living in a democracy, as long as we keep it, is that we the people have the power to choose the direction of our country and its leadership. The power is with the people. (Applause.)
And from the beginning, our campaign has been about building coalitions and building community. Look, over the next nine days, like I said, we are going to win. That is our highest order. But through that process, to all the friends here, I say: Let’s be intentional about building community. Let’s be intentional about building coalitions. (Applause.) Let’s be intentional about understanding we all have so much more in common than what separates us. We will be the better for it. (Applause.)
That’s what our campaign is about, because we know we are all in this together. We have so much more in common than what separates us. And we are going to fight for the country we love. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and that is why we are all here together, because we love our country. (Applause.) We love our country. And you got to fight for the thing you love. You got to fight for the thing you love.
And I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, the expression of the love of our country, to then fight for its ideals. It is the highest form of patriotism, and one of the most powerful ways we do that is with our vote. (Applause.)
So — all right. So, everybody is here because you’re prepared to do the work. So, here we are. From now until election day, we are going to get out the vote here in Pennsylvania. (Applause.)
And if you’ll give me a minute, I really right now want to speak to the young leaders who are here. Is Gen Z in the house? (Applause.) Who in — who is voting for their first time in their first election? (Applause.) All right.
Now, here’s the thing I love about you young leaders. You know, you are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.) You are rightly impatient.
You, who have only known the climate crisis — you are leaders in what we need to do to protect our planet. (Applause.)
You, who grew up with active shooter drills — you know what we have to do to fight for safety in our schools. (Applause.)
You, who right now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, understand the importance of fighting for the right of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do. (Applause.)
And this is why I love you, the young leaders who are here, because, for you, this is not theoretical. This is not political. This is not about some debate. It is about your lived experience. And you are here — and I see you because I see your power — and you are here because you know your power. And I am so proud of you. (Applause.)
And, everyone, let us applaud our young leaders, our first-time voters. (Applause.) Let’s applaud them. Let’s applaud them. Let’s applaud them. (Applause.)
So, Philly, we have nine days — nine days to get this done. And for the next nine days, no one can sit on the sidelines.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: There is too much on the line, and we must not wake up the day after the election and have any regrets about what we could have done in these next nine days. So, let’s spend these next nine days knowing we did everything we could; that we connected with each other, with our neighbors; that we went up to perfect strangers in the grocery store and said, “You know what? I see you.”
Let’s — let’s approach this moment in a way that in the face of a stranger, we see a neighbor. And let’s talk with each other about what we have in common. (Applause.) Let’s build community. And let’s knock on doors. Let’s text and call potential voters. (Applause.) Let’s reach out to our family and our friends and our classmates and our neighbors. (Applause.) Tell them about the stakes in this election, and tell them about their power.
So, we are going to get folks to the polls, and we are going to make our voices heard. (Applause.)
And let’s give folks some important information. Election Day — we — let’s start with the basics. (Laughter.) Okay?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th. (Laughter and applause.) I’m serious. Everybody is busy. Let’s start with that.
Let folks know you can vote then or you can vote early from today through Tuesday, October 29th. That’s two days from now. So, now is the time to vote early. Get it done tomorrow if you can. Go to IWillVote.com if you need information about where you vote.
And if you have received your ballot in the mail, do not wait. Fill it out today. (Applause.) Because the election is here, and the choice, Philly, is truly in your hands. The path to victory runs right through all the leaders who are here — (applause) — who — all of you. And your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power.
So, today, Philadelphia, I 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. God bless the United States of America. God bless you. (Applause.) Thank you all.
END 4:42 P.M. EDT
The post Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Philadelphia, PA appeared first on The White House.
Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Philadelphia, PA
Church of Christian Compassion
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11:31 A.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi. Good morning, everyone. Good morning.
Well, it is good to be back in Philadelphia, and we’re going to have a — an active day of speaking with folks in various neighborhoods around town and really highlighting something you hear me say often, which is: I truly believe it’s a lived experience to know the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us.
And so, we’ll be visiting with folks in different parts of town, talking with them about what we all have in common and — and a collective desire to bring the country together and to set a tone that really is about unifying our country around common desires and challenges, whether it be bringing down the prices of everyday necessities or what we can do to invest in our small businesses and lift up our families.
And this obviously will be in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who increasingly is using dark and divisive language, even more than he — he has done in the past.
He talks about America being the garbage can of the world and just continuously, I think, demeans the character and nature of who we are as America and who the American people are. And clearly, it is intended to keep fanning the flames of — of hate and division; referring to beautiful American, historic American cities like Detroit and Philadelphia in such disparaging words. And as we said, even just this morning, I think people are ready to turn the page. And — and that is about all I have.
AIDE: Julia —
(Cross-talk.)
AIDE: Hold on. Julia.
Q Oh, thank you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi.
Q Madam Vice President, Pennsylvania has been such a focus of this election for both campaigns. What do you make of some of the activity that Elon Musk is involved in in this state? Do you — do you worry about, you know, any little difference, including (inaudible) —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I haven’t really been paying attention. I’m focused on our work. (Laughs.) But thank you for asking.
(Cross-talk.)
Q Madam Vice President, you’ve talked about new homebuyers and $25,000 for them.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q What about people who are currently in their homes as neighborhoods gentrify and prices go up? What would you do for them?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, for cor- — current homeowners, there are — still facing the challenges, whether it be what we need to do around an issue I’ve addressed over the last four years, dealing with fair appraisal values and making sure that the appraisal system is fair, especially for people living in minority- and Black-owned communities — in terms of housing and home- — high levels of homeownership, we’ve seen bias there.
But also just bringing down the price of everyday living, whether it be groceries and what I’m going to do to address things like price gouging, or what we need to do to expand the Child Tax Credit to help people have more resources at the fundamental phases of their child’s development; the work that we are doing that is about small businesses.
A lot of neighborhoods, as we know here in Philadelphia and around the country — those homeowners often are also small-business owners and need more support. So, a lot of my plan is about giving them tax cuts, but also cutting a lot of the red tape so that they can continue to grow and prosper.
So, there are a multiple — multitude of issues that affect homeowners, including, obviously, the challenges for homeownership itself.
AIDE: Joey.
Q Yeah, Madam Vice President, are you getting the turnout that you need right here in Philadelphia to win Pennsylvania, particularly among Black voters? Are you concerned that you’re going to get the level that you need to to win this state?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I’m very excited about the reports that we’re getting about enthusiasm here in Philadelphia. And to your point, Philadelphia is a very important part of our path to victory, and it is the reason I’m spending time here, have been spending time here. But I’m feeling very optimistic about the enthusiasm that is here and the commitment that folks of every background have to vote and to — to really invest in the future of our country.
I think people are exhausted with things as they’ve been, and they’re prepared to act on their feelings about that.
AIDE: Akayla.
Q Madam Vice President, the former president has said he’s spoken to Prime Minister Netanyahu multiple times this month. Are you concerned that those conversations are undermining what the administration is trying to do in the Middle East?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: No. And I do believe that it is critically important that we, as the United States of America, be an active participant in encouraging, one, that this war ends, that we get the hostages out, but also that there is a real commitment among nations to a two-state solution and the day after, and we have to fulfill that responsibility.
AIDE: O.J.
Q Yes, Vice President Harris, as you go out in the community today, what is it that you can do or do you have a strategy to dispel all the informa- — all the mi- — misinformation in the political ads and what —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
Q — your opponent is spewing?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, to your point, there is a lot of misinformation, and he’s putting tens of millions of dollars into various TV markets around the country. And what I’m heartened by is that folks in the community, when I am there, they are aware of it and, frankly, don’t want to be played. They are aware of fact.
And what I am seeing is that not only are they aware of the misinformation, but they are also aware, if not eager, to know and hear more details about my plan for them, whether it be, again, on the issue of homeownership; bringing down costs; investing in small businesses; investing in families, including families with children. And — and folks are very receptive to that.
I think people really do want to know and see and feel that their leaders and that their president is prepared to do the hard work of thinking about them, not themselves, unlike Donald Trump, and has a plan that will be implemented on day one. And I’ve been very clear about that as well.
Look, just imagine the Oval Office on January 20th. It’s going to be one of two people. It’s going to be either Donald Trump or me.
If it’s Donald Trump, you can see what’s going — what that day is going to be. It will be him sitting at that desk, stewing over his enemies list. He is full of grievance. He is full of — of dark language that is about retribution and revenge.
And so, the American people have a choice. It’s either going to be that or it’ll be me there, focused on my to-do list, focused on the American people and getting through that list of — of goals and plans to improve the lives of the American people.
AIDE: Last one. Jeff.
Q Madam Vice President, can you give us a sense of your internal polling at the campaign and how that is making or influencing your decisions on what to do over the next nine days?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, to be very frank with you, my internal polling is my instinct. (Laughs.) I let the campaign people deal with the poll- — all that other stuff. And I am responding to what I’m seeing.
I mean, just two nights ago, we had 30,000 people show up — I think it was actually more than 30,000 people — with an incredible amount of enthusiasm. If you see the people showing up last night, every event that we do — and the feeling is one of energy and excitement.
What I love about the folks who are showing up is it’s every walk of who we are as a country and as Americans, every race, age, gender, from all different kinds of backgrounds together under one roof. It’s very exciting. The number of young people. You know, I’ve begun to really point out the first-time voters who are there, because now people are actually registered. And — and it’s — it’s very exciting. And the momentum is with us.
Q Do you need to win Pennsylvania —
AIDE: Thank you.
Q — to win this election (inaudible)?
AIDE: Thank you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Pennsylvania will be key, no doubt. No doubt.
END 11:39 A.M. EDT
The post Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Philadelphia, PA appeared first on The White House.
Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia Youth Basketball Facility
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4:26 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, Philly! (Applause.) Hey, Philly! (Inaudible.) Hey, Philly! (Applause.) Oh, I love this city. I just love this City of Brotherly Love. (Laughs.) (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: MVP! MVP! MVP!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re doing this.
We need a medic. We need a medic. We need a medic. We need a medic. Sounds like we need a medic.
AUDIENCE: MVP! MVP! MVP!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.
Well, hold on, everybody. Le- — hold on. Just a p- — let’s — we need a medic over there. Do we have somebody r- –part the way. So, we got a medic over there. Okay? All right.
That’s what we do. We look out for each other. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We’re not going back! (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You got that right.
Are we good?
Hold on. Let’s just make sure that’s handled.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Philly loves you, Kamala! (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: All right. Do we have a medic over there? Okay. Let’s — let’s handle that first. I have time. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Are we getting a medic over there? We good? We good?
Okay. All right.
Hey, Philly, it’s good to be back. (Applause.) It’s good to be back. And can we hear it for Coach Butler? (Applause.) Thank you.
So, Philly, I’ve got a question for you: Are you ready to do this? (Applause.) Are we gonna do this? (Applause.) Yes! Are we ready to vote? (Applause.) Are we ready to win? (Applause.)
It’s good to be back. (Applause.) (Laughs.)
So, I want to thank all the incredible leaders who are here. I want to start with Mayor Parker. Where are you, Mayor? (Applause.) A phenomenal leader. She has been an extraordinary friend.
Speaker McClinton, thank you. (Applause.) Representatives Dean and Scanlon, thank you. (Applause.) And let’s send Bob Casey back to the United States Senate. (Applause.)
And to all the community and elected leaders here, I thank you. I had a chance to visit with many of you this afternoon. I thank you for the leadership you provide in so many ways.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And I love you back. I love you back. (Applause.)
So, to everyone here, I thank you. I thank you, because you have taken time this afternoon, this Sunday afternoon, out of your busy lives, for us to all be here together under one roof to make the point that we are all in this together. (Applause.) We are all in this together.
And we are all here together because we also understand how high the stakes are at this very moment.
Philly, we’ve got nine days — nine days — nine days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. And we know 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. (Applause.) Hard work is joyful work. (Applause.)
And make no mistake: We will win. We will win. We will win. We will win. (Applause.)
And we will win because here’s how I think about it: When you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. (Applause.) And this election is about two extremely different visions for our nation: one, Donald Trump’s, who is focused on the past and himself —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We are not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And here’s why — here’s why: Because we — because we are focused on the future, and we are focused on the needs of the American people, as opposed to a Donald Trump, who spends full time looking in the mirror, focused on himself. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, you know what? Hold — hold on a second. Listen — no, hold on. Hold on. Let’s — I want to talk about Gaza for a minute. I want to talk about Gaza for a minute. Okay?
We can and we must seize this opportunity to end this war and bring the hostages home. (Applause.) And I will do everything in my power to meet that end. (Applause.)
And we are here because we are fighting for our democracy — (applause) — and we respect the voices of all people — (applause) — and we’ve got a job to do in the next nine days to fight for this da- — democracy we love. (Applause.) Nine days.
And we understand we have an opportunity before us to turn the page on the fear and the divisiveness that have characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump. We have the ability to turn the page on that same old, tired playbook, because we are exhausted with it — (applause) — and we are ready to chart a new way forward.
And, yes, we will be joyful in the process. (Applause.) Yes, we like to laugh. (Applause.) Yes, we know that when you care about the people and you understand what you are fighting for, there is joy in that fight, and that is why we are all in this together. (Applause.)
We are fighting for a future of our nation where we tap into the ambitions and the aspirations and the dreams of the American people. We are a new generation of leadership that is optimistic and excited about what our nation can do together. (Applause.)
And the great thing about living in a democracy, as long as we keep it, is that we the people have the power to choose the direction of our country and its leadership. The power is with the people. (Applause.)
And from the beginning, our campaign has been about building coalitions and building community. Look, over the next nine days, like I said, we are going to win. That is our highest order. But through that process, to all the friends here, I say: Let’s be intentional about building community. Let’s be intentional about building coalitions. (Applause.) Let’s be intentional about understanding we all have so much more in common than what separates us. We will be the better for it. (Applause.)
That’s what our campaign is about, because we know we are all in this together. We have so much more in common than what separates us. And we are going to fight for the country we love. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and that is why we are all here together, because we love our country. (Applause.) We love our country. And you got to fight for the thing you love. You got to fight for the thing you love.
And I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, the expression of the love of our country, to then fight for its ideals. It is the highest form of patriotism, and one of the most powerful ways we do that is with our vote. (Applause.)
So — all right. So, everybody is here because you’re prepared to do the work. So, here we are. From now until election day, we are going to get out the vote here in Pennsylvania. (Applause.)
And if you’ll give me a minute, I really right now want to speak to the young leaders who are here. Is Gen Z in the house? (Applause.) Who in — who is voting for their first time in their first election? (Applause.) All right.
Now, here’s the thing I love about you young leaders. You know, you are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.) You are rightly impatient.
You, who have only known the climate crisis — you are leaders in what we need to do to protect our planet. (Applause.)
You, who grew up with active shooter drills — you know what we have to do to fight for safety in our schools. (Applause.)
You, who right now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, understand the importance of fighting for the right of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do. (Applause.)
And this is why I love you, the young leaders who are here, because, for you, this is not theoretical. This is not political. This is not about some debate. It is about your lived experience. And you are here — and I see you because I see your power — and you are here because you know your power. And I am so proud of you. (Applause.)
And, everyone, let us applaud our young leaders, our first-time voters. (Applause.) Let’s applaud them. Let’s applaud them. Let’s applaud them. (Applause.)
So, Philly, we have nine days — nine days to get this done. And for the next nine days, no one can sit on the sidelines.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: There is too much on the line, and we must not wake up the day after the election and have any regrets about what we could have done in these next nine days. So, let’s spend these next nine days knowing we did everything we could; that we connected with each other, with our neighbors; that we went up to perfect strangers in the grocery store and said, “You know what? I see you.”
Let’s — let’s approach this moment in a way that in the face of a stranger, we see a neighbor. And let’s talk with each other about what we have in common. (Applause.) Let’s build community. And let’s knock on doors. Let’s text and call potential voters. (Applause.) Let’s reach out to our family and our friends and our classmates and our neighbors. (Applause.) Tell them about the stakes in this election, and tell them about their power.
So, we are going to get folks to the polls, and we are going to make our voices heard. (Applause.)
