Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Raleigh, NC
Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Raleigh, North Carolina
1:00 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hello, North Carolina! (Applause.) Hello, everyone.
Can we hear it for Jennifer? (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Raleigh, are we ready to do this? (Applause.) Are we ready to vote? (Applause.) Are we ready to win? (Applause.)
Oh, it’s good to be back in North Carolina. (Applause.) (Laughs.) Thank you all and all the incredible leaders who are here. Thank you all, everyone, for taking time out of your busy lives to be here this afternoon. (Applause.) I thank you. I thank you.
And I want to thank my dear friend, Governor Cooper — Roy Cooper — (applause); Attorney General Josh Stein, who will be your next governor — (applause); Representatives Nickel, Ross, Foushee — (applause); and Mayor Baldwin. I thank you all and all the leaders who are here.
So, Raleigh, early voting, as Jennifer said, has started. Here in Wake County, you can vote early now through Saturday, November 2nd. And we need you to vote early, North Carolina — (applause) — because we have just six days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and we have work to do. (Applause.)
But we like hard work. (Applause.) Hard work is good work. (Applause.) Hard work is joyful work. (Applause.)
And make no mistake, we will win. (Applause.) We will win. Yes, we will. And we will win — we will win because when you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. (Applause.)
And we know we have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump, who has been trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other. We know that is who he is, but, North Carolina, that is not who we are. (Applause.) That is not who we are.
And it is time for a new chapter where we stop with the pointing fingers at each other. And instead, let us lock arms with one another, knowing we have so much more in common than what separates us. (Applause.) It is time for a new generation of leadership in America, and I am ready with you. I am ready to offer that leadership as the next president of the United States of America. (Applause.)
And, North Carolina, you know, I’ve been here many, many times over the years. And you know this: I am not afraid of tough fights. (Applause.)
For decades as a prosecutor and as the top law enforcement officer of our biggest state, I won fights against big banks that ripped off homeowners — (applause); against for-profit colleges that scammed veterans and students — (applause); against predators who abused women and children; against cartels that trafficked in guns and drugs and human beings. And if you give me the chance to fight on your behalf as president, there is nothing in the world that will stand in my way. (Applause.)
And, look, we know who Donald Trump is. This is not someone who is thinking about how to make your life better. This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and out for unchecked power.
In less than 90 days, either he or I will be in the Oval Office. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And here is the thing. There are many big differences between he and I, but I would say a major contrast is this: If he is elected, on day one, Donald Trump will walk into that office with an enemies list.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
When I am elected, I will walk in with a to-do list — (applause) — full of priorities about what I will get done for you, the American people. (Applause.)
And at the top of my list is bringing down your cost of living. (Applause.) That will be my focus every single day as president. I will give a middle-class tax cut to over 100 million Americans — (applause); enact the first-ever federal ban on price gouging on groceries — (applause); and fight to make sure that hardworking Americans can actually afford a place to live. (Applause.)
And if you are caring for an elderly parent, my plan will cover the cost of home care under Medicare — (applause) — so that seniors can get the help and care they need to stay in their own homes. (Applause.)
And my plan will lower the cost of childcare, cut taxes for small businesses, and lower health care costs, because I believe health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it. (Applause.)
On the other hand, Donald Trump’s answer to the financial pressures you face is the same as last time: another trillion dollars in tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And this time, he will pay for it with a 20 percent Trump national sales tax on everyday basic necessities, which will cost the average American family nearly $4,000 more a year.
On top of that, you will pay even more if Donald Trump finally gets his way and ends the Affordable Care Act, which will throw — if he were to win — which would throw millions of Americans off their health insurance and take us back to when insurance companies had the power to deny people with preexisting conditions.
You remember what that was like?
Well, we are —
AUDIENCE: Not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — not going back. We are not going back. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We are not going back. We’re not going back.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Because — and we are not going back because ours is a fight for the future — (applause) — and it is a fight for freedom — (applause) — like the fundamental freedom of a woman to be able to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do. (Applause.)
