Harris Speaks with 2024 Campaign Headquarters

-That you gave to me to Kamala. And I want you to know I won't be on the ticket, but I'm still going to be fully, fully engaged. I've got six months left in my presidency. I'm determined to get as much done as I possibly can, both foreign policy and domestic policy, keep lowering costs for families, continue to speak out on guns and childcare, elder care, prescription drugs and climate. Climate still is the existential threat that we face, and if we don't win this thing, it's all in jeopardy. (00:32) And we got to keep working for an end to the war in Gaza. I'll be working very closely with the Israelis and with the Palestinians to try to work out how we can get the Gaza war to end and Middle East peace and get all those hostages home. I think we're on a verge of being able to do that. And we've got to keep our alliances together, it's critically important. It took a while for me to build these alliances, most of my colleagues have acknowledged that, but it's critically, critically important for our safety and security. And I know I'll be doing whatever Kamala wants me or needs me to do in addition. (01:06) So let me be real clear, we're still fighting in this fight together. I'm not going anywhere. And I want you to know you've always had my back and I promise you I will always have your back, and I'm anxious for you all to hear from Kamala. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Julie. You're the best.

Thank you so much. Mr. President.

Thank you. I'm sticking around. I'm going to listen.

All right, thank you so much Mr. President, again for taking time to join our call today. And as the President said, we are full steam ahead in supporting the Vice President, and we are seeing incredible enthusiasm already from our supporters, from democratic governors to senators to house members to mayors to folks across the country. Our Democratic Party is really uniting around our nominee, and we just announced that we raised $81 million in 24 hours. (02:13) So now I am incredibly honored to bring up the Second Gentleman to be able to mark a historic day with us today. With that, I'd like to introduce Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff.

Wow. Julie, thank you so much. I've known Julie a long, long time going back to her days working in Kamala's senate office and we've put a lot of time together out on the road on the last campaign and I can't think of anyone better to be leading this campaign. So thank you so much. You're best. (03:02) I was just very emotional listening to President Biden just then. I was emotional before I heard that because of who he is and what he represents, the dignity, the empathy. He's had my back personally some of my toughest moments as Second Gentleman, one leaving the career that I loved. It was always the President who came up to me and said, "Look, I know kid, you're a great lawyer. I know this must've been tough, but what better way to leave that than to support your wife who you love so much and your country that you love so much?" (03:42) And it's hard to believe it was about four years ago, the first time I came to Wilmington is when she got the call from President, then Candidate Biden, to be on the ticket. And we came here the next day, we went to their home and he said, with Dr. Biden, "Welcome to the family. You're now Bidens." And they made us cookies and they called our kids and they called my parents. This was day one four years ago, and now look where we are now to have been able to serve as Second Gentleman with him as our President, Dr. Biden as our First Lady. (04:27) So now I get to support my wife, Kamala Harris, running for President of the United States. Let me tell you something, we are going to win this election. We are on the right side of every single issue and we have this team right here and thousands of others all around the country. How do I know? Because I've been traveling all around the country and I've met them. We have an amazing team. You have done an amazing job and you're going to continue to do that so we can elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States of America. So let's hear it for Kamala Harris. Thank you.

Hey Delaware. Thank you guys. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you all. Thank you. Can we just give it up again for my husband? It is so good to hear our President's voice. Joe, I know you're still on the call and we've been talking every day. You probably, you guys heard it from Doug's voice, we love Joe and Jill. We really do. They truly are like family to us. And we do, everybody here does.

It's mutual.

I knew you were still there. You're not going anywhere Joe.

I'm watching you kid. I'm watching you kid. I love you.

