Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pennsylvania
4:13 P.M. EST
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, Allentown! (Applause.) Hello, Pennsylvania! (Applause.) Hey, everyone. Hi.
Can we hear it for Elizabeth? (Applause.) Let’s hear it for Elizabeth. (Applause.)
Good afternoon. All right, Allentown, are we ready to do this? (Applause.)
Are we ready to vote? (Applause.)
Are we ready to win? (Applause.)
All right. Oh, it’s good to be back in Pennsylvania, and it is good to be with so many incredible leaders. Let me thank everyone.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I want to thank everyone — (applause) — I want to thank everyone for taking the time out of your busy lives to be here this afternoon. We are all in this together, and I know we all here know this. But I thank you for all the work everyone has been doing over these last months —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you, Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — and over the next 24 hours. (Applause.) Thank you all.
I want to thank my dear friend Governor Shapiro for his leadership — (applause) — his friendship, and all that he does. Congressman — Congresswoman Wild, let’s reelect her — (applause) — to the United States House of Representatives. And while we’re at it, please send Bob Casey back to the United States Senate. (Applause.)
Mayor Tuerk, I thank you for your friendship and your long-standing leadership. (Applause.)
And can we hear it for Fat Joe — (applause) — and Frankie Negrón? (Applause.)
So, listen, I am so thankful to everyone for being here and including the leaders of the Puerto Rican community. I stand — (applause) — I stand here proud of my long-standing commitment to Puerto Rico and her people, and I will be a president for all Americans. (Applause.) All Americans. All Americans.
So, Allentown, this is it. Just one more day. One more day. (Applause.) One more day left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and momentum is on our side. (Applause.) Momentum is on our side. Can you feel it? We have momentum, right? (Applause.)
Because our campaign has tapped into the ambitions and the aspirations and the dreams of the American people. We are optimistic and excited about what we will do together, and we here 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 of America. (Applause.)
Now, Pennsylvania, the race is not yet over. Okay? We got a lot of work to do, and we have got to finish strong.
So, listen, we got hard 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. We will win. (Applause.)
And one of the reasons we will win is because I do believe 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 that have been driven by fear and division. We’re done with that. We’re done. (Applause.) And we’re exhausted with it. America is ready for a fresh start —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you, Kamala!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I love you, sweetheart. (Laughs.) (Applause.)
And America is ready for a new way forward where we see our fellow American not as an enemy but as a neighbor. (Applause.) We are ready — we are ready for a president who understands that the true measure of the strength of a leader is not based on who you beat down; it is based on who you lift up. (Applause.)
And, Pennsylvania, you know me. I am not afraid of tough fights, evidently. (Laughs.) For decades as a prosecutor and the top law enforcement officer of our biggest state, I won fights against the big banks that ripped off homeowners. I won fights against for-profit colleges that scammed veterans and students. I won fights against predators who abused women and children and seniors and cartels that trafficked in guns and drugs and human beings.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We’re not going back! (Applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re not going back. And it is my pledge to you — it is my pledge to you, if you give me a 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 it is my pledge to you that when I walk — with your help, it is my pledge to you that when I walk in the White House, instead of stewing over an enemies list, I will spend every day working on my to-do list — (applause) — on your behalf, full of priorities that are about improving your life, about bringing down the cost of living, about banning corporate price gouging on groceries, about making housing and childcare more affordable. (Applause.)
My plan will be about cutting taxes for workers and middle-class families and small businesses; lowering health care costs, including the cost of home care for our seniors. (Applause.)
Because here’s wh- — here’s where I’m coming from on this: I believe access to 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: — trying to take us back to the days when insurance companies could deny people with preexisting conditions, well, to them, we say: We are —
AUDIENCE: Not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — not going back. We are not going back. And we are not going back —
AUDIENCE: We’re not going back! We’re not going back! We’re not going back!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We’re not going back. We’re not going back.
And we are not going back because ours is a fight for the future. (Applause.) Ours is a fight for the future. And it is a fight for freedom — (applause) — like 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, with Bob Casey’s help, passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide — (applause) — as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. (Applause.)
So, Pennsylvania, I am here to ask for your vote. I am here to ask for your vote. (Applause.)
And here is my pledge — and here is my pledge to you. As president, I pledge to seek common ground and commonsense solutions to the challenges you face. (Applause.) I am not looking — I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress. (Applause.)
And I pledge to you —
(A protestor disruption can be heard.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That’s okay.
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and it is my pledge to you to listen to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make, to listen to experts, and to listen to people who disagree with me because I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. (Applause.)
