Remarks by the Vice President at a Campaign Event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, Philly! (Applause.) Hey, Philly! (Inaudible.) Hey, Philly! (Applause.) Oh, I love this city. I just love this City of Brotherly Love. (Laughs.) (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: MVP! MVP! MVP!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: We're doing this.

We need a medic. We need a medic. We need a medic. We need a medic. Sounds like we need a medic.

AUDIENCE: MVP! MVP! MVP!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.

Well, hold on, everybody. Le- — hold on. Just a p- — let's — we need a medic over there. Do we have somebody r- –part the way. So, we got a medic over there. Okay? All right.

That's what we do. We look out for each other. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We're not going back! (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: You got that right.

Are we good?

Hold on. Let's just make sure that's handled.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Philly loves you, Kamala! (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: All right. Do we have a medic over there? Okay. Let's — let's handle that first. I have time. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Are we getting a medic over there? We good? We good?

Okay. All right.

Hey, Philly, it's good to be back. (Applause.) It's good to be back. And can we hear it for Coach Butler? (Applause.) Thank you.

So, Philly, I've got a question for you: Are you ready to do this? (Applause.) Are we gonna do this? (Applause.) Yes! Are we ready to vote? (Applause.) Are we ready to win? (Applause.)

It's good to be back. (Applause.) (Laughs.)

So, I want to thank all the incredible leaders who are here. I want to start with Mayor Parker. Where are you, Mayor? (Applause.) A phenomenal leader. She has been an extraordinary friend.

Speaker McClinton, thank you. (Applause.) Representatives Dean and Scanlon, thank you. (Applause.) And let's send Bob Casey back to the United States Senate. (Applause.)

And to all the community and elected leaders here, I thank you. I had a chance to visit with many of you this afternoon. I thank you for the leadership you provide in so many ways.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!

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

So, to everyone here, I thank you. I thank you, because you have taken time this afternoon, this Sunday afternoon, out of your busy lives, for us to all be here together under one roof to make the point that we are all in this together. (Applause.) We are all in this together.

And we are all here together because we also understand how high the stakes are at this very moment.

Philly, we've got nine days — nine days — nine days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. And we know this is going to be a tight race until the very end, so we have a lot of work ahead of us. 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. We will win. We will win. We will win. (Applause.)

And we will win because here's how I think about it: When you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. (Applause.) And this election is about two extremely different visions for our nation: one, Donald Trump's, who is focused on the past and himself —

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

AUDIENCE: We're not going back! We're not going back! We're not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: We are not going back.

AUDIENCE: We're not going back! We're not going back! We're not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And here's why — here's why: Because we — because we are focused on the future, and we are focused on the needs of the American people, as opposed to a Donald Trump, who spends full time looking in the mirror, focused on himself. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, you know what? Hold — hold on a second. Listen — no, hold on. Hold on. Let's — I want to talk about Gaza for a minute. I want to talk about Gaza for a minute. Okay?

We can and we must seize this opportunity to end this war and bring the hostages home. (Applause.) And I will do everything in my power to meet that end. (Applause.)

And we are here because we are fighting for our democracy — (applause) — and we respect the voices of all people — (applause) — and we've got a job to do in the next nine days to fight for this da- — democracy we love. (Applause.) Nine days.

And we understand we have an opportunity before us to turn the page on the fear and the divisiveness that have characterized our politics for a decade because of Donald Trump. We have the ability to turn the page on that same old, tired playbook, because we are exhausted with it — (applause) — and we are ready to chart a new way forward.

And, yes, we will be joyful in the process. (Applause.) Yes, we like to laugh. (Applause.) Yes, we know that when you care about the people and you understand what you are fighting for, there is joy in that fight, and that is why we are all in this together. (Applause.)

We are fighting for a future of our nation where we tap into the ambitions and the aspirations and the dreams of the American people. We are a new generation of leadership that is optimistic and excited about what our nation can do together. (Applause.)

And the great thing about living in a democracy, as long as we keep it, is that we the people have the power to choose the direction of our country and its leadership. The power is with the people. (Applause.)

And from the beginning, our campaign has been about building coalitions and building community. Look, over the next nine days, like I said, we are going to win. That is our highest order. But through that process, to all the friends here, I say: Let's be intentional about building community. Let's be intentional about building coalitions. (Applause.) Let's be intentional about understanding we all have so much more in common than what separates us. We will be the better for it. (Applause.)

That's what our campaign is about, because we know we are all in this together. We have so much more in common than what separates us. And we are going to fight for the country we love. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and that is why we are all here together, because we love our country. (Applause.) We love our country. And you got to fight for the thing you love. You got to fight for the thing you love.

And I do believe it is one of the highest forms of patriotism, the expression of the love of our country, to then fight for its ideals. It is the highest form of patriotism, and one of the most powerful ways we do that is with our vote. (Applause.)

So — all right. So, everybody is here because you're prepared to do the work. So, here we are. From now until election day, we are going to get out the vote here in Pennsylvania. (Applause.)

And if you'll give me a minute, I really right now want to speak to the young leaders who are here. Is Gen Z in the house? (Applause.) Who in — who is voting for their first time in their first election? (Applause.) All right.

Now, here's the thing I love about you young leaders. You know, you are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.) You are rightly impatient.

You, who have only known the climate crisis — you are leaders in what we need to do to protect our planet. (Applause.)

You, who grew up with active shooter drills — you know what we have to do to fight for safety in our schools. (Applause.)

You, who right now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, understand the importance of fighting for the right of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do. (Applause.)

And this is why I love you, the young leaders who are here, because, for you, this is not theoretical. This is not political. This is not about some debate. It is about your lived experience. And you are here — and I see you because I see your power — and you are here because you know your power. And I am so proud of you. (Applause.)

And, everyone, let us applaud our young leaders, our first-time voters. (Applause.) Let's applaud them. Let's applaud them. Let's applaud them. (Applause.)

So, Philly, we have nine days — nine days to get this done. And for the next nine days, no one can sit on the sidelines.

AUDIENCE: No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: There is too much on the line, and we must not wake up the day after the election and have any regrets about what we could have done in these next nine days. So, let's spend these next nine days knowing we did everything we could; that we connected with each other, with our neighbors; that we went up to perfect strangers in the grocery store and said, "You know what? I see you."

Let's — let's approach this moment in a way that in the face of a stranger, we see a neighbor. And let's talk with each other about what we have in common. (Applause.) Let's build community. And let's knock on doors. Let's text and call potential voters. (Applause.) Let's reach out to our family and our friends and our classmates and our neighbors. (Applause.) Tell them about the stakes in this election, and tell them about their power.

So, we are going to get folks to the polls, and we are going to make our voices heard. (Applause.)

And let's give folks some important information. Election Day — we — let's start with the basics. (Laughter.) Okay?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th. (Laughter and applause.) I'm serious. Everybody is busy. Let's start with that.

Let folks know you can vote then or you can vote early from today through Tuesday, October 29th. That's two days from now. So, now is the time to vote early. Get it done tomorrow if you can. Go to IWillVote.com if you need information about where you vote.

And if you have received your ballot in the mail, do not wait. Fill it out today. (Applause.) Because the election is here, and the choice, Philly, is truly in your hands. The path to victory runs right through all the leaders who are here — (applause) — who — all of you. And your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power.

So, today, Philadelphia, 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. God bless the United States of America. God bless you. (Applause.) Thank you all.