I love you Joe. So Joe, I'm going to recognize some of the electeds who are here and then I'm going to get back to you. Hold on a second. (06:59) So let me please acknowledge some extraordinary national leaders who are also dear friends, both to the President and to me. Governor John Carney, where are you? There you are, and his wife, they are here. Senator Tom Carper, my former colleague and his wife is here. Chris Coons, my dear friend. Attorney General Kathy Jennings. The mayor is here. Purzycki, where are you? There. And the next United States Senator from the great state of Delaware is here, Lisa Blunt Rochester. And I know everyone here has seen these elected leaders in this very campaign office on a regular basis. And I know Joe is so thankful to them for their lifelong friendship, but I want to thank them also because you guys have really been carrying some heavy water from the first days of our campaign. So thank you all. This truly is a Delaware family. Thank you. (08:06) I want to thank Jen O'Malley-Dillon, where is she Jen? I'm going to talk about her in a minute. Julie Chavez-Rodriguez. Sheila Nix, there you are. And the entire team that is here, I want to thank all of you, and those who are joining from offices across our nation. So Doug and I wanted to stop by today to thank everybody and to express just what we know to be true, you all have been working so hard. The people in this office have been working so hard and you have given so much of yourselves, long days and nights. What you are sacrificing in terms of the time you could be spending with other friends and other family, and you're giving yourselves to our country because you love our country and you love Joe and you love me and we know that. (09:07) And so today, just right after Joe made his announcement, it was important for me to continue with his role of leadership in this office of like him who has said for many, many, many months, and I say it today, "Thank you all so very much for what you are doing and what you will continue to do." So let's applaud the team. (09:27) And I know it's been a roller coaster and we're all filled with so many mixed emotions about this. I just have to say I love Joe Biden. I love Joe Biden and I know we all do and we have so many darn good reasons for loving Joe Biden. And I have full faith that this team will be the reason we win in November, you all who are here. And as Julie always says, and I will quote the great Julie, "We are one team, one fight. One team, one fight." And she's been an extraordinary campaign manager, she's going to continue in this role and see us to victory in November. (10:16) And we are all here because we love our country and we believe in our foundational principles. We believe in freedom and opportunity and justice, not for some but for all. And so we have 106 days until election day, and in that time we have some hard work to do. And as JOD always reminds us, we can do hard things. JOD has been such an incredible leader of this team and that is why I have just asked her to run my campaign and she has accepted. And so over the next 106 days, we are going to take our case to the American people and we are going to win. We're going to win. (11:13) And so now I'm getting back to you, Joe. I will tell you it has been one of the greatest honors of my life truly to serve as Vice President to our President, Joe Biden. Joe's legacy of accomplishment, a lifetime but just over the last three and a half years, is unmatched in modern history. In one term, he has already surpassed legacy of most presidents who served two terms in office. Think about it. And I know everyone here in the campaign, we have, we know, if we don't know we got a problem. But I'm going to repeat some for those who might be guests at the moment. (11:58) Joe got the COVID pandemic under control. Remember those days? He has created more than 15 million new jobs. He brought together Republicans and Democrats and passed historic legislation. And I'm going to tell you, I'm a first-hand witness to all this work. I would sit with Joe in the Oval Office while he would bring members of both sides of the aisle and talk and listen and help them see what they may have in common and how we can actually work towards solutions. And because of their confidence in Joe, these accomplishments occurred. Joe has stood up for democracy at home and he has stood up for democracy abroad and he has always stood up for what he believes is right. (12:50) And many of you may know, I first came to know Joe through his son Bo. Bo and I worked together as State Attorney's General, and back then Bo would often tell me stories about his dad and he would talk about the kind of father and the kind of man that Joe Biden is. And he would talk about the qualities of his father. And the qualities that Bo revered the most are the same qualities that I see every day in our President, his honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his faith and his family, his big, big heart, and his deep love of our country. And I don't need to tell you all, you know Joe's background. I mean he grew up in a middle class family in Scranton and he has never forgotten where he comes from. (13:44) And so again, I am a firsthand witness from being with him in the Oval Office to the Situation Room and seeing him on the global stage with world leaders. President Joe Biden fights for the American people and we are deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation. (14:19) Joe, are you watching? You hear this clapping? Can you see it?

I'm watching. I'm watching.

We love you, Joe.

You're the best kid.

