Las Vegas, Nevada
2:20 P.M. PDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Can we hear it for Maya? (Applause.)
Well, hello, Las Vegas. (Applause.) (Laughs.) Oh, it’s good to be back. It’s good to be back.
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Indeed. And we are going to work over these next hundred and — I think it’s eighteen or nineteen days to make sure that happens.
But I want to say it is always good to be in Las Vegas and, as some folks call it, Hawaii’s “Ninth Island.”
And I want to thank all the elected officials who are here today, including former governor Steve Sisolak and his incredible wife. (Applause.) Where is he? Kathy?
And I want to thank all the union workers at this hotel who made this event possible — (applause) — including the workers of Culinary Local 226. (Applause.)
And today, on behalf of our president, Joe Biden, and myself, I am extremely proud to accept the endorsement of ASPIRE PAC, AAPI Victory Fund, AAAFund, and CAPA21. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And a lot of work to do. So — (laughs) — so, let me just say, this is an extraordinary room of leaders and dear friends and long-standing supporters of the president and me. And I see so many friends here. And so many of you have given so much of your time and your leadership to fight for the promise of America and everything we stand for. And I thank you for that. And on behalf of our president, I thank you for that.
And you all know, this — (applause) — this event today is one of the highlights as testament to what the president and I stand for and who we stand for. We stand for the beauty and diversity and the promise of America. And the individuals in this room right now each represent just that.
You know, many of you know, my mother arrived in the United States from India when she was just 19 years old. And she and my father met while they were active in the Civil Rights Movement. In fact, when I was young, my parents would take me to the marches in a stroller. (Laughter.) I was in the stroller, of course.
My mother had two goals in her life: to raise her two daughters — my sister, Maya, and me — and to end breast cancer. She was a breast cancer researcher. And I’ll tell you, my mother never asked anyone’s permission to pursue her dreams. Never asked.
You know, my mother, who was all of 5 feet tall, but if you met her, you would have thought she was 10 feet tall. And it is because of her character and strength and determination that within one generation, I stand before you as vice president of the United States. (Applause.)
And today, then, we are 118 days out from the election. And while many of us have been involved with these elections every four years, and nearly every time, we say, “This is the one,” well, this here is the one. This is the one, the most existential, consequential, and important election of our lifetime.
Now, we always knew this election would be tough. And the past few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy. But the one thing we know about our president, Joe Biden, is that he is a fighter. (Applause.) He is a fighter. And he is the first to say: When you get knocked down, you get back up. (Applause.)
We all know — many of us know what that is. So, we continue to fight, and we will continue to organize.
And in November, we will win. (Applause.) We will win.
We know what hard work looks like. We like hard work. Hard work is good work. (Applause.)
So, Las Vegas, in all of our work, President Biden and I have been guided by a fundamental belief: We work for you, the American people — not the special interest, not billionaires, or big corporations — you.
And in this election, there can be no doubt who you can count on to fight for you when it counts. (Applause.) Just look at, for example, the issue of health care and affordable health care.
When he was in the White House, Donald Trump — let’s not forget — tried more than 60 times to end the Affordable Care Act —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and tried to take health care from millions of Americans with preexisting conditions. Remember those days?
President Joe Biden and I, on the other hand, have defended the Affordable Care Act and made it stronger. In fact — (applause) — in fact, today, more AA and NHPI Americans are insured than ever before in our history. (Applause.)
Donald Trump said he was going to stand up to Big Pharma and lower the cost of prescription drugs. Instead, he bowed down.
On the other hand, we took on Big Pharma. And with the knowledge that, for example, South Asians are twice as likely to have diabetes, we capped the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 a month. (Applause.)
We are finally making it so that medical debt cannot be used against your credit score — (applause) — knowing how many of our relatives have had a medical emergency, something they did not invite or plan, racking up, then, tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical bills and debt. And that being used against your credit score is just wrong. The credit score is supposed to be a measure of whether you are financially responsible.
