Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Wilkes-Barre, PA
Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
6:20 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Good evening, Pennsylvania. (Applause.) Good evening.
Can we please hear it for Mary-Grace? (Applause.)
It’s good to be back in Pennsylvania. Hi, everyone. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Okay. Okay. We got some business to handle. Okay. (Applause.) (Laughs.)
So, let me start by saying to everyone here, thank you for all you are doing and for taking the time to be here this evening.
You know, one of the things that I love about everyone who is here and what we are doing: You know, in the midst of this moment where there are people trying to divide us as a nation, trying to make people feel small and feel alone, these are moments that remind all of us that we are all in this together as one loving community. (Applause.) We’re all in this together. We’re all in this together.
So, thank you all for the time you’ve taken to be here this evening.
I want to thank also all the incredible leaders, including Governor Shapiro, who you heard from earlier — (applause); Senator Bob Casey, who we will reelect to the United States Senate — (applause); and Mayor Brown. And thank you, Mayor, for the warm welcome. (Applause.)
All right. So, Pennsylvania, three days ago, Donald Trump and I had our debate. (Applause.) (Laughs.) You watched it? (Laughs.)
So — yeah. So, here’s the thing. So, I — I take it many people here watched it. So — (applause). (Laughs.) So, you’ll remember, that night I talked about issues that matter to families across America, like bringing down the cost of living, investing in America’s small businesses, protecting reproductive freedom — (applause) — and keeping our nation safe and secure. (Applause.)
But that is not what we heard from Donald Trump.
AUDIENCE: Noo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Instead, it was the same old show, the same tired playbook we’ve heard for years with no plan — no plan on how he would address the needs of the American people.
Well, folks, it’s time to turn the page. (Applause.) Let’s turn the page.
We’re not going back. We’re not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And —
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And we are not going back because —
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re not going back because America is ready for a new way forward. (Applause.) We are ready for a new generation of leadership that is optimistic about what we can do together, which is why — and, Mary-Grace, thank you — which is why Democrats, Republicans, and independents are supporting our campaign. (Applause.)
We need a president of the United States who works for all the American people — (applause) — and that just stops with all the trying to divide us. Like, people are exhausted with that stuff. (Applause.) Exhausted.
And, you know, my entire career, I have fought for the people. As a young courtroom prosecutor in Oakland, I stood up for women and children against predators who abused them. (Applause.) As attorney general of California, I took on the big banks and delivered $20 billion for middle-class families who faced foreclosure. (Applause.) I stood up for veterans and students being scammed by big for-profit colleges — (applause); for workers who were being cheated out of the wages they were due — (applause); for seniors facing elder abuse.
And as attorney general of a border state, I took on transnational criminal organizations, like the Sinaloa Cartel, that traffic in drugs and threaten the safety of our communities. (Applause.) I know these cartels firsthand, and as president, I will make sure we prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law — (applause) — for pushing poison like fentanyl on our children. (Applause.)
And as president, I will fight on behalf of all communities and all Americans. And together, we will build a brighter future for our nation. (Applause.) Together. Together.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And that future — and that future we build will include what I call an “opportunity economy” so that every American has an opportunity to own a home, to build wealth, and to start a business.
You know, I love our small businesses. So, growing up — (applause) — I really — do we have small-business leaders here? Raise your hand. (Applause.) Yeah. Right? Right?
So, growing up, my sister and my mother — my sister and me had a mother — have a mother — had a mother — excuse me; she passed. But our mother worked long hours. She worked hard; she worked long hours. And my sister, Maya, and I would go over to Ms. Shelton’s house. Ms. Shelton lived a couple of doors down, and she helped my mother take care of us. And we, in fact, used to call her our second mother.
Well, Ms. Shelton was a small-business owner. And I will tell you, since I was a child, I know the character and the — the person who is a small-business owner. You’re not only business leaders; you’re civic leaders. You hold the community together. You’re part of the fabric of the community. And small-business owners are the backbone of America’s economy. (Applause.) The backbone of America’s economy.
Which is why part of my plan that you heard about the other night will give a $50,000 tax deduction to start up small businesses — (applause) — knowing that not everybody, like my opponent, got handed $40 million on a silver tray and then filed for bankruptcy six times — (applause) — and people sometimes just need the opportunity, because we, as Americans, do not lack for ambition, for aspiration, for dreams, for the preparedness to do hard work, but not everyone has the opportunity, because not everyone has the access.
When I talk about building an opportunity economy, it is grounded in that foundational belief that when given an opportunity, people excel every day — (applause) — every day.
Part of my focus is on the fact that we need to build more housing in America. (Applause.) And so, we are going to cut red tape and work with the private sector to build 3 million new homes by the end of my first term. (Applause.) And I have a plan to help lower the cost of living for America’s families on everything from health care to groceries, including I will take on corporate price gouging — (applause) — which, as we know, is about those few bad guys taking advantage of desperate people. And there needs to be a consequence.
Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a tax cut, including — including expanding the Child Tax Credit — (applause) — to $6,000 during the first year of a child’s life, understanding that new parents need support in that most critical phase of their child’s development to help them — (applause) — buy a car seat, a crib, baby clothes.
