Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event

East Las Vegas Community Center

Las Vegas, Nevada

12:09 P.M. PDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Dr. Norma!  (Applause.)  Dr. Norma — can we hear it for her?  (Applause.)

Oh.  (Laughs.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!   

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Four more years.

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  That’s right.  That’s right.  That’s right.

Thank you all.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

It is so good to be back in Nevada.  And thank you all — all the leaders who are here.  (Applause.)  Thank you.  Thank you.

And can we please hear it for Dr. Norma and her extraordinary life and leadership, please.  (Applause.)

So, I want to thank everyone who is here today.  I want to thank all the elected leaders who are here. 

I know Senator Catherine Cortez Masto was here earlier.  She and I were AGs together.  She is doing an extraordinary job as a senator.  

Senator Mark Kelly, who is just always fighting for the people of Nevada and using his lifelong dedication to our country in a way that is about service and uplifting so many people. 

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, thank you for your leadership.  (Applause.) 

And, of course, Senator Jacky Rosen, who we will reelect — (applause) — this November. 

And on behalf of my husband — (laughs) — (applause) — the second gentleman of the United States — (laughs) — we together thank all the friends and the long-standing supporters who are here, including the leaders of LULAC.  It is so good — (applause) — it is so good to be with all of you.

All right.  So, last night, President Joe Biden and Donald Trump had their first debate.  And earlier today, the president said himself it was not his best performance.  But there are three things that were true yesterday before the debate that are still true today.

Let’s level set on this.  All right?

First, the stakes of this race could not be higher.  (Applause.)  Second, the contrast in this election could not be more stark.  (Applause.)  And third, we believe in our president, Joe Biden, and we believe in what he stands for.  (Applause.)

That’s right.  That’s right.  That’s right.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And to that point, we all know — let’s not forget — he beat Donald Trump once.  And in Nevada, with your help, we’re going to do it again.  (Applause.) 

And we’re going to win because, for all the punditry last night, for all of that, our president made clear there is a contrast between someone who lies and someone who leads.  (Applause.) 

Let’s start with the thing we have always known.  Donald Trump is unburdened by the truth.  It’s not a burden he carries.  Case in point: last night, a nonstop stream of lies.

He said the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville was, quote, “fabricated.”

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Well, let us speak the truth.  That’s a lie. 

He said the mob he incited at the United States Capitol on January 6th was only a, quote, “small number of people,” who were, quote, “ushered in by the police” — a lie.

He claimed he never called our troops “suckers” and “losers.”  As General John Kelly — General John Kelly, his former chief of staff, can tell you, another lie.

Friends, most of us agree: In a real leader, character matters more than style.  (Applause.)  And Donald Trump simply does not have the character to be president of the United States.  (Applause.)

For further context, consider: More than 20 of his former top leaders, from his former Secretary of Defense to his National Security Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, have spoken out against Trump. 

     And note, between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, only one candidate on that stage has the endorsement of his own vice president — (laughs) — (applause) — Joe Biden.  And former Vice President Pence is evidently not supporting a second term for Trump because he knows Trump is a threat to our democracy and he only fights for himself, not you.

Now some of you might remember that recently, when Donald Trump was here in Las Vegas, in 104-degree heat, he told a crowd, quote, “I don’t care about you.  I just want your vote.”  Well, that’s about the only thing he’s said lately that rings true.  (Laughter and applause.)

Nevada, as vice president, I see Joe Biden when the cameras are on and when the cameras are off; in the Oval Office, negotiating bipartisan deals.  I see him in the Situation Room, keeping our country safe; on the world stage, meeting with foreign leaders who often ask for his advice.

Joe Biden is a leader who always fights for the people of our nation.  (Applause.)  He fights, and he wins.  And he wins.  (Applause.)  And he wins.

Think about it.  Think about it in terms of who our president is.  Guided — guided by the knowledge that Latinos are 70 percent more likely to have diabetes, Joe Biden took on Big Pharma and capped the cost of insulin for our seniors at $35 a month.  He negotiated with Republicans and Democrats and passed historic legislation: the largest infrastructure investment in generations and the first major gun safety law in nearly 30 years.  And Las Vegas knows why that is important.  (Applause.)  He strengthened NATO and stood up to Putin, bringing together our allies around the world. 

Nevada, last night clarified the stakes of this election.  On the economy, Joe Biden pointed out how economists, including Nobel Prize-winning economists, have determined — check this out — have determined Trump’s economic plans going forward would raise inflation and send us into a recession by 2025. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  This is their findings based on reviewing his plans.

On democracy, last night, Donald Trump repeatedly refused to commit to agree he would accept the results of the 2024 election. 

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And finally, on the subject of reproductive freedom, last night, Trump called the overturning of Roe v. Wade a, quote, “great thing.”

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  And as President Biden has said, we know Trump will sign a national abortion ban if he gets the chance.  But we won’t let him.  We won’t let him — (applause) — because we trust women to know what is in their own best interest as opposed to having their government tell them what to do with their bodies.  (Applause.)

So, listen, we’ve got 130 days — I’m counting — (laughter) — until election day — 130 days.  And this race will not be decided by one night in June.  This race will be decided by you, by us.  Who sits in the White House next year will be determined by what we, together, do in these next 130 days.

And ultimately, in this election, we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in — a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law or a country of chaos, fear, and hate?

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  We each have the power — each of us has the power to answer this question with our vote and with our voice. 

So, today, I ask, Nevada, are you ready to make your voices heard?  (Applause.)

Do we believe in freedom?  (Applause.)

Do we believe in opportunity?  (Applause.)

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

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

And when we fight —

AUDIENCE:  We win!

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  — we win!

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

Thank you all.  (Applause.)

END                 12:20 P.M. PDT