Vance Rally in Erie, PA

Let the rest of the world help us for a change. And let's rebuild America first.

How we doing? Well, it is great to be in Erie, Pennsylvania. God bless y'all. Now here's what we're going to do. First of all, I want to offer a few notes of gratitude and then I'm going to talk a little bit about why we believe in American trucking and American industry in this country, and why President Trump and I are going to fight for the truckers. And then we're going to talk some questions from the media here. But before we do that, let me just make a few words of thanks here. So we have Macy Cance, who owns a small business here in town. Where's Macy Cance at? Hey, wave to us. Macy, thank you so much for being here and thanks for all your support. Let's give it up for Macy. We have Dan Doyle, owner of Reliance Wealth Services. Where's Dan? Dan, thank you, man. We have Slippery Rock mayor, Maureen. And most importantly, fellow JD, JD Longo. And we've of course got Harold Bender and his beautiful family, the owner of Hardinger Trucking. Thank you, Harold. And I believe, Harold, you go by H, is that correct? All right, I'll make sure to call you H. So thank you all for being here, and we're here to celebrate American trucking and here to celebrate American industry and remind everybody just how good our truckers could do if we get better leadership in the White House, which is why we're going to send Donald J. Trump back to the Oval Office. (01:56) Now we're here, of course, in the great state of Pennsylvania where, I don't know if you knew this, I just learned, one in 15 jobs in the state of Pennsylvania relies on the trucking industry. That's amazing. And yet we have a Vice President Kamala Harris, who wants to be president, who thinks that our truckers, we ought to put them out of business and that our truckers should all learn computer code. That's what Kamala Harris believes about the trucking industry. Because if we've learned anything about the last three and a half years, I think it's that we have not enough truckers and way too many computer coders. Let's support the trucking industry in this country, Kamala, not put it out of business. (02:40) And if anybody needs to get a new job and learn to code, it's Kamala Harris. Ain't that right? Let's throw her out of office. So we have a different message, President Trump and I, we have a different message. Our truckers are irreplaceable and we are going to fight for them every single day. And that's why we're here today and that's why we're going to on doing stuff the right way. Now, here's the thing that I think it's important for those, all of you get this, but I think a lot for especially our friends in the press and those watching at home. Look, if you don't have American trucking, nothing works. How do you think the groceries get to the grocery stores? From American truckers. How do you think that the things that you buy at Target or any other store, how do they get there? They get there with American truckers. (03:26) We do not have an economy unless American truckers are able to do what they do so well. And we have a president right now and a vice president, Kamala Harris, who wants to raise the price of diesel, raise the price of gasoline, and have every trucker in this country drive an electric vehicle, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, ladies and gentlemen. Now in the state of Ohio, we have a lot of great trucking companies just like you do here in the state of Pennsylvania. And I was meeting with some local truckers when I was in DC at my Senate Office, this is probably six or so months ago. (04:02) And what struck me is not just that they were frustrated by Kamala Harris's policies, what struck me is how little Kamala Harris knew about the business of trucking in this country. In fact, I guess one of them asked a senior administration official, they said, "Well, you guys want us to all drive electric trucks. That doesn't make any sense." And they said, "No, we're going to get electric trucks to the point where they're the same price as a normal diesel truck." (04:29) And so I guess these truckers asked Kamala Harris's officials, "Well, how much does an electric truck cost right now?" And they said, "About $150,000." And all of you're laughing, but the reason you're laughing to the friends in the media, the reason they're laughing is an electric truck right now costs $400,000. If you force all these great truckers to buy electric trucks instead of the trucks they're currently using, you're going to make this inflation crisis way worse than it currently is. You think groceries are bad? Wait until Kamala Harris makes every American trucker drive an electric truck. You think car prices are bad? Wait until Kamala Harris makes everybody buy a Chinese made electric vehicle. And you think housing prices are bad? Wait until Kamala Harris makes it impossible for our truckers to get construction materials to the house building site. Kamala Harris's policies are a disaster, ladies and gentlemen. Not just for truckers, but for everybody who relies on them, which is everybody. And I think we have to have some compassion for the people who've been affected by all of her terrible policies. It's one of the reasons why we've got to get Donald Trump back in the White House. Because every single day, hard working Pennsylvanians, truckers and everybody else, they're working harder and harder, but they're falling further behind. And let's just tick through some of the information here. In the state of Pennsylvania, you are $11,400 poorer than you were on average than when Donald Trump left office. What that means is you have to spend almost $12,000 to get the same stuff now that you could buy three and a half years ago. Is that prosperity?

