Walz Rally in Tucson, Arizona

He had had an official caucus before, and we had a surprise visitor on the very first day of the delegation. Governor Walz came to our delegation, and he expertly talked about issues that are impacting Indian country. He talked about these issues, and you could tell that he was familiar with our community and he understood the language of our community, and he was concerned for us because he believes that we belong here. His lieutenant governor is Peggy Flanagan, the highest ranking Native American in the country.

(00:53)
The work that Governor Walz described that they had done in Minnesota for their indigenous community was so powerful and inspiring, and I was brought to tears. At the very end, I was so touched because at the end he simply raised his hand and he said, Miigwetch, which means thank you in the Anishinaabe language. That simple gesture, it wasn’t coached to him, it wasn’t fed to him, it wasn’t, oh, here you’re going to talk to the Indians, and here’s a way to get in. It was somebody who knew that that was within the community, and that was something powerful. And with it signaled the importance of language revitalization and preservation and the respect for culture.

(01:51)
As the first Native American elected, I know that it is not just about Democrats and Republicans winning. Right now, we are talking about equity, diversity versus white supremacy and hate. One thing that in a democratic space, you may find very surprising for me to hear about my struggles being a Democrat. I’m a progressive Democrat. I’m left leaning. Can I get a clap? Which means I want our party to do more for communities like mine that have been left behind. Part of the reason why I think it’s important to tell you all that is because many people are struggling, especially our progressives and leftists who are wondering what to do because it doesn’t seem like there’s a perfect option. But the Harris-Walz campaign and the presidency of Harris-Walz means the door is open for these conversations. On the other side of that is literally a lack of safety for somebody who looks like me and somebody who talks about white supremacy the way that I do. If we’re going to win big in Arizona, if we’re going to win this presidency, the road to the White House goes through Pima County. As an elections official, you might also be very surprised for me to say the next thing; it’s very controversial. I don’t think voting is the most important thing you can do. Voting is the least that you can do. So many people have fought for the right to vote, have died for the right to vote. It’s the least that you can do if you have the right and the privilege, and we need your voice, and the most important thing you can do is get involved. Thank you for voting Pima County. Miigwetch.

Please welcome Kirsten Engel.

Good afternoon, Tucson. Well, I am so proud to be here to welcome our next Vice President of the United States of America, Tim Walz, and I’m also proud to be your candidate for Congressional District Six here in Tucson, the district we call the Gabby Giffords District after our most respected and beloved Congresswoman. This is a seat that we can take back for the Democrats. And by winning this seat, we can flip the House and give President Harris and Vice President Walz, a Congress they can actually work with. A Congress, a Congress, a Congress that we need, a Congress that will protect women’s reproductive healthcare freedoms, secure our border and fix our broken immigration system, lower prices for working families, and protect our water and our beautiful Arizona environment.

(07:45)
We can do it for my daughter, for your daughter, for all of our kids and our grandkids. As many of you know, I ran for this seat during the midterm elections, and I missed winning by one of the closest margins in the country. But when we get through with this election, Southern Arizona will be sending one less MAGA extremist to Washington, D.C., and one more vote for freedom. And I think we can all agree that the state of Arizona doesn’t need to be sending any more MAGA extremists to Washington, D.C. We’re sending quite enough of those already.

(08:39)
Well, as Gabriela, our Pima County recorder, let’s hear it for Gabriela. As she said, we are a battleground district. We are a battleground district here in Congressional District Six and a battleground state. Votes from this district may be key to keeping the presidency, keeping the Senate, and flipping the House. So no pressure, folks. No pressure. No pressure. So the real question, folks, is, are you ready?

Yes.

Yeah. Are you ready to stand for freedom?

Yes.

Against those who would station agents in every one of our bedrooms?

Yeah.

Yeah. Are you ready to stand up for our teachers, our nurses, and our construction workers for better jobs?

Yes.

Are you ready to fight to protect our water and tackle climate change?

Yes.

Good thing because it may just come down to all of us here in Southern Arizona. So we have just 27 more days, folks. Make them count. Vote. Vote early. It’s the least you can do. We can and we will do this together. Together we will elect Kamala Harris. We will elect Tim Walz. We will hold the Senate by electing Ruben Gallego. And if I have anything to say about it, we will win Congressional District Six and flip the U.S. House.

(10:47)
Thank you. Thank you very much. See you on the campaign trail.

Please welcome Jamie Camil.

Well, well, well, how are you, Tucson? Yeah. I was doing a telenovela called Por ella soy Eva. I don’t know if you watched it, but my character went like, “I’m from Tucson, Arizona.” Yeah, she was from Tucson. How are you guys? Well, my name is Jaime Camil, also known in some parts of the world as Rogelio de La Vega, and I’m really thrilled to be here in Arizona on the campaign trail with a team that is going to deliver Arizona for Democrats. Yes or yes? Yes. And send Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz to the White House.

(46:34)
I know it seems repetitive like we say it every three years, but oh boy, boy, are we serious this time? This really is the most consequential election of our lifetimes. It is. There is so much on the line for the Latino communities across the country, for our livelihoods, our healthcare, and for our families, so much so that my whole family came with me to this rally. Where as you? As a proud United States citizen, I want my kids to get involved and to understand the importance of backing up our beliefs and our morals and ethics. I want them to get involved in our democracy because it is one we have to continue to fight for with each generation, and it truly is the greatest democracy in the world.

