Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Little Chute, WI
Little Chute High School
Little Chute, Wisconsin
5:58 P.M. CDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Can we hear it for Jennifer? (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Oh, it’s good to be back in Wisconsin. (Applause.) Hi, everyone. Hi, everyone.
Jen- — I just — first, I just want — Jennifer, I want to thank you. Jennifer and I had s- — time to visit backstage, and we first met in 2020 on a Zoom talking about the Affordable Care Act, and your son is doing well now. You are an incredible leader. (Applause.) And I thank you so very much. Let’s hear it for Jennifer, please. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
All right. Wisconsin, 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. And I want to thank all the leaders, everyone. And thank you for taking the time out of your busy lives to be here this afternoon.
You know, we are all here because we care and we know that this is about community and of all of us being here together at one time. And I thank you all.
And I want to thank my dear friend, Tammy Baldwin — (applause) — send her back to the United States Senate — (applause); Lieutenant Governor Rodriguez — (applause); County Executive Nelson — (applause); and the chair of our Democratic Party, Ben Wikler. (Applause.)
All right, we have work to do.
Okay, Wisconsin, four days left in probably one of if not the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and we have work to do still. We have a lot of work to do, but we like hard work. Hard work is good work. Hard work is joyful work. (Applause.) And make no mistake: We will win. (Applause.) We will win. We will win. We will win.
And one of the reasons —
AUDIENCE: We will win!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — yes.
AUDIENCE: We will win! We will win! We will win!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We will win. And we will win — and we will win because we are the type of people who we know when you know what to stand for, you know what to fight for — (applause) — you know what to fight for. Right?
And in this election, we have an opportunity to finally turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re done with that. We’re done. We’re exhausted with that. And we know that’s who he is, but, Wisconsin, that’s not who we are. That’s not who we are. (Applause.) That’s not who we are. And it is time for a new generation of leadership in America. (Applause.) And I am ready to offer that leadership as the next president of the United States of America. (Applause.)
And, Wisconsin, you know me, I’m not afraid of tough fights. For decades — clearly — (laughter) — for decades, I was a prosecutor and the top law enforcement officer of the biggest state, and I won fights against the big banks who ripped off homeowners, against for-profit colleges that scammed veterans and students, against predators who abused women and children, against cartels that trafficked in guns and drugs and human beings. And I pledge to you, 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.) Nothing in the world.
And look — and on the other side, we know who Donald Trump is. Now this is not someone who is thinking about how to make your life better. He is someone who is increasingly unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and the man is out for unchecked power. He’s out for unchecked power.
And in less than 90 days — you can picture the Oval Office. In less than 90 days, it’s either going to be him or me sitting in the Oval Office.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: But with your help —
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) Okay.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: A- — a- — (laughs) —
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Inaudible.) Thank you.
AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: But — but let’s help — let’s help the friends and family and neighbors who is — who are not here right now imagine that for a minute — right?
January 20th. Oval Office. It’s either going to be him sitting in there, poring over and stewing over his enemies list —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Or, when I am elected, it will be me walking in there on your behalf, working on my to-do list — (applause) — because we got work to do. Because we have work to do.
And at the top of my list is bringing down the cost of living for you. (Applause.) That will be my focus every single day as president, including I will give a middle-class tax cut to over 100 million Americans. (Applause.) We will enact the first-ever federal ban on corporate price gouging on groceries — (applause) — and fight to make sure that hardworking Americans can actually afford a place to live. (Applause.)
And one of the things that we were talking aba- — backstage is about the importance of people being able to care for their family members, and, including and in particular, their elder family members. (Applause.) And some of you may know — and this is personal for me, as are so many of these issues.
I took care of my mother when she was sick. And I — and I know what it is in terms of taking care of someone and just trying to cook the things that they feel like eating, right? Just trying to help them put on a sweater, trying to think from time to time, “What can I do to put a smile on their face or make them laugh?”
It is important work, and it is work that is about dignity. It’s about dignity, and if you are caring, then, for an elderly parent or relative, my plan is to cover the cost of home care under Medicare — (applause) — so you don’t have to worry about either spending down whatever savings you have to qualify for Medicaid or quitting your job and cutting off a source of income to be able to stay at home, in particular if you’re in the sandwich generation, meaning that you are taking care of your kids while you are taking care of a parent.
It’s about dignity. And my plan will also lower the cost of childcare. Again, about dignity. (Applause.) About dignity.
My plan is to prioritize cutting taxes for small businesses. Do we have small-business owners here? I love our small businesses. (Applause.) You are part of the backbone of America’s economy. And that’s the work we will do.
We will do the work of lowering health care costs, because I believe — I believe so deeply and strongly access to health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it. (Applause.)
It’s about values. It’s about values.
On the other hand, Donald Trump’s answer to the financial pressures you face are the same as they were last time: another trillion dollars in tax cuts for billionaires and the biggest corporations, and this time, he will pay for it with a 20 percent national sales tax on everything that you buy that is imported — clothes, food, toys, cell phones. A Trump sales tax that would cost the average American family — economists have — have measured it — more than $4,000 a year that you are not paying you would have to pay because of that tax.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And on top of that, as we have discussed, he still wants to get rid of the Affordable Care Act —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — which would throw millions of people, millions of Americans, off of their health insurance and take us back to the time when insurance companies could deny people with preexisting conditions. You remember what that was?