No.

Absolutely not. Under Kamala Harris's policies, in Pennsylvania, the average workers' wages have gone down by 6%. So people are working harder and harder, things cost more at the grocery store, things cost more everywhere, and our workers aren't getting the wage increases they need to keep up. Donald Trump has a different idea. Donald Trump thinks we ought to have more take home pay. Donald Trump thinks that our truckers ought to be empowered to do their jobs. And Donald Trump thinks that Kamala Harris ought to get the hell out of the office and let somebody who knows what they're doing. (06:47) Now, I want to just talk about the contrast a little bit because let's really discuss the details, the difference between Kamala Harris and President Donald Trump. We know, of course, Donald Trump had a lot of great successes in the Oval Office and we know Kamala Harris has not had a whole lot of successes. But let's talk about why. Let's talk about the policy details. Now here, President Trump's view is very simple. We're going to end this terrible affordability crisis and we're going to increase, take-home pay with three simple things. (07:17) Number one, we're going to stop 25 million illegal aliens coming into this country competing for wages against American workers. We're going to stop ridiculous job-killing regulations like the EV mandate. Let's buy American made stuff, not Chinese made stuff. And number three, we are going to drill, baby, drill. We've got plenty of energy right here in Pennsylvania. Let's get it out of the ground with Pennsylvanian workers. Now here's the other thing that Kamala Harris wants to do. Kamala Harris thinks that instead of deporting illegal immigrants, we should be giving them amnesty. Does that sound like a good idea?

No.

Kamala Harris thinks that instead of unleashing Pennsylvania energy workers, we ought to buy energy from Iran and every tinpot dictator all over the world. Is that a good idea?

No.

And Kamala Harris thinks that instead of unleashing American energy and American creativity and American business, we ought to tax you guys more to send your money to Communist China to buy electric vehicles. Is that a good idea?

No.

So is it a good idea to give Kamala Harris a promotion?

No.

No. We're going to do what Donald Trump loves to do to people who don't do their jobs. "You are fired, Kamala Harris. You're out of there. It's done." Now the president actually just called me. I was sitting back there backstage and the president called me and he said, "The crazy thing is, JD, that Kamala Harris, she's pretending that she agrees with us on everything." And if you look at her campaign the past week and a half, she pretends that she agrees with Donald J. Trump on every issue.

She is running a copycat campaign, and I said, "Mr. President, I think I figured out what's going on. She wants my job. She's realizing that they don't have any chance, she's going to ditch Tim Walz and she wants to run alongside Donald Trump. She's pretending she agrees with you on everything," but we can't let her pretend, ladies and gentlemen." We have to remind people of the real record. Kamala Harris wants to defund the police. Kamala Harris wants to ban fracking. Kamala Harris wants to further entrench the EV mandate that sends your tax dollars to China instead of buying American-made cars from American workers. Kamala Harris has said all these things on videotape, and as much as she wants to pretend she agrees with Donald Trump, I have a suggestion, Kamala Harris. If you would like to enact the policies of Donald Trump, you could do it right now because you are the vice president. So do it right now. Don't pretend you're going to do it in six months. Now, I've been in politics for all of two years and I've met some pretty shameless politicians, but I've never met anybody who is the sitting vice president could stand before a crowd and say, "On day one, we're going to tackle the affordability crisis affecting American families." Kamala, day one was 1,300 days ago. You have been the vice president for three and a half years. If you want to get to work, start now. Don't make promises, start doing it now. And here's the final big difference between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. I've been asked by the media, I've been attacked by the Harris campaign because I believe in a very simple principle, that our tax policy ought to reward American workers and American businesses. And I know Donald Trump agrees. So here is the contrast here. Donald Trump wants to cut your taxes. Donald Trump wants to cut taxes on American businesses hiring American workers, and he wants to raise tariffs on the Chinese and everybody who's trying to rely on Chinese slave labor instead of American hardworking people. And Kamala Harris wants to raise your taxes and cut down on the tariffs that are making it harder for people to cheat and use Chinese labor instead of American workers. It's ridiculous. Why don't we make it easier to hire American and harder to rely on Chinese slave labor? That's the Donald Trump approach, and I know every single person here agrees with it. (11:38) So let me leave you with one final thought here, and then I want to kick it over to our illustrious media to ask some questions. It's very simple, my friends. Look, we have the best country in the entire world. I've been flying...

USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA!

I've been flying all over the country doing events like this all over the country with my beautiful wife. Isn't she lovely? Sorry to embarrass you, Usha, but you bring your wife to Erie, Pennsylvania, you got to embarrass her a little bit, right? And all I can think about when we fly into a new place or we drive to a new place is what a beautiful country this is. I'm a Buckeye, and yesterday I was in Big Rapids, Michigan, and it was hard to admit it, but Big Rapids, Michigan is a beautiful place. Erie, Pennsylvania is a beautiful place. We have got the best natural resources and the most beautiful countryside of any country on the face of the earth, and we've got something better than that. We've got the best history, we've got the best traditions. We have got the best workers right here in Pennsylvania. (12:51) The only thing, thank you, the only thing that is broken about this country is its leadership. There is nothing that we cannot do as a people. Nothing that we cannot do as a people. So let's send a message right here in Erie, Pennsylvania, all over the State of Pennsylvania and all over the country, we are sick of the broken leadership of Kamala Harris. We're going to get a president who is equal to the challenge of this country and deserves to be the leader of its people. That's Donald J. Trump. And together, we're going to put him back in the White House. God bless you all. Thank you. And thank you for having me in Pennsylvania. (13:31) Now, I know we have some reporters here. If you would, let's start with the local reporters. We'll have them ask some questions. Then we'll kick it over to some national folks. Sir.

[inaudible 00:13:41].

Ma'am, I don't need a teleprompter. I've actually got thoughts in my head, unlike Kamala Harris.

Good evening, Senator. Thanks for coming to Erie County, Pennsylvania. Philip Ward from Erie News Now. Senator...

Phil's one of the good guys, right?

Senator, how do you relate to Erie County voters and what does a potential Trump-Vance administration mean for us locally?

Yeah. Well, it's funny. Driving through Erie, Pennsylvania, I could not help but think how much this reminds my hometown in Middletown, Ohio, right? And this, of course, is a town with a proud manufacturing and proud steelmaking tradition. By the way, why don't we keep American steel companies owned by America? Right?

Yes, sir.

But a proud manufacturing tradition and all I could think driving through Erie is this is a beautiful place, but it has been left behind by a lot of stupid policies from people like Kamala Harris. And let's be honest, it's not just Kamala Harris. There was a consensus in this country for 30 years that we didn't need to make our own stuff. And so now everything from a lot of the steel that we rely on to the drugs that we put in the bodies of our children from ibuprofen to antibiotics, it's made by our adversaries instead of made by American workers. Wasn't that stupid? (15:11) And the one person, the one person in politics in my lifetime who said, "No more of this. We want to rely on Pennsylvania workers," was Donald J. Trump. And over four years of his leadership, four years of his leadership, we had a bigger boom for American manufacturing and American energy than we've seen that benefits the people of Erie, Pennsylvania. We had rising take-home pay and rising wages under the leadership of Donald Trump, and we had a world that was at relative peace and calm. And now we've got a world at war in seemingly every continent. Who's going to fight those wars? I guarantee you it's not going to be Kamala Harris' family. It's going to be the people right here from Erie, Pennsylvania. So we want peace, right? Peace and stability. (15:54) But even bigger than that, we want an economy that employs good Pennsylvania workers to make things for people all over this country. And we want truckers to be empowered instead of throttled and to have their industry destroyed. It's very simple. And if we do that, we're going to make the lives of every single person in this room, and all across the state of Pennsylvania better. (16:15) And the final point that I'd make is, look, Rome wasn't built in a day and Rome wasn't burned down in a day. We had so much success for just four years of Donald Trump's leadership. I think we're going to have a hell of a lot more with four more years of Donald J. Trump.

Four more years.