(47:29)
This election is a choice between two very different options, just two. Kamala Harris is focused on the future. Donald Trump wants to drag us back to the past, and if given the opportunity, demolish our democracy. Yeah. He already tried. He failed, but he tried. Over the past three and a half years, we have made enormous progress as a nation from rebuilding our economy to lowering drug costs, passing their first major gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, and the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. Now, the other side says they care about the economy, but Trump has the worst jobs record in modern history. The other side says they care about healthcare, but they tried to kill Obamacare, a program that made healthcare more affordable, and for the first time ever, didn’t let insurance companies deny coverage for pre-existing conditions.

(48:34)
And you know who we should thank for that, your incredible late Senator John McCain. Every step of the way, Vice President Kamala Harris has been right there leading the fight, delivering progress for the American people, especially for our Latino community. [foreign language 00:48:58] Latino? But hey, made no mistake, Donald Trump and his project 2025 agenda pose a threat to all these progress and more. He wants to take our country backwards, rip away Americans rights and freedoms and rig the economy for his billionaire donors, for his billionaire donors. That’s why you see them jumping like toddlers at his [inaudible 00:49:28], not coordination, but they try. But that’s not the future we see. That’s not the future we want. That’s not the future, period. We believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans, a nation that has always been great, thanks to its rich cultural diversity. We are all Americans regardless of the tone of our skin or the thickness of our accents.

(49:57)
A future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead a future where we build up the middle class, because when our middle class is strong, America is strong. And where we build on the incredible work the Biden-Harris administration has done for Latino communities all across the country, check it out, 16 million jobs created nationwide, more than 360,000 right here in Arizona. Yeah. 4. 8 million jobs created for Latinos and the lowest Latino unemployment rate on record. They support small Latino-owned businesses, which are opening at a faster pace in the last decade. Latinos now have more access than ever to affordable health insurance thanks to the Affordable Healthcare Act. Yeah. Kamala Harris is also fighting for a new way forward that will protect our fundamental freedoms, like the freedom to live in safe communities where responsible gun owners and supporters of the Second Amendment right, like the ones here in this room, reject gun violence, and for women to make their own healthcare decisions. Yes.

(51:26)
In contrast, Trump stands with the gun lobby, brags about ripping away women’s reproductive rights, and wants to ban abortion nationwide. Boo. Yeah. Vice President Harris is working to fix our immigration system. Trump demonizes immigrants with threats of mass deportations, family separation, and an end to birthright citizenship. And while Trump shows utter disdain for immigrants communities, saying they are poisoning the blood of our country, blaming us for eating cats and dogs. My God. Kamala Harris recognizes that our diversity is our strength and that the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed. Right now, right now, here in the beautiful state of Arizona and across the country, we have an opportunity to turn the page on the chaos and divisiveness that Donald Trump has sown in this country. We must choose a new way forward with a new generation of leadership. Our communities, yes. Our communities, Latinas y Latinos all over this nation, we share Vice President Harris’s inspiring vision. And today, we have more power and potential than ever before to help steer us toward that future. [foreign language 00:52:53].

(52:57)
Our community makeup, 15% of the voting population. We make the difference. We can decide who will sit on the presidential and vice presidential chair, and we won Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Yes. We have a chance, not just to elect someone who cares about our communities and the issues we face, but someone who has taken action for our communities, someone who will fight each and every day for us, someone that will never see us as rapists and drug dealers. Instead, someone that will always refer to us and address us with respect, dignity, and love, because that someone understands that, simply put, we are the economic engine of this great country. But friends, oh, we know this race will go down to the wire. So for the next 27 days, let’s roll up our sleeves and knock doors and make calls, talk to our friends and family, and most importantly, get out to vote. Get out to vote. Thank you very much, Tucson. Good night.

How’s everyone? Good evening, Tucson. It’s so wonderful to gather here tonight to give a beautiful Tucson welcome to the next Vice President of the United States of America, Tim Walz. And as our incredible Jaime Camil was talking to you and I was watching in there, I had the wonderful privilege of sitting back there with Governor Walz. I was so star-studded by sitting down with Tim Walz, I didn’t realize that Jaime Camille was actually talking to us. So Jaime Camil, thank you so much for speaking up and doing the right thing in supporting our Vice President Kamala Harris and the next vice president of the United States, Tim Walz. Thank you so much. I am the daughter of Jose Romero and Josefina Arvizu hard-working immigrant farm workers who taught me the value of hard work and caring for our community and each other, and they taught me the value of my vote.

(56:23)
I’d like to acknowledge and take a moment to center us and to acknowledge the histories of these lands. We are standing on the grounds that have been stewarded by the Tohono O’odham since time immemorial and the Pascua Yaqui people who have lived on these lands for thousands of years. Today, I’m here to talk to you about freedom and the stark choice that lies ahead. We have the choice to move forward with Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz. They are committed to creating a country that works for all of us. Vice President Harris will be a president for all Americans, and Governor Walz will be with her every step of our way forward.

