Remarks: Joe Biden Addresses a Virtual Campaign Event in Atlanta - March 9, 2024

"Thank you, Roohi. It's great to be with all of you on this call today. What a big week with so many of you. We launched Women for Biden Harris because when we -- when our bodies are on the line and when our daughters futures are at stake, when our country and its freedom hang in the balance, women are immovable and unstoppable." 1

"Women put Joe Biden in the White House, and women are going to do it again because we know what's at stake. And Thursday night, at the State of the Union, Joe gave a strong speech with a clear vision. And I'm so proud of him. I know talking to strangers isn't always fun, and I can think of a lot of other great ways you could be spending your Saturday." 2

"But you're here anyway, and that matters. It matters so much. Make no mistake. Elections are won in moments like these. They're won in conversations between neighbors. They're won in the dozens of phone calls to people who don't pick up and the fraction who do. They're won in coffee shops and churches and driveways by people like you showing up." 3

"Joe is the face of this campaign, but you are its strength. You are its feet. You make it run. So, even though it's many months away, I want you to start now. I want you to go out and tell your friends about the enormous stakes of this election and how close the election will be here. And then, I want you to remember." 4

"I want you to remember what it felt like on the morning after that 2016 election when we fell short. Remember that feeling, how you woke up and you said to yourself, "Oh, my God, what just happened?" We cannot let that happen again because I don't want to wake up with that feeling again. Like, "Oh, we should have started earlier," or, "We should have done more." No, we have to begin now." 5

"We have to meet this moment as if our rights are at stake because they are, as if our democracy is on the line because it is. With that determination, we will win this election. So, thank you. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for being part of this campaign. Thank you for putting your faith and trust in Joe and Kamala." 6

"You are the reason we're going to keep them in the White House." 7

"Thank you." 8

"Joe?" 9

"Hello, everybody. I'm Joe Biden. I'm Jill Biden's husband. We just finished meeting with small business owners here in Atlanta. Starting a small business is literally an act of hope. And we're seeing that kind of hope, that kind of energy everywhere we go. Jill and I, you know, we first wanted to thank you." 10

"You're the reason Kamala and I continue to prove the pundits wrong. Because of you, we're turning the country around. We inherited an economy on the brink. Because of you, we're turning it around. But there's a lot more to do. You know, look at -- look at what we've done so far. You helped us in 2020. Look at what you did in the midterms." 11

"Remember that red wave we saw coming? Well, it never happened because of you. What we did in 2023 and the special elections all over the country, again, because of you. And with your help, we're going to do it again in November. We've got a lot more to do to take this country where I want to see it to go." 12

"I want to see it be. We get so much more we can do. And, folks, the American people have a -- have a stark choice this election. That choice matters because the guy who's -- well, I shouldn't say it, maybe who was a lousy president has promised to be even worse president this time around. Look, before I go any further, let's think about this." 13

"We laid out what we want to do and Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans are going to do. And what they're going to do is to ensure a national -- really endanger our national security. They're going to expand -- you know, are they going to expand personal freedoms? Well, that's what we're going to do. They're going to do everything to not grow our economy." 14

"Literally, there's no -- they have no platform. They're all about -- they're against everything, not for anything, except the things that are the wrong things. What they're running on -- I'll tell you what they're running on. They're running backwards. It's about the future not the past. But guess what?" 15

"We won't let them win the past. We won't let them go back. Folks, we have come through pretty tough times. And I know, I know we got a lot more to do. We had to stay off -- we had to start off by vaccinating America. Trump stood flat-footed during that period of time before the pandemic. And when we were rebuilding America, we're bringing back jobs, fighting to lower costs for ordinary families." 16

"I know, at least in my kitchen table growing up, my dad didn't talk statistics. He talked about whether it was -- what we could do to help families, what was happening to the average family. And that's what I talk about, and that's what I want to talk about to the hard working American families in America today." 17

"For example, why do credit card companies cost -- charge you late fees of $32? Well, guess what? I had the power to change that. Now, you only have to pay $8. It may sound like not like a big deal, but it adds up for working people. Look, I need you, though. We need you to help folks understand what's at stake and how we can finish the job and make things even better." 18

"No one thought we could beat the pharmaceutical companies, but damn it, we did. Instead of seniors paying $400 a month for insulin, they're now paying 35 because of what we did. And companies are still making significant profits. It only cost them 12 bucks to make and package this. I'm going to lower insulin costs for $35 for everyone in America, not just seniors." 19

"And by the way, it saved $160 billion doing that. We gave Medicare the power to negotiate for drug prices. That's just what they did. It's not just saving seniors money, it's saving taxpayers money, taxpayers money. Finish the job means protecting and strengthening the Affordable Care Act. It used to be called Obamacare." 20

"We stopped Republicans 50 times from trying to gut it and get rid of it. Not only that, we've lowered the cost of insurance by $800 a year for those families. And they're still after -- but the Republicans, you saw, they're still after Social Security and Medicare. I'm not going to let that happen. You know, we're making real progress." 21

"But, you know, one way not to go is the Trump way. Keeping Trump's tax cuts for the very wealthy and the biggest corporations is their only idea. I want to make billionaires pay their fair share, pay for priorities like childcare, long-term care and so much more. Believe me, billionaires are doing just fine." 22

"Finishing the job means protecting your freedom. It means passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. Trump brags about having overturned Roe v. Wade, taking away a woman's right to choose, freedom to choose. Well, look at the chaos and cruelty this election -- that that decision is ripping." 23

"It's ripping -- when you took away Roe v. Wade, it took away so much protection. Just recently, extremists in Alabama ripped away access to fertility treatments for couples desperately trying to have children. And beyond that, Trump wants to have a national ban on the right to choose, so there's no state in America where it's going to be safe." 24

"Where does this stop? I'll tell you where it stops. If you were to elect Kamala and me and give me a Congress that supports the right to choose, we will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land everywhere again. We've made so much progress over the past three years, but finished the job, making -- making the contrast and the choice crystal clear." 25

"Time and again, Republicans show they are a party of chaos and division, especially in the House, refusing to accept the results of legitimate elections; seeking, as Trump says, to terminate, "terminate" elements of the United States Constitution; embracing political violence; calling January 6th insurrectionists patriots and promising to pardon them. Folks, we have to stay focused on what we have to do to win. Take nothing for granted. We've seen what these guys will do. We know what we have to do to win. Get voters to show up at the polls, must keep the White House. We must keep the Senate, and we must win back the House. We must win in state and local levels to protect our elections. So, let's get to work. We've got to win this election in the old-fashioned way, door to door, driving people to the polls, getting people to vote. So, let's go. Go to www.joebiden.com/training. Thank you for all you're doing and all you're about to do. Let's remember who we are. We're the United States of America. There's nothing, nothing beyond our capacity to get done when we work together. God bless you all and God protect our troops." 26