Well, you are correct: 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: And we are not going back because, just like Wisconsin’s state motto tells us, we will move forward. (Applause.) We will move forward. You guys know that best.
So, ours — ours is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom, 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 remember how we got here. Donald Trump, when he was president, hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. They did as he intended, and now over 20 states have a Trump abortion ban.
Imagine, in America today, one in three women lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban, many with no exceptions even for rape and incest, which is immoral.
And Donald Trump is not done. He would ban abortion nationwide — yes, even here in Wisconsin, were that to happen — and he would restrict access to birth control, put IVF treatments at risk, and force states — get this — to monitor women’s pregnancies.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Just google Project 2025, which I still can’t believe they put in writing. (Laughter.)
And let us agree, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government shouldn’t be telling her what to do — (applause) — not the government. Not the government. Not the government.
And when Congress — and when Congress, together with Tammy’s leadership, passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. (Applause.) I will proudly sign it into law.
So, Wisconsin, I am asking for your vote. (Applause.) I am asking for your vote. And here is my pledge to you — here is my pledge to you.
As president, I pledge to seek common ground and commonsense solutions to the challenges you face. (Applause.)
I pledge that I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress. (Applause.)
And I pledge — I pledge to listen to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make. I will listen to experts. I will listen to the people who disagree with me. Because, you see, unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe that 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.) That’s what a democracy is about. That’s what leaders do. (Applause.)
And it is my pledge to always put country above party and self and to be a president for all Americans — (applause) — for all Americans. That is my pledge to you, Wisconsin.
So, let me ask — we’re four days out — who here has already voted? (Applause.) Oh, wow! (Laughs.) Oh, my goodness. That’s great. Thank you. (Laughs.)
Okay. Well, here’s what I want to ask — I want to ask a little more of you. Please talk to your friends and family, neighbors, and — and share your perspective. Share — share why you have taken the time out of your lives to spend this time here when there’s so many other things you could do. Let them know, because this moment, I think, really is our opportunity to reconnect with people and remind them they’re not alone and build community. And so, please, share with them why this election is important to you and encourage them to make their voices heard.
And for anyone who’s not yet voted, no judgment — (laughter) — but please take a moment now to just think about what your plan will be for when and where you will vote, and please go to IWillVote.com — yes, I have a website — (laughter) — for all the information you might need about when and where you can go to vote and where to drop off your absentee ballot. (Applause.)
And, Wisconsin, truly, we need everyone to vote here. You, Wisconsin, are going to make the difference in this election. (Applause.) You will make the difference. You will make the difference.
And so, it all comes down to this. We are here together because we love our country. We love our country. And when you love something, you fight for it. (Applause.) And I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, an expression of our love of our country, to then fight for the ideals of our country. That’s what this is about. And it is fighting for the promise of America.
And I’ll tell you, 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. My parents took me to the marches when I was in a stroller, and there were people there from every walk of life who came together to fight for freedom and for opportunity.
Growing up, I saw how hard my mother worked to raise my sister and me and to give us the same chances that our country gave her. And I was blessed to have family by blood and family by love who — (applause) — who instilled in me — you know what I’m talking about — and instilled in me the values of community and compassion and faith.
And I’ve spent my life fighting for people who have been hurt and who have been counted out but who never stopped believing, in our country, that anything is possible.
I have lived the promise of America, and I see the promise of America in everyone who is here, in all of us — in all of us — in all of us. (Applause.) This is the promise of America.
This is the promise of America: In the fathers and mothers and grandparents who work hard every day for the future of their children; in the women who refuse to accept a future without reproductive freedom — (applause) — and in the men who support them — (applause); in Republicans who have never voted for a Democrat before but are putting the Constitution of the United States above party. (Applause.) Right?
The promise of America is all around us. It is in the young leaders who are voting for the very first time. (Applause.) Where are you? Where are you? (Laughs.) (Applause.) Oh, I love Gen Z. I really do. (Laughs.)
You know what I love about this generation? You all are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.) You know? You are determined to live free from gun violence, to take on the climate crisis. (Applause.) You guys are going to shape the world you inherit. And for this generation, there — none of these issues is theoretical for them. It’s not political for them.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We live it!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: For you all, it is a lived experience. (Applause.) It is a lived experience. That’s right. And I see you, and I see your power. And I am so proud of you when I think about the future of our nation. So, can we hear it for our first-time voters? (Applause.)
Right. Right. Right.
All right. So, Wisconsin, four days — four days to get this thing done. And no one can sit on the sidelines. Let’s spend the next four days so that when we look back on these four days, we have no regrets that we did everything that we could. (Applause.)
So, let’s knock on doors. Let’s text and call voters. Let’s reach out to family and friends and classmates and neighbors and coworkers. And as we do, please, I do ask you, let us be intentional about building community. (Applause.) Let us be intentional about building coalitions. (Applause.) Let us remind each other and others that we have so much more in common than what separates us. (Applause.)
Let us do that. There is power in that. It will strengthen our country. And we’ll remind folks, also: Your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power. It is your power. (Applause.)
And so, Wisconsin, today I 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.
God bless you. And God bless the United States. God bless you. (Applause.)
END 6:19 P.M. CDT