(57:22)
Or we have the divisive hate-filled vision of Trump and his helper, J.D. Vance. If they are given the opportunity, their project 2025 will give Trump nearly unrestricted power and control over women here in Arizona and across the country by banning abortion in all 50 states with or without the help of Congress, restricting access to contraception and IVF, and allowing states to monitor and report on women’s miscarriages and abortions. No. His fight for virtually unchecked power and control doesn’t end there. Trump’s Project 2025 agenda includes something that each of us will hate. It contains an agenda that will harm public education, our right to organize and dismantle unions, and outlaw the work of the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump’s plans to overhaul the Department of Justice, giving him virtually unchecked power to seek vengeance against people who disagree with him. A foundation of the Department of Justice is their ability to act independently to uphold the rule of law across our country.

(59:05)
And it isn’t an empty promise. Trump has threatened to terminate the Constitution, imprison his political enemies, and even to rule as a dictator from day one. Let’s not forget that these are not idle threats. Trump already tried to overturn one election and destroy our democracy on January 6th. Let us not forget that. Tucsonans, friends, it is time to turn the page. It’s time to say no more to hate-filled plans of Project 2025. [foreign language 00:59:56] Trump. [inaudible 00:59:57] Trump. With less than a month to go, we must do everything possible to get out the vote for Vice President Harris and Governor Walz to find a new way forward for our country. They will bring the opportunity economy that works for all of us with good-paying jobs, great public schools, more affordable rentals, and the opportunity to own our own homes, and so much more. Tucson is the blue wall of Arizona that will stop, that will stop Trump and J.D. Vance here in our country. And the way to the White House is through Tucson, Arizona, Arizona straight to D.C. So what we need to do, what is it that we need to do? We need to make sure that our friends, families, and neighbors know what’s at stake. We need to find those people in our lives who maybe aren’t planning on voting and help them understand what is at stake this election. So I’m going to give you homework, even though I wasn’t a teacher like our coach, I’m going to give you homework. When you leave this rally, make sure that you are in charge of turning out at least five voters, five voters. It could be nieces, nephews, neighbors, it could be family, it could be friends. I’m just asking for each and every one of you, imagine what a difference you being personally responsible for turning out five

… the voters. Let’s do it, Tucson. So when you get your ballot, call your family, your nieces and nephews, your friends, ask them if they received their ballot. Make sure that you vote on it immediately and mail it in as quickly as you possibly can. Remember, we’re going to have a long ballot. It’s four pages this year. Make sure that you vote for Democrats from the top of the ticket with Kamala Harris down to our school board members. Each and every one is important.

(01:02:47)
And we have many propositions and initiatives this year. Please make sure that you vote yes on Proposition 139 that will put bodily autonomy into the Constitution of Arizona. Vote no on Proposition 314 that will criminalize immigrants, and every other proposition is a no-vote. We know everything that is on the line, we know what it is. We all here know that’s why we’re here. We just have to take it out there into our community and to our family. Because when we organize-

We win.

And when we vote-

We win.

And when we fight-

We win.

[foreign language 01:03:46]. Gracias Tucson.

Please welcome Raul Aguirre.

[foreign language 01:04:27]. How are you feeling? Yeah. [foreign language 01:04:27]. Hell yeah. That’s what we say. A little bit of Spanglish. I’m so glad to be here. How about it for Mayor Romero? Give her a big round of applause. She just represented us internationally and the new president of Mexico ceremony and she did such a great job. So I applaud her. So a great leader for Tucson. I saw many of you who had joined us at the legendary Casino Ballroom last Saturday for the Gran Marcha. Thank you. Thank you because we got over almost 300 people to go and knock on 5,000 doors, imagine that, to get the vote out.

(01:05:12)
For everyone, for Betty Villegas, for state representative, for Kirsten Engel for Congress, for Dr. Ravi Shah and Natalie Luna-Rose for TUSD. Very important, the leadership in education. Stephanie Hamilton as well and so many other people that came and they’re going to win so we can move this state forward. For example, Jane Fonda is coming to town because she believes in climate change. And Jen Allen, who’s running for supervisor was asked, “Can I join you? Can I go to Tucson? Can I raise money and can I do things for Tucsonians?” And she’s going to be coming here.

(01:06:01)
That shows you the level of interest that we you and I, [foreign language 01:06:08] have created for this crucial… They want us to believe that we are at odds with each other, but we know better. We are united, but our common dreams, our hopes for a brighter future and our love for community and families. [foreign language 01:09:02]. I’m a father of seven daughters. This means something deeply to me and it’s very personal. I want each of my daughters to have the freedom to make choices over their own bodies, the right to love who they love, to live without repression or interference. I want them to inherit a world where the reproductive freedom is not up for a debate, where autonomy is respected and where every young person is free to imagine a future without barriers. That’s what we dream about. That’s why this election is important. That’s why we need the Harris-Walz ticket in the White House. The Harris-Walz ticket is a vote for progress and prosperity. [foreign language 01:10:11] for all of us, to carry all us up. It’s about moving forward, not going back. We’re not going back, we’re not going back, we’re not going back, we’re not going back. Yeah.

[foreign language 01:10:33].

[foreign language 01:10:33]. It’s about ensuring that the future is right not just for a few, but for all. The young people of today they’re reimagining everything. They’re imagining the future in ways that inspire hope. I would be [inaudible 01:10:50] if I don’t recognize Patrick Robles from deep in the Southside, Sunnyside district. Yeah. Elizabeth Soltero also from the Sunnyside Foundation. My own daughter, my oldest, Marisol Flores Aguirre, yeah, very proud of her. And the organizations like Chicanos Por la Causa, LULAC, Mi Gente under the leadership of Councilwoman Lane, Santa Cruz.

