J.D. Vance Speaks to Firefighters in Boston

… 57th Convention, is a friend in every sense of the word, and he’s one of us. Carlos Jimenez is a retired IAFF member coming on the job joining the IAFF local 587 in 1975. He was a dues-paying member for nearly 20 years. He’s held an IAFF alumni card since then. Carlos was born in Havana, Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. with his family in the wake of the revolution. He became Miami’s Fire Chief in 1991, serving in that important role for nine years. Carlos served three terms as the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, and his time was marked for its never-before-seen partnership between IAFF firefighters and county management. In 2020, Carlos was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and has served with distinction since that time. His work on behalf of firefighters is perhaps the strongest record of walking the walk that exists today on Capitol Hill for us.

(01:19)
Carlos has been particularly active in our fight against cancer. He is the lead Republican on our Honor Act, a bill to expand PSOB coverage for occupational cancer. His work was critical in breaking the partisan gridlock that was holding up the reauthorization of the AFG and Safer Grants program, and he helped us get that across the goal line and to the president’s desk for signing. He’s a powerful co-sponsor of the IAFF Bill to repeal the WEP, GPO and put a stop to the government from continuing to steal our rightly earned retirement benefits of so many of our IAFF members. Our friend is there for us at every turn, and we are here for him and always will be. When our friend called and told me he was working to get the Republican candidate for vice president for a trip to Boston, he only had one request, could we bestow the honor upon him of introducing Senator J.D. Vance to Carlos’ IAFF Brothers and sisters? My answer was easy. It will be my pleasure. Please welcome Congressman Carlos Jimenez to the 57th IAFF Convention. Brother Carlos.

Thank you, Ed. Thank you so much for those kind words and that kind introduction. You were mistaken on something though. I was an IAFF member, a dues-paying member for 25 years, not 20 years. I was actually also a dues-paying member when I was a fire chief of the city of Miami, much of the chagrin of the city manager who said, “You’re what? You’re a what?” Yeah. I’m a member of the union and I’ll continue to be a member of the union until I retire from the fire service. People asked me, and I said this, I guess, last year at your convention, what’s my favorite job? I’ve been a lot of things. I’ve been a firefighter, I’ve been a fire chief, I’ve been a city manager. I’ve been a county commissioner, I’ve been a county mayor, and now I’m a congressman. And when they ask me what am I? I’m a firefighter. That’s what I am. I’m a firefighter. That’s in my core. It will always be in my core. That’s what makes me tick. That’s how I see the world.

(03:56)
And so today I come to you as a … Normally I don’t talk much politics, but today I’m going to talk a little politics. And I felt it was important for our vice presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, to come and speak in front of you today, because I feel that strongly about it. And though I will be a little partisan today and if I ruffle some feathers, well, that’s just the way it is. I mean, because I just say what I mean.

(04:26)
And so I came here when I was a kid. I was seven years old. I came from Cuba fleeing communism, seeking freedom, freedom of speech. And my parents … I didn’t seek it, my parents were seeking freedom for me because they saw what was going on in that communist island and the misery that communism brings.

(04:48)
And now, and there was one of the proudest moments I had was swearing the oath to become a firefighter. And the great thing about firefighters is that it doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what color skin you have. It doesn’t matter the gender, it just doesn’t matter. When that bell hits, we respond. That bell hits, we respond. And what are we responding to? Somebody is in trouble. Somebody needs help, and we’re there to respond. And again, and when the bell hits, we respond. We don’t say, “I think it’s time for me to retire, okay? Because it may be a little dangerous.” Yeah, we have a dangerous profession and we put our lives on the line every single day for our fellow men and women.

(05:34)
And so the reason I’m here today is because I’m going to be introducing J.D. Vance, who’s our vice presidential candidate for the Republican Party. But I have to say this, that I woke up at three o’clock in the morning to be here, in order to express myself and what I feel about this election. This election is the most critical election, I believe, in American history. It’s certainly the most critical election during my lifetime. And while we respond every single day when the bell hits because somebody is in trouble, America is in trouble right now.