And let us be very clear. Joe is not done, far from it. He knows there is still more work to do and our nation will continue to praise his bold and visionary leadership as President. Thank you, Joe.

Thank you.

And it is my great honor to have Joe's endorsement in this race.

You sure do.

And it is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win. So in the days and weeks ahead, I together with you, will do everything in my power to unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation, and to win this election. As many of you know, before I was elected as Vice President, before I was elected as United States Senator, I was the elected Attorney General as I've mentioned to California, and before that I was a courtroom prosecutor. In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds. (16:06) Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump's type, and in this campaign I will proudly, I will proudly put my record against his. As a young prosecutor when I was in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office in California, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Donald Trump was found liable by a jury for committing sexual abuse. As Attorney General of California, I took on one of our country's largest for-profit colleges and put it out of business. Donald Trump ran a for-profit college, Trump University, that was forced to pay $25 million to the students it scammed. (17:26) As District Attorney to go after polluters, I created one of the first environmental justice units in our nation. Donald Trump stood in Mar-a-Lago and told big oil lobbyists he would do their bidding for a $1 billion campaign contribution. During the foreclosure crisis, I took on the big Wall Street banks and won $20 billion for California families, holding those banks accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of 34 counts of fraud.

Guilty.

But make no mistake, all of that being said, this campaign is not just about us versus Donald Trump. There is more to this campaign than that. Our campaign has always been about two different versions of what we see as the future of our country, two different visions for the future of our country. One focused on the future, the other focused on the past. Donald Trump wants to take our country backward to a time before many of our fellow Americans had full freedoms and rights. But we believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans. We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. (19:23) We believe in a future where no child has to grow up in poverty, where every person can buy a home, start a family, and build wealth. And where every person has access to paid family leave and affordable child care. That's the future we see. Together, we fight to build a nation where every person has affordable healthcare, where every worker is paid fairly, and where every senior can retire with dignity. (20:02) All of this is to say building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency because we here know when our middle class is strong, America is strong.

That's right. Say it again.

And we know that's not the future Donald Trump is fighting for.

[inaudible 00:20:27].

He and his ... He and his extreme Project 2025 will weaken the middle class and bring us backward. Please do note that. Back to the failed trickle-down policies that gave huge tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and made working families pay the cost, back to policies that put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block, back to policies that treat healthcare as only a privilege for the wealthy instead of what we all know it should be, which is a right for every American. (21:09) America has tried these economic policies before. They do not lead to prosperity, they lead to inequity and economic injustice. And we are not going back. We are not going back. They're not taking us back. (21:39) Our fight for the future is also a fight for freedom. Generations of Americans before us have led the fight for freedom from our founders to our framers, to the abolitionists and the suffragettes, to the freedom riders and farm workers. And now I say team, the baton is in our hands. We who believe in the sacred freedom to vote, we who are committed to fight to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. We who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence, and that's why we will work to pass universal background checks, red flag laws, and an assault weapons ban. We who will fight for reproductive freedom, knowing 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. (22:59) It is this team here that is going to help in this November to elect a majority of members of the United States Congress who agree the government should not be telling a woman what to do with her body. And when Congress passes the law to restore reproductive freedoms, as President of the United States, I will sign it into law.

We the people.

Indeed, we the people. So ultimately to all the friends here, I say in this election, we know we each face a question, what kind of country do we want to live in? A country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law?

Yes.

Or a country of chaos, fear, and hate?

No.

You all are here because you as leaders know we each, including our neighbors and our friends and our family, we each as Americans have the power to answer that question. That's the beauty of it, the power of the people. We each have the ability to answer that question. So in the next 106 days, we have work to do. We have doors to knock on. We have people to talk to, we have phone calls to make, and we have an election to win. (24:40) So are you ready to get to work? Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America?

Yes.

And are we willing to fight for it?

Yes.

And when we fight, we win. God bless you all and God bless the United States of America and Joe Biden.

[inaudible 00:25:12]. All right, I'm going to let him out first. Sorry. Osmo, you good?