And let’s give folks some important information. Election Day — we — let’s start with the basics. (Laughter.) Okay?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th. (Laughter and applause.) I’m serious. Everybody is busy. Let’s start with that.
Let folks know you can vote then or you can vote early from today through Tuesday, October 29th. That’s two days from now. So, now is the time to vote early. Get it done tomorrow if you can. Go to IWillVote.com if you need information about where you vote.
And if you have received your ballot in the mail, do not wait. Fill it out today. (Applause.) Because the election is here, and the choice, Philly, is truly in your hands. The path to victory runs right through all the leaders who are here — (applause) — who — all of you. And your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power.
So, today, Philadelphia, I 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. God bless the United States of America. God bless you. (Applause.) Thank you all.
END 4:42 P.M. EDT
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Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris Marking 6 Years Since the Tree of Life Synagogue Attack in Pittsburgh
Today marks six years since a white supremacist used a weapon of war to murder 11 precious souls and wound many more at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. This unspeakable act — fueled by antisemitic hate — was the deadliest attack on the American Jewish community in our Nation’s history. As we remember the victims of this horrific mass shooting, we also honor the courage of the first responders, some of whom were injured during this attack, and commemorate the resilience of the Pittsburgh community. This summer, ground was broken on the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of antisemitism in America at the site of the synagogue, a symbol of this enduring strength.
As we know, today’s remembrance also comes amid a rise of antisemitism, here and around the world. Earlier this month, we marked one year since the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack against Israel in which 1,200 innocent people were massacred, 250 people taken hostage, and where Hamas committed unspeakable sexual violence.
I will always work to ensure the safety and security of Jewish people in the United States and around the world, and will always call out antisemitism whenever and wherever we see it. Doug and I are proud to have worked alongside President Biden to combat antisemitism, including through the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This work is not new for me: I have spent my entire career fighting antisemitism, including prosecuting hate crimes as a District Attorney and publishing an annual report on hate crimes as Attorney General of California to ensure that policymakers and law enforcement respond with a sense of urgency to this crisis. And since the beginning of our administration, we have secured record funding for the physical security of nonprofits and faith-based institutions around the country, including synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, and Jewish day schools.
Additionally, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights continues to investigate cases of antisemitism and other forms of hate on campus making clear that each university must ensure all students and faculty are safe and secure on campus. We also continue our work to ensure that every person in our Nation can live free from gun violence — in their places of worship, schools, and communities. To take on the epidemic of gun violence, our administration enacted the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years and created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which I am proud to lead.
Today, Doug and I stand in solidarity with the survivors of this attack, the families who lost loved ones, and the entire Jewish community.
# # #
The post Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris Marking 6 Years Since the Tree of Life Synagogue Attack in Pittsburgh appeared first on The White House.
Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris Marking 6 Years Since the Tree of Life Synagogue Attack in Pittsburgh
Today marks six years since a white supremacist used a weapon of war to murder 11 precious souls and wound many more at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. This unspeakable act — fueled by antisemitic hate — was the deadliest attack on the American Jewish community in our Nation’s history. As we remember the victims of this horrific mass shooting, we also honor the courage of the first responders, some of whom were injured during this attack, and commemorate the resilience of the Pittsburgh community. This summer, ground was broken on the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of antisemitism in America at the site of the synagogue, a symbol of this enduring strength.
As we know, today’s remembrance also comes amid a rise of antisemitism, here and around the world. Earlier this month, we marked one year since the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack against Israel in which 1,200 innocent people were massacred, 250 people taken hostage, and where Hamas committed unspeakable sexual violence.
I will always work to ensure the safety and security of Jewish people in the United States and around the world, and will always call out antisemitism whenever and wherever we see it. Doug and I are proud to have worked alongside President Biden to combat antisemitism, including through the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This work is not new for me: I have spent my entire career fighting antisemitism, including prosecuting hate crimes as a District Attorney and publishing an annual report on hate crimes as Attorney General of California to ensure that policymakers and law enforcement respond with a sense of urgency to this crisis. And since the beginning of our administration, we have secured record funding for the physical security of nonprofits and faith-based institutions around the country, including synagogues, Jewish Community Centers, and Jewish day schools.
Additionally, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights continues to investigate cases of antisemitism and other forms of hate on campus making clear that each university must ensure all students and faculty are safe and secure on campus. We also continue our work to ensure that every person in our Nation can live free from gun violence — in their places of worship, schools, and communities. To take on the epidemic of gun violence, our administration enacted the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years and created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which I am proud to lead.
Today, Doug and I stand in solidarity with the survivors of this attack, the families who lost loved ones, and the entire Jewish community.
# # #
The post Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris Marking 6 Years Since the Tree of Life Synagogue Attack in Pittsburgh appeared first on The White House.
Statement from President Joe Biden Marking 6 Years Since the Tree of Life Synagogue Attack in Pittsburgh
Six years ago, as congregants prayed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on a quiet Shabbat morning, a gunman armed with an AR-15, multiple handguns, and hate in his heart, opened fire and killed 11 Jewish worshippers and wounded six more, in the deadliest act of Antisemitism in our history. It shattered families, pierced the heart of the Jewish community, and struck the soul of our nation.
For the families of the victims and the survivors, this difficult day of remembrance brings it all back like it just happened – and our country holds them and their loved ones close in our hearts. As we grieve the precious lives stolen on that day, we draw strength from the memory of the beautiful lives they lived, and from the hope of the Pittsburgh community that came together from all faiths to support their Jewish neighbors. In the years since, the Jewish community has also shown the country how to courageously turn pain into purpose. They have launched a global initiative to counter hate and hate-fueled violence. This summer, at the site of the synagogue, the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of Antisemitism in America broke ground. It is a symbol of the enduring spirit of Jewish resilience despite centuries of suffering, persecution, and pain.
Of course, this year’s remembrance of the Tree of Life attack falls just days after Jews observe the sacred holiday of Simchat Torah and the first Hebrew calendar anniversary of the October 7th attack in Israel, during which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people, took another 250 hostage, and committed horrific acts of sexual assault. One year later, the trauma and losses from that day and its aftermath are not only raw, but exacerbated by the appalling surge of Antisemitism against Jews in America and around the world.
Even before October 7th, I launched the first National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism in American history, and together with Vice President Harris, the Second Gentleman, and our entire Administration, we are aggressively implementing it. Since I have taken office, we have secured a record of $1.2 billion for the physical security of nonprofits including synagogues, Jewish Community Centers and Jewish day schools. We have put colleges on notice that Antisemitism is discrimination and is prohibited under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting Antisemitic hate crimes. Globally, we have mobilized over 40 countries and international organizations to support our new guidelines for countering Antisemitism. And to take on the scourge of gun violence, I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years and created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
There is more to do, but my Administration will continue to condemn and combat Antisemitism at every turn. As the Talmud says, “It is not your duty to finish the work but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.” On this solemn day of remembrance for the attack in the Tree of Life Synagogue, let us come together as Americans to ensure Antisemitism and hate in all its forms have no safe harbor in America – for all the lives we have lost and all those we can still save.
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Statement from President Joe Biden Marking 6 Years Since the Tree of Life Synagogue Attack in Pittsburgh
Six years ago, as congregants prayed at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on a quiet Shabbat morning, a gunman armed with an AR-15, multiple handguns, and hate in his heart, opened fire and killed 11 Jewish worshippers and wounded six more, in the deadliest act of Antisemitism in our history. It shattered families, pierced the heart of the Jewish community, and struck the soul of our nation.
For the families of the victims and the survivors, this difficult day of remembrance brings it all back like it just happened – and our country holds them and their loved ones close in our hearts. As we grieve the precious lives stolen on that day, we draw strength from the memory of the beautiful lives they lived, and from the hope of the Pittsburgh community that came together from all faiths to support their Jewish neighbors. In the years since, the Jewish community has also shown the country how to courageously turn pain into purpose. They have launched a global initiative to counter hate and hate-fueled violence. This summer, at the site of the synagogue, the nation’s first museum and education center on the history of Antisemitism in America broke ground. It is a symbol of the enduring spirit of Jewish resilience despite centuries of suffering, persecution, and pain.
Of course, this year’s remembrance of the Tree of Life attack falls just days after Jews observe the sacred holiday of Simchat Torah and the first Hebrew calendar anniversary of the October 7th attack in Israel, during which Hamas killed more than 1,200 people, took another 250 hostage, and committed horrific acts of sexual assault. One year later, the trauma and losses from that day and its aftermath are not only raw, but exacerbated by the appalling surge of Antisemitism against Jews in America and around the world.
Even before October 7th, I launched the first National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism in American history, and together with Vice President Harris, the Second Gentleman, and our entire Administration, we are aggressively implementing it. Since I have taken office, we have secured a record of $1.2 billion for the physical security of nonprofits including synagogues, Jewish Community Centers and Jewish day schools. We have put colleges on notice that Antisemitism is discrimination and is prohibited under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting Antisemitic hate crimes. Globally, we have mobilized over 40 countries and international organizations to support our new guidelines for countering Antisemitism. And to take on the scourge of gun violence, I signed the most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years and created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
There is more to do, but my Administration will continue to condemn and combat Antisemitism at every turn. As the Talmud says, “It is not your duty to finish the work but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.” On this solemn day of remembrance for the attack in the Tree of Life Synagogue, let us come together as Americans to ensure Antisemitism and hate in all its forms have no safe harbor in America – for all the lives we have lost and all those we can still save.
###
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Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Reproductive Health Care Clinic | Portage, MI
Private Office
Portage, Michigan
2:40 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all for allowing us to have this conversation. And one of the reasons that I wanted to visit with you is you all are on the ground doing this very, very critical and important work.
And since the Dobbs decision came down two years ago, I do believe that we as a country have faced a health care crisis, and, yes, it includes the concern that we have about people’s access to abortion care and then the punishing of women, the criminalization of health care providers, but also we’ve seen clinics close around the country that provide all types of care, from Paps to breast cancer screenings, HIV testing, and so much else and just safe places for people to go.
DR. HENRY: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I know there’s also been an impact in terms of students thinking about their career as physicians and what type of practice they would actually engage in and where they would go.
We’ve been talking about health care deserts —
DR. HENRY: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — which we know is a long-standing concern but then exasperated by what we’ve seen most recently.
And so, I wanted to ask you, the experts, the trained and experienced folks who do the noble and important work of health care, to share a bit about how you are experiencing this moment in a way that can highlight the realities of this moment, the harm, and the reason why people, like here in the state of Michigan, should be concerned even though they’re not in Texas, where I was and just left, but understanding if there were a national abortion ban, what it would mean for women and people throughout the country.
So, Doctor, if you want to lead the discussion, but I would love to hear from you.
DR. ROGERS: Yes, we have Dr. Lakshmi Sundaresan that was going to respond to that question, but I’ll just say that it is very important that this not widen the gap of health disparities, that — that the care of a — a woman is between her and her doctor, and that it not further cause shortages of those physicians across the country.
DR. SUNDARESAN: So, I’m a family medicine physician and an abortion provider here on the western side of the state. I think we don’t have to imagine what a post-Dobbs world looks like. We’re living in a world that already has abortion bans that typically are regionally dependent.
Here on the western side of the state, we represent not only a safety net for our region here in the Midwest, but over the last 18 months, we — we’ve seen an influx of patients that are coming particularly from the South and the Southeast because of care deserts and already restrictive abortion bans.
But what we’re talking about here, especially with respect to this election, is that — and you — you know this better than we do — is that there’s an opportunity for multiple Supreme Court decisions that we will all be living through not just in terms of the political landscape but as physicians who are living through that experience with our patients.
And what is at stake is not just what we’re doing with respect to abortion care but what reproductive justice means at-large. We’re talking about access to gender-affirming services. We’re talking about access to contraception. And we’re talking about everyone’s ability to access care.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and including, to your point, prenatal care, postpartum care — all of that work that is done by physicians and — and folks such as you and — and existing, in many states with the fear that if you then do that work, somehow you may be punished or criminalized for doing that work.
DR. SUNDARESAN: And we have state protections in Michigan right now after 2022, but there is still a very real possibility of a federal ban.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah. How do you think about this in the context of what is happening in your profession and with — I — I know — I know you, even though we’ve all met just now, well enough to know that you are active in your profession —
DR. HENRY: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and probably very much in touch with your colleagues from around the country.
How are physicians and medical students talking about this moment right now and the fears, the challenges, the concerns and also what you would like to do in terms of — now you have all these microphones in front of you — right? — the public education about what this moment means from your perspective?
MS. HINNERS: Yeah, I think as medical students, we kind of have found ourselves in this sort of limbo. You know, we put all this hard work and time into doing what we want to, and we’re supposed to be excited about that, but there is this decision looming on November 5th that has this chance to monumentally impact our careers before they even start. Like, we haven’t dipped our toe in the pond yet.
And I know for me personally, that is affecting my decision on residency applications coming up soon. Like, I would like to be able to practice the medicine that I want to practice and give health care to people who need it. And, I mean, we’re not just talking about a few abortion restrictions. We’re talking about these very extreme bans that maybe don’t even have exceptions for rape or incest and things like that.
And I am a survivor of sexual assault. I volunteer with survivors of sexual assault. And the thought that I, potentially in the future, will not be able to provide people with the breadth of health care that I think is required after such a traumatic event like that is enough to, like, make me sick.
So, I am doing all that I can to make sure that my future that I have worked for for the past 26 years looks how I want it to, and I really hope that other people are kind of joining me in that.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It does — this moment does require, among many things, knowledge about what’s going on and also just empathy, which is when we know that there are people who are suffering, don’t we, collectively, as a society, want to end that suffering and give them the care they need with the dignity they deserve.
What else would you each or all like to share wh- — while we have all these folks here, who can, I think, benefit — and I certainly can — from what you all can share, in terms of what you see uniquely that we may not see about the effect of Dobbs in this moment on your profession, on your clients, on your — on your patients, on your community? How are you thinking about this moment in terms of even just what we do legislatively, what we do from a policy perspective?
DR. ROGERS: I am concerned about physicians in training, as our medical students are, and them making decisions about where they would do residency or where they would do training and that maybe not being in states and areas where they don’t have abortion rights and women don’t have the rights over their lives. So, that could create a further shortage in some of those areas where there’s already physician shortages and there’s already health disparities.
DR. HENRY: Yeah, because we already see where patients have to travel miles and miles to get the care that they need, and there have been stories where even when they get to those places to receive the help, they can’t get it because the physicians are afraid, and that’s not what we want.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Right. Or, to your point, overwhelmed — right? — in terms of you are taking in patients from states surrounding a state that still provides care and — and do you have the hours —
PARTICIPANT: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and do you have the personnel and staff to be able to actually handle it.
(The press departs as the conversation continues.)
END 2:48 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Battle Creek, MI
Duncan Aviation
Battle Creek, Michigan
1:48 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. I know you all have been asking about the status of our conversations around Iran and Israel. And a couple of hours ago, I got off of a — a lengthy and important conversation with the president and our national security team. And, of course, we maintain the importance of supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we are also very adamant that we must see de-escalation in the region going forward, and that will be our focus.
In terms of Texas, it was a very good trip. As I said, the reason for being there — there were many — most importantly, that there are a lot of people in Texas who have been suffering under what I call draconian laws as it relates to how they’ve been treating women and their right to reproductive freedom.
It was also and is ground zero in terms of one of the most draconian laws in the whole country that have come about because of Donald Trump and what he did to select three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade.
And I’m here now in Kalamazoo and in Michigan to talk with the folks here about their priority around ensuring that this election produces a president of the United States who honors and protects a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body.
I’m about to go and meet with some of the physicians who are on the front lines of this issue, who are addressing the harm that has resulted from these Trump abortion bans but also doing the work in terms of advocacy, with a great deal of courage, to highlight to the American people what, I think, for some are really unintended consequences as a result of the undoing of Roe v. Wade.
I’m happy to take your questions.
Q When it comes to abortion rights and talking with the providers today, what can we expect from those conversations? And will we hear more of that in your speech tonight with
former First Lady Michelle Obama?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Well, like I said even last night, what — and I’ve been meeting with health care providers for the last few years, since the Dodd decision came down. They are a combination of doing their work in fear of being jailed —
We are saying that, for example, medical students are now more reluctant than ever to go into reproductive health care fields for fear that they could be criminalized.