And so, when we do the work that we have done — and you know Joe — we do it based on what we believe is morally right when you see the people and understand the struggles and the need for all people to have dignity.
So, what we’ve done with medical debt, now not allowing it on the credit score, that means it can no longer be used to deny someone a car loan or a lease on an apartment or a home loan. Think about what that means. (Applause.)
Then there’s the issue of student loan debt. When he was in the White House, Donald Trump tried to end student loan forgiveness for our public servants, including teachers, nurses, firefighters.
On the other hand, we have forgiven student loan debt for nearly 5 million Americans and — (applause) — and twice as much for our public servants.
We have also fought to protect our communities from hate and violence, including by passing the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which made it easier for AA and NHPI communities to report acts of hate.
On the other hand, the former president consistently incites hate, including toward the AANHPI community.
I will not repeat his words. I will not repeat his words because they should never be repeated. But I will say that someone who vilifies immigrants, who promotes xenophobia, someone who stokes hate should never again have the chance to stand behind a microphone — (applause) — and the seal of the president of the United States. (Applause.)
There is so much at stake in this moment, includly — including, sadly, that there are some issues that require, I think, a lot more attention from the press. (Applause.) And there are some issues that, sadly and most recently, have not been covered to the extent that they should commensurate with the seriousness of the matter — that, most recently — most recently, the Supreme Court of the United States —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — basically told this individual who has been convicted of fraud that, going forward, he will be immune for activity we know he is prepared to engage in if he gets back into the White House.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: This is not 2016 and 2020, when you think about what that fact means in this upcoming election.
Consider: Donald Trump has openly vowed, if reelected, that he’ll be a dictator on day one.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That he will weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — round up peaceful protestors and throw them out of our country —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and even, quote, “terminate” the United States Constitution.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Donald Trump wants to turn our democracy into a dictatorship. And the Supreme Court basically just declared he can get away with it.
What’s more — what’s more, Trump’s advisers have created a 900-page blueprint they’re calling “Project 2025” —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — detailing everything else they plan to do in a second term, including a plan to cut Social Security, to repeal our $35 cap on insulin, to eliminate the Department of Education, and end programs like Head Start.
And Project 2025 outlands — outlines a plan to limit access to contraception and for a nationwide abortion ban with or without an act of Congress.
If implemented — if implemented, this plan would be the latest attack in Donald Trump’s full-on assault on reproductive freedom. And —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We won’t let that happen!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: No, we will not. (Applause.)
And remember — remember, then-President Donald Trump handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court because he intended for them to undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. And as he intended, they did. Now — now, over 20 states have a Trump abortion ban, many with no exceptions even for rape and incest.
And Trump has not denied, much less shown remorse, for his actions. Instead, he proudly — he uses the word “proudly” — takes credit for overturning Roe.
So, make no mistake: If Trump gets the chance, he will sign a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every single state. But we are not going to let that happen. (Applause.) No, we are not.
We are not going to let that happen because we trust women. (Applause.) We know women know what’s in their own best interest and don’t need their government telling them what to do with their body. (Applause.)
And when Congress passes a law that restores the reproductive freedoms of Roe, our president, Joe Biden, will sign it — sign it into law. (Applause.)
So, ultimately, in this election, we each — we each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in: a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law —
AUDIENCE: Yes!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — or a country of chaos —
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — fear —
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and hate?
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And here is the thing — here’s the thing — and I say this to a group of people who already know this: We each have the power — we have the power to answer this question. So, if the Supreme Court says the laws do not apply to Donald Trump, if people like Mike Pence are not around to stand up to him, and if extremists in Congress continue to bow down to him, our last defense — our last line of defense is the ballot box — (applause) — our vote. Our vote.
In 2020 and 2022, it was the leaders in this room and in this community who showed the power of your voice and your vote. And in 2024, we need you to do it again. (Applause.)
So, today, I ask: Nevada, 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 2:35 P.M. PDT
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