(06:11)
And the presidential candidate from the Democrat Party, Kamala Harris, wants you to believe that somehow the last four years did not happen. It just … They went from Trump right to her and she’s going to fix it all. Well, she’s been the Border Czar for a number of years, and immigration is a disaster. Our border is a disaster. Inflation has gone up. Interest rates are up. It’s hurting every single man and woman and working family. She tells you that she doesn’t want to ban fracking, but that she’s told you she did want to ban fracking. The world is aflame today. We have wars in Ukraine. We have wars in the Middle East. Iran is about to get a nuclear weapon. We have Communist China is increasingly becoming more and more powerful, becoming a greater threat. So all of this has happened during the last four years.

(07:15)
And so, as a firefighter, one of the things that I get is I’m pretty good with a BS meter, because I guess we hear it so much in the firehouse every once in a while, right? We BS with each other and so do you really believe that Kamala Harris, who’s the person who’s been in charge of the border, is going to actually control the border? I don’t think so. Do you actually think that she’s going to stand up to Communist China? Do you actually think that she is going to lead America from a position of strength and not of weakness, which was seen over the last four years? I just don’t think so.

(07:54)
Do you actually believe that she has your best interest at heart? Just yesterday, I was watching CNBC and her campaign, people from her campaign says they want to institute a capital gains tax on an unrealized capital gains tax, 25%. How many of y’all have a pension here? You don’t have a pension. How many of y’all are with 401Ks or 457s? That means that whatever your price or you gain something from that, you’re going to have to pay a tax, even though you haven’t sold the asset. That’s going to hurt every single man, woman and child in America, because it’s going to disincentivize investment in corporations, by the way, corporations that employ the majority of Americans. And so again, Kamala Harris saying she’s going to fix it all is like saying that the arsonists who set the fire said, “Don’t worry. I’m going to put the fire out today.”

(08:53)
Today I’m excited to introduce a man whose leadership and dedication to our nation resonates deeply with the values that we uphold as proud Americans, our next vice president, Senator J.D. Vance. Senator Vance’s story is one of determination. Born in Middleton, Ohio, J.D. grew up in a working-class family. His mother was a nurse and his stepfather was a factory worker. Senator Vance’s journey took him from his hometown to Yale Law School, but he never forgot his roots. Senator J.D. Vance is a patriot who served our country in combat. In combat, as a Marine during the Iraq war. Senator Vance is an entrepreneur, a businessman, who understands first-hand what it takes to create jobs in America. His best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy is a testament to his deep understanding of the struggles and aspirations of working people. J.D.’s work has always centered on giving a voice to the voiceless, championing the cause that matter to working families and organized labor. As a Senator, J.D. Vance has proven himself to be

… a steadfast ally of working people. He has fought tirelessly to protect American jobs, support our steelworkers and advocate for fair trade policies that put American workers first. His legislative efforts to support workers’ rights and improve labor conditions reflect his unwavering commitment to those who work hard every day to build our nation.

(10:21)
Today, as we gather to discuss the future of our great nation and the issues that matter most to our families, I am confident that the Trump- Vance ticket is what America needs this time. President Trump and Senator Vance’s dedication, experience, unwavering support for working people, make them the ideal choice for us in this election. I urge you all to consider endorsing President Trump and Senator Vance’s ticket as their leadership has honored the values we cherish as firefighters, and more importantly, more importantly, as Americans. Thank you, and please join me in giving a warm welcome to the next vice president of the United States of America, Senator J.D Vance.

There’s things to be done all over the world.

(11:09)
But let’s rebuild America first. Who’s on the Hill, and who’s watching the valley?

Thank you, guys. Thank you so much. Well…

Boo! Boo!

(11:38)
[Inaudible 00:11:41].

Semper Fi, guys. It sounds like we got some fans and some haters. That’s okay. Listen to what I have to say here and I’ll make my pitch. I want to first say thank you to Representative Jimenez for the great introduction. It’s very kind of you. Thank you for your service to our country, the only career firefighter in the United States Congress. So thrilled to have you on our side and thrilled to have you fighting for America’s firefighters. Let’s give it up for Representative Jimenez.

(12:13)
Now, I also want to thank President Kelly and every single IAFF member for your warm welcome. It is an honor to be here with America’s incredible firefighters, and I’m honored to be here. God bless you guys, and thanks for what you do.

