Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | East Lansing, MI

Jenison Field House
East Lansing, Michigan

6:04 P.M. EST

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hello, Michigan! (Applause.) Hi, everyone.

Can we hear it for Sedrick? (Applause.)

All right. We're going to do this.

Hello, Michigan State! (Applause.) It is good to be in the house of my dear friend Magic Johnson. Go Green! (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Go White! (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: All right. All right. East Lansing, 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 Michigan and to be with so many incredible leaders. I want to thank Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist - (applause); Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, and let's send her to the United States Senate - (applause); and Curtis Hertel, and let's send him to the U.S. House of Representatives. (Applause.)

And we are joined today by leaders of the Arab American community, which has deep and proud roots here in Michigan. (Applause.)

And I want to say this year has been difficult, given the scale of death and destruction in Gaza and given the civilian casualties and displacement in Lebanon. It is devastating. And as president, I will do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza, t- - (applause) - to bring home the hostages, end the suffering in Gaza, ensure Israel is secure, and ensure the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, security, and self-determination. (Applause.)

And we continue to work on a diplomatic resolution across the Israel-Lebanon border to protect civilians and provide lasting stability. (Applause.) And as president, I will work tirelessly toward a future with security and dignity for all people. (Applause.)

So, Michigan, two days to go - (applause) - are you ready? Are you ready? - in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. And we have momentum. It is on our side. Can you feel it? (Applause.)

And we have the momentum because our campaign is tapping into the ambitions, the aspirations, and the dreams of the American people, because we are optimistic and excited about what we can do together - (applause) - and because we know 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. (Applause.)

Now, the race is not yet over, and we need to finish strong. So, for the next two days, we still have a lot of work to do. But here's the thing: 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.

We will win. We will win.

And we will win - and w- - (laughs).

AUDIENCE: We will win! We will win! We will win!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And we - and we will win because here's what everyone here knows: When you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. (Applause.)

And we have an opportunity in this election to finally turn the page on a decade of politics driven by fear and division. We are done with that, and we are exhausted with it. (Applause.) And America is ready - America is ready for a fresh start, ready for a new way forward, where we see our fellow American not as an enemy but as a neighbor. (Applause.)

We are ready for a president who knows that the true measure of a leader is not based on who you beat down; it is based on who you lift up. (Applause.)

And, Michigan, you know me. I am not afraid of tough fights, evidently. (Laughs.) (Applause.) For decades as a prosecutor and the top law enforcement officer of the biggest state, I won fights against the big banks that ripped off homeowners. (Applause.) I won fights against for-profit colleges that scammed veterans and students. I won fights against creditors who abused women, children, and seniors. (Applause.) I won fights - I won fights against the cartels that trafficked in guns, drugs, and human beings. (Applause.)

And - and it is my 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.) I'm here for you.

And I will get up every day to fight to make your life better, to bring down the cost of living, to ban corporate price gouging on groceries, to make housing and childcare more affordable. (Applause.)

My plan will cut taxes for workers, for middle-class families, and small businesses - (applause); lower health care costs, including the cost of homecare for seniors - (applause) - because, by the way, I believe health care should be a right and not just a privilege of those who can afford it. (Applause.)

And to those certain individuals who still want to get rid of the Affordable Care Act -

AUDIENCE: Booo -

THE VICE PRESIDENT: - and take us back to the days when insurance companies could deny people with preexisting conditions, well, you all know what we say: We are -

AUDIENCE: Not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: - not going back. (Laughs.) (Applause.) We are not going back.

We are not going back because ours is a fight for the future. (Applause.) And it is a fight for freedom - (applause) - including the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do. (Applause.)

And when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide - (applause) - you know where I'm going - as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. (Applause.)

So, Michigan, I am here to ask for your vote. I am here to ask for your vote. (Applause.) And here - and here is my pledge to you. As president, I pledge to seek common ground and commonsense solutions to the challenges you face.

I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress. (Applause.)

And I pledge to listen to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make. I pledge to listen to experts. And I pledge to listen to people who disagree with me - (applause) - because, you see, I don't believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. (Applause.) In fact, I'll give them a seat at the table because that's what strong leaders do. (Applause.)

And I pledge to always put country above party and self and to be a president for all Americans - (applause) - all Americans.

So, that is my pledge to you, East Lansing. And let me then ask: Who here has already voted? (Applause.) Oh, that's fantastic. Thank you. (Laughs.) (Applause.) All right. Okay.