(01:11:23)
And I also saw Andrés Cano, former state representative, an amazing guy. Give a big round of applause to the young people of today. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the leaders we need to help turn that vision into a reality. They know that our strength lies in our unity, in our share values of justice and opportunity for all. And right here in Tucson we see the same unity. I mentioned the Gran Marcha, I mentioned all the people, different agents, different races, everybody excited over making things happen and making this election count and go for the win.

(01:12:11)
Leaders that I’d like for you to recognize like Congressman Raul Grijalva, let’s send him a good feelings, good vibes. Pima County Board Chairwoman, Adelita Grijalva, who’s also out there pounding the pavement to do great things. And our mayor Regina Romero, of course, who grew up, each of them have risen from grassroots movements carried forward by the hard work of hundreds of volunteers who know the power of community and activism. United Farm Workers, MEChA, Chispa, all these people, Mi Familia Vota. You are making that happen and it’s going to yield results in 27 days. This activism will help us protect those who have no voice.

(01:13:10)
The voiceless, we are responsible for them. We need that. We can have that other conversation of hate and negativity. Let’s stop the chaos so we can protect refugees and the undocumented with humane policies. I know they’re going to make this happen. [foreign language 01:13:35], ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to introduce to you a man who has served as congressman, a teacher, [foreign language 01:13:45], teachers, a coach, and as the governor of Minnesota, a man who knows what it means to fight for working people, let’s give a grand applause or a roaring Tucson welcome to the next Vice President of the United States, Tim Walz.

Wow. Thank you all. Wow. Wow. Thank you, Tucson. Wow. Can we all just note I’m ready to run through the wall for Raul on that. So thank you. Fantastic. Unbelievable. Wow. Listening to the folks who came out here, Jaime, taking time out of his life to come out here. I’m back there saying, “That guy’s a superstar and I got to meet him.” So Jaime, thank you for coming out on this. And I know Arizona produces incredible leader, but we just saw one. Your mayor is amazing.

(01:15:43)
Thank you for electing her. Amazing. Earlier today I was down in Phoenix and we were at a VFW Hall 7401. That hall was named after John McCain. And I had the privilege of being in that hall with his son, Jim McCain, who’s supporting this ticket for all the right reasons. I know Arizona gets it right. I was also there with another guy. You need to make sure Ruben Gallego’s your next senator. Amazing.

Ruben.

We’re in that hall talking about unity and talking about the things that bind us together. And the three of us, they were two Marines and they said, “Well, the army finally showed up after we did the work.” But we were in there about unity, about what we do together because all three of us said we never remembered serving beside a Republican or a Democrat or an independent, we served beside fellow Americans. And I think now for all of you, just in this moment, before I get started, I know all of you’re thinking about this, the tragedies of what we’ve seen with natural disasters, with Helene and the recoveries that are happening with that.

(01:17:03)
And as we speak at this moment, Hurricane Milton is coming ashore in Florida. So I know you’re all praying for the families, those that have already lost homes or loved ones, and knowing that Florida is staring down the barrel of a major storm. So for all of you, President Biden, Vice President, Harris, my fellow governors, the officials at all levels in those impacted states are doing everything they can to help the folks. The way this works is that the local folks know what they need and the governors. And there’s a system that you put in requests and states across the country, go through that list and fill them. Minnesota’s providing resources.

(01:17:43)
Right now we’ve got Chinook helicopters in North Carolina and teams on the ground, and we got a team from the 148th Fighter Wings on the way to Florida. We’ve issued a couple executive orders providing that care in Minnesota, but look, what all of you know is this is what Americans do at a time of tragedy. This is what Americans do. They challenge us, but they bring out the best. And I think now for those folks that are affected keep following local laws, keep following what the first responders are saying. Avoid the misinformation that’s out there. That is not how this is supposed to be done. And you can count on when we get through the next 12 hours of this thing, the goodness of the American people will shine.

(01:18:27)
We will rebuild everything that needs to be done in Florida. Now comes the big thanks to all of you. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to see you all here. Look, you came, you waited in lines, you sat and you waited for this. You did it. Thank you Tucson for doing it. You talk about hospitality, you did it in a school gym. Thank you, Tucson. Look at the attention to detail, 2024 on the scoreboard, people. And obviously as the guests we’re winning just so you know. But look, you waited in line, you got kids, you put things off. You made the effort to come here for very, very simple and beautiful reason. You came here for one thing.

We love you.

You love America. You love America. You believe in the promise. Now, thinking of what’s going on, thinking of you coming here, you believe in the promise of America. I have been known to be called a little bit old school, and I’ll own that. By the way, I see that Minnesota Twins hat. Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. So that’s the hospitality next year. That’s what we say in Minnesota, next year. But look, I believe, and I think you believe a president’s words matter, character and leadership matter in what you’re doing. They matter. You’ve seen it and we all know it and we all learned it.

