Oct 31, 2020

Joe Biden & Barack Obama Campaign Event Speech Transcript Flint, MI October 31

Joe Biden & Barack Obama Campaign Event Speech Transcript Flint, MI October 31
RevBlogTranscriptsBarack Obama TranscriptsJoe Biden & Barack Obama Campaign Event Speech Transcript Flint, MI October 31

Joe Biden and Barack Obama held a campaign event in Flint, Michigan on October 31. Read the transcript of their speeches here.

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Speaker 1: (01:57)
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome community leader D’Andre Young.

D’Andre Young: (02:28)
… and for joining today’s car rally.

D’Andre Young: (02:31)
My name is D’Andre Young and I was born and raised here in the great city of Flint, Michigan, and have been active in the community my entire life, organizing and engaging people to fight for environmental justice in the fight for clean, affordable water and sustainable infrastructure.

D’Andre Young: (02:50)
I grew up union strong, with my family members working at the General Motors, and being proud members of the UAW. My mother was a union representative and liaison for Flint Community Schools. My family and my community motivates me to stay committed to the fight for equity, which starts at the grassroots level.

D’Andre Young: (03:17)
I always tell people that fighting for change at the grassroots level is more than just your typical nine to five job. It’s your whole life. Right now, we desperately need a president who recognizes that. This pandemic has shined a bright light on the inequities that define our system. This president has used his words in this nation’s highest office to stoke the flames of hate and division. I don’t need to tell all of you that enough is simply enough. This just simply isn’t going to work for us.

D’Andre Young: (03:58)
Ladies and gentlemen, we are just three days away from a day we will never forget. This is no doubt the most important election of our lives. And when November 4th rolls around, we need to know that we left it all on the table, that we did everything we could to elect the leaders we know we deserve.

D’Andre Young: (04:23)
We’re at a crossroad crossroads right now. And meeting this moment means exercising your right to vote. It means telling your friends and family to vote. For those of you who have yet to vote, you can go to iwillvote.com. Again, that is iwillvote.com, to make your plan today. If you care about healthcare and the water you drink, you need to vote for Joe Biden. The stakes are too high to sit this one out.

D’Andre Young: (04:54)
Joe Biden knows that change starts at the grassroots level. He knows that the best laws and policies demand a patient attentive ear to the ground. He will listen. He cares about us. He helped save the auto industry, which made a huge difference for thousands in Flint. And he will be more than a nine to five president, because he knows that’s what it takes to right the ship.

D’Andre Young: (05:23)
Here in Flint, we are no strangers to what it takes, or rather what it means, to suffer a public health crisis. As our country and the world feels the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re all looking for hope in leadership to move us forward. I remember a time where we sought that same unique brand of hope. When we were going in the wrong direction, we used our power, made history, and elected the first black president of the United States. I’m so honored to introduce a man and president who embodies that hope, who forged a bright path forward. But, one little housekeeping item before I welcome him to the stage, we’re asking that you please refrain from honking your horns during President Obama and Vice President Biden’s remarks. Flint, please join me in welcoming to the stage, the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.

President Barack Obama: (06:46)
Hello, Flint.

President Barack Obama: (06:47)
It is good to be back in Michigan. Good to be back in the Midwest, getting a little closer to Chicago from here. How’s everybody doing?

President Barack Obama: (07:23)
Can everybody please give a big round of applause to D’Andre Young? Fantastic young man. Thank you for the introduction. Happy Halloween, everybody. I love your masks.

President Barack Obama: (07:46)
Please give a big round of applause as well to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, your own, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, my buddy from the Senate, Debbie Stabenow, a man who’s always in there fighting for you, who we need to send back to the United States Senate, Gary Peters, your congressmen, born and raised right here in Flint, Michigan, Dan Kildee, Mayor Sheldon Neeley, and the big three to come, the next President of the United States, Joe Biden.

President Barack Obama: (08:48)
Three days, Flint. Three days until the most important election of our lifetimes. I love you too. Listen, I know right now you’ve got the Michigan, Michigan State game, and that’s a big deal. Paul Bunyan Trophy’s on the line. But this Tuesday, everything is on the line. Our jobs are on the line, our healthcare is on the line, whether or not we get this pandemic under control is on the line. But here’s the good news, on Tuesday, you can choose change. On Tuesday, you can elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. You can choose a better America.