(12:26)
Now, I do have some news to break this morning. I guess I just heard on the ride over here that the New York City Fire Marshal’s Benevolent Association has endorsed the Trump-Vance ticket. I, of course, want to thank them for their support and I want to humbly ask all of you to join them, and I’d like to explain why.

(12:46)
Now, the American people respect you. They respect firefighters, and we’re eternally grateful for the valiant work you do for our communities and for our neighborhoods. Every day firefighters risk your lives to save homes, businesses, and the precious lives of our fellow citizens. Now, you’re also incredibly kind and patient. As the father of a seven-year-old, a four-year-old, and a two-year-old, I have been to firehouses all over this country in San Diego, Atlanta and New York City, and of course many in my home state of Ohio. And despite the fact that you guys are probably annoyed to have a few young kids drop in, you were always unfailingly kind and patient, and I’m grateful to it. It’s one of the reasons we love our firefighters in this country.

(13:29)
You all are the embodiment of American spirit, heroic, determined, selfless, hardworking, and tough. This country was built by people like you. America is great because of people like you, and I believe you deserve a government that is loyal to you.

(13:55)
Now, I know Governor Tim Walz was here yesterday, and I’m glad he was able to come. And I respect this union for inviting both sides to take the stage and to make the case to all of our membership. And of course, that’s what democracy is about. You listen to both sides, you weigh their records, you weigh their plans, and then you vote. And so today I’m asking you to ignore the campaign rhetoric and look at the record.

(14:27)
In 2019, this union endorsed a Democrat for president with high hopes, but sadly, I believe you’ve been let down. Now let’s talk about the issues that affect all Americans, and then let’s talk about some of the issues that affect just firefighters. But all Americans are affected by this terrible inflation crisis. And under President Trump, wages were rising and nobody was really talking about inflation in 2020 in this country. But under the economic mismanagement of this administration, firefighters have had already strained budgets and pensions stretched to the breaking point by this affordability crisis.

(15:07)
With President Trump at the helm, our border was secure and drug trafficking was down. And under the open border policies of this administration, America has experienced a massive increase and a massive influx of illegal aliens and deadly drugs, and I know that a lot of you are on the front lines fighting against it. Enough fentanyl has poured into this country under Kamala Harris’s leadership to kill every single American, man, woman, child. And firefighters and EMTs every single day are fighting against this crisis. I know it because I’ve seen you and my communities and I admire you for it.

(15:46)
Now, when I visit a factory or some other place of business, I always ask the workers there, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” The answer is almost no. Now, I want to ask the firefighters in this room a slightly different, but a related question. Are you administering less Narcan today than you were four years ago? My guess is that for almost every person in this room, the answer is unfortunately no, and that was a policy choice, a policy choice of the president administration.

(16:18)
Now, you are so often the first to respond when someone is suffering an overdose. You try to help our fellow citizens living with addiction to survive those overdoses and to be able to build a second chance at a better life. And I know, and I’ve seen it very personally, you try desperately to revive parents who took something they shouldn’t all while comforting the children who were terrified that they might lose their mom or dad.

(16:47)
I’ve spoken to so many firefighters and EMTs over the years who are on the front lines of this drug war, this addiction crisis. They revive people who took fentanyl, they rescue their children, and they even sometimes, as you all know, put out fires that were started by drug addicts. And one of the things they confess to me in private, though I know you would never say this in public, is their fear that they aren’t making a difference.

(17:12)
Now, there’s a hidden trauma among our firefighters, I don’t think I’m telling you anything you don’t know, a trauma that comes from staring death in the eye every single day and worrying that you are fighting a losing battle. And I just want you to hear it from me that I understand. But I want you to hear a story, a very personal story.

(17:33)
When I was 12, my mom was in the middle of a terrible, terrible addiction crisis herself. She struggled with it for most of my early childhood. And I remember during a particularly bad episode, I called 911. Like so many kids who have parents who struggle, I called 911. Now the firefighters, the EMTs, and the police came. They calmed her down, but as you all know, they calmed me down too. They calm my sister down. They did that public service that only they can do.