(01:20:16)
In the heart of the Great Depression when the country was hurting and we didn’t know what was going to come next, you’ve heard these stories. It was at that first inaugural president Franklin Roosevelt told the American public, “All we have to fear is fear itself.” And it was meant to bring us together, to take on the challenges because that’s what we’ve always done. This idea of make America… We’ve always been a great country. We have always been a great country. When communism was spreading throughout the world, suppressing human rights and freedom and threatening Europe, it was Ronald Reagan who stood there as the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union tried to spread and said, “Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall.”

(01:21:04)
And at a time that the country needs the leadership during this most important presidential election, at the only debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, Donald Trump stood on that stage and said, “They are eating dogs and they’re eating cats.” Now as Americans, that feeling you just got both the revulsion, look, if this guy were an entertainer on TV, it might be funny, but it’s not funny when it comes from somebody who wants to be the President of the United States because it’s dangerous. It’s dangerous. Those words force the Republican governor of Ohio to say that’s not true, and it forced the Republican governor of Ohio to send state law enforcement to escort kindergartners to their school.

(01:22:02)
That is not who we are. That is not leadership. So look, these guys are way more interested in sowing division than solving problems. On everything that you care about Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have no plan, only for Donald Trump. That’s it. But here’s what’s beautiful about a presidential election. There’s a choice. Kamala Harris has a vision of bringing us together and getting stuff done. She talks about, and she wants to be president for all Americans. And here’s the thing, she’s got a record of it. From the first day as a prosecutor, until the time she was Vice President of the United States she has had one client and one focus, the American people, the American people.

(01:22:59)
She’s a prosecutor. She took on the predators, took on the fraudsters, tried to take people’s homes, tried to take union pensions. And she’s the one that prosecuted transnational gangs for human trafficking and drugs. She’s the one who took on corporate interest who were trying to take people’s homes by overcharging. That’s the work of improving people’s lives, finding solutions. And she never once hesitated to work across the aisle in a bipartisan manner. That’s what leadership looks like. And I’ll tell you, I’m proud to be your running mate. I gave you that image that the world saw of Donald Trump on that debate stage, but there was the other side of the stage.

(01:23:39)
The poise, the leadership, the compassion, the grace of Kamala Harris. That’s what the world saw. And I’m proud to be with her. She often talks about this, where else, but America, can you have a middle class kid from Oakland, California and a middle class kid from rural Nebraska running for president and Vice President of the United States? So some of you, I know you get this. I grew up in a small town and when you’re from a small town, there’s a game you play, how small town. 400 people in my town. People say “It’s not bad, I had 300.” And then I follow up with, “But I had 24 classmates. That was it.”

(01:24:24)
But look, whether you’re in Oakland, California, whether you’re in Butte Nebraska, or whether you’re in Tucson, Arizona, what you learn about what’s most important is community and family and the common good of looking out for one another. That’s what you do. I heard your public service. That’s what animates my public service. That’s what animates Kamala Harris public service. And that’s the type of service that we want to take to the White House come November 5th. You heard it from the mayor, you heard it from the folks who came out here. You heard Jaime talk about that. Facts are facts.

(01:25:05)
Now, I know for these guys it’s a bit challenging, facts are facts. We had an election and they lost in 2020. It’s that simple. But what that meant was with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, over 360,000 jobs created in Arizona. This state creates the future. $ 123 billion of private sector investment creating new clean energy jobs, solar and battery manufacturing. Look, Donald Trump asked us to be afraid of the future, when have Arizona’s ever been afraid of the future? Never. Never. You don’t fear the future. You build the future. That’s the way this works. So look, Trump wants to roll back those investments.

(01:25:55)
His running mate called them basically a table scraps. Now he takes his ultra wealthy folks. He’s not even afraid to be on camera to say this. He takes him down there he says, “You are rich as hell and I’m going to give you a tax cut.” I will give him this. They say, “You never give President Trump credit for anything.” I will give you credit for this. He kept his word and he gave them a tax cut. He did do that. He did do that. Look, he plans on gutting the Affordable Care Act. Well, nine years ago, he said, “It’d be easy to fix healthcare. I’ll do it on the first day.” Now we hear he’s got a concept of a plan. J.D. Vance tried to explain that plan.

(01:26:35)
They should go back to the concept because the actual plan is worse. It takes your healthcare. It takes your healthcare. It guts social security. And every economist and every business person in the world recognizes Donald Trump’s tariff policies will be a 20% addition to your taxes, adding about $4,000 cost to each and every one, all to give tax cuts to the wealthiest. So look, you all know here too, and I heard it the other day, housing, everything, jobs, crime, everything. They want to blame everything on migrants and they want to take no responsibility or come up with no plan. Senator Vance, again, I’m being generous tonight, I’m giving him credit.

(01:27:24)
He did come up and said he created stories out of whole cloth when he made up those stories, about people in this country legally who came through the system legally, and made up stories about them. So look it, we all know we want a secure border. She’s taken action to cut crossings in half and now they’re lower than when Donald Trump was in office. She’s doubled the amount of fentanyl that’s been seized on our streets, and she negotiated a tough but fair bipartisan border deal. She said would sign and she will sign that border deal. 1,500 new border agents, new technology to intercept fentanyl. Look, keep the borders closed between the ports of entry, make that work. But she also doubled Department of Justice budgets for prosecuting the cartels.