Sir.

Hello, Senator. Thank you for coming to Erie today.

Four more years. Four more years.

I'm Tyler Gallagher. I'm with WJET24 News here. Erie's had a declining economy and population. How's the Trump administration going to directly help the hardworking people of Erie bring people back here and create more jobs?

It's pretty simple, actually. But unfortunately, we have a leadership that's completely broken. The first thing that you have to do if you want to help the people of Erie Pennsylvania is you have got to unleash American energy. It'll make manufacturing cheaper. It'll make trucking cheaper. It'll help everybody. Look, and it's not just our businesses. I remember growing up in Middletown, Ohio, and I grew up in a poor family, and I was raised by my grandmother. I remember the nights when it was really cold in the dead of winter, and money was a little tight. And we decided, "Well, we don't have enough to turn on the heater tonight. We're going to have to sit in front of a space heater or maybe just throw a bunch of blankets on. That's what we're going to do." I happen to believe that if you work hard and play by the rules, this is the richest country in the world. You ought to be able to turn on the heater for your children. (17:42) And unfortunately, Kamala Harris' policies mean less energy, less money in people's pockets, and a lot of people freezing on a cold winter night. I think that's a disgrace in the richest country in the world. We can do so much better with better leadership. The second thing you got to do is, look, I talked about

... about Chinese slave labor earlier. One of the reasons why this community has been left behind by our leaders is we decided we were going to let companies make things using Chinese slave labor. And I happen to think we shouldn't expect Americans to compete with a bunch of Chinese slave laborers. We ought to expect American companies to hire American and build in the United States of America. And if you do more of that, you're going to bring more jobs to Erie, Pennsylvania. You're going to build the economic foundation to this place. You're going to have higher tax revenues to go into the schools and the public services. You build more things in America, and it lifts up the entire community of Erie, Pennsylvania, and that's what Donald Trump and I are going to fight for. (18:44) And then the final thing is, look, the number one issue when I go to places like Erie, Pennsylvania is inflation. The number two issue is why did Kamala Harris open up the southern border and let these cartels bring in the poison that's killing our families? It's ridiculous. We got to stop doing this craziness. She said on day one she wanted to open up the border. She said on day one she wanted to suspend deportations. She said on day one she was going to end Donald Trump's Remain in Mexico policy. Donald Trump has a different message for illegal immigrants. Pack your bags, because in six months you're going home. And when we do that, you're going to have fewer people dying of drug overdoses. You're going to have fewer people who are suffering because you've got drug cartels operating freely in their communities. You've just got to do it. You've got to close that border. It's good for public safety and a whole host of other things too. Other questions? Any more local?

Want to go fishing?

Yes, sir. I would love to go fishing.

We're with you, J.D.

Hi, Senator

You have to bring about 40 Secret Service agents now though. That's the problem. Ma'am.

Hi, Senator. Kit Maher, CNN. Thanks, Senator, for taking my question. I wanted to expand a little bit more on your phone call with Governor Brian Kemp. How did Trump go from calling him a disloyal and average governor to praising him and thanking him for his support, and why is it so important to have his support and a unity there?

Well, look, because we are a big tent party. The president just got RFK's endorsement. He just got Tulsi Gabbard's endorsement, and on the other side, he's got Nikki Haley's endorsement. He has got Brian Kemp's endorsement. He is the president of common sense in this country. People are sick of being lied to and they're sick of the craziness. Now, look, the president has some personal disagreements with Brian Kemp, and Brian Kemp has some personal disagreements with the president, but they're both big enough to put the country over personal interests. What they will both say is, and I think that people from across the political spectrum should take something from this, that Brian Kemp is willing to say this country is so important and we cannot let Kamala Harris become its president. And it's important that Donald Trump, despite the fact that he has disagreements with a number of people who have endorsed him, he's willing to say, "We are the big tent party. We stand for common sense and sanity, and we've got to kick that insane politician named Kamala Harris out of the White House." Ma'am, go ahead.

Hi, Senator. Good to see you again. Alli Novelo with CBS News. I have two questions for you. One, could you tell us more about the altercation that happened at the Arlington Cemetery? And two, what does debate prep look like for yourself and for Trump at this time?