President Barack Obama: (09:44)
And what’s even better news is, you don’t have to wait until Tuesday to cast your ballot, Michigan. You can vote in person right now. Just go to iwillvote.com, find your polling place, get out there, and vote. And if somebody like you already voted, go help your friends and family make a plan to vote. Because we need everybody, not just some people. We got to get everybody out there.

President Barack Obama: (10:17)
I love you too. Okay. That’s it. Put that mask back on. Listen, Michigan, Joe Biden is my brother. I love Joe Biden. And he will be a great president.

President Barack Obama: (10:41)
Now I’ll admit, 12 years ago, when I asked him to be the nominee for Vice President with me when I was running, I didn’t know Joe that well. We had served together in the Senate. But he and I came from different places, part of different generations. But I quickly came to admire Joe as a man who learned early on to treat everybody he meets with dignity and with respect, living by the words his mom taught him, “No one’s better than you, Joe. But you’re no better than anybody else.”

President Barack Obama: (11:23)
And that sense of decency, and empathy, the belief in hard work and family and faith, the belief that everybody counts, that’s who Joe is. And that’s who he’ll be as president. I can tell you, the presidency doesn’t change who you are, it shows who you are. It reveals who you are.

President Barack Obama: (11:51)
And for eight years, Joe was the last one in the room whenever I faced a big decision. And he made me a better president. He’s got the character and the experience to make us a better country. And he and Kamala are going to be in the fight, not for themselves, but for every single one of us. And we sure can’t say that about the president we’ve got right now.

President Barack Obama: (12:16)
You know, I’ve said this before, I never thought Donald Trump would embrace my vision. I understood he didn’t agree with my policies. But I did hope, for the country’s sake, that he might show some interest in the job, he might take the job seriously. He never has. He hasn’t shown any interest in doing the work, or helping anybody but himself and his friends, or treating the presidency as anything more than a reality show to give him the attention that he craves.

President Barack Obama: (12:59)
But unfortunately, the rest of us have to live with the consequences. Almost 230,000 Americans are dead. More than a hundred thousand small businesses have closed. Almost 300,000 jobs are gone in Michigan alone. America just had its single worst week of new COVID cases. And what’s his closing argument? Here we are the worst week this week. I mean, we’ve been going through this now for months. The Federal Government has had an opportunity to respond for months. And his closing argument this week is that the press and people are too focused on COVID. COVID, COVID, COVID, he’s complaining. He’s jealous of COVID’s media coverage.

President Barack Obama: (13:54)
And now he’s accusing doctors of profiting off this pandemic. Think about that. He said this just yesterday. He said, “Doctors are over-blowing it because they’re going to make money off it.” Doctors.

President Barack Obama: (14:09)
He cannot fathom, he does not understand the notion, that somebody would risk their life to save others without trying to make a buck. His Chief of Staff says, “We’re not going to control the pandemic.” That’s a quote, said it last week, “We are not going to control the pandemic.”

President Barack Obama: (14:29)
We noticed, Mr. Chief of Staff. We understand you’re not going to control the pandemic. But you know who will? Joe Biden will, when we elect him President of the United States.

President Barack Obama: (14:45)
You remember when Republicans were saying, “Let Detroit go bankrupt.” You remember that? Now they might as well be saying, “Let America get COVID.” Because that’s how they’re asking. If Trump were focused on COVID from the beginning, cases wouldn’t be reaching new record highs across the country.

President Barack Obama: (15:02)
Cases wouldn’t be reaching new record highs across the country. Some of the places he holds rallies have even seen new spikes after he leaves town. There was just a study by Stanford University that just came out showing thousands of people are likely to have gotten sick because of these rallies he’s holding. What is his obsession, by the way, with crowd size? You notice that? This is the one measure he has of success. He’s still worrying about his inauguration crowd being smaller than mine. It really bugs him. He’s still talking about that. Does he have nothing better to worry about? Did no one come to his birthday party when he was a kid? Was he traumatized? What’s with crowds?