We are seeing the impact of these laws causing clinics — health care clinics to shut down. Those clinics that, yes, provide abortion care but also paps, breast cancer screenings, HIV testing.
And so, the physicians that I’ve been talking with are concerned about this myriad of issues that have highlighted the fact that because of Trump and what he did with the Supreme Court, we are looking at a health care crisis in America, which is affecting people of every background and gender.
Q Ma’am, on Iran, on the Middle East. There are
reports from the U.N. that about one in five Lebanese people are now displaced because of the ongoing war. You said esc- — de-escalation is the goal. Why are — why is the U.S. and Israel not aligned in that goal in terms of the conflict in the region?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, we’ve been very clear with everyone in the region — and, in fact, that’s why Tony Blinken was there for several days this week — that we want to work toward ending this war. This war must end. We must get the hostages out and work toward a two-state solution.
And we do believe strongly that, as it relates to Lebanon and — and the region, that part of the strength of our work is the diplomatic work we will do to reach that end.
Q What are we hearing —
Q Ma’am, can I follow up on the — on the —
AIDE: Go ahead, Darlene.
Q What is the administration hearing from Arab allies about the Israeli strikes? And can you say whether the strikes made it less likely that Iran will be able to attack Israel again in the future?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: What I can say is that it is a consensus among leaders in the region and certainly it is the strong perspective of the United States that there must be de-escalation and not an escalation of activities in that region.
Q Ma’am — ma’am, to expand on that, what — what is your message to Iran specifically, as they consider a potential retaliation?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Listen, we feel very — I feel very strongly — we as the United States feel very strongly that Iran must stop what it is doing in terms of the threat that it presents to the region. And we will always defend Israel against any attacks by Iran in that way.
END 1:53 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by Vice President Harris to Overflow Crowd at a Campaign Event | Kalamazoo, MI
Wings Event Center
Kalamazoo, Michigan
4:40 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hi, everybody. (Applause.) Can we hear it for Michelle Obama? (Applause.)
Oh, good —
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.
Michigan! Michigan! (Laughs.) (Applause.)
All right, gu- — we’ve got 10 days to go. (Applause.) And the thing that I love about everybody here is we love hard work. Hard work is good work. And we are going to win. We are going to win. (Applause.)
And it’s going to be close, and we know that, and we know the stakes. And we also are here together because we love our country and we are prepared to fight for the best of who we are.
Many of you’ve heard me talk about this: We’re not fighting against something; we’re fighting for something. (Applause.)
And through our campaign — our campaign — yes, we will win. That is our highest and that is our achievable goal. We will win. And in the process, over these next 10 days, we are also doing the work of building community, building coalitions, reminding folks that we are all in this together, lifting each other up, reminding ourselves and each other that we have so much more in common than what separates us.
That’s what our campaign is about. It is a people-powered campaign. (Applause.) And because it is a people-powered campaign, we will win, because we know what we stand for, so we know what to fight for. (Applause.)
And when we fight —
AUDIENCE: We win!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — we win.
God bless you. I’ll see you soon. (Applause.)
END 4:42 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Reproductive Health Care Clinic | Portage, MI
Private Office
Portage, Michigan
2:40 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you all for allowing us to have this conversation. And one of the reasons that I wanted to visit with you is you all are on the ground doing this very, very critical and important work.
And since the Dobbs decision came down two years ago, I do believe that we as a country have faced a health care crisis, and, yes, it includes the concern that we have about people’s access to abortion care and then the punishing of women, the criminalization of health care providers, but also we’ve seen clinics close around the country that provide all types of care, from Paps to breast cancer screenings, HIV testing, and so much else and just safe places for people to go.
DR. HENRY: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I know there’s also been an impact in terms of students thinking about their career as physicians and what type of practice they would actually engage in and where they would go.
We’ve been talking about health care deserts —
DR. HENRY: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — which we know is a long-standing concern but then exasperated by what we’ve seen most recently.
And so, I wanted to ask you, the experts, the trained and experienced folks who do the noble and important work of health care, to share a bit about how you are experiencing this moment in a way that can highlight the realities of this moment, the harm, and the reason why people, like here in the state of Michigan, should be concerned even though they’re not in Texas, where I was and just left, but understanding if there were a national abortion ban, what it would mean for women and people throughout the country.
So, Doctor, if you want to lead the discussion, but I would love to hear from you.
DR. ROGERS: Yes, we have Dr. Lakshmi Sundaresan that was going to respond to that question, but I’ll just say that it is very important that this not widen the gap of health disparities, that — that the care of a — a woman is between her and her doctor, and that it not further cause shortages of those physicians across the country.
DR. SUNDARESAN: So, I’m a family medicine physician and an abortion provider here on the western side of the state. I think we don’t have to imagine what a post-Dobbs world looks like. We’re living in a world that already has abortion bans that typically are regionally dependent.
Here on the western side of the state, we represent not only a safety net for our region here in the Midwest, but over the last 18 months, we — we’ve seen an influx of patients that are coming particularly from the South and the Southeast because of care deserts and already restrictive abortion bans.
But what we’re talking about here, especially with respect to this election, is that — and you — you know this better than we do — is that there’s an opportunity for multiple Supreme Court decisions that we will all be living through not just in terms of the political landscape but as physicians who are living through that experience with our patients.
And what is at stake is not just what we’re doing with respect to abortion care but what reproductive justice means at-large. We’re talking about access to gender-affirming services. We’re talking about access to contraception. And we’re talking about everyone’s ability to access care.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and including, to your point, prenatal care, postpartum care — all of that work that is done by physicians and — and folks such as you and — and existing, in many states with the fear that if you then do that work, somehow you may be punished or criminalized for doing that work.
DR. SUNDARESAN: And we have state protections in Michigan right now after 2022, but there is still a very real possibility of a federal ban.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah. How do you think about this in the context of what is happening in your profession and with — I — I know — I know you, even though we’ve all met just now, well enough to know that you are active in your profession —
DR. HENRY: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and probably very much in touch with your colleagues from around the country.
How are physicians and medical students talking about this moment right now and the fears, the challenges, the concerns and also what you would like to do in terms of — now you have all these microphones in front of you — right? — the public education about what this moment means from your perspective?
MS. HINNERS: Yeah, I think as medical students, we kind of have found ourselves in this sort of limbo. You know, we put all this hard work and time into doing what we want to, and we’re supposed to be excited about that, but there is this decision looming on November 5th that has this chance to monumentally impact our careers before they even start. Like, we haven’t dipped our toe in the pond yet.
And I know for me personally, that is affecting my decision on residency applications coming up soon. Like, I would like to be able to practice the medicine that I want to practice and give health care to people who need it. And, I mean, we’re not just talking about a few abortion restrictions. We’re talking about these very extreme bans that maybe don’t even have exceptions for rape or incest and things like that.
And I am a survivor of sexual assault. I volunteer with survivors of sexual assault. And the thought that I, potentially in the future, will not be able to provide people with the breadth of health care that I think is required after such a traumatic event like that is enough to, like, make me sick.
So, I am doing all that I can to make sure that my future that I have worked for for the past 26 years looks how I want it to, and I really hope that other people are kind of joining me in that.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It does — this moment does require, among many things, knowledge about what’s going on and also just empathy, which is when we know that there are people who are suffering, don’t we, collectively, as a society, want to end that suffering and give them the care they need with the dignity they deserve.
What else would you each or all like to share wh- — while we have all these folks here, who can, I think, benefit — and I certainly can — from what you all can share, in terms of what you see uniquely that we may not see about the effect of Dobbs in this moment on your profession, on your clients, on your — on your patients, on your community? How are you thinking about this moment in terms of even just what we do legislatively, what we do from a policy perspective?
DR. ROGERS: I am concerned about physicians in training, as our medical students are, and them making decisions about where they would do residency or where they would do training and that maybe not being in states and areas where they don’t have abortion rights and women don’t have the rights over their lives. So, that could create a further shortage in some of those areas where there’s already physician shortages and there’s already health disparities.
DR. HENRY: Yeah, because we already see where patients have to travel miles and miles to get the care that they need, and there have been stories where even when they get to those places to receive the help, they can’t get it because the physicians are afraid, and that’s not what we want.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Right. Or, to your point, overwhelmed — right? — in terms of you are taking in patients from states surrounding a state that still provides care and — and do you have the hours —
PARTICIPANT: Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and do you have the personnel and staff to be able to actually handle it.
(The press departs as the conversation continues.)
END 2:48 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by President Biden at a LiUNA GOTV Kick-Off Event | Pittsburgh, PA
LiUNA District Council 12
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1:23 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello! (Applause.) Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hello LiUNA! (Applause.) It’s good to be almost home. (Applause.) (Laughs.) Well, God love you. I tell you what.
You know, you guys build bridges, and you can’t be in a better city. There are more bridges in this city than any city in America. (Laughter.)
Look, folks, you know, we’ve been through a lot together. And I want to thank — I want to thank you for that introduction. It’s — it’s over the top, but I want to tell you, if I didn’t have my views about union movement, my Grandfather Finnegan wo- — from Scranton would come down and kick my rear end. (Laughter.) It’s real simple.
Look, folks, you know, I want to — Brent, thank you for all you’ve done. And, Phil, I —
And a big hello to my good friend, John Fetterman. John was here. I know he — (applause) — you had to be sitting down because I didn’t — if I didn’t see you, I’d get worried, John. (Laughter.)
I want you to know, if you got to be in a foxhole, man, you want this sucker with you. (Laughter.) You want him with you.
And, look — and, Chris — where’s Chris? Chris D- — there you go, Chris. Congratulations, Chris. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
And, you know, you’ve not only led the union movement, you built the middle class.
You know, all kidding aside, you know, when I started saying this year’s ago, people thought — looked at me like I was nuts.
There used to be a — it was a law that was passed in the ‘30s and — early ‘30s by Roosevelt, making it easier or fairer for unions to be able to organize because of strong opposition to organized labor. But there’s a provision in that law that no president really paid much attention to. And be — be honest with you, I didn’t realize until about 14 years ago that it existed.
It not only says how u- — they can’t block unions by doing un- — they still try to do unfair things. They can only block it. But this goes on to say any money appropriated by the United States Congress given to the president to build something or to spend it must be spent with American labor and American products.
Well, guess what? (Applause.) I’m the first who president said that means I mean it. That’s why there’s so much of an incredible growth.
We’ve hired more people in a four-year period than any president has in American history.
And, by the way, you’ve heard me say it a hundred times; I’m going to say it a thousand more times, as long as I have a breath: You know, Wall Street didn’t build America. The middle class built America, and you built the middle class. (Applause.) That’s a fact. You built it. That’s not a joke. There would be no middle class without you.
And, folk, look, the fact is that my dad — my dad never went to college, but my dad was a hardworking guy. And my dad used to have an expression. He’d say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.” He mea- — I’m seri- —
Our dinner table was a place we had conversation and, incidentally, ate. My dad would say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about your place in the community. It’s about how people treat you and look at you. And everybody” — and he meant it — “everybody determines w- — is entitled to be treated with dignity.”
Well, that’s what union — you’ve done. You’ve raised people’s expectations. You’ve given them pride. You’ve given them a — a reason for being. You’ve changed. And all the apprenticeships — remember how, when I got elected president, they were going to — business was going to help us, they were going to provide apprenticeships? Give me a break. (Laughter.) Give me a break. Businesses pr- — anyway. (Laughter.) I don’t want to get going here.
But, look, the — you know, 10 days — 10 days.
Now, I know I look like I’m only 40 — (laughter) —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Forty-six!
THE PRESIDENT: But I’m — 46, I’ll take that. I’ll — I’ll — (laughter) — I’d take 66. (Laughter.)
But all kidding aside, you know, this is the most important election of our lifetime, no matter how young or old you are. Not a joke. Not hyperbole. This is not Democrat, Republican. This is decency versus a lack of decency. This is about character, this election.
And, folks, you know — I got to choose my words here. The choice couldn’t be clearer. The choice couldn’t be more stark.
I am a president, as was pointed out by my buddy, that I walked the picket line. Well, so has Kamala walked the picket line.
You know, not only — the only picket line Trump ever looks at is one he can, in fact, cross the picket line. Not walk it. Cross it.
Name me something he’s ever done — one single thing — name me one single thing, as a private entrepreneur or as a candidate, he’s ever done for American labor.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Name me — no, I’m no- — no, I’m being deadly earnest, because this is — I mean, this — this even — shouldn’t even be clo — but he wins, everything you talked about, he said he wants to get rid of. Not one thing you talked about did he support. Not one thing. Not a single thing.
You know, even the — anyway — (laughter.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We’re not going to let him win!
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you can’t let him win. By the way, look, guys, the presidential historians tell us that the most consequential thing the president can possess is character.
By character, we mean that — will they stand up? Will they stand up? Are they going to tell you the truth? Are they going to tell you when they disagree? When they agree, are they going to fight for you? Character. Just plain old character, like you do when we were kids.
You knew the kids in the neighborhood who had character and didn’t have character. You knew who you could count on and couldn’t count on, man or woman.
I mean, seriously, think about it. This is pretty basic stuff. It’s about decency. It’s about honor.
And, look, I’m going to just say — and the most controversial thing I may have said — Trump has no character. He’s not demonstrated it. Whether he was having the people working — you know, I me- — anyway, I won’t — I shouldn’t’ get going. (Laughter.)
But, you know — but he — the thing he — he doesn’t give a damn about union workers or any workers for that matter. He views unions as getting in the way of the accumulation of wealth for individuals. That’s what he views it as.
Folks, it’s in labor’s interest to defeat Donald Trump more than any other race you’ve been in and as long as any one of you have been alive.
You know, I’ve given my heart and soul to labor my whole career as president, because it wasn’t hard. It was just where I was raised, who I was with, what I — what I’ve seen. You know, everybody deserves a shot, man — just a shot. No guarantee. Everybody deserves a shot as close to a level playing field as you can make it.
And the last thing we need is for Trump to get elected to take away all the things we’ve done. How many of you have pensions now, again? How many of you have — your families have pensions? They opposed it.
I mean, just go down the list of all the things that really matter to a family — to a hardworking family.
Look, you — organized labor — are his worst nightmare, but you’re also the best thing that ever happened to the American economy. We got a lot more work to do, Kamala and I — Kamala — Kamala does. A lot more work to do, but let me tell you what: We’re the envy of the world. We have the best economy in the world because of you. (Applause.) Lot more to do.
But here’s the deal, guys, from my — where I stand — my standpoint: You fight for ordinary people, like the neighborhood I grew up in, the people I grew up with in Claymont, Delaware; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware — people who just — just want a shot. They’re not asking for a favor. They just want an even shot. And he only knows — we — we’re all about lifting people up. Think about it.
I’m — I’ve never been this direct, but I tell you what, he’s about making sure he pushes people down. He thinks the way you get ahead is to push people down. But you get ahead — I was — we were talking on the way up here. You know, when I got — when I made the commitment that I’d only hire American workers and use American products, well, I was told that that — and labor began to flourish, et cetera — I asked the Treasury Department to do a study. When union workers — not labor; union — when unions do better, what does it do for the rest of the economy? Everybody does better. Everybody’s wages come up. Everybody. Everybody. (Applause.) You’re his worst nightmare.
Now, like I said, you know, we’ve worked together for a long time. Like I said, I know I don’t look like I’m 40, but I’ve been doing this for about 500 years — (applause) — and we’ve asked a lot of each other. But what I’m not asking of you is something that is not your interest. I’m going to ask you one more thing: Don’t do it for me. Do it for your kids. Do it for your family. Do it for your grandkids. Do it for your neighbors. Do it for people you know, people who need a helping hand.
Donald Trump is a loser. A lose- — (applause) — he’s a loser as a candidate, and — more importantly, in my view — and I’m just going to say it straight up — he’s a loser as a man. He’s a loser as a man.
We fought too hard for the gains we’ve made for the people we grew up with, neighborhoods we come from, and I know who was standing next to me the last four years: Kamala Harris.
Let me tell you something, folks, I picked her because she has a backbone like a ramrod. She doesn’t bend. I’m serious. She has a backbone like a ramrod.