Well, I think first of all, the altercation at Arlington Cemetery is the media creating a story where I really don't think that there is one. There is verifiable evidence that the campaign was allowed to have a photographer there. They were invited to have a photographer there. There's verifiable evidence that the families of these poor people who had their loved ones die three years ago at Abbey Gate, those 13 Americans, a lot of them were there with the president. They invited him to be there and to support them. That's not an insult to the memories of their loved ones. They wanted Donald Trump there, and thank God that we have a president who stands with our veterans instead of one who runs away from them. Yeah. It is amazing to me that you have apparently somebody at Arlington Cemetery, some staff member had a little disagreement with somebody, and the media has turned this into a national news story. (23:12) You know what I think our veterans care a lot more about? That Kamala Harris's VP nominee lied about his military service. I think that our veterans care a lot more about that. And the other thing that our veterans care a lot more about is that three years ago, 13 brave, innocent Americans died and they died because Kamala Harris refused to do her job. And there hasn't been a single investigation or a single firing. Look, sometimes mistakes happen. That's just the nature of government, the nature of military service. But to have those 13 Americans lose their lives and not fire a single person is disgraceful. Kamala Harris is disgraceful. We're going to talk about a story out of those 13 brave, innocent Americans who lost their lives. It's that Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel that she won't even do an investigation into what happened, and she wants to yell at Donald Trump because he showed up? She can go to hell.

USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA, USA.

Thank you, sir. One more. Any other questions here? Ma'am. Oh, sorry. Debate prep. Look, the way I'm doing debate prep is by spending time with these fine people. This is how I do debate prep is you get out there. You get out there, you talk to people, you talk about the issues that matter. We don't need to prepare for a debate with Tim Walz. We need to get out there and talk. We need to get out there. Look, we need to get out there and talk to the American people. That's the biggest way that we're going to prepare for that debate on October the 1st. And I guess CBS is hosting it, right? So we got to be nice to her, ladies and gentlemen, because CBS is hosting the debate in a few weeks. Ma'am.

[inaudible 00:25:23].

That's right.

Do your job.

Is this on? Thank you, Senator. Sue Renkin with ABC News. I have two questions for you as well.

Sure.

One is going back to Kit's question about Brian Kemp, are you playing any role in facilitating any... Sorry. Are you playing any role in facilitating connections with Governor Brian Kemp or other Republican members, bringing them back to the Trump world at all? My second question is, since becoming Trump's running mate, have you talked to former Vice President Mike Pence for any advice in campaigning? Have you connected with him? Or have you talked to him about maybe him supporting President Trump?

So the first question, look, a lot of people have talked to Brian Kemp and I'm proud to be among them. I think he's been a good governor for the state of Georgia. I certainly gave him a phone call. I think 150 other people have given Brian Kemp a phone call and talked about the need to have a unified Republican team. I don't take any special credit for it. I think a lot of people deserve more credit than I do, including the President of the United States, because I think President Trump has been very, very aggressive at trying... Are you all right? Yes, sir. All right. Here we go. It's so humid in here, I thought we lost one of our Secret Service agents. I was worried about him, but we're good. God bless you, man. Glad you're okay.

... Okay. But look, here's what the media... The media wants to tell a story that somehow I have been the peace broker between Brian Kemp and Donald Trump. It's just not true. I reached out to Brian Kemp. I encouraged him to support the president and he didn't take much persuasion. He wanted to support the president because he thinks Kamala Harris is going to be a disaster. I think there are a lot of friends of Brian Kemp's and a lot of friends of the President's. I think a lot of people deserve credit for this unified Republican ticket. I'm not going to take that credit myself. Ma'am.

Can you hear me?

I can hear you. Go ahead.

Senator Vance, Emma Barnett with NBC News. Thank you so much for taking all of our questions. Two questions. One local one and one international one. First of all, what are some of the specific policies you would implement to improve the lives of truckers in Erie, Pennsylvania, and then also, last night, Israel launched the largest raid in the West Bank in at least 20 years, should the Israelis ask for American boots on the ground from a Trump-Vance administration? Would you oblige? And how would you respond to these current events?