President Barack Obama: (16:04)
Well, I’ve had crowds before. Had to have quite a few, but when a country is going through a pandemic, that’s not what you’re supposed to be worrying about. That’s the difference between Joe Biden and Trump right there. Trump cares about feeding his ego. Joe cares about keeping you and your family safe. He’s less interested in feeding his ego with having big crowds than he is making sure he’s not going around making more and more people sick. That’s what you should expect from a president. You can expect something different from reality TV star, but from a president, you want them to put you above their own ego. Look, here’s the truth, Michigan. This pandemic would have been challenging for any president, but this idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this up is nonsense. Canada identified its first case the same week that the U.S. did, just few miles up. It’s not close. I may not be pointing north though. But Canada’s pretty close by. Our mortality rate in the United States is two and a half times higher than Canada. Think about that. If we had the same percentage of folks dying in Canada as we do here, nearly 90,000 Americans would have died instead of 230,000 Americans. If we had handled this pandemic like Canada did, 140,000 of our fellow Americans might still be alive today. Think about that. Think about that. Yet despite that, last week when Trump was asked if he’d do anything different, he said “Not much.” Really? “Not much. Can’t think of anything.” Listen, I understand the president was anxious to downplay it because he wanted to get credit for the economy that he inherited and zero blame for the pandemic he ignored, but it doesn’t work that way. The job doesn’t work that way. Pointing at the TV doesn’t fix things. Making stuff up doesn’t make people’s lives better.

President Barack Obama: (18:56)
You got to have a plan. You’ve got to put in the work, and along with the experience to get things done, Joe Biden has concrete plans and policies that will turn our vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into reality. Joe’s not going to screw up testing. Joe’s not going to call scientists idiots. He’s not going to host superspreader events around the country. What Joe will do is get this pandemic under control with a plan to make testing free and widely available, to get a vaccine, every American, cost free, and make sure our frontline heroes never have to ask other countries for the equipment that they need. That’s what Joe Biden will do.

President Barack Obama: (19:50)
Joe’s plan will guarantee paid sick leave for workers and parents affected by the pandemic. He’ll make sure the small businesses in every community, not just some, not just big corporations, but small businesses that hold our communities together and employ millions of Americans can reopen safely. Donald Trump likes to claim he built this economy. America created 1.5 million more jobs in the last three years of the Obama/Biden administration than in his first three years, and that was before he could blame the pandemic. Joe Biden and I, with the help of a democratic Congress, rescued the auto industry. Gary Peters was there. He told us to bet on Michigan, and we did, and manufacturing in Michigan grew by 15% over our last four years.

President Barack Obama: (20:53)
Trump promised he’d make Michigan the manufacturing hub of the world again. It’s up 1% under his first four years, 15% under Obama/Biden. 1% under him. That’s Michigan right here. We handed him the longest streak of job growth in American history, but the economic damage he inflicted by botching the pandemic response means he’ll be the only president since Herbert Hoover to actually lose jobs. Herbert Hoover. That’s a long time ago. Joe Biden and Gary Peters know that the key to a strong economy isn’t cutting more taxes for billionaires. It’s lifting up the prospects for working Americans. Joe’s got a plan to create 1 million new auto-related jobs by accelerating electric vehicle production. He’s got a plan to create 10 million good clean energy jobs and fight climate change and a secure environmental justice, something that’s relevant to Flint, Michigan. You know something about that. He’ll pay for his plans by rolling back Trump’s tax cuts for billionaires.

President Barack Obama: (22:14)
This is important. Joe sees this moment not to get back to where we were, but to build on the progress we made together and finally make long overdue changes so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody, for the waitress trying to raise a kid on her own, for the student figuring out how to pay for next semester’s classes or the shift worker always on the edge of getting laid off or the cancer survivor who’s worried that her preexisting conditions protections will be taken away.

President Barack Obama: (22:51)
Let’s talk about healthcare for a second. Let’s talk about healthcare for a second. Republicans love to say right before an election that they’ll protect your preexisting conditions. That’s what they say. Well, you know what? Joe and I actually protected them 10 years ago with the Affordable Care Act, and since we did so with no help from Republicans, no votes from Republicans, Republicans have tried to repeal or undermine the ACA more than 60 times. 60 times they’ve tried to take people’s healthcare away.