(18:01)
Now, years later, she took something else that she shouldn’t have taken. And the firefighters and the EMTs, they saved her life and took her to the hospital where she lay in a coma before eventually waking up. And I want you to know that for us, we did get a second chance. And so if you’re ever worried that you’re not making a difference, listen to this from the sad and tearful 12-year-old to a 40-year-old who’s now asking to be your vice president, you do make a difference, you make a difference every single day, and I thank you for it.

(18:43)
Now, you might not always see it and you might not hear it, and I know that a lot of the people that you’re out there fighting for and saving, sometimes they don’t say thank you. But my mom, as much as she struggled with addiction for a big chunk of my early life, when you saved her life, when you gave her a second chance, she got clean, and she’s been clean and sober for now almost 10 years. And God bless her and God bless all of you for fighting for her.

(19:17)
So believe it from me, believe it from a kid who’s seen it with his very own eyes, you are making a difference. You are saving lives, and you are giving people an opportunity at a second chance even if you don’t see them take that opportunity every single time. God bless you, guys. I love you for it. And I’m so grateful for it. We wouldn’t have the second chance with my mom without probably some of the people that are sitting in this room.

(19:41)
Now, while overwhelming America’s firefighters and EMTs, Kamala Harris’ open border policy, it’s also depleting our budgets. New York City, Mayor Eric Adams, not a fan of mine or President Trump said that illegal immigration will destroy New York City due to the huge financial strain, which

Which is about $12 billion over the next three years, and that’s just in New York City. The mayor announced sweeping budget cuts that would slash $300 million from the fire department and cut the number of police officers to the lowest level since the 1990s. And it’s the same story all over the United States of America. Illegal immigration costs Chicago taxpayers $361 million last year. Denver is selling out $180 million. Washington DC is paying $36 million. If we don’t secure our border soon, my friends, our cities are going to have to cut vital police, fire, and emergency medical services to the bone. And it’s you who’s going to suffer. And it’s the people you serve who are going to suffer. We shouldn’t be forced to spend billions of dollars on people who aren’t even supposed to be here. We should be spending that money on schools, police and fire departments, and our citizens. And under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, we will.

(21:12)
Now here’s another promise, not just a promise based on some plan that’s written on a website, but based on the real record. When Donald Trump is president, we won’t sit on our hands while rioters and arsonists burn down American cities like they did to Minneapolis in 2020. Now, I’d ask you to remember the scene back in the summer of 2020, state troopers in full riot gear protecting the firefighters of Minneapolis from the rabid mob that was torching down that city. And we have to ask why were they doing it? And part of the reason they were doing it is because people like Tim Walz invited those rioters into Minneapolis.

(21:51)
And it was people like Donald Trump who were trying to send in the National Guard to protect them, to protect you. And we sure as hell will not bail out the criminals like Kamala Harris did. The criminals, many of whom were going after our firefighters as they tried to keep our city safe and put out the fires. We’re going to put criminals behind bars where they belong. And we will always stand with the courageous firefighters and the first responders who keep this country safe every single day. Now, President Trump and I are proud to be the most pro-worker Republican ticket in history. And I want to talk about why we’re fighting for working people, why we’re going to fight for unions and non-union alike. Now, our enemies and a lot of Democrats call us populace like it’s something of an insult.

(22:51)
But if being a populist means being on the side of working people rather than the powerful elites who hollowed out our middle class and sent us into foreign wars, then sign me up. I am a populist and I’m proud of it. Now, for decades, unions have given support to Democrat candidates without giving Republicans much consideration. And I’m not here to judge you or to blame you or to criticize you. I am here to tell you that it’s a different world now. You may have noticed that Donald Trump is not exactly like Mitt Romney or some of the Republicans of the past. He is a different kind of Republican. And under his leadership, the Republican Party is the party of the American worker.

