Remarks by the Vice President at a Campaign Event in Reno, Nevada

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hello, Nevada. (Applause.) We're doing this. Happy Nevada Day! (Applause.)

And can we please hear it for Michon? (Applause.)

Oh, it's good to be back. (Applause.) Oh, it's good to be back. Oh, it's good to be back.

It's — I have spent a lot of time in Reno over the years, and it is so good to be back in Reno. Are we ready to do this? (Applause.)

Are we ready to vote? (Applause.)

Are we ready to win? (Applause.)

Yes. It is so good to be back and with so many incredible leaders. And I want to just start by thanking everyone here for taking time out of your busy lives to be here this afternoon for us to celebrate — (applause) — to celebrate each other and community. And I thank you, everyone.

I want to thank my dear, dear friend, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. (Applause.) As you know, we were AGs together. I was in California; she was here. We were fighting the good fight, arm in arm, always together.

I want to thank Mayor Schieve — (applause); DNC

chair, Jaime Harrison — (applause); Michael Gordon with LiUNA Local 169 — (applause); and, Nevada, please send Jacky Rosen back to the United States Senate. (Applause.)

And to all the Tribal elected and community leaders with us today — (applause) — I thank you. I thank you. I thank you.

So, Reno, tomorrow — well, by the way, Happy Halloween. (Laughs.) (Applause.)

So, tomorrow, Friday, November 1st, is the last day to vote early in person. And if you are voting by mail, please do not wait. Sign the envelope and return your ballot today. Your ballot must be returned to a drop box or postmarked by Election Day, next Tuesday, November 5th. So, please help get the word out and ask people to go to IWillVote.com if they're not sure. (Applause.) Let's spread the word.

And we need you to vote, Nevada. You are going to make the difference in the outcome of this election. And I thank you. I thank you. (Applause.)

So, okay, we got some work to do. Okay, we have five days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime. And we do have work to do.

But here's the thing I know about everybody here: We like hard work. (Applause.) Hard work is good work. Hard work is joyful work. (Applause.) And make no mistake: We will win. We will win. (Applause.) We will win.

And one of the reasons we will win is because I know who the folks are here. I know who you are. And here's the thing about all of us: We know that when you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. (Applause.) You know what to fight for.

And we know we have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other. We're done with that. (Applause.) We're exhausted by it. We're done with that. We're done with it.

And, Reno, this is the thing. We know that this is not who we are. 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. (Applause.)

And, Nevada — (applause) — we're going to —

AUDIENCE: (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) All right. Okay, okay. We got work to do. We got work to do.

So, listen — but let me say this. And a lot of folks here know: I am not afraid of tough fights. For decades, as a prosecutor and as a top law enforcement officer of the — of the first cousin of Nevada, California — (laughter) — I won fights.

I won fights with Catherine against the big banks that ripped off homeowners — (applause); against for profit colleges that scammed veterans and students — (applause); against predators who harmed women and children; against the cartels that trafficked in guns and drugs and human beings.

And it is my pledge to you that 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 of fighting for you — (applause) — for the people.

And, look, we know who Donald Trump is —

AUDIENCE: Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT: — because we all know he is not someone who is thinking about how to make your life better. And this is someone who is increasingly unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and he's out for unchecked power. And in less than 90 days, either he or I will be sitting in the Oval Office. (Applause.)

And, listen, here's what we can imagine, right? We've all seen on TV — you've seen the Oval Office. But here's the thing. Just — we have to get the word out to help people even just visually imagine what that day will be, because if elected, Donald Trump, on day one, would walk into that office with an enemies list. When I am elected, I will walk in with a to-do list — (applause) — on behalf of you.

And at the top of my list is bringing down your cost of living. That will be my focus every single day as president. (Applause.) I will give a middle-class tax cut to over 100 million Americans, enact — enact the first-ever federal ban on corporate price gouging on groceries. (Applause.) I've taken on that issue before. I'll take it on again.

I will make housing more affordable by building more homes and taking on corporate landlords who unfairly buy up all these properties and jack up rents. (Applause.)

We will fight for working families by raising the minimum wage and eliminating taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers. (Applause.)

And if you're caring for an elderly parent — I took care of my mother when she was sick. Listen, this is personal for me, as so many of these issues. If you are taking care of an elderly parent, my plan will cover the cost of home health care for seniors with Medicare — (applause) — so you don't have to deplete whatever savings you've got to qualify for Medicaid.

It's just about dignity so that seniors can stay in their homes and you can be able to do all that you need to do — especially if any of you are in the sandwich generation, raising young kids while you're taking care of your parents. It's just about dignity. (Applause.)

My plan will lower the cost of childcare. Same point: We will also cut taxes for small businesses. Can I see the small-business owners who are here? (Applause.) Oh, I love our small businesses.

And we will lower health care costs, because here's where I come from. I believe that health care should be a right — (applause) — and not just a privilege of those who can afford it.

So, this is about values, right? How do you think about what people need to live with dignity, to live where they are able to work and know that it actually means something that is not just about getting by but getting ahead?

On the other hand, Donald Trump's answer to the financial pressures you face is the same as it was the last time: another trillion dollars in tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations.

AUDIENCE: Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And this time, he will pay for it with a 20 percent national sales tax on everything you buy that is imported. Just imagine — on clothes, food, toys, cell phones, — a Trump sales tax that economists have measured will cost you, on average, an additional $4,000 a year.