Well, now - now I've got to ask you: Please talk to your friends and family and neighbors - (laughter) - and share your perspective on why this election is so important. Share your perspective on why, with the many, many other things you could be doing with your time right now, you took time out of your busy lives to be here. Let's connect with each other and let folks know and encourage them to make their voices heard.

And for those of you who haven't voted yet, no judgment - no judgment. (Laughter.) But please do take a moment - (laughs) - and think about your plan for when and where you will vote. Election Day is on Tuesday, November 5th. (Applause.)

Polls are open here in Michigan from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Applause.) And if you are not yet registered to vote, you can register and vote at your local clerk's office now through Election Day. (Applause.)

It's a very big deal. It's a very big deal.

So, go to IWillVote.com for all the information you need, including when and where to vote and where to drop off your absentee ballot. But we need everyone to vote in Michigan. You will make the difference in this election. (Applause.) You will make the difference. You will make the difference.

So -

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Applause.) I love you back.

So - so -

AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. So, here's the thing. It all comes down to this. We are here together, this incredible mix of people from every background, every stage of life, under one roof together. And we are here together for many reasons, including because we love our country. We love our country. (Applause.) We love our country.

And when you love something, you fight for it. (Applause.) You fight for it.

And I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, the expression of the love we have for our country, to then fight for its ideals and to fight to realize the promise of America. That's what we are about. (Applause.) That's what we are about.

And I have always believed in our nation's promise, because I have lived it. So, I grew up as a child of the Civil Rights Movement. My parents would take me to the marches when I was in a stroller. And there were people there - and history has told us, there were people there from every walk of life, coming together to fight for freedom and for opportunity.

You know, growing up, I saw how hard our mother worked to give her daughters the same chances our country gave her. And I was blessed to have family by blood and to have family by love - (applause) - who instilled in me - who instilled in me the values of community, compassion, and faith.

I have spent my life fighting for people who have been hurt and counted out but who never stopped believing that, in our country, anything is possible.

I have lived the promise of America, and I will tell you, today, I see the promise of America in everyone who is here - in all of you, in all of us. We are the promise of America. (Applause.) We are. You are. We are the promise of America.

And I see it in the fathers and the mothers and the grandparents who work hard every day for their children's future. I see it in the women who refuse to accept a future without reproductive freedom. (Applause.) I see it in the men that support them. (Applause.) I see it in Republicans who have never voted for a Democrat before but have put the Constitution of the United States above party. (Applause.)

And I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are here and voting for the first time. (Applause.) I love Gen Z. (Laughs.) (Applause.) I do. I do.

And here's one of the things that I love about this generation - you, this incredible generation. You all - you all are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.) I know that. I know that. I know that about you.

And here's the thing, because you all have only known the climate crisis and are leading, then, the charge to protect our planet and our future. You, who grew up with active shooter drills and are fighting to keep our schools safe. (Applause.) You, who know - now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, are standing up for freedom.

None of these issues for you are theoretical. This is not political for you all. This is your lived experience. And I see you. (Applause.) And I see your power. And I am so proud of you.

Can we hear it for our first-time voters? (Applause.) Right? Yeah. I'm telling you, this is why I know our future is bright. I'm just so optimistic about it. I'm so optimistic about it. (Applause.)

So - all right. All right. Two days - we got two days to get this done. (Applause.) And nobody can sit on the sidelines. Let's spend the next two days so that when we look back, we have no regrets that we did everything we could.

So, let's knock on doors. Let's text. Let's call the voters. Let's reach out to family, friends, classmates, neighbors, coworkers.

And as we do, I have one request on top of everything else I've asked of you. (Laughter.) Let's be true to what our campaign has been about from the very start, which is to be intentional about building community. (Applause.) Let's build community while we are doing this. Let's build community and be intentional about it. Let's be intentional about building coalitions.

Because we know, look, there's been so much about this last decade that is just - but it's - it's - but the thing is is that it - the tenor of it has been to try and make people feel alone, to make people - and, you know, when you make people feel alone, it's a way of trying to disempower people, to suggest to them you don't have people, to suggest to them you don't have community, which is not true.

And that's why I say, let's be intentional about in the face of a stranger, seeing a neighbor, and understanding that our power to lift each other up is immense. And let us do it with the spirit of knowing the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. (Applause.)

And we are all in this together. (Applause.) We are all in this together. Because, you know, from the very start, our campaign has not been about being against something; it is about being for something - (applause) - a fight for a future with freedom, opportunity, and dignity for all Americans.

And so, in these final hours, let us remember that there is power in knowing that we are together. And let us remember that your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power. (Applause.) And you are powerful, and you remember that.

So, today, Michigan, 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. (Applause.)

God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END 6:27 P.M. EST

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