And, folks, look, as I said, I’m from Scranton, and — a place where we stand up for one another in my neighborhood. So, please, follow your gut. Do what’s right. Do what’s the right thing to do for everybody, the people you grew up with, the people you work with, the people you love.
Our kids — make sure they — kids have to have access to a good education. This guy wants to literally do away with the Department of Education — do away with it. We’ve been fighting like hell to — anyway.
You know, your parents, all of you, you need health care, access to health care, affordable health care. We finally got it. We finally moved — we have more health care now than we ever had in American history. He’s tried 51 times to eliminate the health care bill — 51 times.
Look, you know, what’s the right thing to do for the people you grew up with, the people you work with, your neighbors, and I — you know, we got to give —
And one of the things I’d hope we’ve figured out — and not all the guys agreed to this initially — there’s not a damn thing that I could do that my sister couldn’t do as well or better.
My sister is my best friend and my life. We’re three years apart, two years apart in school. She graduated honors, taking the same exact courses I had at Delaware, and I graduated. She managed her — one of my campaigns. She jumps in a fight when p- — someone’s in trouble. We’re taught, like you guys, you see someone taken advantage of — what do you do? You’re told to get involved, get engaged even when you’re a kid, jump into the fight.
Well, look, folks, the fact is that we’re finally, finally getting to the point where women are beginning to have a shot, a fair shot — a fair shot. Like I said, they can do anything any man can do, including being president of the United States of America. (Applause.)
Look, I’m trying to be a good boy here. (Laughter.) There’s never been, in my view, a clearer choice, as a student history, someone who has known more world leaders than any living president — than any president ever has. I know them well, the good and the bad. The fact of the matter is that the — we know how important this election is.
It’s because of you we’ve created more jobs than any time in history. We have “Made in America” — become the — what is the standard now, not the exception.
Remember what corporations used to do under him? That was they’d send the job overseas to the cheapest labor they could find and then bring the product back home.
Well, when I went overseas and I talked with the South Koreans first about the CHIPS Act, I said, “Look, you guys are m-” — we invented the chip. We made sure it worked — those — smaller than the end of his little finger. And guess what? They decided to invest $15 billion.
I came back, and I said, “Why did you come when I talked to Samsung?” He said “because you’re the most qualified workers in the world.” You guys are not only the best in America, you’re the best in the world — that’s not a joke — the single best in the world.
And I asked why — so what — you know how much — remember we were — I was being criticized about how Biden was going to plan the economy too much and government is going to be too involved? Well, guess what? We brought off the sidelines in private investment $1 trillion in investment. (Applause.)
Remember, when we got elected, we were told there’s going to be a recession? No one’s talking about recession on our watch. I’m serious.
So, folks, look, I — I’m trying to be good. (Laughter.) But, look, I know how damn hard you fought for the gains we have. I know how damn hard you work for your fellow colleagues. I know how you stuck together. And I know how you reach down to help people.
You know, I — and I know you know that without the shot of a decent wage, without the shot of access to health care — basic health care — without the shot of being able to retire on something, to have something to look forward to, we’re in trouble.
Well, you guaranteed that’s not going to happen anymore in America.
We got more to do. We got to make housing more affordable. We got to — and we got to give people a break to start their first homes. We got to give people a break to get going.
That’s all in play. And if Kamala wins, it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen.
But folks, you know the fact is that I — I don’t — I don’t think it’s exaggeration. I can think of no man who has thought less of the average working person in America than this guy did, whether he was making sure that people worked overtime without getting paid on his gardens down in Mar-a-Lago or whether it’s what he passed. He’s created the largest deficit of any president in four years in American history.
You know what he wants to do now? He wan- — he — he caused a — he provided a $2 trillion tax cut for the super-wealthy, creating a gigantic deficit. You know what he’s proposing now? A $5 trillion tax cut for the same people.
The leading economists in the world got together and concluded that if Trump fulfilled his obliga- — his request that he wants for the economy, that we’d be in a recession. We’d lose thousands of jobs — millions of jobs.
So, you got to promise you’ll tell my wife I behaved — (laughter) — that I didn’t say all that I think. But you know in your gut, man — you know in your gut how important this is. You know it.
If everything we’ve worked for — everything you’ve allowed to happen, he has literally spoken out and said he’s opposed to. And his new great — the w- — wealthiest man in the world is now his ally, right? Well, that wealthiest man in the world turned out to be illegal worker here when he was here. No, I’m serious. He was supposed to be in school when he came on a student visa. He wasn’t in school. He was violating the law. And he’s talking about all these illegals coming our way.
Folks — and, by the way, on that score, what we’ve done, even though he wouldn’t allow the most important legislation to pass, which fixed the border — the pro- — problem at the border, we have fewer people crossing the border illegally now — or crossing the border, period, than any time since his third year as president of the United States. It matters.
Relationships matter and relationships with foreign leaders matter. Trust for our foreign leaders matter, and we built that trust.
So, anyway, guys, please — please, please, please — go the extra step. Call the people you know who may be undecided. Tell them, please — please give us a chance. Give labor the chance to really, really blossom in a way that has never had ever before, even in the Roosevelt years. You’re changing the world. You’re changing the world.
And, folks, we’re the best country by far. We’re the greatest country in the history of the world. (Applause.)
1:42 P.M. EDT
The post Remarks by President Biden at a LiUNA GOTV Kick-Off Event | Pittsburgh, PA appeared first on The White House.
Remarks by President Biden at a LiUNA GOTV Kick-Off Event | Pittsburgh, PA
LiUNA District Council 12
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1:23 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello! (Applause.) Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hello LiUNA! (Applause.) It’s good to be almost home. (Applause.) (Laughs.) Well, God love you. I tell you what.
You know, you guys build bridges, and you can’t be in a better city. There are more bridges in this city than any city in America. (Laughter.)
Look, folks, you know, we’ve been through a lot together. And I want to thank — I want to thank you for that introduction. It’s — it’s over the top, but I want to tell you, if I didn’t have my views about union movement, my Grandfather Finnegan wo- — from Scranton would come down and kick my rear end. (Laughter.) It’s real simple.
Look, folks, you know, I want to — Brent, thank you for all you’ve done. And, Phil, I —
And a big hello to my good friend, John Fetterman. John was here. I know he — (applause) — you had to be sitting down because I didn’t — if I didn’t see you, I’d get worried, John. (Laughter.)
I want you to know, if you got to be in a foxhole, man, you want this sucker with you. (Laughter.) You want him with you.
And, look — and, Chris — where’s Chris? Chris D- — there you go, Chris. Congratulations, Chris. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
And, you know, you’ve not only led the union movement, you built the middle class.
You know, all kidding aside, you know, when I started saying this year’s ago, people thought — looked at me like I was nuts.
There used to be a — it was a law that was passed in the ‘30s and — early ‘30s by Roosevelt, making it easier or fairer for unions to be able to organize because of strong opposition to organized labor. But there’s a provision in that law that no president really paid much attention to. And be — be honest with you, I didn’t realize until about 14 years ago that it existed.
It not only says how u- — they can’t block unions by doing un- — they still try to do unfair things. They can only block it. But this goes on to say any money appropriated by the United States Congress given to the president to build something or to spend it must be spent with American labor and American products.
Well, guess what? (Applause.) I’m the first who president said that means I mean it. That’s why there’s so much of an incredible growth.
We’ve hired more people in a four-year period than any president has in American history.
And, by the way, you’ve heard me say it a hundred times; I’m going to say it a thousand more times, as long as I have a breath: You know, Wall Street didn’t build America. The middle class built America, and you built the middle class. (Applause.) That’s a fact. You built it. That’s not a joke. There would be no middle class without you.
And, folk, look, the fact is that my dad — my dad never went to college, but my dad was a hardworking guy. And my dad used to have an expression. He’d say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck.” He mea- — I’m seri- —
Our dinner table was a place we had conversation and, incidentally, ate. My dad would say, “Joey, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity. It’s about respect. It’s about your place in the community. It’s about how people treat you and look at you. And everybody” — and he meant it — “everybody determines w- — is entitled to be treated with dignity.”
Well, that’s what union — you’ve done. You’ve raised people’s expectations. You’ve given them pride. You’ve given them a — a reason for being. You’ve changed. And all the apprenticeships — remember how, when I got elected president, they were going to — business was going to help us, they were going to provide apprenticeships? Give me a break. (Laughter.) Give me a break. Businesses pr- — anyway. (Laughter.) I don’t want to get going here.
But, look, the — you know, 10 days — 10 days.
Now, I know I look like I’m only 40 — (laughter) —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Forty-six!
THE PRESIDENT: But I’m — 46, I’ll take that. I’ll — I’ll — (laughter) — I’d take 66. (Laughter.)
But all kidding aside, you know, this is the most important election of our lifetime, no matter how young or old you are. Not a joke. Not hyperbole. This is not Democrat, Republican. This is decency versus a lack of decency. This is about character, this election.
And, folks, you know — I got to choose my words here. The choice couldn’t be clearer. The choice couldn’t be more stark.
I am a president, as was pointed out by my buddy, that I walked the picket line. Well, so has Kamala walked the picket line.
You know, not only — the only picket line Trump ever looks at is one he can, in fact, cross the picket line. Not walk it. Cross it.
Name me something he’s ever done — one single thing — name me one single thing, as a private entrepreneur or as a candidate, he’s ever done for American labor.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Name me — no, I’m no- — no, I’m being deadly earnest, because this is — I mean, this — this even — shouldn’t even be clo — but he wins, everything you talked about, he said he wants to get rid of. Not one thing you talked about did he support. Not one thing. Not a single thing.
You know, even the — anyway — (laughter.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We’re not going to let him win!
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you can’t let him win. By the way, look, guys, the presidential historians tell us that the most consequential thing the president can possess is character.
By character, we mean that — will they stand up? Will they stand up? Are they going to tell you the truth? Are they going to tell you when they disagree? When they agree, are they going to fight for you? Character. Just plain old character, like you do when we were kids.
You knew the kids in the neighborhood who had character and didn’t have character. You knew who you could count on and couldn’t count on, man or woman.
I mean, seriously, think about it. This is pretty basic stuff. It’s about decency. It’s about honor.
And, look, I’m going to just say — and the most controversial thing I may have said — Trump has no character. He’s not demonstrated it. Whether he was having the people working — you know, I me- — anyway, I won’t — I shouldn’t’ get going. (Laughter.)
But, you know — but he — the thing he — he doesn’t give a damn about union workers or any workers for that matter. He views unions as getting in the way of the accumulation of wealth for individuals. That’s what he views it as.
Folks, it’s in labor’s interest to defeat Donald Trump more than any other race you’ve been in and as long as any one of you have been alive.
You know, I’ve given my heart and soul to labor my whole career as president, because it wasn’t hard. It was just where I was raised, who I was with, what I — what I’ve seen. You know, everybody deserves a shot, man — just a shot. No guarantee. Everybody deserves a shot as close to a level playing field as you can make it.
And the last thing we need is for Trump to get elected to take away all the things we’ve done. How many of you have pensions now, again? How many of you have — your families have pensions? They opposed it.
I mean, just go down the list of all the things that really matter to a family — to a hardworking family.
Look, you — organized labor — are his worst nightmare, but you’re also the best thing that ever happened to the American economy. We got a lot more work to do, Kamala and I — Kamala — Kamala does. A lot more work to do, but let me tell you what: We’re the envy of the world. We have the best economy in the world because of you. (Applause.) Lot more to do.
But here’s the deal, guys, from my — where I stand — my standpoint: You fight for ordinary people, like the neighborhood I grew up in, the people I grew up with in Claymont, Delaware; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware — people who just — just want a shot. They’re not asking for a favor. They just want an even shot. And he only knows — we — we’re all about lifting people up. Think about it.
I’m — I’ve never been this direct, but I tell you what, he’s about making sure he pushes people down. He thinks the way you get ahead is to push people down. But you get ahead — I was — we were talking on the way up here. You know, when I got — when I made the commitment that I’d only hire American workers and use American products, well, I was told that that — and labor began to flourish, et cetera — I asked the Treasury Department to do a study. When union workers — not labor; union — when unions do better, what does it do for the rest of the economy? Everybody does better. Everybody’s wages come up. Everybody. Everybody. (Applause.) You’re his worst nightmare.
Now, like I said, you know, we’ve worked together for a long time. Like I said, I know I don’t look like I’m 40, but I’ve been doing this for about 500 years — (applause) — and we’ve asked a lot of each other. But what I’m not asking of you is something that is not your interest. I’m going to ask you one more thing: Don’t do it for me. Do it for your kids. Do it for your family. Do it for your grandkids. Do it for your neighbors. Do it for people you know, people who need a helping hand.
Donald Trump is a loser. A lose- — (applause) — he’s a loser as a candidate, and — more importantly, in my view — and I’m just going to say it straight up — he’s a loser as a man. He’s a loser as a man.
We fought too hard for the gains we’ve made for the people we grew up with, neighborhoods we come from, and I know who was standing next to me the last four years: Kamala Harris.
Let me tell you something, folks, I picked her because she has a backbone like a ramrod. She doesn’t bend. I’m serious. She has a backbone like a ramrod.
And, folks, look, as I said, I’m from Scranton, and — a place where we stand up for one another in my neighborhood. So, please, follow your gut. Do what’s right. Do what’s the right thing to do for everybody, the people you grew up with, the people you work with, the people you love.
Our kids — make sure they — kids have to have access to a good education. This guy wants to literally do away with the Department of Education — do away with it. We’ve been fighting like hell to — anyway.
You know, your parents, all of you, you need health care, access to health care, affordable health care. We finally got it. We finally moved — we have more health care now than we ever had in American history. He’s tried 51 times to eliminate the health care bill — 51 times.
Look, you know, what’s the right thing to do for the people you grew up with, the people you work with, your neighbors, and I — you know, we got to give —
And one of the things I’d hope we’ve figured out — and not all the guys agreed to this initially — there’s not a damn thing that I could do that my sister couldn’t do as well or better.
My sister is my best friend and my life. We’re three years apart, two years apart in school. She graduated honors, taking the same exact courses I had at Delaware, and I graduated. She managed her — one of my campaigns. She jumps in a fight when p- — someone’s in trouble. We’re taught, like you guys, you see someone taken advantage of — what do you do? You’re told to get involved, get engaged even when you’re a kid, jump into the fight.
Well, look, folks, the fact is that we’re finally, finally getting to the point where women are beginning to have a shot, a fair shot — a fair shot. Like I said, they can do anything any man can do, including being president of the United States of America. (Applause.)
Look, I’m trying to be a good boy here. (Laughter.) There’s never been, in my view, a clearer choice, as a student history, someone who has known more world leaders than any living president — than any president ever has. I know them well, the good and the bad. The fact of the matter is that the — we know how important this election is.
It’s because of you we’ve created more jobs than any time in history. We have “Made in America” — become the — what is the standard now, not the exception.
Remember what corporations used to do under him? That was they’d send the job overseas to the cheapest labor they could find and then bring the product back home.
Well, when I went overseas and I talked with the South Koreans first about the CHIPS Act, I said, “Look, you guys are m-” — we invented the chip. We made sure it worked — those — smaller than the end of his little finger. And guess what? They decided to invest $15 billion.
I came back, and I said, “Why did you come when I talked to Samsung?” He said “because you’re the most qualified workers in the world.” You guys are not only the best in America, you’re the best in the world — that’s not a joke — the single best in the world.
And I asked why — so what — you know how much — remember we were — I was being criticized about how Biden was going to plan the economy too much and government is going to be too involved? Well, guess what? We brought off the sidelines in private investment $1 trillion in investment. (Applause.)
Remember, when we got elected, we were told there’s going to be a recession? No one’s talking about recession on our watch. I’m serious.
So, folks, look, I — I’m trying to be good. (Laughter.) But, look, I know how damn hard you fought for the gains we have. I know how damn hard you work for your fellow colleagues. I know how you stuck together. And I know how you reach down to help people.
You know, I — and I know you know that without the shot of a decent wage, without the shot of access to health care — basic health care — without the shot of being able to retire on something, to have something to look forward to, we’re in trouble.