AUDIENCE: Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And on top of that, Donald Trump still wants to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

AUDIENCE: Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And he has a very powerful friend in Congress, the speaker of the House — who recently, if you noticed, said that there will be a, quote, end to Obamacare. The words used were "no Obamacare," which, if he were to get his way, if Trump wins, means they would throw millions of Americans off of health insurance and take us back — which would take us back to when, you'll remember, insurance companies had the ability to deny people with preexisting conditions.

AUDIENCE: Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT: But, Nevada, we are not —

AUDIENCE: Not going back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: — going back. We are not going back. (Applause.) 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 are not going back. We're 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. And we are not going back because ours — ours is a fight for the future. (Applause.) And ours is a fight for freedom — (applause) — like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body — (applause) — and not have her government tell her what to do.

And we all remember how we got here. Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe versus Wade. They did. And now one in three women in America lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban, many with no exceptions for rape or incest.

(A protestor disruption can be heard.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know what? Let me say something about this. We're here because we're fighting for a democracy. (Applause.) Fighting for a democracy.

And understand the difference here. Understand the difference here, moving forward — moving forward. Understand the difference here.

What we are looking at is a difference in this election. Let's move forward and see where we are. Because on the issue, for example, of freedom of choice —

(A protestor disruption can be heard.)

AUDIENCE: Kamala! Kamala! Kamala!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's okay. That's okay. That's all right. That's all right. That's okay. That's all right. You know what? Democracy can be complicated sometimes. (Applause.) It's okay.

We're fighting for the right for people to be heard and not jailed because they speak their mind. (Applause.) We know what's at stake.

And on the issue of freedom, listen, Donald Trump is not done. Did anybody hear what he had to say just yesterday? And I'll tell you, it was outrageous.

So, he said on the issue of freedom of choice — reproductive freedom — he said that he will do what he wants. Because, quote, he — this is his perspective, he will do it "whether the women like it or not." "Whether the women like it or not."

AUDIENCE: Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Can you imagine? And this is not the first time he has told us he does not believe women should have authority or agency over their own bodies.

AUDIENCE: Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT: This is the same person who said that women should be punished for their choices, and what we know is we — we know what we are seeing. This is someone who simply does not respect the freedom of women or the intelligence of women to make decisions about their own lives.

And we know that what he has planned includes a national abortion ban, restricting access to birth control, putting IVF treatments at risk, and forcing states to monitor women's pregnancies.

You don't have to take my word for it. Google Project 2025.

AUDIENCE: Booo —

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Read the plans for yourselves.

And I know we all know that one does not have to abandon their faith or reasonably held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling her what to do with her body. (Applause.)

So, Nevada, to protect your right to make your own health care decisions, vote yes on Question 6. (Applause.) And make sure you vote up and down the ballot to truly protect that right. (Applause.)

And I will tell you, when Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. (Applause.) Proudly. Proudly.

So, Nevada, I am here asking for your vote. (Applause.) I am asking for your vote. And here is my pledge to you —

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We've got your back!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And — and I've got your back. (Laughs.) (Applause.)

As president, I pledge to you to seek common ground and commonsense solutions to the challenges you face. (Applause.) I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress. (Applause.)

And I pledge to listen to experts, to listen to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make, and to listen to people who disagree with me — (applause) — because that's what real leaders do. That's what real leaders do.

And unlike Donald Trump, I don't believe that the people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I'll give them a seat at the table. (Applause.) That's what leadership looks like.

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

So, it all comes down to this. We are all here together — and, again, you are taking this time to be here — because we love our country. 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, of our expression of our love for our country, to then fight for the ideals of our country and to fight to realize the promise of America.

And I'm going to tell you, I have always believed in our nation's promise, because I have lived it. I grew up a child of the Civil Rights Movement. My parents would take me to marches when I was in a stroller. And at those places, people from all walks of life came together to fight for the ideals of freedom and opportunity.

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

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

I've lived the promise of America, and I see the promise of America in everyone here. (Applause.) It is in all of us. It is in all of us. It is in all of us.

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

I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time. (Applause.) Right? And I'll tell you what I love about this generation, Gen Z — I'm going to shout you out. (Laughs.) (Applause.)

Let me tell you, what I love about you all, you leaders, you young leaders, is you are rightly impatient for change. (Applause.) I love that about you. You are determined to live free from gun violence, to take on the climate crisis, to shape the world that you inherit. (Applause.) I love that about you.

And for them, I say to everybody else, look, none of this is theoretical. This, for them, is a lived experience. It's not political. It's what they're living.

And to the young leaders, and I say, I see you, I believe in you, and I see your power. You are so powerful. And I would just ask, can we give it up for the first-time voters who are in the house? Can we? (Applause.)

Right. See, I'm telling you: Our future is bright. You just have to see it in front of you. The future of our country is bright.

And so, to the people of Nevada, look, you are "Battle Born." (Applause.) And we are ready for the hard work ahead.

We have five days to get it done. And so, look, nobody can sit on the sidelines. Let's spend the next five days so that when we look back on these days, we have no regrets. And let us make sure that we are knocking on doors; that we are texting folks, calling folks, reaching out to family and friends and classmates and neighbors and coworkers.

And as we do — I have a request: As we do, please let's be intentional about building community. And let's be intentional about building coalitions.

You know, these last many years, it's had a way of, you know, trying to make people point their fingers at each other, trying to divide us, trying to make people feel alone. So, let us all, in this moment, be intentional about building back up and reminding folks we have so much more in common than what separates us. (Applause.) So much more. So much more.

And so, we all know here: Your vote is your voice, and your voice is your power. (Applause.)

So, today, Nevada, I asked you, then: 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.