(01:28:04)
And working with Democrats and Republicans this is what you want, and this is what we know, to enact an earned pathway to citizenship for those who’ve lived in this country for years. This issue should not divide us. It should unite us. She wants a solution. We had the solution. We had people working together on it. We kept our promise to do something about the border, but also keep our humanity as we worked on it. And the only reason it didn’t get done was Donald Trump knew that it was an electoral problem for him, and he wants the problem, not the solution. He came down here. He comes down to Arizona and tells you, “Oh, I’ll build a big beautiful wall and Mexico will pay for it.” He had four years. He built like 2% Mexico, paid nothing.

(01:29:03)
And now he’s telling you, “Well, I’ll get it right this time.” This is about Donald Trump admiring problems. This is about Donald Trump blaming others. That’s not what you’re interested for. That’s not what you’re here for. You’re here for solutions. You’re here to pick leaders who are willing to work together to solve problems, to make a difference. And let’s be clear, Senator Vance got asked about this. He got asked about family separation. All’s Donald Trump was able to do to rip thousands of families apart and he wouldn’t say he wouldn’t do it again. You heard it. You heard him say it. So Trump blocked the only thing we had for his own political gain. That’s a big difference.

(01:29:45)
That’s a difference between someone who’s actually prosecuted the criminals and dedicated her life to keeping people safe and a salesman who’s selling you snake oil for his own good. That’s the difference. Look, I know it. I know you know it. We can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump. The world can’t afford four more years of Donald Trump. And I know, you wait in line, you came here, it’s pretty obvious that you get most of this. I get that. I understand I’m preaching to the choir, but our recital is 27 days away and we need to sing. We need to sing. Look, I got to be specific with my language before I said they didn’t really have a plan.

(01:30:34)
They actually do have a plan, and that plan is out there for you in the form of project 2025. Now they’re like, “What’s that? I never heard of it.” Senator Vance said, “I never heard of that.” And I asked. I said, “Well, that’s weird, you wrote the forward to the architect of Project 2025 book.” Now I’ve never wrote the forward to somebody’s book, but I’m pretty sure I would remember if I did and remember who the person was. But look, the football coach knows in me, they took the time, they put pen to paper, they created a plan to tax cuts to the wealthy, pregnancy registries, gut the federal service.

(01:31:12)
They’re actually in there privatizing weather forecasting and getting rid of national weather service. That’s what they do. So look, the football coach knows in me, you make a playbook, you’re going to run the plays and that’s what they’re going to do. They’re going to run the plays. So look, Kamala Harris gets it in for many of you here, and I heard it. I heard it from Raul, I heard it from others. One of the reasons she gets it is because she grew up middle-class. My God, if all of us would’ve started out with $400 million we could have done better than Donald Trump. You could have put it into a CD and got 1% interest and done better, so that I know.

(01:31:58)
Here’s what she knows. You all know this. This isn’t about not being happy someone’s successful. This is about making sure we understand when the economy works best is when it’s fair. And she’s laid out a plan to make it so. Not a concept of a plan, a real plan, opportunity economy. One that lifts up everybody. Leaves no one behind. Look, we have a saying in Minnesota, you probably have it here too though. It’s pretty simple, but it’s true. We all do better when we all do better. We all do better when we all do better. Things like rights. Rights are not like a pie. If someone gets rights doesn’t mean you get a smaller piece.

(01:32:37)
That’s not how this works. That’s why we make sure people have their human rights and we extend it to everyone. And that’s why the economy needs to work for everyone. That’s why she’s proposing tax cuts aimed at the middle class, a $6,000 Child Tax Credit so the new parents, you can buy that car seat, that crib, and get off to a good start. It works. It works. Kids get a better

… start. And what she knows is is that the idea of home ownership, things that you need to have, making sure that that home ownership piece is there so that you can have a $25,000 down payment assistance, and we build 3 million more new homes. The young folks out here, they’re wondering, “How in the heck am I going to own a home?” That’s what you want know. Look, those guys on the other side, again, they blame migrants. Where are they getting the money to buy homes when they’re blaming? But what you know is in places… We were up in Reno, one company bought 260 homes. They see this as a commodity. They buy it like stocks and bonds, and then they sell them around. The home for us is the place we protect our kids, we celebrate holidays, we eat meals together. That’s what she’s trying to make happen.

(01:33:43)
And then yesterday, for those of you in here, especially our seniors, those of you in here know this, yesterday, Kamala Harris announced something that I think is transformational. I’ve seen this. She talks about things that give peace of mind. We’re finally going to cover seniors through Medicare for home care. Home care. I know Arizonans are practical people. I thought someone was going to give the, “About damn time.” Because it is. Look, seniors can age in their home. Their quality of life improves. And in the long run, you actually save money doing that by keeping people there and helping the families. And then expanding, and this is another one, expanding Medicare coverage to vision and hearing. My nearly 90-year-old mom got hearing aids here a few years ago, and dang, we’re like, “She doesn’t stop talking now.” And she’s like into it. She’s engaged in the conversation. We all know that she’s out there. It’s about quality of life. And you know how we’re going to pay for that? You know how we’re going to pay for that? By taking on the folks who’ve been doing some of the price gouging, by negotiating [inaudible 01:35:03].