President Barack Obama: (23:35)
When asked, “Why are you doing that? Why are you being so mean? You don’t think these people should have healthcare.” They say, “No, no, no, no. We’ve got a new plan. It’s going to be beautiful. It’s going to be terrific,” except it’s been 10 years now, and they still don’t have a plan. They’re trying to bamboozle you. Instead of actually coming up with a plan, they’ve attacked the ACA at every turn. They’ve driven up costs. They’ve driven up the number of uninsured.

President Barack Obama: (24:10)
Now they’re trying to get the Supreme Court to take your healthcare away in the middle of a pandemic right at the time when people need healthcare. They’re signed onto a case right now in the Supreme Court where they’re trying to take insurance away from folks who need it with nothing but empty promises to take its place. Now Mitch McConnell is pouring millions of outside super PAC dollars into Michigan to try to beat Gary Peters because that’s part of their agenda.

President Barack Obama: (24:46)
Michigan, here is the truth: Joe and Kamala and Gary will protect your healthcare, they will expand Medicare, they will make insurance more affordable for everybody. The reason you know that’s true is because they were there when we did it the first time. Here’s another thing with Joe and Kamala at the helm. This is a big benefit. Michelle and I were talking about this over dinner the other day. You’re not going to have to think about them every day. You’re not going to have to argue with your family about them every day. It won’t be so exhausting. You’ll be able to get on with your lives knowing that the president is not going to suggest we inject bleach as a possible cure of COVID. You won’t have to find out… You won’t wake up in the morning, open your phone, “Oh, news flash: The president retweeted conspiracy theories. The Navy SEALs then actually kill Bin Laden.”

President Barack Obama: (25:59)
You’re not going to have a president who goes out of his way to insult people just because they don’t support him. This is not normal behavior, people. We would not tolerate it from a teacher or a coach or a coworker or a family member. If a neighbor was acting like this, you’d stay away from that neighbor. Why would we accept it from the president of the United States? You know what? There are consequences to this action. There are consequences to his actions. This is not just a joke. It’s not funny. Those actions embolden other people to be mean and divisive and racist and a phrase of the fabric of all of our lives and it affects how our children see the world and how they treat each other. It affects the way our families get along. It affects the way the world sees America.

President Barack Obama: (27:03)
That’s why Joe talks about the soul of America. That’s why he talks about decency and kindness and responsibility and hard work. That more than anything is what separates Joe Biden from his opponent. He actually cares about every American. He does not have a mean-spirited bone in his body. I have seen him. Spent time with people, strangers that he doesn’t know when he hears about… they’re going through a hardship, he talks about what he’s gone through. When he sees a kid, his eyes light up because he thinks about his own kids and grandkids.

President Barack Obama: (27:50)
Joe Biden tries to live the values we cherish: honesty, hard work, kindness, humility, responsibility, helping somebody else out. That used to be the definition of manliness, not strutting and showing off, acting important, bullying people. Used to be being a man meant taking care of other people, not going around bragging, but just doing the work, not looking for credit, trying to live right, passing on those values to your kids, looking out for a community, carrying your weight, giving up a little bit of what you might have to help somebody who has a real need.

President Barack Obama: (28:50)
When you elect Joe, that’s what you’ll see reflected from the White House. Those shouldn’t be Republican or Democratic values. They didn’t used to be. They’re what we grew up learning from our parents and from our grandparents, and they’re the values we still try to teach our kids. They’re not white or black or Hispanic or Asian or Native American values. They’re American values. We’ve got to reclaim them right now, but to reclaim them, we’re going to have to turn out like never before.