Well, you guaranteed that’s not going to happen anymore in America.
We got more to do. We got to make housing more affordable. We got to — and we got to give people a break to start their first homes. We got to give people a break to get going.
That’s all in play. And if Kamala wins, it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen.
But folks, you know the fact is that I — I don’t — I don’t think it’s exaggeration. I can think of no man who has thought less of the average working person in America than this guy did, whether he was making sure that people worked overtime without getting paid on his gardens down in Mar-a-Lago or whether it’s what he passed. He’s created the largest deficit of any president in four years in American history.
You know what he wants to do now? He wan- — he — he caused a — he provided a $2 trillion tax cut for the super-wealthy, creating a gigantic deficit. You know what he’s proposing now? A $5 trillion tax cut for the same people.
The leading economists in the world got together and concluded that if Trump fulfilled his obliga- — his request that he wants for the economy, that we’d be in a recession. We’d lose thousands of jobs — millions of jobs.
So, you got to promise you’ll tell my wife I behaved — (laughter) — that I didn’t say all that I think. But you know in your gut, man — you know in your gut how important this is. You know it.
If everything we’ve worked for — everything you’ve allowed to happen, he has literally spoken out and said he’s opposed to. And his new great — the w- — wealthiest man in the world is now his ally, right? Well, that wealthiest man in the world turned out to be illegal worker here when he was here. No, I’m serious. He was supposed to be in school when he came on a student visa. He wasn’t in school. He was violating the law. And he’s talking about all these illegals coming our way.
Folks — and, by the way, on that score, what we’ve done, even though he wouldn’t allow the most important legislation to pass, which fixed the border — the pro- — problem at the border, we have fewer people crossing the border illegally now — or crossing the border, period, than any time since his third year as president of the United States. It matters.
Relationships matter and relationships with foreign leaders matter. Trust for our foreign leaders matter, and we built that trust.
So, anyway, guys, please — please, please, please — go the extra step. Call the people you know who may be undecided. Tell them, please — please give us a chance. Give labor the chance to really, really blossom in a way that has never had ever before, even in the Roosevelt years. You’re changing the world. You’re changing the world.
And, folks, we’re the best country by far. We’re the greatest country in the history of the world. (Applause.)
1:42 P.M. EDT
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Remarks by President Biden After Marine One Arrival | Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11:26 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: I assume you want to talk about Elon Musk being here illegally.
I’m only joking. What you got?
Q Mr. President, what do you say to the men that supported you but are not supporting Harris?
THE PRESIDENT: They’re making a mistake, in my humble opinion.
Q On the Iran strike, is — is this the end of it?
THE PRESIDENT: On the Iran strike, I had a — I had a long — the reason we’re a little late — I was on with the intelligence community for the last half hour — (inaudible) hour. And it looks like they didn’t hit anything other than military targets. My hope is this is the end.
Q Mr. President, the Chinese seemed to have hacked the Trump and Harris campaigns. Will there be repercussions for Beijing?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I got to find out more about that, but I’m getting that brief when I get back as to what they did, how much they hacked, and so on.
Q But if you find out that they did it, will there be repercussions?
THE PRESIDENT: We’ll have to talk about it.
Q Mr. President, did you get a heads-up from Israel on the Iran strike? Did you get any heads-up?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q How worried are you that former President Trump seems to be talking to Bibi Netanyahu quite frequently?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, the — the criticism is Trump is talking with Bibi, but Trump works for — for — Trumps works — Bi-
Trump work — talks to Bibi and his good multibillionaire friend talks to him a lot too. So, I guess they’re all three friends.
Q Are you — are you not concerned at all that he seems to be doing diplomacy while he’s not really representing the United States?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q What did you —
THE PRESIDENT: But I’m not surprised.
Q Sorry, sir. What did you think of Trump’s “America is garbage” comment comparing America being an — essentially in the trash can?
THE PRESIDENT: Look, Trump has no class at all. Zero. None.
Think — all kidding aside, if we — if this wasn’t a political campaign, how would you characterize the man in terms of his — his manners, his decency?
I mean, it’s beneath a president.
Q Mr. President, the North Korean troops in Russia — what kind of options do you have to respond to that? And when might we see a response there?
THE PRESIDENT: We have options, and it depends on what they do.
Thank you so very much.
11:28 A.M. EDT
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Remarks by President Biden After Marine One Arrival | Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11:26 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: I assume you want to talk about Elon Musk being here illegally.
I’m only joking. What you got?
Q Mr. President, what do you say to the men that supported you but are not supporting Harris?
THE PRESIDENT: They’re making a mistake, in my humble opinion.
Q On the Iran strike, is — is this the end of it?
THE PRESIDENT: On the Iran strike, I had a — I had a long — the reason we’re a little late — I was on with the intelligence community for the last half hour — (inaudible) hour. And it looks like they didn’t hit anything other than military targets. My hope is this is the end.
Q Mr. President, the Chinese seemed to have hacked the Trump and Harris campaigns. Will there be repercussions for Beijing?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I got to find out more about that, but I’m getting that brief when I get back as to what they did, how much they hacked, and so on.
Q But if you find out that they did it, will there be repercussions?
THE PRESIDENT: We’ll have to talk about it.
Q Mr. President, did you get a heads-up from Israel on the Iran strike? Did you get any heads-up?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q How worried are you that former President Trump seems to be talking to Bibi Netanyahu quite frequently?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, the — the criticism is Trump is talking with Bibi, but Trump works for — for — Trumps works — Bi-
Trump work — talks to Bibi and his good multibillionaire friend talks to him a lot too. So, I guess they’re all three friends.
Q Are you — are you not concerned at all that he seems to be doing diplomacy while he’s not really representing the United States?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q What did you —
THE PRESIDENT: But I’m not surprised.
Q Sorry, sir. What did you think of Trump’s “America is garbage” comment comparing America being an — essentially in the trash can?
THE PRESIDENT: Look, Trump has no class at all. Zero. None.
Think — all kidding aside, if we — if this wasn’t a political campaign, how would you characterize the man in terms of his — his manners, his decency?
I mean, it’s beneath a president.
Q Mr. President, the North Korean troops in Russia — what kind of options do you have to respond to that? And when might we see a response there?
THE PRESIDENT: We have options, and it depends on what they do.
Thank you so very much.
11:28 A.M. EDT
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Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Kalamazoo, MI
Wings Event Center
Kalamazoo, Michigan
5:33 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Can we hear it for Michelle Obama? (Applause.)
Good afternoon, Michigan! (Applause.) Good afternoon. Hi. Hi, guys. (Applause.) We’re doing this! We’re doing this! (Laughs.) (Applause.)
All right. Okay. Oh, it’s great to be in Kalamazoo. (Laughs.) (Applause.) Thank you, guys. Thank — okay. Okay. All right. Thank you. Okay. We got some work to do. We got some work to do. We got some work to do.
Can we please — can we please applaud my dear and incredible friend, the former first lady, Michelle Obama? (Applause.)
And I just have to say, you — I’ve known Michelle for years, and she is an inspiration. I know everybody here knows this. She is a truth — she is a truth-teller, and she motivates us to get to work, especially when the stakes are high because, as she reminds us, as my mother taught me, “Don’t just sit around and complain about injustice.”
AUDIENCE: “Do something!”
THE VICE PRESIDENT: “Do something.”
And there are so many incredible leaders here tonight, but I want to first just thank everybody because there is so much you could be doing with your time right now, and you are here and we are here as community, as coalition builders, because we love our country. And I thank you for being here, and I thank you for all your work. (Applause.) I thank you. I thank you. I thank you.
And I want to give a shout-out to Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist — (applause) — he’s over there somewhere; Senator Gary Peters. (Applause.)
And all the union, elected, and community leaders here today, I thank you. (Applause.)
I want to give a special thank you to former Republican Congressman Fred Upton — (applause) — who represented Kalamazoo for decades and has endorsed our campaign because, as he put it, ours is the team that will “bring people together, strengthen our economy, and get things done for the American people.” (Applause.)
So, Kalamazoo, listen, bef- — you all know, before I was vice president, I was a United States senator —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Kamala-zoo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and before that, I was a —
I know you want to say “Kamala-zoo.” I heard you. (Laughter and applause.)
Okay. All right. Okay. We got that out of the way. Okay. (Laughs.)
So, listen, before I was vice president and — before that, I was a two-term attorney general of California. I was a senator, the two-term attorney general of California, and before that, a district attorney, and before that, a courtroom prosecutor. (Applause.)
And — and in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds: predators, fraudsters, and repeat offenders. I took them on, and I won. (Applause.) Well, Michigan, in 10 days, it’s Donald Trump’s turn. (Applause.) (Laughs.) Yep. Yep.
So, listen, we’ve got just 10 days left.
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, you know, I hear your chant. But, listen, the courts are going to handle that; we’re going to handle November. Okay? (Applause.) (Inaudible.)
So, look, we’ve got just 10 days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. As you all know, voting has already started. (Applause.) And everybody here knows this is going to be a tight race until the very end, so we have a lot of work to do.
But we like hard work. (Applause.) Hard work is good work. Hard work is joyful work. And make no mistake, we will win. (Applause.) We will win. We will win. We will win. We will. Yes, we will.
AUDIENCE: We will win! We will win! We will win!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And I got something for —
AUDIENCE: We will win! We will win! We will win!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Or — or, as a certain former president would say, “Yes, we can.” (Laughs.) (Applause.)
So, yes, we can, and, yes, we will. And we will win because, together — and this is about all of us — we are fighting for America’s future.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No more Gaza war!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And we understand —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No more Gaza war! No more Gaza war!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — the opportunity we have before us —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Have you no decency?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — to turn the page —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No more Gaza war!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — on the fear —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. Thank you all. Thank you all. Thank you all.
And, listen, on the topic of Gaza, we must end that war. (Applause.) And we must end the war and bring the hostages home. But now I am speaking about 2024. All right.
So, listen, we have to understand the opportunity we have before us to turn the page on the fear and the 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 — dare I say, joyful way forward — (applause) — where we tap into the ambition and the aspirations and the dreams of the American people.
And I’m going to tell you, as I travel around our country, there is an overwhelming call for a fresh start — (applause) — 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 sees the people, not just looking in the mirror all the time — (laughter) — but sees the people, who gets you, and who will fight for you. (Applause.) That is what this election is about.
And my whole career, I have put the people above partisanship. I never asked somebody, “Are you a Democrat or a Republican” before I offered help. Instead, the first and only thing I asked is, “How can I help you?” (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.
One, his, focused on the past and himself; the other, ours, focused on the future and you and your family. (Applause.)
And together, we will build a future where we bring down the cost of living, and that will be my focus every single day as president.
Because, look, 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 then filed for bankruptcy six times —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — 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 my sister and I had all that we needed.
I come from the middle class, and I will never forget where I come from. (Applause.) I will never forget where I come from.
And so, my commonsense plan is about lowering the prices you pay on everything from prescription medication to groceries to housing.
On the other hand, Donald Trump will raise costs on the families of America. In fact, independent economists — independent economists have analyzed our plans and found that 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.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And his agenda is all laid out in Project 2025 —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — which, I still must say, I cannot believe they put that in writing. (Laughter and applause.) I mean, they put it in writing, they bound it, they handed it out. (Laughter.) And if you get your hands on it — google it — it’s a detailed and dangerous blueprint for what he will do if he is elected president.
Donald Trump will impose a 20 percent Trump national sales tax on everyday basic necessities, which will cost — the economists have measured it — will cost the average family nearly $4,000 a year.
On the other hand, I will take on an issue like corporate price gouging. (Applause.) I’ve done it before, and I will do it again.
Donald Trump will give massive tax cuts to billionaires and the biggest corporations, exactly like he did the last time he was president.
I will give middle-class tax cuts to 100 million Americans, including $6,000 during the first year of a child’s life that will also lift America’s children out of poverty. (Applause.)
Donald Trump — again, read his plan — will get rid of the $35 cap on insulin for seniors.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: He will cut Medicare and Social Security.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: In fact, recently, it was published, independent economists say he will bankrupt Social Security in the next six years.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And what everybody here knows: We have so many seniors whose only source of income is their Social Security check. (Applause.) And we believe that our seniors should be able to retire with dignity, not worried about whether they’re going to have a roof over their head. (Applause.)
And we believe that their families also should not be overwhelmed by the cost of home health care, which is why my plan includes ensuring that instead of you, who are taking care of your elder relative — you know, I took care of my mother when she was sick, and I know what that is like. It’s about trying to cook something that they feel like eating. It’s about trying to help them put on a sweater. It’s about trying to say something that maybe will bring a smile to their face and maybe make them laugh from time to time. It’s about their dignity.
But we have a lot of people right now living in what we call the “sandwich generation,” who are taking care of your kids while you’re taking care of your parents. (Applause.) And that’s a lot. It’s a lot.
And too many people either — well, either, if you are fortunate enough, you may have some extra money that you can hire somebody, but most people can’t. So, what that means is so many people have to think about leaving work, quitting their job, which means cutting a source of income, or spending down all of your savings to be able to qualify for Medicaid.
It’s just not right. So, part of my plan says that we’re going to make sure that Medicare covers the cost of home health care for our seniors. (Applause.)
It’s about dignity. It’s about dignity. It’s about seeing people where they are and understanding the burdens people face and lifting folks up instead of trying to beat people down, which is exactly what we see on the other side. (Applause.)
On top of that, my plan will bring down the cost of housing, because we know housing is too expensive. And for so many people — you know, generations ago, folks could kind of count on the American dream, but it’s out of reach for far too many people. And so, we’re going to bring down the cost of housing, including creating incentives for more home building, and we are going to create a $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers — (applause) — just to get your foot in the door. Because the way I see, it’s not enough that you’re just able to get by. I want you to be able to get ahead. (Applause.)
We’re going to cut taxes for small businesses, because small businesses are the backbone of America’s economy. (Applause.)
Do we have any small-business owners here? (Applause.) Right. I love our small businesses.
We’re going to lower health care costs, because, look, I believe health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who have the money to afford it. (Applause.)
On the other hand, we’ve got Donald Trump —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — who intends to end the Affordable Care Act — or, as we like to call it, Obamacare — (applause) — and he would take us back to when insurance companies had the power to 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, because we are about moving forward — (applause) — and it is time to turn the page.
So, ours is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom, like the fundamental freedom of a woman to be able to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do. (Applause.)
And remember how we got here. Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. They did as he intended. And now, one in three women in America lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — many with no exceptions for rape and incest.
And the idea that somebody who survives a crime of a violation to their body would not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next, that is immoral.
And let us agree, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government shouldn’t be telling her what to do. (Applause.) Not the government. Not the government. If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her pastor, her rabbi, her imam, but not the government. Come on. Some folks up in a state capitol telling you what’s in your best interest, like you don’t know?
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Not in Michigan!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Not in Michigan, but, look, if there’s a national — if — if — look, if there’s a national abortion ban, nobody is safe. And that’s why I so thank everybody for being here, knowing this is at stake for everybody and fighting for everybody’s rights. (Applause.)
And I’ll tell you, so, I was in — I — I actually just got in from Texas. And I did an event in Texas last night, in Houston. And — (applause) — and if you saw it, you probably saw some of the stories about what has been happening in our country — the suffering — the suffering.
And, you know, Donald Trump still refuses to even acknowledge the pain and suffering he has caused. He insists that, and I’m going to quote, “everybody” wanted Roe v. Wade to be overturned.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Come on. Everybody wanted this? Women are being denied care during miscarriages, some only being treated once they developed sepsis. They didn’t want this.
Couples just trying to grow their family who have been cut off from IVF treatments. They didn’t want this.
The men of America seeing their daughters, wives, sisters, and mothers put at risk because their rights have been stripped away. The men of America don’t want this.
AUDIENCE: Noo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Women have died because of these bans. How could anybody say that they wanted this?
And you 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. (Applause.) And what I mentioned are just some of the consequences of what he has done.
And I will tell you, I pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. (Applause.) Proudly. Proudly, with your help.
And so, look, we are — and I’m traveling our country. And I’m going to tell you, across our nation, we are witnessing a full-on assault on other hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights, like the freedom to vote.