(23:38)
Now, just think about the Republican and Democrat conventions we just had, it says a lot who each party chose to put up on that stage. At the Republican Convention, we were featuring every day American workers. And of course we had Hulk Hogan. And while it’s tempting, and I’m sure it would make some big headlines, don’t worry everybody, I’m not going to try to take off my sure here. But at the Democrat Convention, it was a parade of celebrities and billionaires. It felt sometimes like every celebrity except for Hulk Hogan was at the Democratic National Convention. And I don’t blame anybody for being famous or for making money, but you cannot be a champagne socialist who supports open borders and pretend that you’re a friend of working men and women. It doesn’t make an ounce of sense, my friends, it just doesn’t. The most profound moment for me at either convention was the American hero who couldn’t be there. And I think we’re all united in celebrating and remembering Corey Compertore, a great American, a great fire chief, a great husband, and a great father.

(24:49)
But while the assassin in Butler, Pennsylvania barely missed Donald Trump, he took the life of that great firefighter, a selfless patriot and a respected citizen in his community. Now at the convention, president Trump stood beside Corey’s helmet and gear and called for a moment of silence. And I’ll tell you, there wasn’t a dry eye in the arena in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Our nation wept for Corey just as our nation weeps for all the firefighters and the first responders who lost their lives in the service of others. Now, of course, I couldn’t help but notice this wall beside me with names, I believe 644 names, is that right? 644 names of firefighters and emergency medical workers, proud IAFF members who have passed since your last convention. And I just want to tell you, seeing that wall breaks my heart and it gives me a sense of renewed commitment to everything that you’re doing. And I think just as it’s fitting to remember the sacrifice of Corey Compertore, we should also take a moment. Let’s take a moment of silence and remember the 644 of your brothers and sisters who have passed. Thank you, all. Now, Donald Trump, I will tell you sometimes even when he has to fight his own party, he cares for working people and he’s been fighting for them for his entire life in public service. He loves our firefighters and our first responders, and he wants to make your lives better. And he wants to make your service easier. It’s never going to be easy, but maybe it can be a little bit easier than it is right now. And we had to be honest, my friends, the hard truth is that Kamala Harris is the latest in a long line of Democrats who come by every few years asking unions for money and promising you the moon, but often failing to deliver. And I’d ask you, after supporting Democrats for so long in this union, what has it gotten you? Over the past 70 years Union membership in this country, and this is not a good thing, but it has declined.

(26:52)
The influence of unions has declined, and the wages of working people union and non-union alike have not kept up with the pace of inflation over the last three and a half years. So I want to ask you a question that Donald Trump asked America in 2016, what the hell do you have to lose? Now, I know this is a diverse union. Some of you love President Trump, and some of you clearly don’t. I’ve heard from both sides, just given this little speech. Now, this may come as a shock to you, but once upon a time, I wasn’t a Trump guy either. And trust me, the President never lets me forget it. What you may not know is why I changed my mind. And it was actually in big part because of a firefighter friend from Dayton, Ohio who persuaded me that I was wrong about Donald Trump and that he was right.

(27:39)
And by the way, while we’re talking about Dayton, can I give a shout-out to Dayton Firefighters local 136, where are we Dayton? God bless you guys, and God bless you for your service in Ohio. Now my Buddy, Matt, I won’t give his last name, I don’t want to embarrass him, but Matt was trying to convince me to trust Donald Trump in 2016. But the truth is, I didn’t fully believe in the promises Trump made. I didn’t believe in the promises that any politician made, and you shouldn’t neither. But I didn’t change my mind because of Donald Trump’s promises, I changed my mind because he did a good job for the American people. He created a booming economy with rising wages and virtually no inflation. He stood up to China and reinvigorated a American manufacturing. He kept this out of ridiculous foreign wars and time after time I saw that when Donald Trump makes a promise, my friends, he keeps it.

(28:34)
Now just look at the promises he kept to our firefighters during his first term. He extended the AFG and safe authorizations to make sure firefighters got the funding they need. He signed a $100 million increase for firefighters during the midst of the pandemic. He signed legislation to improve wildfire suppression and forest management. And he signed an executive order to allow unions to create apprenticeship programs, helping you all recruit and train a new generation of firefighters. They tasked his EPA with addressing dangerous chemicals like PFAS to ensure safe firefighter gear.

