Remarks by the Vice President at the Faith in America Tour in Pewaukee, Wisconsin

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, hello, Wisconsin! (Applause.) You all look great. Thanks for coming out today. It is a joy to be with you today and to be with so many great friends, including someone that I admire maybe more than anyone I've met in public life. He served as governor of this great state. He is a national voice for all that we cherish and our conservative values. I know you heard from him today, but will you join me in thanking former Governor Scott Walker for all he's done for the Badger State and the United States? (Applause.)

It's great to be here with him. Great to be here with the great Kellyanne Conway -- (applause) -- an amazing person. Amazing person.

And also, there's two members of Congress here that have just absolutely been stalwarts for our administration every step of the way the last three and a half years. Would you join me in thanking Congressman Glenn Grothman and Congressman Bryan Steil? (Applause.) Great job, guys.

And I also want to thank -- he greeted me at the airport. I was on my way to a School Choice event. And, Governor, I actually learned that his mom was like the original sponsor, 30 years ago, of Wisconsin's historic School Choice program. Join me in thanking for her and for his leadership, Waukesha County Executive, Paul Farrow. Paul, thank you. (Applause.) And thank your mom. What a great family.

But I want to thank all of you for coming out. I just saw the folks in overflow. I thanked them as well. I just want to say it is great to be back in the Badger State as we celebrate faith in America. (Applause.) And I'm here because I have faith in America, and I know that we have faith in the American people's hearts and minds. (Applause.)

And before I begin, after mentioning all these important people, allow me to bring greetings from a friend of mine -- (laughter) -- someone who loves the state of Wisconsin, who

actually is on his way to Arizona to mark the 212th mile in the southern border wall. (Applause.) But he's been a champion of people of faith and of the freedoms that we cherish. And, frankly, when I told him I was headed to Wisconsin -- I was on Air Force Two; he was on Air Force One -- I think he sounded just a little bit jealous. (Laughter.)

So allow me to bring greetings on his behalf and thanks for your support -- past, present, and future -- from the 45th President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump. (Applause.)

And I want to tell you, I'm in Wisconsin today for really one reason and one reason only, and that is that Wisconsin and America need four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House. (Applause.)

You know, like all of you -- and I -- thanks for standing there. That was just great. I can try that one more time. Anybody else here for four more years for President Donald Trump in the White House? (Applause.) That was all you.

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) I love it. You know, like all of you are doing right now, I'm here because I stand with President Donald Trump.

When this President stands up for American jobs and American workers, I stand with President Donald Trump. (Applause.)

When this President stands for law and order and liberty and justice for all Americans, I stand with President Donald Trump. (Applause.)

And when this President stands up for faith and family and life and the American flag, we stand with President Donald Trump. (Applause.) It's true.

You know, four years ago, a movement was born -- a movement made up of everyday Americans from every walk of life. And here, in Wisconsin, you believed we could be strong again. You believed we could be prosperous again. You said yes to President Donald Trump in 2016, and I know that Wisconsin is going to say yes to four more years of President Donald Trump in November of 2020. (Applause.)

And it's because when you look at the record of the last three years, there's only one way you can describe it: It's been three and a half years of action, three and a half years of results. It's been three and a half years of promises made and promises kept. (Applause.)

I mean, think about it: When the President and I were campaigning all across Wisconsin with Governor Walker and all the other great leaders that you have here, he was promising -- he was promising to rebuild our military, to cut taxes for working families and small businesses. We said we'd roll back red tape, we'd unleash American energy, fight for free and fair trade, and that we would stand up for the values that have always made this country great. And on every single promise, President Donald Trump delivered. (Applause.)

I mean, the economic agenda alone, in the first three years, we saw businesses large and small create more than 7 million jobs. And we saw manufacturing come roaring back all across the Heartland. (Applause.)

I mean, remember back when Barack Obama and Joe Biden said that we needed a magic wand to bring manufacturing back?

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, we didn't need a magic wand in those first three years. We just needed President Donald Trump in the White House. Five hundred thousand manufacturing jobs created in the first three years alone. (Applause.) Amazing.

And this economy --

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: There you go.

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: We had a manufacturing renaissance underway. We really did in those first three years. And maybe most important, remember when the President said that he was going to fight for the forgotten men and women of this country?