President Barack Obama: (29:25)
If we’re going to reclaim those values, we need to leave no doubt. We can’t afford to be complacent. Not this time. Not in this election. We got a little complacent the last election. Listen, I understand why Americans get frustrated and sometimes think government’s not going to make a difference, voting’s not going to make a difference. I understand that government’s not perfect. The people in government are not perfect, even when it’s working. Government’s not going to solve every problem. But we can make things better. A-

President Barack Obama: (30:03)
But we can make things better. A president can’t, by himself, solve every challenge facing the economy here in Flint or Michigan. But if we elect people like Gary Peters and Dan Kildee, and we get a House and a Senate joined with a White House that are more focused on working people and getting you the help that you need, they will make a difference. And some folks will get jobs that wouldn’t have otherwise had jobs, and some folks will have healthcare that wouldn’t otherwise have healthcare. A president by himself can’t eliminate all racial bias in our criminal justice system. But if we elect district attorneys and state’s attorneys and sheriffs focused on equality and justice, and we once again have a Justice Department and a Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department that cares about these issues, we can make things better.

President Barack Obama: (30:58)
And that’s what voting’s about, not making things perfect, but making things better. It puts us on a track so that generations from now, we can look back and say, “You know what? Right about then, things started getting better again.” The fact that you don’t get a hundred percent of what you want right away, that’s not a good reason to vote. You just got to keep at it. You know, typically just over 50% of us vote who are eligible. Think about that. Almost half of the people in most elections who are eligible to vote, don’t vote. Imagine if 60% of us voted. Imagine if 70% of us voted. Imagine January 20th, when we swear in a president and vice president who’s got a plan to get us out of this mess, who care about folks like you, who’ve been in your shoes, who know what it’s like to struggle, who know what it’s like to have to work hard, who are thinking about working Americans and have a plan to help you start getting ahead…

President Barack Obama: (32:06)
Imagine what’s going to be like to have a president and a vice president who believe in science, and who have a plan to protect this planet for our children, and who believe in racial equality, and are sending a clear signal that we’re all in this together, and are doing the work to bring us closer so that we have an America where no matter what we look like, where we come from, who we love, or how much money we’ve got, we can make it, and we have a place, and we’re treated with dignity and respect. Michigan, that’s what’s possible. And I’m asking you to remember that it’s possible. I want you to remember what this country can be, but you can’t just imagine a better future. You can’t just wish for it. You’ve got to fight for it. You’ve got to fight for it. We got to out-hustle the other side.

President Barack Obama: (33:02)
We got to vote up and down the ticket like never before, right here in Michigan and all across the country. We’ve got to leave no doubt about who we are and what this country stands for. And if we do, we will send Gary Peters back to the Senate, and we will elect a man who loves this country and who cares about you and who will fight for every single one of us. And we’ll look out, not just for folks who support him, but even the folks who don’t. My friend, the next president of the United States of America, Joe Biden. Joe Biden. Joe Biden. Honk if you’re fired up. Honk if you are ready to go. Joe Biden.

Joe Biden: (34:31)
Hello, Flint. Mr. President, thank you, thank you, thank you. It kind of reminds you how good it can be listening to him, doesn’t it? As my mother would say about Barack, “God love him. He’s a good man.” Folks, it’s good to be back with friends. [inaudible 00:04:54], Governor Whitmer, Lt. Governor Gilchrist, Debbie Stabenow, my good buddy Gary Peters, who you are going to send back to the United States Senate, because I’m going to need him. We can always count on him to be your Senator for you and your family. And my good friend, Congressman Dan Kildee, who we need to send back to the House. Dan’s a good man, a good man. And of course I wish we could figure out how to send back a guy who…

Joe Biden: (35:24)
We used to have an expression up in Scranton. We’d say when someone wasn’t somebody else’s equal, we’d say, “He wasn’t a patch on his jeans.” I tell you what, Mr. President, you’re still driving him crazy because he knows he wasn’t a patch on your jeans. I tell you what, Barack Obama, it’s great to be with the president again. It reminds me what we can be when you have a president of character, a president respected around the world, a president our kids looked up to and did look up to. I want to say something we don’t say often enough, and I mean this on the bottom of my heart. Barack Obama was a great president of the United States of America.