And you know what? By the way, listen, we are fighting for a democracy right now. (Applause.) And we love our democracy. And democracy can be a bit complicated sometimes, but that’s okay. We are fighting for a democracy, which is why I say that I am not going to be a leader who thinks that people who disagree with me should be put in jail, that they are the enemy. (Applause.) I’ll give them a seat at the table, because that’s what real leaders do and that’s what strong leaders do. (Applause.)
And it is my pledge to you to always put country above party and self and to be a president for all Americans. (Applause.)
So, Allentown, that is my pledge to you.
And so, let me ask: Who here has a plan to vote? (Applause.) Fantastic. That’s great. That’s great. (Laughs.)
All right. So, poll- — polls are open here in Pennsylvania tomorrow from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Let’s get the word out. (Applause.) Let — let’s get —
AUDIENCE: Vote! Vote! Vote!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Definitely vote. (Laughs.)
AUDIENCE: Vote! Vote! Vote!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Vote.
And let’s get the word out. All the leaders here, help get the word out to remind people of the hours the polls are open and to remind folks that they can go to IWillVote.com for all the information that folks may need in terms of when and where to vote and where to drop off their mail ballots — right? — because that’s going to be very important.
And to all the leaders here, I ask you to please continue to talk to your friends and your family and your neighbors and let them know why you decided to take time out of your busy lives to be here right now and what is at stake in this election. (Applause.) Please share your perspective on why this election is so important. And encourage folks to let them know their voices must be heard, because we —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: UAW is in the house!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And UAW is in the house. (Laughs.) (Applause.) And I am so proud to have your support. Thank you. I am so proud to have your support.
And we need everyone in Pennsylvania to vote because you are going to make the difference in this election. (Applause.) You will.
So, here’s how I think about things. We are all here together because 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, of our expression of our love for our country, to then fight for its ideals and to fight to realize the promise of America.
And, look, 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 would take me to marches when I was in a stroller. And there were people there — we’ve all read and know about it — there were people there from all walks of life who came together in a fight for freedom and for opportunity.
You know, growing up, I watched my mother as she raised my sister and me and gave us the same chances our country gave her. I was blessed to have family by blood and to have family by love who — (applause) — who instilled in me the values of community and compassion and faith. I’ve spent my life fighting for people who have been hurt and counted out but who never stopped believing in — that in our country, anything is possible. (Applause.)
I have lived the promise of America. And today, I see the promise of America in everyone who is here, in every one of you, in every one of us. We are the promise of America. (Applause.) We — everyone here, we are the promise of America. We are the promise of America.
And I see it — 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 who support them. (Applause.) I see you.
I see it in the Republicans who never voted for a Democrat before but put the Constitution of the United States over party. (Applause.)
And every day, I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time. (Applause.) I do. I do. I — I love Gen Z. (Laughs.) Exactly. Right? Come on. Exactly. (Laughs.) That’s right. I’m telling you, I love Gen Z. And here’s one of the reasons why. (Applause.) (Laughs.) So, here’s one of the things about y’all: You are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.) I know that. I know that.
And you who have only known the climate crisis are leading the charge to protect our planet and our future. You who grew up with active shooter drills are fighting to keep our schools safe. (Applause.) You who have known — you who have known fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers are standing up for freedom.
And for you, none of these issues is theoretical or political. This is your lived experience. And I see you, and I see your power. And we must, must, must recognize how bright the future of our nation is because of you.
So, can we hear it for our first-time voters, everybody? (Applause.) There we go. There we go. There we go. (Laughs.) There we go. There we go.
All right. Okay. One day left. One day left. And we need to finish this strong and get this done. So, let’s get out the vote. (Applause.) Let’s reach out to all of our folks in the next 24 hours: family and friends and classmates and neighbors and coworkers.
And as we do, I ask: Let us please be intentional about building community. (Applause.) Let us be intentional about building coalitions. (Applause.) Because, you know, there has been so much about these last few years that has been about trying to beat people down, trying to have Americans point their fingers at each other, trying to make people feel as though they’re alone and don’t have anybody. So —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Not anymore!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — not anymore, because we all know — (applause) — we all know that our power includes, yes, this vote in this election but building community and coalitions and reminding folks the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us. And we are all in this together. (Applause.) We are all in this together.
And from the very start of our campaign, this has not been about a fight that is against something. This is about a fight that is for something. (Applause.) This is for something. This is about a future with freedom and opportunity and dignity for all Americans.
And so, in this final stretch, let us remember that we have a lot of work to do, and there is power in our work about reminding folks of their voice and the power of their vote.
So, remember: Your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power — (applause) — is your power.
So, Pennsylvania, Allentown, 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.
God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.) END 4:35 P.M.
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