I mean, the truth was, for many, many years, all across the Heartland, we, frankly, saw that while economies were growing or ebbing and flowing, the one thing that wasn't moving was the income of working families. And this President rolled his sleeves up and we went to work.

And the truth of the matter is that not only were we seeing this economy expand, but we saw wages rising across the board for the American people. And what meant the most to the President and me was wages were rising in our first three years most rapidly for hardworking, blue-collar Americans. (Applause.) The forgotten men and women are forgotten no more. It was working. (Applause.)

And unemployment was setting record lows, and we couldn't be more proud of the fact that, under this administration, in those first three years, we saw the lowest unemployment ever recorded for African Americans and Hispanic Americans. The American Dream is working again for every American. (Applause.)

I mean, the economy alone was on an incredible roll. And then came the worst pandemic in 100 years that struck our country. It's been one of the most challenging times in the history of our country.

But in the midst of that, even before the first coronavirus case was generated in this country, transmitted from one American to another, President Trump took action. He stood up the White House Coronavirus Task Force before January was out. And this President did what no other President had ever done before when he suspended all travel from China into the United States of America. (Applause.)

I mean, the truth is, the President's action, unprecedented as it was, I can tell you firsthand, having led the coronavirus task force since late February, it bought our nation invaluable time to stand up a national response on virtually a wartime footing.

I mean, under the President's leadership, America produced and delivered hundreds of millions of medical supplies to the incredible healthcare workers of this country in all 50 states. And let's hear it for our doctors, our nurses, and all of those that cared for our families. They are amazing Americans and they rose to the challenge. (Applause.)

At the President's direction, we also reinvented testing from a standing start. I mean, literally, when I was tapped to lead the coronavirus task force, using the old model of lab-based testing, we'd only tested about 8,000 Americans for the coronavirus. But because the President brought the private sector together, commercial labs from all across the country, we're testing more than 500,000 Americans every single day. (Applause.)

And we manufactured medical equipment on a wartime footing. I mean, working with great companies like GE Healthcare and General Motors and Ford, we rolled our sleeves up, they repurposed lines, we produced ventilators at an unprecedented rate, and no American who required a ventilator was ever denied a ventilator in the United States. (Applause.)

Under the President's leadership, we met this moment and we're meeting this moment with American compassion, with ingenuity, with courage, and with faith.

And because of the foundation that we laid in this economy, as I stand here today, some 40 states, just like Wisconsin, are opening up again. (Applause.) We're putting Americans back to work.

It's a testament to the resilience of the American people that we see cases that are stable or even declining in 40 states across the country. We have some outbreaks in the South, and we're focusing energy on those. But all 50 states are opening up again. All 50 states are putting America back to work.

And because of the strength and the resilience of the American people after all that we've been through as a nation, it's remarkable to think that, in the month of May alone, we had the largest one-month increase in jobs in American history: 2.5 million jobs created all across America. (Applause.)

You know, the great American comeback has begun, and President Trump is leading the way. (Applause.) It's true.

And under this President's leadership, we built the greatest economy in history, and this President is going to do it again. (Applause.) Now, Joe Biden and the Democrats, they have their plan. Now, remember, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, in their time, presided over the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression. I mean, literally created jobs at a slower pace of any time post-recession nearly in the last 100 years. And back then, just like Joe Biden intends to do right now, their prescription for putting Americans back to work: Joe Biden wants to raise your taxes. Joe Biden wants to roll out an avalanche of regulations.

AUDIENCE: No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Things like the Green New Deal, right?

AUDIENCE: No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He wants to stifle American energy.

AUDIENCE: No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And get back to the old days of economic surrender to China.

AUDIENCE: No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, that's not going to happen because we're going to reelect President Donald Trump for four more years in the White House. (Applause.) We're going to cut taxes, roll back regulation, unleash American energy, and fight for free and fair trade every day. (Applause.) We did it before, and we're going to do it again.

For those -- the economy is just part of the story. You know, I have to tell you, to provide for the common defense is the first object of the federal government, and this President, from early on, has been leading the way. And after years of budget cutbacks that literally saw -- there was a portion of our aircraft in the United States Air Force when we were sworn in on Inauguration Day that were actually grounded so they could use these airplanes as spare parts to keep other planes in the air.

