Remarks by President Biden and Vice President Harris to Overflow Crowd | Largo, MD
Prince George’s Community College
Largo, Maryland
2:33 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, Maryland! (Applause.)
Thank you, Joe. Thank you, Joe.
AUDIENCE: Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!
AUDIENCE: Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, that about says exactly what has to be said right now: Thank you, Joe.
And with that, the president of the United States of America, Joe Biden. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Hey, everybody. It’s good to be back in Maryland. (Applause.) The Biden family started in Baltimore — (pronounced in an accent.) — not Baltimore, Baltimore. (Pronounced in an accent.) (Laughter.)
Anyway, look, you’re very polite to stick around to say hi to us. We know there was an overflow crowd.
One of the things I want to say to you is — we didn’t talk about it all, and we’re going to take just three minutes — our democracy is literally hanging —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Vice President Harris, will you denounce the genocide —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!
THE PRESIDENT: Folks, look, the reason we’re such an incred- —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!
THE PRESIDENT: Folks, you know, we’ve talked a lot about prescription drugs, but I want to say one thing about this election. We are the most unique country in the world, and that’s not hyperbole.
We’re the only country — every country is organized based on race, religion, ethnicity. We’re the only country in the world based on an idea — not a joke — an idea.
The idea was that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are created equal, endowed — and so on. That’s n-
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Including Palestinians?
THE PRESIDENT: And it’s —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, including Palestinians. Including Palestinians. Including the ones involved in our (inaudible).
But here’s the deal. Here —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!
THE PRESIDENT: I’ll — I’ll be happy to answer your questions, okay?
Look, folks, here’s the deal. The guy that Kamala is running against this time and I ran against last time, he has no sense of who we are. I’m not joking. I’m not joking.
What holds this country together with our great diversity, are the institutions — the institutions. That’s our democracy: the courts, the system that we have, the presidency, the — the Congress. And these powers matter. They matter and they balance everything out.
We’re the most diverse country in the history of America and the world. (Applause.) No, no, no, we — we are. And it is our strength — is our strength, but they’re trying to turn this into a race war. They’re trying to turn this into a war about who you are, what your ethnicity is, what your background is. And it’s not who we are.
And the rest — and one other thing I want to say to you — didn’t talk about it at all, and I’m only going to talk about three minutes now. One of the things that we can’t — reason we cannot let Kamala lose — I mean, she must win — is this. (Applause.)
Folks — folks, look, here’s the deal. Here’s the deal. I can promise you: I’ve known — and as you can, I’m a — I know I’m a young man. I know I look like I’m 40, but I’m a little older. (Laughter.)
I — I, literally, personally know every major world leader. I’ve known them for a long time. I was chairman of Foreign Relations Committee. I was vice president. That’s why Barack wanted me as vice president for eight years. I — I — that’s what I’ve done. And it’s —
And, look, he —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
(Cross-talk.)
THE PRESIDENT: Look — look — look — look —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Please stop sending money (inaudible)!
(Cross-talk.)
THE PRESIDENT: Folks, this guy wants to break down NATO. This guy wants to break our alliances. This guy wants to go it alone. It makes no sense what he’s talking about. He is a danger.
And I don’t know a single major world leader who is not a dictator —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: — who’s — who’s not a dictator, who, in fact —
(Cross-talk.)
— who, in fact, every major conference I attend — not a joke — as I’m walking out — this is not a joke — a world leader, whoever it is, whatever country, will grab my arm and say, “You’ve got to win” — this is when I was running — mean- — meaning, “He’s got to lose,” because they’re scared to death of what he’ll do. Scared to death how he’s going to break up the world.
We finally put it together. NATO is stronger than it has ever been and so on.
So, my point is: There’s so much at stake here. And how can we be the strongest nation in the world without the best education system in the world, without the best infrastructure in the world, without the most — the best criminal justice system in the world? How — how can that be?
And that’s what we’re putting together. Kamala did that and — the two of us, along with the help of the governor and many other governors.
So, folks, look, this really matters. It really, really matters.
And, by the way, don’t get too angry at the Palestinians. Because what’s happening —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: But — no, no, no, no, look, the Palestinian found —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: No, we’re talking about health care, but that’s — we’re talking about international health care. There’s an awful lot of folks we’re trying to get help to. And the Israelis are helping to try to get it there, as the Palestinians — most are.
The only people the Palestinians dislike more than some of the Israelis are Hamas.
And as we speak, my team is in Doha right now with a make-it-or-break-it piece of legislation the three of us have introduced. (Applause.) There must be peace.
Anyway, thank you very, very much. I’m going to turn it over.
Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote. (Applause.)
2:39 P.M. EDT