Joe Biden: (36:12)
And I want to make sure we say it here today. Mr. President, thank you, thank you, thank you. Went through eight years without one single trace of scandal, not one single trace of scandal. It’s going to be nice to return to that. Flint, three days. Three days. We can put an end to this presidency we have now that has divided the nation. Three days. We can put end to a presidency that has failed to protect this nation. Three days. We can put an end to this presidency that has fanned the flames of hate all across this nation and made us a laughingstock around the world. Millions of Americans have already voted. Millions more are voting today, tomorrow, and God willing, all the way through to the close of the polls on Tuesday. And my message is simple. The power to change the country is, not figuratively, it is literally in your hands.

Joe Biden: (37:22)
I don’t care how hard Donald Trump tries. There’s nothing, let me say that again, there’s nothing that he can do to stop the people of this nation from voting in overwhelming numbers and taking back this democracy. And when Americans vote, no matter how many threats he makes, America will be heard. When America’s heard, I believe the message is going to be loud, and it’s going to be clear. It’s time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home.

Joe Biden: (37:59)
We’re done with the chaos, the tweets, the anger, the hate, the failure, refusing to take any responsibility. We’ve got a lot of work to do, got a lot of work to do. If I’m elected your president, we’re going to do it. We’re going to act. We’re going to need your help in doing it as well. We’re going to act to get COVID under control. On day one of my presidency, I’ll put in action a plan I’ve been talking about for months, already laid out, a national mandate. Mask wearing, social distancing, testing, tracing, all things, as President Obama just said, that should have and could have been put in place months and months ago. A plan for a full and fair, and free, I might add, distribution of therapeutics and vaccines when we get one.

Joe Biden: (38:54)
Imagine where we’d be if we had a president of wore a mask instead of mocking it. I can tell you this. We wouldn’t have 9 million confirmed cases of COVID in this nation, over 230,000 deaths. We wouldn’t be seeing a new record of cases we’re seeing right now. 90,000 cases yesterday. 90,000 new cases. By the way, 500,000 in just the past week. This guy tells us it’s going away. [inaudible 00:39:30] if he goes away. Folks, we wouldn’t be facing another 200,000 deaths in the next few months. This president knew in January the virus was deadly, and trying to improve his image. He tried to talk to Bob Woodward. He thought he could change his mind, but what he did, he let it be known all the way back in January, he knew how dangerous this pandemic was. And he hid it from the American people.

Joe Biden: (40:05)
He knew it was worse than the flu, but he lied to the American people. He knew it wasn’t going to disappear, but he kept telling us a miracle is coming. And yesterday, he had the gall to suggest that American doctors, people who are putting their lives on the line, on the front lines to save other lives, along with nurses and so many others, he suggested falsely that they’re inflating the number of COVID deaths to make more money. What in the hell is wrong with this man? Excuse my language, but think about it. It’s perverted.

Joe Biden: (40:49)
He may believe it because he doesn’t do anything other than for money. People of this nation have suffered and sacrificed for nine months, none moreso than the doctors in the front lines and healthcare workers. And this president is questioning their character, their integrity, their commitment to their fellow Americans. It’s more than offensive. It’s a disgrace, especially coming from a president who was waved the white flag of surrender to this virus. Our frontline health workers, they’ve given their all to beat the virus. We have a president who’s just given up. I will never raise the white flag of surrender. We’re going to beat this virus, and we’re going to get it under control. And the first step to doing that is beating Donald Trump.

Joe Biden: (41:43)
Look, Donald Trump keeps telling us what a great job he’s done as president. Oh, man. Well, did you know President Obama and I, as he pointed out, created more jobs in the last three years of our administration that he did in the first three years before the pandemic? How about this? Or did you know Donald Trump’s going to be the first president in nine years who’s going to finish his term with fewer jobs under his leadership than when he started? Look, that’s a lot of presidents. That’s a lot of crises, but only Donald Trump is going to have fewer jobs at the end of his presidency than when he started. You see, I and Barack understands something Donald Trump doesn’t. Wall Street didn’t build this country, you did. Working people built this country, and unions built the middle class.