And we all remember how we got here. Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. They did.
And now in America, one in three women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban, including in North Carolina and every state in the South except Virginia. Think about that. Many with no exceptions even for rape and incest, which is immoral.
And Donald Trump — understand, he’s not done. He would ban abortion nationwide. He would restrict access to birth control, put IVF treatments at risk, and force states to monitor women’s pregnancies.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Just google Project 2025. Just google it. Read the plans yourself.
And let us agree, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government should not be making that decision for you. (Applause.) Not the government.
And when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, as president of the United States — (applause) — I will proudly sign it into law. (Applause.)
So, North Carolina, I am asking for your vote. (Applause.) I am asking for your vote.
And here is my pledge to you. As your president, I pledge to seek common ground and commonsense solutions to the challenges you face. (Applause.)
I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress. (Applause.)
And I pledge to you, I will listen to experts.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I will listen to those impacted by the decisions I make and to people who disagree with me.
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and importantly —
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and, Raleigh —
Q Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: All right. We’re fighting — hey, everybody.
Q Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay, you know — see, this is the thing, because we know we’re actually fighting for our democracy. (Applause.)
And unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. (Applause.) He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table. (Applause.)
And I pledge to be a president for all Americans and to always put country above party and self.
So, North Carolina, it all comes down to this. We are here together because we love our country. (Applause.) That’s why we are here. And when you love something, you fight for it. And I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country and to fight to realize the promise of America. (Applause.)
And I have — and I have always believed in our nation’s —
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes. And like all of us here, I have always believed in our nation’s promise, because I have lived it. I grew up as a child of the Civil Rights Movement. (Applause.) My parents — my parents would take me to marches, when I was in a stroller, where people of every walk of life came together to fight for the ideals of freedom and opportunity.
I’ve lived the promise of America. (Applause.) I saw — I saw — I saw how hard my mother worked to give her daughters the same chances our country gave her. Growing up, I was blessed to have family by blood and family by love — (applause) — who instilled in me the values that have always defined our nation best — values like community, compassion, and faith.
I’ve lived the promise of America, and I’ve spent my life fighting for the people — people who have been hurt and counted out but never stop believing in our country that anything is possible. (Applause.)
I’ve lived the promise of America, and I see — (applause) — and I see the promise in all of you — in the women who refuse to accept a future without reproductive freedom — (applause); in the men who support them — (applause); in Republicans who never voted for a Democrat before but put the Constitution of the United States before party.
I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time. Let me see you. (Applause.) I love you guys, because you are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.)
You, young leaders — you’ve only known the climate crisis and are leading the charge to protect our planet and our future. You, young leaders, who grew up with active shooter drills, who are trying to keep our schools safe. You, who have known fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers and are standing up to fight for freedom to make your own decisions about your own bodies.
None of this for you, young leaders, is theoretical. This is not theoretical for you. It is not political for you. For our young leaders, this is your lived experience. And I see you, and I see your power, and I am so proud of you. (Applause.)
Can we applaud all of our first-time voters and young leaders who are here? (Applause.) Let’s applaud them.
See? Our future is bright. I’m telling you: Our future is bright. (Applause.)
So, North Carolina, we have six days to get this done — (applause) — and no one can sit on the sidelines. So, let’s spend the next six days so that when we look back at these six days, we will know we did everything we could.
So, right now, it’s time to go out from here and knock on some doors — (applause) — time to text and call some voters, time to reach out to family and friends and classmates and coworkers and neighbors.
And as we do, let us please be intentional about building community. (Applause.) Let us please be intentional about building coalitions. Because through all of that, we strengthen our nation, because we know and will always remember the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. (Applause.)
And we are all in this together. So, remember, your vote is your voice and your voice is your power. (Applause.)
So, North Carolina, I then ask you: 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. (Applause.)
God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END 1:18 P.M. EDT