Well, President Donald Trump changed all that. (Applause.) This President has signed the largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan. We've rebuilt our military. We've restored the arsenal of democracy, and we're once again given our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guard the resources and the support that they need to accomplish their mission and come home safe. (Applause.)

And I can tell you, it's a -- it means so much to all of us, I know, to have a President who cares so deeply about the men and women of our armed forces.

You know, I'm your Vice President, but the highest title I'll ever hold is D-A-D. And I'm the proud father of a United States Marine. (Applause.) And I'm the father-in-law of a United States Navy pilot. And I couldn't be more proud to serve with a President who cares about our men and women in uniform and all of our veterans all across America. (Applause.)

I mean, our troops got the largest pay raise they'd gotten in about 10 years under this President's signature. And also we're making sure that we're going to remain as dominant in the heavens as we are on land and sea and Earth because this President started and created the Space Force. (Applause.)

I was actually -- I spoke at the graduation -- Scott, I spoke at the graduation of the United States Air Force Academy, and I got to swear in the first 85 commissioned officers in the United States Space Force. (Applause.) We're rolling.

And how about the support for veterans? You know, when we took office, I'll never forget -- traveling across Wisconsin, traveling across America, we heard -- we heard heartbreaking stories of long waiting lists for people to get into VA facilities. We actually heard tale of veterans passing away while they were waiting for treatment at the VA.

Well, those days are over. This President signed the VA Accountability Act. We have fired thousands of employees from the VA that weren't giving our veterans the healthcare they deserved, and Veterans Choice is now available to every veteran in America. (Applause.) We're giving our veterans access to the world-class healthcare that you earned in the uniform of the United States. (Applause.)

We love our vets. And how about -- could the veterans among us, if you're able, would you mind standing and just given us a chance to say thank you one more time? Thank you for your service. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you, sir. Thank you for your service.

And I have to tell you, it hasn't just been about our national defense and our economy. This President -- this President also been out there fighting for equality of opportunity in education for families all across this country.

You know, Kellyanne and I were just at a great event at the Waukesha STEM Academy. And we were talking about the fact that Wisconsin has led the way -- has led the way in educational choice for more than 30 years, but it was Governor Scott Walker that took it statewide for families in this state. (Applause.) Thank you, Governor.

You know, the President and I have long believed that -- have long believed that every parent should be able to choose where their children go to school, regardless of their area code and income. And Wisconsin, with a great leadership that you've had here, from Governor Tommy Thompson to Governor Scott Walker, you've been leading the way.

And I want to promise you: This President, this Vice President, Secretary Betsy DeVos, and our entire team are going to work to expand educational choice to every family in America. (Applause.) But thank you for leading, Wisconsin. And thank you, Governor.

And it's been -- it's also been about the rule of law, and law and order, under this President from day one. You know, I think you all know what most Americans know: The men and women who serve in law enforcement -- most of the men and women who put on the uniform of law enforcement every day are the best people in this country. (Applause.) And we honor their service and their courage every day. We do. (Applause.)

I mean, every American knows what happened to George Floyd was a tragedy. It shocked the conscience of the nation, and justice will be served. (Applause.) There's was no excuse to what happened to George Floyd, but there's also no excuse for the rioting and looting and violence that ensued in cities across America. (Applause.)

Weeks ago, when rioting and looting was overwhelming many of our major cities, Joe Biden sent out a press release. President Donald Trump sent in the National Guard. (Applause.) He secured our nation's capital and called on every governor in America to do the same, and we quelled the violence. (Applause.)

And in the days that followed, we've been sitting down with law enforcement. We've been listening to leaders in the African American community. We're looking for ways, as the President articulated about a week ago in his executive order, to improve public safety and improve the lives of our African American neighbors. We're listening, we're learning, and we're leading. But we're not going to defund the police. (Applause.)

So it's been about law and order and the rule of law. And that also means that it's been about making sure that the men and women who sit on our courts at every level uphold the Constitution of the United States as written. And this week, President Trump will nominate his 200th judge to the federal courts of the United States. (Applause.)

And I can tell you they are all men and women who will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution, like the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. (Applause.)