Joe Biden: (42:52)
He’s done nothing but wage war on American labor. I see the UAW sign out there, first outfit ever endorsed me when I was a 29 year old kid. God love you. Look, we have a different view. We believe we should be rewarding work, not wealth, in this country. Under my plan, if you make less than $400,000 a year, you’re not going to pay a penny in additional taxes. But the wealthiest people, the biggest corporations… 91 of the fortune 500 companies paid zero in federal income tax last year. They’re going to start to pay their fair share. The super wealthy are going to pay the same rate they paid at the beginning of George Bush’s administration, and corporations are going to start to pay their fair share. Why should a firefighter, an educator, a nurse pay at a higher tax rate than someone making literally a billion dollars? Or should you? Why should you pay more taxes than Donald Trump? He paid $750 in taxes, the one year we know of. I released 22 years of my tax returns. You can go online and look. He hasn’t released one. He talks about corruption. What is he hiding? He owes $41 million out there. Who’s he owe it to? If you notice, he’s the only president I know of that has secret bank account in China, paid 50 times more taxes in Beijing than he’s paid in the United States, and this guy talks about corruption. Look, we’re also going to act to protect healthcare. Trump and the Republicans just jammed through a Supreme Court nominee for one overwhelming reason. As Barack said-

Joe Biden: (45:03)
For one overwhelming reason. As Barack said, the president said, we have been, they have been trying over 50 shots to take out Obamacare, destroy the Affordable Care Act, but they’re going to be in court. I believe it’s seven days after the election. Win or lose, they’re going to be in court. If they get their way a hundred million Americans will lose protections for preexisting conditions, including more than 4 million Michiganders. Donald Trump thinks healthcare is a privilege. Barack and I think it’s a right for people to have [inaudible 00:45:44] healthcare. We’re not only going to store Obamacare, we’re going to build on it. We’re going to keep your private insurance if you like it, and you can choose a Medicare like public option, if you don’t, we’re going to increase subsidies to lower your premiums and deductibles. Out of pocket spending, reduce prescription drug costs by 60%. Look, we’re going to make sure you keep the protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Joe Biden: (46:11)
Meanwhile, Donald Trump laid out what he’s going to do in his second term, if he’s elected to [Social 00:46:17] Security. The actuary at the Social Security Administration says if he gets that plan passed, it will quote, bankrupt Social Security by 2023, something millions of Americans live on, paid for their whole life. When I said back six years ago, as Debbie will tell you, when I said the Republicans are going to try to eliminate Medicare, everybody said, “Nah, that’s crazy.” First thing Paul Ryan and Republicans in the Congress did, was cry to cut billions of dollars out of Medicare. These guys mean what they say. I’m going to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, because there’s a lifeline for so many hard working folks.

Joe Biden: (47:10)
But folks I have to admit to you, it’s kind of personal with me. There’s nothing worse that this president has done in my view, than the way he speaks about our women and men in uniform, and those who have given their lives. He called them losers and suckers. My son, Beau, was a major in the United States Army, gave up the Attorney General’s job and petition to be able to go with his unit to Iraq for one solid year. After his US attorney, being in Kosovo, I might add I’m going to be a typical dad, he’s the only foreigner in Kosovo that has a 12 foot memorial dedicated to him.

Joe Biden: (48:04)
The major highway they built, the Beau Biden Highway because of his commitment. My son came home with a bronze star that could speak with his service but like so many others before he passed away. But guess what? He wasn’t a sucker. He wasn’t a loser, nor any of you who served, you’re patriots. And just like all of your sons and daughters, your parents or grandparents who serve. The president likes to portray himself, I love this, likes to portray himself as a tough guy.

Joe Biden: (48:40)
When you’re in high school, wouldn’t you have liked to take the shot? Anyway, that’s a different story, but anyway, a macho man, but when’s the last time you read about, saw or heard about a president of United States, literally be laughed at by world leaders when he spoke to the United Nations, laughed at out loud. When’s the last time you saw a president of United States being openly mocked by the leaders of NATO at a NATO conference? And can you believe we have a president who acts like Vladimir Putin’s puppy. Putin put boundaries out in the heads of American soldiers, serving in Iraq. And Trump was too scared to challenge him. Talk to him six time he’s never mentioned it. Trump’s not strong, he’s weak. He commands little respect to the international stage. This is the president who not only doesn’t understand sacrifice, you don’t understand courage, physical courage it takes to serve in uniform in a war zone.