I don't want to put American troops on the ground for anybody's wars, but ourselves. That's a very important principle, and I say that as somebody who believes that the Israelis have every right to destroy Hamas. We support them in what they're doing, but they're not asking for American boots on the ground. They can take care of business themselves. They just need a Vice President or a President who allows them to do the job instead of trying to take Hamas's side over Israel's, which is not what Donald Trump and I are going to do. The first question was about... Sorry, I forgot your first question.

Policy on truckers. The first question was about specific policies that would help-

Help truckers.

...Erie truckers.

That's good. That's right. Look, the most specific policy that we have, to help the truckers of Erie Pennsylvania, is to fire Kamala Harris and to replace her with Donald Trump, right? That's what we need to do. She is the source of so much that's broken in this country. But look, you talk to truckers, there are two big things that I think we can do. (29:05) First of all, there are a lot of people who would like to be truckers, and our education system is trying to force everybody to go get a four-year college degree. There are a lot of truckers out there who make a lot more money and have a lot better job than four-year college degree holders. Let people do what they want to do and have an education system that empowers people to make their own choices for their own lives instead of forcing them to do what Kamala Harris wants them to do. That's number one. (29:27) Number two, you talk to our truckers. What is the biggest cost that they have, the biggest increase? We asked them right there. They're all saying fuel in unison. Fuel has gone up, depending on where you are, between 35 and 55% thanks to the policies of Kamala Harris. We have got to drill, baby, drill, unleash American energy. It'll help our truckers. It's going to help everybody else too. And I'll take one more question before we hit the road.

Senator Vance.

Great.

How has your military service and being a veteran prepared you to, A, be a senator, and potentially Vice President of these United States?

Yeah, I appreciate that question. I am a United States Marine and I'm proud of it. And I did what my country asked me to do. Look, I'd say that Marine Corps gave me two perspectives. Number one, what's great about the Marine Corps is whether you're a 19-year-old kid or a 23-year-old fresh out of college, or a 45-year-old who's been in the Marine Corps for 25 years, the Marine Corps demands that you occupy positions of leadership and it lets you make mistakes and it teaches you how to improve from those mistakes. But the Marine Corps is the first taste I got of real leadership, and that's the most important quality in a Vice President. You got to be able to lead people, okay? That's what the Marine Corps taught me. (30:57) The second thing, I'd say, is it gives me a fresh perspective on the problems that a lot of our military families and a lot of our troops are facing. And one thing I learned in the Marine Corps is perhaps the most precious resource that we have in this country is the lives of our young people who put on the uniform and are willing to sacrifice it all for the United States of America. That is a precious, precious resource, and it really is a sacred thing. (31:22) Some of the kids I served with in the Marine Corps, you had a Puerto Rican guy who grew up in poverty in the Bronx, I had a guy who grew up in a rich family in the suburbs of Maryland, we had my background, we had a kid who grew up from California. You meet people from all over this beautiful country, and they all are united by a common objective. And that's an amazing thing. That's really a sacred obligation that the President and the Vice President has to take care of those people. (31:50) And yes, sometimes you've got to send them to mess things up and fix the American people's business, but you only do it when you have to and you treat that resource with care. And when, as Kamala Harris let happen, you let 13 people die because you screwed up and didn't do your job, you at least got to have an investigation and figure out what went wrong, so you don't do it the next time. You got to respect the troops. And that's the number one thing I take from my time in the United States Marine Corps. (32:21) And when I say respect, I don't just mean thank them. I don't mean just buy them a beer when you see them at a bar, that stuff is all important. I mean respect them enough to actually take care of them and not waste their lives and their sacrifice, which is what, unfortunately, the last administration has done. (32:38) Now, let me just leave you with one final thought. We have to hit the road, and I'm sorry to have to leave, because I've had a good time and I hope you all have had some fun too, but you all in Pennsylvania are going to get sick of me over the next two months because I practically live here in the state of Pennsylvania because this is such an important state for us.

Come back anytime.

Thank you, sir. I will. And we got to remember, the only way... Think of all the powerful interests, the broken bureaucracy in this country, the people who've gotten rich shipping your jobs to China, they want Kamala Harris. The only way to beat him and the only way to fight back is at the ballot box this November. Let's get out there, win Pennsylvania, re-elect Donald Trump and take this country back. God bless you all. Thank you.