We've made so much progress over the last three and a half years in strengthening the constitutional foundations of our federal courts, the principles to which they adhere. But as we've been reminded over the past few weeks, we have more work to do. We need more conservatives on the Supreme Court of the United States. (Applause.)

So we need four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House! (Applause.) That's exactly why. It's exactly why this president just announced a couple of days ago, just like he did four years ago, that he's going to release a list of principled conservative nominees that we will nominate to our courts at every level in the second term of the Trump administration. (Applause.) So, get ready.

So we've stood for a strong national defense, a growing economy, the rule of law, and our most cherished constitutional principles. But what brings us here today is that this President, like no other president in my lifetime, has stood and defended our first freedom, the freedom of religion. (Applause.)

You know, I like to tell people that -- I like to tell people I'm a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order. (Laughter and applause.) And I couldn't be more proud to be Vice President to a President who has stood strong for faith and freedom in America. (Applause.) He has, every day.

As the President said that last Saturday in Tulsa, and I quote, "We will never stop fighting for the sacred values that bind us together as Americans. We believe in the dignity of work and in the sanctity of life. We believe in faith and family," he said, "not in government and bureaucracy." And we live by the words of our national motto, "In God We Trust." (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I mean, you have a President and you have a Vice President and an administration that understand that the greatness of America doesn't come from the corridors of government or our bustling factories, so much as it comes from the character and the faith of the American people.

And this President and our administration, from day one, in one instance after another, have been defending that freedom and defending those values every step of the way. I mean, from early on in this administration, the President took steps. He took steps to end the last administration's assault on the little Sisters of the Poor. (Applause.)

And then there was the peace cross. Did you hear about that one? It was what was called a peace cross in Maryland. It was built decades ago to honor fallen heroes in World War One, but left-wing activists wanted to take it down.

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, President Trump took action, we stood strong, and the Supreme Court voted 7 to 2, and the peace cross is standing today. (Applause.) It's true.

And you may not have heard about this one: Under the last administration, Bibles were actually being removed from VA hospital rooms and even displays. There was a display of a missing man table -- you know what that is -- it was in the lobby of the New Hampshire VA. And some group sent a letter and said that you got to take that Bible -- it was an Army-issued Bible -- off the table.

But President Trump took action. He took action, and we issued a new policy that allowed not only for the display of Bibles, but we made sure Christmas carols and prayer can happen all across our VA hospitals -- (applause) -- and when President Trump said, "The Bible stays."

So he's been standing up for our freedoms here at home, but he's been standing up some of our most cherished ideals as well. You know, four presidents in a row had made a promise to the American people concerning our most cherished ally, but it was President Donald Trump who kept the promise when he moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel. (Applause.) Under this President, if the world knows nothing else, the world knows this: America stands with Israel. (Applause.)

So we've stood with people of faith all across this country, of every faith, for that first freedom and for the ideals that we cherish.

Now, there's one issue that means more to me than maybe anyone else, and that is that this President has stood without apology for the sanctity of human life. (Applause.) True.

And the contrast with the Democratic Party of Joe Biden could not be more stark. I heard Joe Biden was just endorsed by Planned Parenthood of America.

AUDIENCE: Booo --

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And Joe Biden supports abortion on demand and even changed his historic position to now support taxpayer funding of abortion.

AUDIENCE: No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: And I must tell you -- I must tell you, this President has stood strong for the sanctity of life, and it was my great honor to cast the tiebreaking vote to allow states like Wisconsin to defund Planned Parenthood. (Applause.) We will stand for life in this administration every day.

So standing up for life and for liberty and for our most cherished values is at the very heart -- at the very heart of the work that this President has done. And I know that people have faith all across this country know it. And in these troubled times, for what we've seen over the past several weeks, maybe now it's more important than ever.

You know, just last night, just across the street from the White House, vandals defaced St. John's Church again, after trying to set it afire a few weeks ago. They also tried to tear down the statue of President Andrew Jackson.

So let me be clear: Burning churches is not protest. Desecrating synagogues is not free speech. There will be no tolerance for vandalism or violence in the United States. (Applause.) We will prosecute those who do it to the fullest extent of the law. (Applause.)