(29:11)
And I’ll tell you, I share President Trump’s commitment and I speak for President Trump in saying that we are dedicated to health, to safety, and to the prosperity of our first responders, including our firefighters. Now, a lot of Democrats want to attack Republicans as being anti-union, and sometimes the shoe fits, but not me and not Donald Trump. When I was in the Senate, I voted to pass the Fire Grants and Safety Act, which authorized hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding to local firefighters. And as vice president, I will fight to ensure you get the resources you need, especially

… especially in some fast-growing places like Phoenix and Las Vegas where we need more firehouses, not more shelters to house illegal aliens. After talking extensively with the local volunteer fire department that braved the hazmat to respond to the disastrous East Palestine train derailment, I was proud to work across the aisle to produce the Railway Safety Act. Our bipartisan bill increased funding for communities to prepare for hazardous material spills and mandated that first responders always be notified when hazardous materials are being transported on rail lines in their communities.

(30:42)
It’s just commonsense. You’ve got to tell people what you’re bringing into their communities if you’re bringing in in the first place. Now you may remember a lot of businesses didn’t like that bill, but the Railway Union supported it and President Trump and I fought for it and we’re still fighting for it to this very day.

(30:59)
Now speaking of East Palestine, I learned in talking to the local fire department there that our firefighters experience higher rates of cancer. You all know this, of course. That’s why I voted for a five-year reauthorization to the Firefighter Cancer Registry last year, and I know when President Trump is elected, we’re going to prioritize firefighter research and addressing the health risks that every single one of you take upon yourself to fight for our citizens every single day. Now, look, when President Trump returns to the White House, and I believe that he will, we are always going to have an open door for the membership of this organization and the leadership of this organization. That’s true whether it’s this union or other unions or anybody else. We’re going to have an open door for working people because we want to fight for working people every single day. We will respect your right to engage in collective bargaining. This is important, too. We’re going to defend your right to free speech, including your right to speak out about unconstitutional COVID vaccine mandates imposed by the current administration. We’re going to abolish every single mandate and we’re going to fight to rehire every firefighter who was wrongly terminated with all the back pay that they deserve.

(32:37)
We’re going to deliver the equipment and the funding, the support and respect you all need to do your job. We’re going to seal that border and stop the flood of fentanyl that is poisoning our citizens and endangering each and every single one of you when you go to work.

(32:51)
Here’s another promise. We’re going to protect your pensions, because heroes like you deserve to retire with dignity and to enjoy the blessings of the country that you helped build and help protect. It’s not just words, it’s not just promises that I’m making. I am actually a co-sponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act, and I’m proud of it. I think it’s ridiculous to penalize our firefighters in retirement for doing the right thing and fighting for our communities. Now, look, I know you do a hard and dangerous job. You spend long hours away from your family. The work can leave physical and emotional scars, and I’ve seen it even in the firefighters that I know. Frankly, you don’t get paid what you deserve. But you don’t do it for fame and you don’t do it for fortune. You do it. I know this because you love your communities.

(33:52)
I think you deserve to live in a country where people like you and your children can afford to live the American dream in the cities and towns that all of us love. You deserve to live in a country where you can buy a home, put gas in your car, provide healthcare and education to your family, and put a nice meal on the table, a country where kids can walk safe streets, go to safe schools, and have the freedom to just be kids, a country where if you work hard and play by the rules, you can live a good life.

(34:24)
Now these aren’t Democrat or Republican principles, but they are the principles that President Trump and I are fighting for on this campaign, and we’re going to fight for it every single day in the White House. That’s why I want to ask you humbly for your support.

(34:38)
President Trump and I want exactly what you want. More jobs, rising wages, a secure border, safe streets, and an affordable country where every child and every family can achieve their dreams. Now he delivered that during his first four years as president. He changed my mind and he won my vote. For the skeptics still out there, I hope he has changed your minds, too.

(35:01)
But I’ll tell you, whatever your politics and whatever your preference is, I make this solemn promise. Whether you support us or not, whether you ultimately endorse us or not, President Trump and I believe in our firefighters, we believe in our first responders, and we will never stop fighting for you. I’m rooting for you. I’m proud of you. I’m thankful for you. God bless you. I want your support. We’re going to fight for you whether we get it or not. God bless you guys and thank you.

Okay. We’re going to be on lunch break till 2:00 PM, when the Elections Committee report will be given. Thank you very much and thank very much, Senator Vance, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to be here. Thank you. We’re in recess.