You know, in Georgia, they got a law that makes it illegal to give people food and water for standing in line to vote. The hypocrisy abounds. What happened to love thy neighbor?
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.)
All of these things are at stake. And generations of Americans before us led the fight for freedom, and now the baton is in our hands. (Applause.) Now the baton is in our hands.
And on that point, I want to speak, in particular, to all of the young leaders who are here today. Can I see Gen Z? (Applause.) I love you guys. I love you. Let me tell you — (laughs) — see? And of the many things that I just think are so great about you, you are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.) I love that. I love that.
You, who have only known the climate crisis, are leading the charge to protect our planet and our future. You, who grew up with active shooter drills, are fighting to keep our schools safe. (Applause.) You, who now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, are standing up for reproductive freedom.
And for you all, these issues are not theoretical, they’re not political; they’re your lived experience. And I want to tell you, I see you, and I see your power. (Applause.)
And I know many of you are voting for the first time. Who’s voting for the first time? (Applause.) Can we hear it for our young leaders and first-time voters? (Applause.)
Yeah. There we go. That’s what this is about, right? That’s why we’re all here together. It’s about our future.
So, listen, so much is on the line in this election. You all know that.
And this is not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are even higher because, over the last eight years, Donald Trump has become more confused, more unstable, and more angry. And it is clear he has become increasingly unhinged, but the last time at least there were people who could control him. But notice they’re not with him this time.
And then a few months ago, the Supreme Court told the former president he is effectively immune no matter what he does in the White House.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It’s not 2016 or 2020 when you think about that, because just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails. He who will claim unchecked and extreme power if he is reelected. He who has vowed he will be a dictator on day one. He who has said he wished he had generals like Hitler’s.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Who calls — who calls Americans who disagree with him, “the enemy from within.” You know what that harkens back to? And he says he would use the American military to go after them.
Donald Trump has even called for the, quote, “termination” of the Constitution of the United States of America.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And let us be very clear, someone 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. (Applause.) Never again. Never again. Never again. No.
So, there is a huge contrast in this election, and I’m going to ask everyone to just imagine the Oval Office in three months. So, you can picture it. So — but here’s what I say to the folks who are watching: It’s either Donald Trump in there stewing over his enemies list, or me, working for you, checking off my to-do list. (Applause.) And you have the power to make that decision. You have the power to make that decision.
And this is the beauty of our democracy, as long as we can hold on to it: The power is with the people. The power is with the people to make that decision.
And so, Michigan, it all comes down to this: We are all here together because we know what is at stake, and we are here together, most importantly, because we love our country. We love our country. (Applause.) We love our country.
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And to love our country — to love our country is to know that one of the highest forms of patriotism, I believe, is to then fight for the ideals of our country. And that’s what we are all here together to say, “We love our country, and we are prepared to fight for our country and to fight to realize the promise of America.” (Applause.) The promise of America, that’s what this is about.
So, Election Day is in 10 days. (Applause.) And early voting has already started. (Applause.) And you can vote early, starting today, through Sunday, November 3rd. (Applause.) So, we need you to vote early, Michigan. (Applause.)
And now, then is the time to make your plan to vote. And you can go to IWillVote.com to get all the information you need.
And if you have received your ballot in the mail, please do not wait, fill it out and return it today — (applause) — because, folks, the election is here. It is here, and the choice is truly in your hands. And your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power. (Applause.) It’s your power.
So, Michigan, today, I 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. (Applause.)
END 6:05 P.M. EDT
The post Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Kalamazoo, MI appeared first on The White House.
Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Houston, TX
Shell Energy Stadium
Houston, Texas
9:20 P.M. CDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Kelly and Beyoncé! (Applause.)
Hey, Texas! (Applause.)
Oh, it’s good to be back in Texas. (Applause.)
Thank you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, everybody. Thank you for being here this evening.
Can we hear it for Ms. Tina Knowles? (Applause.) For Ms. Kelly? (Applause.) And Beyoncé? (Applause.)
What a warm Texas welcome. I thank you all so very much, and I thank you, and I thank my friends for reminding us of exactly what we are fighting for in this campaign. We are fighting for freedom. (Applause.) Freedom. Freedom.
And to Andrea and everyone here tonight whose lives have been impacted by these Trump abortion bans, in this moment, I thank you for sharing your stories and for your courage. It is an honor to be here with so many leaders and all of you who have taken the time out of your busy lives to be here this evening so we can, as a community of people, as people who love our country, be clear, sound strong, and stand in favor of the freedom of every woman to make decisions about her
own body. (Applause.)
I also want to thank the members of Congress who are here, including Colin Allred. (Applause.) I’m counting on you to send him to the United States Senate so we can get right to work. (Applause.)
And to all the elected officials and community leaders, I thank you all. I thank you.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) See you later. See you later.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It’s okay.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: See —
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re not going back.
And we have — and we have a lot of work to do. And we have a lot of work to do, and we will not get distracted. (Applause.) We will not get distracted.
So, listen, Texas, we have 11 days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. Voting has already started, and we know this will be a tight race until the very end.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. So, here’s the thing. Here — hey, g- — okay, so we got work to do. We got work to do. We got work to do. And I love that there is so much enthusiasm, but let’s talk about the work we’ve got to do — (applause) — okay — because we’ve got 11 days to see this through. And we will win. (Applause.) We will win. We will win.
And we will win — and we will win because we know and understand what is at stake. We are 11 days out from an election that will decide the future of America, including the freedom of every woman to make decisions about her own body and her reproductive freedom. (Applause.)
And everyone here tonight is here because we are about fighting for our future and not letting some people take us back. (Applause.) Because 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 are not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And in America, we know freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed. It is ours by right, and we are prepared to fight for it — (applause) — because we understand the stakes.
And moving forward, we understand that what we must do, Texas, is right here, you, who are ground zero in the fight for reproductive freedom, we must be loud. We must organize. We must mobilize. We must energize the people. (Applause.)
Because you all know, Texas is home to one of the most restrictive abortion bans in our country.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: In Texas, abortion is banned from the moment of conception.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know what? You know what? Just send them to that small rally down the street. (Applause.) It’ll be fine. Some people don’t have a great sense of direction, but that’s okay. We’ll show them the way. We’ll show them the way.
Come on.
Because we know what’s at stake, and we will not be silenced. We know what’s happening here in Texas. Doctors and nurses could go to prison for life simply for providing reproductive care. Think about that. Life in prison for health care providers for doing what they think is in their patients’ best interest.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know what? The beauty of our campaign is we’re fighting for democracy. (Applause.)
And what we know here in Texas is that there are some who would distract from the fact that Texas has a law now that offers a cash bounty for turning in someone who merely helps a friend or family member get the care they need.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
In Texas, the law provides for prison for life for health care providers for doing what they believe is in the best interest of their patient. In some counties in Texas, there — they have passed travel bans to prevent women from going to other states to receive care. These are the stakes.
And we know 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. And as he intended, they did.
And now, more than 20 states have a Trump abortion ban. Now, one in three American women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban, including Texas and every state in the South except for Virginia. And many of these bans are causing care to be denied until a woman is at death’s door. Many have no exceptions even for rape and incest, which is immoral.
And let us 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 with her body. (Applause.) Not the government.
If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her pastor, her rabbi, her imam, but not the government and some people up in the state legislature — (applause) — telling her what’s in her best interest when she knows what’s in her own best interest.
And let us recognize: These same people — check this out — these same people who have argued that these Trump abortion bans are in the best interest of women and children, do look at their records. They tend to be in states with the highest rate of maternal mortality in the country.
For decades, these extremist leaders who have neglected prenatal care, maternity care, and postpartum care and who now, after continuously failing to support women and children, claim to care about women and children. Well, I have a question for them: Where you been? Where you been? (Applause.) Where you been when it comes to prioritizing care for women and children? Where have you been when it comes to helping pregnant women and new mothers? Where have you been when it comes to affordable child care? (Applause.)
And do note, many of these same extremist leaders have also refused to extend the Child Tax Credit, which lifted half of America’s children out of poverty; they, who have blocked proposals to lower child care costs for working parents; they who have tried to cut WIC and SNAP for low-income mothers and their children. The hypocrisy abounds.
And here’s what else is happening: These bans are driving doctors out of states like Texas, Idaho, Georgia, and North Carolina, leaving women who are already living in maternity care deserts — meaning there is no maternity care anywhere near them — leaving them with even fewer options. And since Trump abortion bans, fewer medical students are choosing to specialize in women’s health.
Over these past two years, the impact of Trump abortion bans has been devastating. We see the horrific reality that women and families face every single day, and the stories are vivid. They are difficult to hear. They are difficult to tell.
For example, here in Texas — can we roll the tape?
(A video is played.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: From his own mouth, “a great thing.” There is nothing great about what happened to women like Kate Cox, who was heartbroken to learn her much-wanted pregnancy was not viable; heartbroken when her doctors told her if she remained pregnant, she would be risking her own life or her ability to have children in the future. But the attorney general of Texas —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — threatened — threatened if Kate’s doctors helped terminate her pregnancy, they would be criminally prosecuted. So, Kate was forced to flee the state to get the care she needed.
In Louisiana, Kaitlyn Joshua was turned away from not one but two emergency rooms while miscarrying. She was bleeding. She was in pain. But because of a Trump abortion ban, doctors would not treat her, because if they did, they would have faced 15 years in prison. And so, Kal- — Kaitlyn had to go home, where she went through the pain of a miscarriage for more than a month and trying — the whole time — to hide her pain from her four-year-old daughter. We know that women have died because of Trump abortion bans.
Here today is Shanette Williams, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, a vibrant — (applause) — we must speak her name, Amber Nicole Thurman. (Applause.) I promised her mother I would speak her name. A vibrant 28-year-old mother of a 6-year-old son who died a preventable death because of Georgia’s abortion ban. Now, Shanette and her family are courageously sharing Amber’s story to make sure we all remember her as more than a statistic so that we remember Amber was a daughter, a sister, a mother, and that she was loved and that she should be alive today. (Applause.)
And listen, we’re all here because we know the reality is, for every story we hear about — about the suffering because of a Trump abortion ban, there are so many stories we’ve never heard, an untold number of women and the people who love them, who are silently suffering — women who are being made to feel as though they did something wrong, as though they are criminals, as though they are alone. And to those women, I say — and I think I speak on behalf of all of us: We see you, and we are here with you. (Applause.)
Texas, what is happening across this state and our country is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect of it. He brags about overturning Roe v. Wade. In his own words, quote, “I did it, and I’m proud to have done it.” That’s what he says.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And one has to ask: Proud that women are dying? Proud that doctors and nurses could be thrown in prison for life for administering lifesaving care? Proud that young women in America today have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers?
How dare he? Donald Trump — (applause) — Donald Trump even said everyone wanted Roe v. Wade to be overturned.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, a woman in Ohio was arrested and charged after having a miscarriage, so was a woman in South Carolina. They didn’t want this.
Hadley Duval, who became pregnant after being raped by her stepfather when she was 12 years old, she didn’t want this.
Ryan Hamilton, who is here tonight — his wife was denied treatment at the hospital for a miscarriage. They got home; he found her bleeding and unconscious. He dressed her, put her in a car, packed up their nine-month-old child and drove to a different emergency room, where doctors told them she could have died. Ryan didn’t want this. Let’s be clear.
And the men across America — this needs to be said — men across America do not want to see their daughters and wives and sisters and mothers put at risk because their rights have been taken. (Applause.) I see the men here, and I thank you.
The men of America don’t want this.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And now, the attorney general of Texas is suing the United States government —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — so that Texas prosecutors can get — check this out — so that Texas prosecutors can get their hands on private medical records of women who leave the state to get care.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Now, I’d ask everybody here, please do see the irony. Okay? Listen to this.
On the one hand, Donald Trump won’t let anyone see his medical records. (Laughter and applause.) I gave up mine.
And on the other hand, they want to get their hands on your medical records.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Simply put, they are out of their mind. (Applause.)
In just four years as president, Donald Trump was able to erase half a century of hard-fought progress for women, and now he wants to go even further.
He will force all 50 states to track and report on women’s miscarriages and abortions and go after access to contraception and IVF treatment. It’s right there in his Project 2025. Google it.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And let us be clear: If Donald Trump wins again, he will ban abortion nationwide.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And though we are in Texas tonight, I say it to the folks who might be watching from home — for anyone watching from another state, know this: If you think you are protected from Trump abortion bans because you live in Michigan or Pennsylvania or Nevada or New York or California or any state where voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know no one is protected if there is a Trump national abortion ban, and it will outlaw abortion in every single state.
Understand that. And he can do it with or without an act of Congress.
All that to say: Elections matter. (Applause.) Elections matter.
If Donald Trump is president again, he will likely get to appoint at least one additional Supreme Court justice.
Remember who we appointed? Call her Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Applause.)
But if he were — if he were reelected, he’d probably get to appoint one, if not two, members to the United States Supreme Court, at which point Donald Trump will have packed the court with five out of nine justices on that court who will sit —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — but think about that — who will sit for lifetime appointments, shaping your lives and the lives of generations to come. And that is among the many critical contrasts in this election.
Look, Donald Trump doesn’t trust women, but I do. We trust women. And we understand what’s at stake. (Applause.)
And with Colin Allred in the United States Senate, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, I will proudly sign it into law as president of the United States. (Applause.) Proudly. Proudly.
So, to all the friends here, let us remember: Momentum is on our side.
I know sometimes in Texas, folks are like, “Is it worth it? Is it — does it make a difference?” Yes, it does. You are making a difference. And momentum is on our side. (Applause.) You are making a difference.
Since Roe was overturned, every time reproductive freedom has been on the ballot, from Kansas to California to Kentucky, in Michigan, Montana, Vermont, and Ohio, the people of America have voted for freedom every time it’s been on the ballot. (Applause.)
And often, they have voted by overwhelming margins from so-called red to so-called blue states, proving this is not a partisan issue.
Because Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs understand the decision of whether, when, and how to build a family is one of the most consequential decisions anyone can make, and we are fighting for an America where no matter who you are, where you live, you can make decisions about your own body for yourself. (Applause.)
So, moving forward, all of this is to say, reproductive freedom is on the ballot in this presidential election. And in 10 states around the country — including Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, and with the work of everyone here, freedom will win. Freedom will win. (Applause.)
And so, I want to take a moment to speak in particular to all the young leaders here and across America. Do we have anybody here from Gen-Z? (Applause.) Where are you at? Where are you at? (Applause.)
I’m counting on you, because the thing I love about you is you are impatient for change. (Applause.) You know it ain’t right that you may have fewer rights than your mother or your grandmother. You know it is not theoretical. You know it is not political. It is your lived experience.
And I see you, and I see your power. (Applause.) I see your power. And I know so many of you are voting for the first time. Can I see a raise of hands? (Applause.)
Can we applaud our leaders who are voting for the first time? (Applause.)
All right. We heard it for our young leaders. That’s right.
So, listen to everyone here, we know freedom has never come easy. Never come easy. There has been no moment of our progress as a country that did not come about without a fight. Let’s all be clear about that. And we are in the midst of a movement, and everyone here is a leader in that movement.
So, we do this, then, remembering those who came before us, those who struggled and sacrificed for our freedoms, who found fellowship and even joy in one another in the fight. They found strength and hope in fighting for our ideals, and that is what we are doing. That is what we are doing, because we know weeping may endure for a night — (applause) — but joy cometh in the morning. (Applause.)
So, Texas, Election Day is in 11 days. (Applause.) Early voting has already begun. (Applause.) So, now it is time to start making your plan. Go to IWillVote.com to get all the information you need.
And it is not only the presidency that is on the ballot. There are many important races, including Colin Allred running for Senate — (applause) — who, we must note, his opponent supported a national abortion ban six times —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — an opponent who said he does not support exceptions, even for victims of rape and incest.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, let’s remember, Texas: Your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power. (Applause.)
So, today, I ask you: Are you ready to make your voices heard? (Applause.)
Do we trust women? (Applause.)
Do we believe in reproductive freedom? (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 America. (Applause.)
END 9:48 P.M. CDT
The post Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Houston, TX appeared first on The White House.
Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Houston, TX
Shell Energy Stadium
Houston, Texas
9:20 P.M. CDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Kelly and Beyoncé! (Applause.)
Hey, Texas! (Applause.)
Oh, it’s good to be back in Texas. (Applause.)
Thank you all. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, everybody. Thank you for being here this evening.
Can we hear it for Ms. Tina Knowles? (Applause.) For Ms. Kelly? (Applause.) And Beyoncé? (Applause.)
What a warm Texas welcome. I thank you all so very much, and I thank you, and I thank my friends for reminding us of exactly what we are fighting for in this campaign. We are fighting for freedom. (Applause.) Freedom. Freedom.
And to Andrea and everyone here tonight whose lives have been impacted by these Trump abortion bans, in this moment, I thank you for sharing your stories and for your courage. It is an honor to be here with so many leaders and all of you who have taken the time out of your busy lives to be here this evening so we can, as a community of people, as people who love our country, be clear, sound strong, and stand in favor of the freedom of every woman to make decisions about her
own body. (Applause.)
I also want to thank the members of Congress who are here, including Colin Allred. (Applause.) I’m counting on you to send him to the United States Senate so we can get right to work. (Applause.)
And to all the elected officials and community leaders, I thank you all. I thank you.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) See you later. See you later.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It’s okay.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: See —
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re not going back.
And we have — and we have a lot of work to do. And we have a lot of work to do, and we will not get distracted. (Applause.) We will not get distracted.
So, listen, Texas, we have 11 days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. Voting has already started, and we know this will be a tight race until the very end.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. So, here’s the thing. Here — hey, g- — okay, so we got work to do. We got work to do. We got work to do. And I love that there is so much enthusiasm, but let’s talk about the work we’ve got to do — (applause) — okay — because we’ve got 11 days to see this through. And we will win. (Applause.) We will win. We will win.
And we will win — and we will win because we know and understand what is at stake. We are 11 days out from an election that will decide the future of America, including the freedom of every woman to make decisions about her own body and her reproductive freedom. (Applause.)
And everyone here tonight is here because we are about fighting for our future and not letting some people take us back. (Applause.) Because 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 are not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And in America, we know freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed. It is ours by right, and we are prepared to fight for it — (applause) — because we understand the stakes.
And moving forward, we understand that what we must do, Texas, is right here, you, who are ground zero in the fight for reproductive freedom, we must be loud. We must organize. We must mobilize. We must energize the people. (Applause.)
Because you all know, Texas is home to one of the most restrictive abortion bans in our country.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: In Texas, abortion is banned from the moment of conception.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know what? You know what? Just send them to that small rally down the street. (Applause.) It’ll be fine. Some people don’t have a great sense of direction, but that’s okay. We’ll show them the way. We’ll show them the way.
Come on.
Because we know what’s at stake, and we will not be silenced. We know what’s happening here in Texas. Doctors and nurses could go to prison for life simply for providing reproductive care. Think about that. Life in prison for health care providers for doing what they think is in their patients’ best interest.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know what? The beauty of our campaign is we’re fighting for democracy. (Applause.)
And what we know here in Texas is that there are some who would distract from the fact that Texas has a law now that offers a cash bounty for turning in someone who merely helps a friend or family member get the care they need.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
In Texas, the law provides for prison for life for health care providers for doing what they believe is in the best interest of their patient. In some counties in Texas, there — they have passed travel bans to prevent women from going to other states to receive care. These are the stakes.
And we know 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. And as he intended, they did.
And now, more than 20 states have a Trump abortion ban. Now, one in three American women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban, including Texas and every state in the South except for Virginia. And many of these bans are causing care to be denied until a woman is at death’s door. Many have no exceptions even for rape and incest, which is immoral.
And let us 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 with her body. (Applause.) Not the government.
If she chooses, she will talk with her priest, her pastor, her rabbi, her imam, but not the government and some people up in the state legislature — (applause) — telling her what’s in her best interest when she knows what’s in her own best interest.
And let us recognize: These same people — check this out — these same people who have argued that these Trump abortion bans are in the best interest of women and children, do look at their records. They tend to be in states with the highest rate of maternal mortality in the country.
For decades, these extremist leaders who have neglected prenatal care, maternity care, and postpartum care and who now, after continuously failing to support women and children, claim to care about women and children. Well, I have a question for them: Where you been? Where you been? (Applause.) Where you been when it comes to prioritizing care for women and children? Where have you been when it comes to helping pregnant women and new mothers? Where have you been when it comes to affordable child care? (Applause.)
And do note, many of these same extremist leaders have also refused to extend the Child Tax Credit, which lifted half of America’s children out of poverty; they, who have blocked proposals to lower child care costs for working parents; they who have tried to cut WIC and SNAP for low-income mothers and their children. The hypocrisy abounds.
And here’s what else is happening: These bans are driving doctors out of states like Texas, Idaho, Georgia, and North Carolina, leaving women who are already living in maternity care deserts — meaning there is no maternity care anywhere near them — leaving them with even fewer options. And since Trump abortion bans, fewer medical students are choosing to specialize in women’s health.
Over these past two years, the impact of Trump abortion bans has been devastating. We see the horrific reality that women and families face every single day, and the stories are vivid. They are difficult to hear. They are difficult to tell.
For example, here in Texas — can we roll the tape?
(A video is played.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: From his own mouth, “a great thing.” There is nothing great about what happened to women like Kate Cox, who was heartbroken to learn her much-wanted pregnancy was not viable; heartbroken when her doctors told her if she remained pregnant, she would be risking her own life or her ability to have children in the future. But the attorney general of Texas —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — threatened — threatened if Kate’s doctors helped terminate her pregnancy, they would be criminally prosecuted. So, Kate was forced to flee the state to get the care she needed.
In Louisiana, Kaitlyn Joshua was turned away from not one but two emergency rooms while miscarrying. She was bleeding. She was in pain. But because of a Trump abortion ban, doctors would not treat her, because if they did, they would have faced 15 years in prison. And so, Kal- — Kaitlyn had to go home, where she went through the pain of a miscarriage for more than a month and trying — the whole time — to hide her pain from her four-year-old daughter. We know that women have died because of Trump abortion bans.
Here today is Shanette Williams, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, a vibrant — (applause) — we must speak her name, Amber Nicole Thurman. (Applause.) I promised her mother I would speak her name. A vibrant 28-year-old mother of a 6-year-old son who died a preventable death because of Georgia’s abortion ban. Now, Shanette and her family are courageously sharing Amber’s story to make sure we all remember her as more than a statistic so that we remember Amber was a daughter, a sister, a mother, and that she was loved and that she should be alive today. (Applause.)
And listen, we’re all here because we know the reality is, for every story we hear about — about the suffering because of a Trump abortion ban, there are so many stories we’ve never heard, an untold number of women and the people who love them, who are silently suffering — women who are being made to feel as though they did something wrong, as though they are criminals, as though they are alone. And to those women, I say — and I think I speak on behalf of all of us: We see you, and we are here with you. (Applause.)
Texas, what is happening across this state and our country is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect of it. He brags about overturning Roe v. Wade. In his own words, quote, “I did it, and I’m proud to have done it.” That’s what he says.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And one has to ask: Proud that women are dying? Proud that doctors and nurses could be thrown in prison for life for administering lifesaving care? Proud that young women in America today have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers?
How dare he? Donald Trump — (applause) — Donald Trump even said everyone wanted Roe v. Wade to be overturned.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, a woman in Ohio was arrested and charged after having a miscarriage, so was a woman in South Carolina. They didn’t want this.
Hadley Duval, who became pregnant after being raped by her stepfather when she was 12 years old, she didn’t want this.
Ryan Hamilton, who is here tonight — his wife was denied treatment at the hospital for a miscarriage. They got home; he found her bleeding and unconscious. He dressed her, put her in a car, packed up their nine-month-old child and drove to a different emergency room, where doctors told them she could have died. Ryan didn’t want this. Let’s be clear.
And the men across America — this needs to be said — men across America do not want to see their daughters and wives and sisters and mothers put at risk because their rights have been taken. (Applause.) I see the men here, and I thank you.
The men of America don’t want this.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And now, the attorney general of Texas is suing the United States government —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — so that Texas prosecutors can get — check this out — so that Texas prosecutors can get their hands on private medical records of women who leave the state to get care.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Now, I’d ask everybody here, please do see the irony. Okay? Listen to this.
On the one hand, Donald Trump won’t let anyone see his medical records. (Laughter and applause.) I gave up mine.
And on the other hand, they want to get their hands on your medical records.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Simply put, they are out of their mind. (Applause.)
In just four years as president, Donald Trump was able to erase half a century of hard-fought progress for women, and now he wants to go even further.
He will force all 50 states to track and report on women’s miscarriages and abortions and go after access to contraception and IVF treatment. It’s right there in his Project 2025. Google it.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And let us be clear: If Donald Trump wins again, he will ban abortion nationwide.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And though we are in Texas tonight, I say it to the folks who might be watching from home — for anyone watching from another state, know this: If you think you are protected from Trump abortion bans because you live in Michigan or Pennsylvania or Nevada or New York or California or any state where voters or legislators have protected reproductive freedom, please know no one is protected if there is a Trump national abortion ban, and it will outlaw abortion in every single state.
Understand that. And he can do it with or without an act of Congress.
All that to say: Elections matter. (Applause.) Elections matter.
If Donald Trump is president again, he will likely get to appoint at least one additional Supreme Court justice.
Remember who we appointed? Call her Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Applause.)
But if he were — if he were reelected, he’d probably get to appoint one, if not two, members to the United States Supreme Court, at which point Donald Trump will have packed the court with five out of nine justices on that court who will sit —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — but think about that — who will sit for lifetime appointments, shaping your lives and the lives of generations to come. And that is among the many critical contrasts in this election.
Look, Donald Trump doesn’t trust women, but I do. We trust women. And we understand what’s at stake. (Applause.)
And with Colin Allred in the United States Senate, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, I will proudly sign it into law as president of the United States. (Applause.) Proudly. Proudly.
So, to all the friends here, let us remember: Momentum is on our side.
I know sometimes in Texas, folks are like, “Is it worth it? Is it — does it make a difference?” Yes, it does. You are making a difference. And momentum is on our side. (Applause.) You are making a difference.
Since Roe was overturned, every time reproductive freedom has been on the ballot, from Kansas to California to Kentucky, in Michigan, Montana, Vermont, and Ohio, the people of America have voted for freedom every time it’s been on the ballot. (Applause.)
And often, they have voted by overwhelming margins from so-called red to so-called blue states, proving this is not a partisan issue.
Because Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs understand the decision of whether, when, and how to build a family is one of the most consequential decisions anyone can make, and we are fighting for an America where no matter who you are, where you live, you can make decisions about your own body for yourself. (Applause.)
So, moving forward, all of this is to say, reproductive freedom is on the ballot in this presidential election. And in 10 states around the country — including Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, and with the work of everyone here, freedom will win. Freedom will win. (Applause.)
And so, I want to take a moment to speak in particular to all the young leaders here and across America. Do we have anybody here from Gen-Z? (Applause.) Where are you at? Where are you at? (Applause.)
I’m counting on you, because the thing I love about you is you are impatient for change. (Applause.) You know it ain’t right that you may have fewer rights than your mother or your grandmother. You know it is not theoretical. You know it is not political. It is your lived experience.
And I see you, and I see your power. (Applause.) I see your power. And I know so many of you are voting for the first time. Can I see a raise of hands? (Applause.)
Can we applaud our leaders who are voting for the first time? (Applause.)
All right. We heard it for our young leaders. That’s right.
So, listen to everyone here, we know freedom has never come easy. Never come easy. There has been no moment of our progress as a country that did not come about without a fight. Let’s all be clear about that. And we are in the midst of a movement, and everyone here is a leader in that movement.
So, we do this, then, remembering those who came before us, those who struggled and sacrificed for our freedoms, who found fellowship and even joy in one another in the fight. They found strength and hope in fighting for our ideals, and that is what we are doing. That is what we are doing, because we know weeping may endure for a night — (applause) — but joy cometh in the morning. (Applause.)
So, Texas, Election Day is in 11 days. (Applause.) Early voting has already begun. (Applause.) So, now it is time to start making your plan. Go to IWillVote.com to get all the information you need.
And it is not only the presidency that is on the ballot. There are many important races, including Colin Allred running for Senate — (applause) — who, we must note, his opponent supported a national abortion ban six times —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — an opponent who said he does not support exceptions, even for victims of rape and incest.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, let’s remember, Texas: Your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power. (Applause.)
So, today, I ask you: Are you ready to make your voices heard? (Applause.)
Do we trust women? (Applause.)
Do we believe in reproductive freedom? (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 America. (Applause.)
END 9:48 P.M. CDT
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Background Press Call on Israel’s Targeted Strikes Against Military Targets in Iran
Via Teleconference
11:15 P.M. EDT
MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. Thanks so much for joining the call, especially one on short notice and late on a Friday.
As a reminder, this call is on background, attributable to a senior administration official. For your awareness, not for your reporting, on the call today we have [senior administration official].
This call is embargoed until the conclusion of the call.
[Senior administration official] is going to have a few words at the top, and then we’ll take your questions.
Over to you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you, everybody, for joining here late on a Friday.
So, I’m here to provide some brief comment and background on Israel’s response earlier this evening against Iran. And just as you will recall, on October 1st, so a few weeks ago, Iran launched an unprecedented attack of nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, which was a significant escalation. Many of these missiles targeted Israel’s most populated city of Tel Aviv. Those missiles had the potential to kill hundreds of civilians.
Fortunately, that attack was defeated and ineffective thanks in no small part to U.S. assistance. President Biden directed the U.S. military to help defend Israel during the attack. And in the hours after that attack, we promised serious consequences for Iran.
The next morning, on October 2nd, the President spoke with his G7 counterparts to coordinate a diplomatic response. And over the course of the following week, we and our partners implemented a coordinated series of sanctions against Iran.
And just to review:
The United States, we issued new sanctions against Iran’s oil sector, including its so-called Ghost Fleet that carries illicit oil products around the world.
The European Union for the first time sanctioned Iran’s civilian airliners, including Iran Air, rendering those airlines no longer able to access European destinations.
The United Kingdom and Australia issued new and sweeping sanctions against Iran’s missile program.
This is a coordinated effort across multiple jurisdictions that President Biden led, and those efforts are ongoing with allies and partners.
Tonight, Israel carried out a direct military response against Iran. Specifically, Israel conducted precision airstrikes against multiple military targets across Iran and outside populated areas.
The United States was not a participant in this military operation.
The President and his national security team, of course, worked with the Israelis over recent weeks to encourage Israel to conduct a response that was targeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm, and that appears to have been precisely what transpired this evening.
The President discussed the overall situation with Prime Minister Netanyahu last week. He encouraged the Prime Minister to design a response that served to deter further attacks against Israel while reducing risk of further escalation. And that is our objective; it’s Israel’s objective, as well, as they have stated this evening.
Should Iran choose to respond, we are fully prepared to once again defend against any attack. We recently deployed a THAAD battery, which is a ballistic missile defense system, to Israel. And we have worked to strengthen Israel’s air defense systems in the run-up to tonight’s response.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have demonstrated clearly that we will always help defend Israel and secure its people and territory from Iran and its proxy terrorist groups.
If Iran chooses to respond once again, we will be ready, and there will be consequences for Iran once again. However, we do not want to see that happen. This should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran. Israel has made clear to the world that its response is now complete.
Accordingly, we would call on all countries of influence to press Iran to stop these attacks against Israel so that we can move beyond this direct cycle of attacks.
Over the coming days, we are prepared to lead an effort to secure an end to the war in Lebanon through an agreement that allows civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to safely return to their homes. We are also prepared to lead an effort to finally achieve a ceasefire in Gaza together, with the return of hostages, which must happen without delay.
The overall contours of those arrangements are in place. Tony Blinken was in the region last week. This week, there will be further engagements, including a meeting of hostage negotiators over the coming days. And it’s time to bring these deals to a resolution once and for all.