(01:35:03)
Kamala Harris, for the first time, we negotiated with Medicare. Medicare buys a lot of drugs. Folks know business on this. When you buy lots of things, you can negotiate for a better price. Well, for all these years, Medicare said, “What’s the price?” And the pharmaceutical company said, “Oh, let me check.” Like for insulin, now, we have a cap of $35. But think about it. They said, “Oh, that’s Venezuelan style socialism.” No, it’s not. It’s fair capitalism. Because you know why? That little bottle of insulin costs about $5 to manufacture. They were selling it for 800. They were selling it for 800. So what we do is we take the savings from that and we expand the benefits on Medicare and we have seniors living in their home longer, we have them getting vision and hearing, and we have quality of life increase. And we ask the folks at top to pay their fair share. [inaudible 01:35:55]. So if any of your undecided relatives or who might be on the other side, I know we all have them. I know I do. Family members and stuff, what’s your plan? You talk to them, especially if they’re over 55, you tell them that. That is a dang good thing right there because… You know, I hear this, “Oh, I don’t know, I don’t really like Donald Trump’s personality, but I like his proposals.” Which ones? Tax cuts to billionaires? Taking away women’s reproductive rights? Not dealing with climate change? Not having a plan for immigration? You come back with this, Kamala Harris has a plan to expand Medicare to make sure that seniors get better care. And we’re going to do it by talking to the pharmaceutical companies, negotiating on drugs, saving money and asking people to pay taxes. They had no answer for this.

(01:36:41)
Look, you all pay your taxes. I mentioned at a debate, “Nope, we’re fine. Those taxes pay for the police, they pay for this school, they pay for the roads. We simply want it to be fair.” How is it that Donald Trump has not paid taxes for 10 of the last 15 years on federal debt? He said he’s smart, and he called himself the king of debt. He did not lie about that either. He is the king of debt. So look, businesses, if you want to start a small business, and I know there’s entrepreneurs in here, there’s a tax credit for that. It’s $5,000. That’s not enough. Costs $40,000 to get the average small business off the ground. Kamala Harris has proposed a $50,000 tax credit to get small businesses off the ground. That’s how you do it.But fundamentally, all of those things, there’s also some really, really important things around this. Kamala Harris comes out on stage to a really beautiful song, Freedom. <<Freedom>> And people… Beautiful.

(01:37:36)
But it’s not just the song she believes in. We’re going to make sure we’re fighting for the freedom that you decide how to live your life. You decide how you choose your life, you decide who you love, you decide your healthcare. Those are the things. Now, I was down there. In Reno, they were out. Jim McCain, Liz Cheney. If you would’ve ever told me we’d have Bernie Sanders and Dick Cheney on the same side of things… But that’s what Kamala Harris can do, is she is the unity president. She’s the one that wants to bring us together.

(01:38:12)
So I’m going to say thank you. There’s many and you’re in here. You remember when Republicans were a party of freedom, real freedom. You can’t tell me that John McCain would be okay with a former president calling Vladimir Putin like a buddy every week. That or telling Vladimir Putin, “Do whatever the hell you want in Ukraine.”, a democratic ally. That’s not the party of McCain nor Reagan, I’ll guarantee you that. And I’ll tell you what it’s not either. This group with Donald Trump, when they mean freedom, they mean that they should be free to invade your exam room, to invade your school library, to invade your bedroom, and have government be just small enough to be in every damn part of your life that they shouldn’t be.

(01:39:07)
Look, Donald Trump’s out there telling this, “Look, you put me back in…” And he’s talking to the women. These guys seem to… Look, they seem to want to talk to the women a lot and they don’t quite get it, that the women aren’t interested in listening on this. But he said, you put him back in, you won’t have to worry about your reproductive freedoms. And he said he would be your protector. Yet they want to monitor women’s pregnancies. So Donald, get it straight. We don’t trust you. We don’t trust you. You know who we do trust? We trust women. Kamala Harris trusts women.

(01:39:52)
And to all of us, to Arizonans, to the party of Reagan, to the Party of John McCain, to all of us in here, something we say in Minnesota, and I know you say it here, things work better in almost all aspects of life if people just mind their own damn business about things. I feel like the Republican Party, I should trademark that because that used to be their mantra. “Stay out of our business. Stay out of doing that.” Now, they want to be in every single thing you do. So look, for all of you, and I know there’s different reasons on this, especially for the women in here, especially for the fathers, the husbands, but it’s personal for all of us. And this idea, you think they’re stopping with abortion? Oh, no. “It’s a beautiful thing. We have 20 states that do this.”

(01:40:42)
It’s not a beautiful thing that women are bleeding out in parking lots. It’s not a beautiful thing that Amber Thurman has to drive from Georgia to North Carolina to get her care and by that time, she’s [inaudible 01:40:52] dead. And those are what’s… They’re not stopping. They’re talking about access to contraception and they’re talking about limiting, and they’ve tried it, limiting fertility treatments for families that want to have them. And that’s where it comes in. Look, those women that now you know their names, Amanda and Hadley, the names of women who are courageous in speaking out what their bands have done, same with us. You don’t want to hear me talk about my personal health things or my wife’s personal health things, but we’ve talked about it because we used infertility treatments and that’s how we got our beautiful daughter, by infertility treatments. [inaudible 01:41:29]. And for all of you, I talked about it. I don’t want my kids to be thrust out there and they get… But look, they’re my whole life and I recognize if we’re asking you to make us president and vice president, we damn sure better respect you and your family’s decisions on that note. So here’s my appeal to the Republicans in the group, when did the party of Reagan decide that government should make choices for you? They have not. When Vice President Harris and I talk about freedom, it’s you, not politicians. And we guarantee you, to the women in this country, you and your doctor will make the decisions when we restore Roe.

