Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Ann Arbor, MI

Burns Park
Ann Arbor, Michigan

7:41 P.M. EDT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Are we ready to vote?  (Applause.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

THE VICE PRESIDENT:   Yes, we will. 

And we will win because together —

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     And my whole career —

     AUDIENCE:  Kamala!  Kamala!  Kamala!

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.

     AUDIENCE:  Kamala!  Kamala!  Kamala!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

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

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

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

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

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

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

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

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

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

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

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

Well, we are —

AUDIENCE:  Not going back!

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

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

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

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

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

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

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

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

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

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

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

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

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

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

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

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

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

     AUDIENCE:  Never again!  Never again!  Never again!

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Never again.  (Inaudible.)

     AUDIENCE:  Never again!  Never again!  Never again!

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

     AUDIENCE:  Booo —

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

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

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

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

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

     AUDIENCE:  Vote!  Vote!  Vote!

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

     AUDIENCE:  No!

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

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

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

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

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

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

     Do we believe in freedom?  (Applause.)

     Do we believe in opportunity?  (Applause.)

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

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

     And when we fight —

     AUDIENCE:  We win! 

     THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — we win.

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

Thank you all.  (Applause.)

                             END                8:05 P.M. EDT