Joe Biden: (49:49)
Maybe that’s why six generals and admirals who worked for him left his administration and said he was unfit to command, be commander in chief. When’s is the last time any president has had that happen? Tough guy. That’s why [Joy’s 00:50:07] special operations’ commander, General Stanley McChrystal. That’s why head of the Navy Seals, the one who saw the rate of Bin Laden, Admiral Bill McRaven, and 22 other four-stars have endorsed me say they support me to be their next commander in chief because like Obama and Bush and before him, they know we respect them, we support them.

Joe Biden: (50:34)
I’ve been in and out of war zones as Senator and vice-president over 35 times. I tell you what, these folks we have, only 1% of the country is in the military. We owe them, they’re the backbone, they’re the sinew, they’re the heart of who we are. That’s why we have to support our military and get rid of Trump. Folks, I want to tell you something, think about this. This is a guy who says there’s no such thing as climate change, he calls it a hoax. I see it as jobs, health, and safety. The impacts on climate are too often fall disproportionately on poor communities and communities of color. We’re going to make sure communities benefit from the hundreds of billions of federal investment in infrastructure and climate change. We’re going to do as a consequence of the change in the structure.

Joe Biden: (51:52)
We’re going to create local jobs to rebuild roads, fill sidewalk cracks, install broadband, create spaces to live, work, and play safely, to modernize infrastructure so you can turn on the faucet and clean water comes out. And when that happened in Flint will never happen again, anywhere in America. We can and must do this. Donald Trump has rolled back more than 100 environmental protection laws, many inactive under Barack and me. It’s also a host polluter, I’ll call polluters accountable with the most ambitious environmental justice agenda ever. Folks, we’re going to act to deliver on racial justice in America. Protesting is not burning or loading. Violent acts cannot be tolerated and it won’t, but these protestors is a cry for justice, the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake will not soon be forgotten. They’re going to inspire a new wave of justice in America. America has had their eyes opened up, they’re ready. Look, I believe this country has to come together.

Joe Biden: (53:05)
I know when I announced well over a year ago, when I said I wanted to unite the country, everybody said, “That’s naive. That was a long time ago. You did it before Biden, but you can’t do it again.” Oh, we can and we must, we have no choice. That’s how democracies work. I’m running as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American president, I’ll work as hard for those who don’t support me as those who do. That’s the job of a president. It’s a duty to care, duty to care for everyone. So please vote, you still have an absentee ballot. Get it to a drop box as soon as you can. You could also safely vote earlier until Monday afternoon, or you can vote on Election Day, just make a plan, help get out the vote. As you’s heard this 10 times already, visit, iwillvote.com/mi. Folks, we have such an incredible opportunity.

Speaker 2: (54:11)
We’re voting for you.

Joe Biden: (54:13)
Well, God love you. Thank you very much, but here’s the deal guys. We got to vote up and down the ticket here. I honest to God believe, I give you my word as a Biden. I honest to God believe we’re in the cusp, we’re in an inflection point, we have a chance to make such enormous progress because the American people have seen what the other looks like. They’ve gotten a glimpse of the abyss. I really mean it, they’re ready. They’re ready to change so much. I’ll never forget what president Kennedy said when he promised to send us to the moon.

Joe Biden: (54:54)
He used the phrase that has guided me. He said, ” We’re doing it because quote, we refuse to postpone.” Well, I refuse to postpone the incredible opportunities to the United States of America for the American people. There is nothing beyond our capacity. There is no limit to America’s future. The only thing that can tear America apart is America itself. And that’s exactly what Donald Trump has been doing from the beginning of this campaign, divided America, pinning Americans against one another based on race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, it’s wrong. It’s not American, that’s not who we are. Folks, everybody knows who Donald Trump is. Let’s keep showing them who we are. We choose hope over fear. We choose unity over division. We choose science over fiction and yes, we choose truth over lies.

Joe Biden: (56:06)
My fellow Americans it’s time for us to stand back and stand up and take back our democracy. We can do this, we’re so much better than we’ve been. We can be what we are at our best. The United States of America. God bless you all. And may God protect our troops. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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