(01:42:12)
Now, this freedom of dignity, and I’ll bring this in here, freedom to retire with dignity. That’s why this new proposal she put out is so exciting. But here’s the thing, every single year Donald Trump put out a budget, he proposed cutting social security. He called it a Ponzi scheme. They talked about raising the retirement age or cutting Medicare. JD Vance called it the single greatest obstacle to fiscal sanity. Oh, it wouldn’t be the $8 billion in tax cuts you gave to the wealthiest people, creating the largest debt of a president at any time in American history? Oh, no. It would be my mom’s social security check that’s causing all the problems. She paid into that.

(01:42:54)
Now, I get it. My mom looks for that check to pay for the bills that she needs to, pay for her food, pay for heat. And I get it. And from their perspective, Donald Trump, when you’re sitting down at Mar-a-Lago and you’re a billionaire, I’m pretty sure you don’t care if your social security check comes. So you can think about, let’s just cut that and give tax cuts to the wealthy. I’ll tell you what, social security has been the greatest anti-poverty program that was ever created and we will strengthen it.

(01:43:23)
And then I’m going to address something at all of you. And this is one that is personal. And I will admit that when I talk about this, I get very emotional and I wear my emotions on my sleeve because the other freedom is, and being in this space as a school teacher, and knowing the joy that’s here and knowing the parents who dress their little ones in their best clothes and they send them off to school and that teacher’s waiting at the door to shake their little hands and welcome them into the world of learning that’s out there and all the excitement or whatever. Our kids need to be free to be kids and go to school without being shot dead in their classroom. That’s it. [inaudible 01:44:11].

(01:44:11)
And this, this is Arizona. And I just want to lay this out because we should not take one back seat on this because I understand this. Look, I’m a veteran, I’m a hunter, I’m a gun owner. Saturday, pheasant season starts out in Minnesota and I’m all excited to be back there to see this. This is not about the Second Amendment. Kamala Harris is a gun owner. We respect the Second Amendment, but our first responsibility is to protect our children, first and foremost. So Donald Trump told us after a school shooting, another mass shooting, that we need to get over it that we’re traumatized.

(01:44:56)
Senator Vance said it was a fact of life. Kamala Harris said, “It doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be this way.” So let’s use this as a chance. Let’s use this as a chance to turn the page on Donald Trump. Choose that new generation of leadership. And as we’ve been saying, chart a new way forward for this state, this country, and the rest of the world. So look, you came out here and I’m grateful. You waited in line, you waited for a plane to finally get fixed and get you here. But again, you came here to be around people who care about this, who care about their country, and recognizing billions of people around the world had not imagined the chance to have the freedom to determine your own destiny the way we go together. So look, it’s hard work. You waited a long time. Heck, our country waited 250 years, almost 250 years to do what we can do in 27 days when we get this done, say, “Hello, Madam President.”

(01:46:22)
So here it is. Here it is. All gas, no brakes. You’ve heard me been saying this. It’s a favorite saying, is I love doing it. We’ll sleep when we’re dead. I had somebody come up to me and say, “You’re taking that too literally. You look like hell, man.” Look, there will be time when this is done. We’ve got 27 days to believe in the promise of America, 27 days to choose decency, kindness, and unity over the division we’ve seen, 27 days to close the book and not have to hear about Donald Trump again. And we get to do it. So you know the saying, when we fight…

We win.

When we vote…

We win.

When we fight…

We win.

Let’s go. Thank you all.

Well, I was born in a small town.

(01:48:59)
And I live in a small town.

(01:48:59)
Probably die in a small town.

(01:48:59)
Oh, those small communities.

(01:48:59)
All my friends are so small town.

(01:48:59)
My parents live in the same small town.

(01:48:59)
My job is so small town.

(01:48:59)
Provides little opportunity.

(01:48:59)
Educated in a small town.

(01:48:59)
Taught to fear Jesus in a small town.

(01:48:59)
Used to daydream in that small town.

(01:48:59)
Another boring romantic, that’s me.

(01:48:59)
But I’ve seen it all in a small town.

(01:48:59)
Had myself a ball in a small town.

(01:48:59)
Married an L.A. doll and brought her to this small town.

(01:48:59)
Now she’s small town just like me.

(01:48:59)
No, I…

Let’s roll up our sleeves and knock doors and make calls, talk to our friends and family. [inaudible 01:49:07].

[inaudible 01:49:17].

Please welcome Raul Aguirre.

Yeah. [foreign language 01:51:54]. How you feeling? Yeah. [foreign language 01:52:04] hell yeah. That’s why we say. A little bit of Spanglish. I’m so glad to be here. How about it for Mayor Romero? Give her a big round of applause. She just represented us internationally in the new president of Mexico ceremony and she did such a great job. So I applaud her. She’s a great leader for Tucson. I saw many of you who have joined us at the legendary Casino Ballroom last Saturday for the Gran Marcha. Thank you. Thank you because we got…

Wow.