I will also make sure good-paying jobs are available to all Americans, not just those with college degrees. (Applause.) For far too long, our nation has encouraged only one path to success: a four-year college degree. Our nation needs to recognize the value of other paths — additional paths, such as apprenticeships and technical programs. (Applause.)
So, as president, I will get rid of the unnecessary degree requirements for federal jobs — (applause) — to increase jobs for folks without a four-year degree, understanding that requiring a certain degree does not necessarily talk about one’s skills. (Applause.) And I will challenge the private sector to do the same. (Applause.)
All of this to say, look, I come from the middle class. I understand where I come from, and I’m never going to forget that. And I will always put middle-class working people first. It will always be my priority — (applause) — always be my priority. I know where I come from. I know where I come from.
But now, Donald Trump has a different plan.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Just google — just — just look up the Google. (Laughter.) Just google Project 2025.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It is a detailed, dangerous blueprint for what he will do if he were elected president again. Donald Trump will give billionaires and corporations massive tax cuts, like he did before. He intends to cut Social Security and Medicare.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And he wants to impose what I call the “Trump sales tax” on everyday basic necessities, which, as economists have reviewed, would cost the average family nearly $4,000 more a year.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: In fact, independent economists like Goldman Sachs have said my plan would grow our economy — (applause) — and his plan would shrink the economy, reignite inflation, and send us into a recession by the middle of next year.
On top of all of this, Donald Trump intends to end the Affordable Care Act. And let’s remember —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Like, we’re not here with Trump amnesia. We remember. Remember, when he was president, he tried 60 times to end the Affordable Care Act. And as he said in the debate just this week, he has no — no plan to replace it. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Right. Right. You said it. He said he has, quote, “concepts of a plan” — “concepts of a plan,” no actual plan.
So, let’s — let’s just think about this for a moment. He’s going threaten health insurance for the 45 million people who rely on it based on a concept and take us back —
AUDIENCE: Noo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — when insurance companies had — but — because we remember where that was. We remember what that was when insurance companies had the power to deny people with preexisting conditions. Remember what that was like? Remember.
Well, we are —
AUDIENCE: Not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — not going back. We are not going back. (Applause.) No. We are not going back. (Applause.)
Because — because — because ours is a fight for the future. (Applause.) And — and ours is a fight for freedom — (applause) — like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government telling her what to do. (Applause.)
And we remember how we got here. Donald Trump handpicked three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intent that they would overturn Roe v. Wade, and they did exactly as he intended.
(Protestor interruption.)
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And we — and we understand where we are. We understand where we are.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, listen. Listen. Now — now is the time to get a hostage deal and ceasefire. I — we have been working around the clock to get that done. (Applause.) And I respect your voice, but right now I am speaking. (Applause.)
So, on the issue — so, on the issue of fundamental rights and freedoms, we remember how he selected those members of the Supreme Court to undo Roe v. Wade. They did just as he intended. And what we have seen is, in state after state, they passed laws to criminalize health care providers, to punish women. Now, more than 20 states have a Trump abortion ban, many with no exceptions —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — many with no exceptions for rape and incest, which is immoral. To tell a survivor of a violation to their body that they don’t have a right to make a decision about what happens to their body next, that’s 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 — (applause) — not the government.
And I will tell you, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. (Applause.) Proudly.
And I’m traveling our country, and I’ll tell you, across our nation, we are witnessing a full-on assault on other hard-fought, hard-won fundamental freedoms and rights, like the freedom to vote — (applause); the freedom to be safe from gun violence — (applause); the freedom to join a union — (applause); and the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. (Applause.)
And generations — let’s remember who we are as Americans. Generations before us led the fight for freedom. And to the friends here, I say: The baton is now in our hands. (Applause.) It is now in our hands.
And so much is on the line in this election. We all know and remember. This is not 2016 or 2020. The stakes are even higher than they were then, because two months ago, the United States Supreme Court essentially told the former president that he will effectively be immune no matter what he does, if he gets back into the White House.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails. Imagine what that might mean.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Right. He who has vowed, if reelected, he would be a dictator on day one.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: He who calls for the, quote, “termination” of the Constitution of the United States. And let us be clear: Someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States of America should never again stand behind the seal of the president of the United States. (Applause.) Never again. Never again.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: So, Pennsylvania, it all comes down to this. We are here together because we love our country. (Applause.) We love — we love our country. And we who are here understand the awesome responsibility — the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth: the privilege and pride of being an American. (Applause.) That’s right.
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And I do believe it is the highest form of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country and to fight to realize the promise of America. (Applause.)
So, Pennsylvania, 53 days until Election Day. (Applause.) And we know ours will be a tight race until the very end. We are the underdog. We are the underdog. Let’s remember that and know that. And we know how they play. We know how they play.
We are the underdog, and we have some very hard work ahead of us. But here’s the thing. We like hard work. Hard work is good work. (Applause.)
And with your help, we will win. (Applause.) We will win.
So, Pennsylvania, 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. (Applause.)
God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END 6:44 P.M. EDT