I would just note for some color on the recent hours here over the course of this evening: Of course, the President was briefed throughout the evening by Jake Sullivan, his National Security Advisor, as we are here at the White House. Secretary Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Minister Yoav Gallant, a couple of hours ago. And we just issued a — the Defense Department just issued a readout of that call, again, affirming Israel’s full right to self-defense against Iran and our support for its actions tonight, and our commitment to help defend Israel should Iran make the mistake to respond to this attack.
And with that, I’m happy to take a few questions.
MODERATOR: Thank you. We’ve got time for just a couple of questions.
First up, we’ll go to Aamer Madhani. You should be able to unmute yourself.
Q Hey. Thank you both. Did the U.S. assist in any manner at all? Target selection, intel, jamming? And do you assess this action to have had significant-enough impact on Iran’s ability to continue to strike Israel directly or its ability to arm Hezbollah?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, as I said in my statement, we did not participate in this military operation, and I think that’s very clear.
I would just say: I’ll leave it to the Israelis to describe the scope and breadth of their response this evening. It was extensive. It was targeted. It was precise. It was against military targets across Iran. It was in multiple waves. It was very carefully prepared. And again, I think it was designed to be effective.
And I think — again, I will leave it, though, to the Israelis to characterize and to provide more details, given that this was their military operation.
MODERATOR: Next up, we’ll go to Trevor Hunnicutt.
Q Hey. Thanks for doing this. Could you talk a little bit about what, if any, communications or indications you had from Iran heading into this about what level of response they’re willing to engage in? And could you talk a little bit about the President’s — any plans for the President to follow up with Netanyahu after this?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: We do have multiple channels with Iran, direct and indirect. We try to avoid any sense of miscommunication. And they know exactly what our position is on multiple issues, including the dangers and risks of their course of conduct, particularly the launching of 200 ballistic missiles focusing primarily on densely populated areas in Israel’s most populated city, which also includes tens of thousands of Americans.
That is totally unacceptable. We will not accept it. We will support Israel defending itself. And, obviously, we’ll support Israel fully in its right to self-defense. Iran knows our position on that is unequivocal. And we are quite clear that there’s no misunderstanding or miscommunication between us and Iran.
In terms of communication with the Israelis, we are in constant communication with the Israelis up and down their system — military to military, intel to intel, and at the political level. That is something that is ongoing and continuous.
Again, Jake briefed the President multiple times throughout the evening as this was unfolding and, of course, throughout the day today as it was developing. And I think that will obviously continue through the weekend. But I don’t have any calls to preview or read out.
MODERATOR: We have time for one last question. We’ll go to the line of Kayla Tausche.
Q Thank you, guys, so much for doing this. We appreciate it.
I have two questions. The first is: You’ve described these strikes as “designed to be effective.” Can you elaborate on what effect they were intended to have and whether they, in fact, did?
And then, you’ve suggested that this should be the end to the conflict, but does the administration believe it will be the end of the conflict?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, first of all, the effect, it’s a proportionate self-defense response to an unbelievably brazen and reckless ballistic missile attack, almost unprecedented in history, that has launched almost three weeks ago. So, the effect is to deter future attacks and also to degrade the capabilities of Iran being able to conduct those types of activities.
As to specific targets, I will say we know them, but I would leave it to the Israelis to discuss them in any further detail.
What was your second question? I’m sorry.
Q The second question was: You have suggested that this should be the end of the conflict, but does the administration actually believe that it will be?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, this should be the end of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran. And so, we had a direct exchange in April, and that was closed off, and we’ve now had this direct exchange. Again, a direct — 200 ballistic missiles fired from Iran at Israel. Israel did not attack Iran. Iran attacked Israel, 200 ballistic missiles. And Israel, tonight, has responded to that attack as an exercise of self-defense. As far as we’re concerned, that should close out that direct exchange between Israel and Iran.
As to the broader conflicts in the region, obviously much more complex. I mentioned and alluded to them in my statement. We do have a number of initiatives ongoing with respect to those.
But as to the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran, we do think this should complete that direct exchange. And, again, should Iran choose to respond, we are fully prepared to defend Israel and support Israel, and there will be consequences should Iran make that unfortunate decision.
But as far as we’re concerned, this direct exchange, this should be the end of it. I will say we’ve heard the same thing from many across the region, including many with close ties to Iran. So we’ll see how that unfolds.
But that is our very strong view. That’s been communicated to our partners throughout the region, and obviously it’s been communicated through multiple channels, indirectly and directly, to Iran.
MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone. That’s all the time we have for tonight. As a reminder, this call was on background to a senior administration official, and the embargo is now lifted. Thanks so much, and have a good night.
11:27 P.M. EDT
The post Background Press Call on Israel’s Targeted Strikes Against Military Targets in Iran appeared first on The White House.
Background Press Call on Israel’s Targeted Strikes Against Military Targets in Iran
Via Teleconference
11:15 P.M. EDT
MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. Thanks so much for joining the call, especially one on short notice and late on a Friday.
As a reminder, this call is on background, attributable to a senior administration official. For your awareness, not for your reporting, on the call today we have [senior administration official].
This call is embargoed until the conclusion of the call.
[Senior administration official] is going to have a few words at the top, and then we’ll take your questions.
Over to you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you, everybody, for joining here late on a Friday.
So, I’m here to provide some brief comment and background on Israel’s response earlier this evening against Iran. And just as you will recall, on October 1st, so a few weeks ago, Iran launched an unprecedented attack of nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, which was a significant escalation. Many of these missiles targeted Israel’s most populated city of Tel Aviv. Those missiles had the potential to kill hundreds of civilians.
Fortunately, that attack was defeated and ineffective thanks in no small part to U.S. assistance. President Biden directed the U.S. military to help defend Israel during the attack. And in the hours after that attack, we promised serious consequences for Iran.
The next morning, on October 2nd, the President spoke with his G7 counterparts to coordinate a diplomatic response. And over the course of the following week, we and our partners implemented a coordinated series of sanctions against Iran.
And just to review:
The United States, we issued new sanctions against Iran’s oil sector, including its so-called Ghost Fleet that carries illicit oil products around the world.
The European Union for the first time sanctioned Iran’s civilian airliners, including Iran Air, rendering those airlines no longer able to access European destinations.
The United Kingdom and Australia issued new and sweeping sanctions against Iran’s missile program.
This is a coordinated effort across multiple jurisdictions that President Biden led, and those efforts are ongoing with allies and partners.
Tonight, Israel carried out a direct military response against Iran. Specifically, Israel conducted precision airstrikes against multiple military targets across Iran and outside populated areas.
The United States was not a participant in this military operation.
The President and his national security team, of course, worked with the Israelis over recent weeks to encourage Israel to conduct a response that was targeted and proportional with low risk of civilian harm, and that appears to have been precisely what transpired this evening.
The President discussed the overall situation with Prime Minister Netanyahu last week. He encouraged the Prime Minister to design a response that served to deter further attacks against Israel while reducing risk of further escalation. And that is our objective; it’s Israel’s objective, as well, as they have stated this evening.
Should Iran choose to respond, we are fully prepared to once again defend against any attack. We recently deployed a THAAD battery, which is a ballistic missile defense system, to Israel. And we have worked to strengthen Israel’s air defense systems in the run-up to tonight’s response.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have demonstrated clearly that we will always help defend Israel and secure its people and territory from Iran and its proxy terrorist groups.
If Iran chooses to respond once again, we will be ready, and there will be consequences for Iran once again. However, we do not want to see that happen. This should be the end of this direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran. Israel has made clear to the world that its response is now complete.
Accordingly, we would call on all countries of influence to press Iran to stop these attacks against Israel so that we can move beyond this direct cycle of attacks.
Over the coming days, we are prepared to lead an effort to secure an end to the war in Lebanon through an agreement that allows civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to safely return to their homes. We are also prepared to lead an effort to finally achieve a ceasefire in Gaza together, with the return of hostages, which must happen without delay.
The overall contours of those arrangements are in place. Tony Blinken was in the region last week. This week, there will be further engagements, including a meeting of hostage negotiators over the coming days. And it’s time to bring these deals to a resolution once and for all.
I would just note for some color on the recent hours here over the course of this evening: Of course, the President was briefed throughout the evening by Jake Sullivan, his National Security Advisor, as we are here at the White House. Secretary Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Minister Yoav Gallant, a couple of hours ago. And we just issued a — the Defense Department just issued a readout of that call, again, affirming Israel’s full right to self-defense against Iran and our support for its actions tonight, and our commitment to help defend Israel should Iran make the mistake to respond to this attack.
And with that, I’m happy to take a few questions.
MODERATOR: Thank you. We’ve got time for just a couple of questions.
First up, we’ll go to Aamer Madhani. You should be able to unmute yourself.
Q Hey. Thank you both. Did the U.S. assist in any manner at all? Target selection, intel, jamming? And do you assess this action to have had significant-enough impact on Iran’s ability to continue to strike Israel directly or its ability to arm Hezbollah?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, as I said in my statement, we did not participate in this military operation, and I think that’s very clear.
I would just say: I’ll leave it to the Israelis to describe the scope and breadth of their response this evening. It was extensive. It was targeted. It was precise. It was against military targets across Iran. It was in multiple waves. It was very carefully prepared. And again, I think it was designed to be effective.
And I think — again, I will leave it, though, to the Israelis to characterize and to provide more details, given that this was their military operation.
MODERATOR: Next up, we’ll go to Trevor Hunnicutt.
Q Hey. Thanks for doing this. Could you talk a little bit about what, if any, communications or indications you had from Iran heading into this about what level of response they’re willing to engage in? And could you talk a little bit about the President’s — any plans for the President to follow up with Netanyahu after this?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: We do have multiple channels with Iran, direct and indirect. We try to avoid any sense of miscommunication. And they know exactly what our position is on multiple issues, including the dangers and risks of their course of conduct, particularly the launching of 200 ballistic missiles focusing primarily on densely populated areas in Israel’s most populated city, which also includes tens of thousands of Americans.
That is totally unacceptable. We will not accept it. We will support Israel defending itself. And, obviously, we’ll support Israel fully in its right to self-defense. Iran knows our position on that is unequivocal. And we are quite clear that there’s no misunderstanding or miscommunication between us and Iran.
In terms of communication with the Israelis, we are in constant communication with the Israelis up and down their system — military to military, intel to intel, and at the political level. That is something that is ongoing and continuous.
Again, Jake briefed the President multiple times throughout the evening as this was unfolding and, of course, throughout the day today as it was developing. And I think that will obviously continue through the weekend. But I don’t have any calls to preview or read out.
MODERATOR: We have time for one last question. We’ll go to the line of Kayla Tausche.
Q Thank you, guys, so much for doing this. We appreciate it.
I have two questions. The first is: You’ve described these strikes as “designed to be effective.” Can you elaborate on what effect they were intended to have and whether they, in fact, did?
And then, you’ve suggested that this should be the end to the conflict, but does the administration believe it will be the end of the conflict?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, first of all, the effect, it’s a proportionate self-defense response to an unbelievably brazen and reckless ballistic missile attack, almost unprecedented in history, that has launched almost three weeks ago. So, the effect is to deter future attacks and also to degrade the capabilities of Iran being able to conduct those types of activities.
As to specific targets, I will say we know them, but I would leave it to the Israelis to discuss them in any further detail.
What was your second question? I’m sorry.
Q The second question was: You have suggested that this should be the end of the conflict, but does the administration actually believe that it will be?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, this should be the end of the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran. And so, we had a direct exchange in April, and that was closed off, and we’ve now had this direct exchange. Again, a direct — 200 ballistic missiles fired from Iran at Israel. Israel did not attack Iran. Iran attacked Israel, 200 ballistic missiles. And Israel, tonight, has responded to that attack as an exercise of self-defense. As far as we’re concerned, that should close out that direct exchange between Israel and Iran.
As to the broader conflicts in the region, obviously much more complex. I mentioned and alluded to them in my statement. We do have a number of initiatives ongoing with respect to those.
But as to the direct military exchange between Israel and Iran, we do think this should complete that direct exchange. And, again, should Iran choose to respond, we are fully prepared to defend Israel and support Israel, and there will be consequences should Iran make that unfortunate decision.
But as far as we’re concerned, this direct exchange, this should be the end of it. I will say we’ve heard the same thing from many across the region, including many with close ties to Iran. So we’ll see how that unfolds.
But that is our very strong view. That’s been communicated to our partners throughout the region, and obviously it’s been communicated through multiple channels, indirectly and directly, to Iran.
MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone. That’s all the time we have for tonight. As a reminder, this call was on background to a senior administration official, and the embargo is now lifted. Thanks so much, and have a good night.
11:27 P.M. EDT
The post Background Press Call on Israel’s Targeted Strikes Against Military Targets in Iran appeared first on The White House.
POTUS 46 Joe Biden
Whitehouse.gov Feed
- Statement from President Joe Biden Remembering the Holodomor
- Press Release: Notice to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in Nicaragua
- Letters to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in Nicaragua
- Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Meeting with Executives from the Telecommunications Sector
- A Proclamation on National Family Week, 2024
- Readout of President Biden’s Call with President Macron of France
- FACT SHEET: Delivering for the International Development Association
- Remarks by President Biden Honoring the 2024 NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics
- Statement from President Joe Biden on Warrants Issued by the International Criminal Court
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
Disclosures
Legislation
- Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 7189
- Bill Signed: S. 2228
- Press Release: Bill Signed: S. 1549
- Bills Signed: S. 133, S. 134, S. 612, S. 656, S. 670, S. 679, S. 2685, S. 3639, S. 3640, S. 3851, S. 4698
- Bill Signed: H.R. 9106
- Bill Signed: S. 3764
- Memorandum on the Presidential Determination with Respect to the Efforts of Foreign Governments Regarding Trafficking in Persons
- Memorandum on the Presidential Determination and Certification with Respect to the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008
- Memorandum on the Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2025
- Bill Signed: H.R. 7032
Presidential Actions
- Press Release: Notice to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in Nicaragua
- Letters to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to the Situation in Nicaragua
- A Proclamation on National Family Week, 2024
- Executive Order on Establishing a Second Emergency Board to Investigate a Dispute Between New Jersey Transit Rail Operations and Its Locomotive Engineers Represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
- Memorandum on Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
- A Proclamation on National Child’s Day, 2024
- Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives Requesting for Additional Funding for Disaster Relief
- A Proclamation on International Conservation Day, 2024
- A Proclamation on American Education Week, 2024
Press Briefings
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
- On-the-Record Press Gaggle by Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer on the President’s Engagements at the G20 Summit
- On-the-Record Press Gaggle by APNSA Jake Sullivan on President Biden’s Meeting with President Xi Jinping
- Background Press Gaggle on the U.S.-Peru Bilateral Meeting
- Background Press Gaggle on the U.S.-ROK-Japan Trilateral Meeting
- Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan En Route Lima, Peru
- Background Press Call on the President’s Meeting with President Xi Jinping in Peru
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre
Speeches and Remarks
- Remarks by President Biden Honoring the 2024 NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics
- Remarks by President Biden During the First Session of the G20 Summit | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Remarks by President Biden in Statement to Press | Manaus, Brazil
- Remarks by President Biden and President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China Before Bilateral Meeting | Lima, Peru
- Remarks by President Biden and President Dina Boluarte Zegarra of the Republic of Peru in Bilateral Meeting | Lima, Peru
- Remarks by President Biden, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru of Japan, and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea in Trilateral Meeting | Lima, Peru
- Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Dedication Ceremony at Delaware Technical Community College
- Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the PHILADELPHIA250 Countdown to the 250th Gala
- Remarks by President Biden and President-Elect Trump in a Meeting
- Remarks as Delivered by Senior Advisor John Podesta at COP29
Statements and Releases
- Statement from President Joe Biden Remembering the Holodomor
- Readout of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s Meeting with Executives from the Telecommunications Sector
- Readout of President Biden’s Call with President Macron of France
- FACT SHEET: Delivering for the International Development Association
- Statement from President Joe Biden on Warrants Issued by the International Criminal Court
- Press Release: Nominations and Withdrawals Sent to the Senate
- President Biden Announces a Presidential Emergency Board, Names Members
- President Biden Announces Nominees
- Statement from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Further Sanctioning Russia’s Use of the International Financial System
- Statement by President Joe Biden on Transgender Day of Remembrance