So we've had an incredible story to tell. Now it's your turn, Wisconsin, to tell it again. It's a story about American strength, about American jobs, about America enduring the great trial of the last four months. It's about law and order. It's about liberties and life. And it's about deciding right here and right now that we're going to defeat Joe Biden on November 3rd -- (applause) -- and reelect President Donald Trump for four more years. (Applause.)

I mean, I can tell you I don't think it'd be news to anybody in this room that you elected a fighter to be President of the United States. And he's been fighting for you every single day.

Wisconsin, now it's -- now it's our turn to fight for him. (Applause.) It's on. It's on.

So I need you to bring all the same enthusiasm. Keep voicing your support. Keep talking to your neighbors and your friends every day. We got about four months and two weeks to get this thing done in Wisconsin and all across the country. And I know you will -- I know you will do it.

I mean, because the truth of the matter is that we're -- for all that we've done as a nation, for all that we've been

through, we're just getting started.

I mean, think about it: When you're talking to your neighbors and friends, remind them that four more years means more support for our troops. Four more years means more jobs. Four more years means more judges. And it's going to take at least four more years to drain that swamp. (Applause.)

So, Wisconsin, I need you to bring it. The silent majority can be silent no more! (Applause.)

No, this has really been great. I appreciate you all coming out. And let me also say to overflow: Thank you for coming out.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!

THE PRESIDENT: I don't -- I mean, he's used to -- he's used to overflow. I'm not, really. (Laughter.)

I'm very humbled you'd come out and very moved by the enthusiasm that I've seen here today. And let me just take this opportunity to say thank you, Wisconsin. Thank you for the privilege of being your Vice President. It's the greatest honor of my life. (Applause.) Thank you.

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I'll tell you, as I've traveled across this country -- and I've traveled a lot over the last three and a half years; four, if you count the campaign -- and for this small-town boy from southern Indiana, I'm more convinced than ever of two things: that this is a freedom-loving nation, and this is a nation of faith. It truly is.

I mean, when you see the way the American people are stepping forward in the wake of all that we've been through over the last four months, we're safely and responsibly reclaiming our businesses, reclaiming our community lives. And it's truly inspiring but not surprising, because the American people love freedom.

We forfeited some of our personal freedom to put the health of our families and our neighbors first, and we know we're going to continue to be -- to use common sense as we go forward in the days ahead.

But I see that -- I see that love of freedom everywhere I go, in all 50 states, as we see this great American comeback as we're opening up America again.

But let me also say, I just know, as the President says many times, this is a nation of faith. I mean, the sweetest words that I ever hear, and I know the sweetest words the President ever hears, are when people walk up to you, maybe speak across a rope line or drop an email, send a letter, is when people say, "I'm praying for you." (Applause.) And you know they are. I hear those words. I literally hear them every day as I travel across this country. And I never fail to be deeply moved.

And so I just want to encourage each one of you, as we talk about the records, as we talk about the progress, as we talk about the choice in the next four months and two days: I hope you'll take time to talk to the one who has always had his hand on this great nation. (Applause.)

And on this one -- and on this one, I hope you permit me to say I'm not really asking you to pray for the cause or pray for an outcome. I'm just saying, in these divided times in the life of our nation, in these times where we've endured such great challenges, through this pandemic, I just encourage you to

pray for America. Pray for all the American people.

And when you pray, be confident. Be confident, as we face challenges in health and challenges in our public discourse, that if His people who are called by His name will humble themselves and pray, He'll do like He's always done through the long and storied history of this country: He'll hear from heaven and He'll heal this land, this one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. (Applause.) So, pray for all the American people.

Well, I'm going to slip away. I've got a plane to catch. I'm going to head back to Washington, D.C., but I can't wait to tell him about you people tonight, with the enthusiasm we see here in Wisconsin. (Applause.)

And I'm absolutely convinced that if all of us do all that we need to do in the next four months and two weeks to tell the story of this President, to lay out the choice to the people of Wisconsin, to work and to pray, I know we're going to have President Donald Trump in the White House for four more years. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: We're going to make this country more prosperous than ever before. We're going to make this country

more secure than ever before. We're going to bring America together as never before. And we're going make America great again, again! (Applause.)

Thanks, everybody. God bless you, and God bless America.