Transcript - Speech: Joe Biden Speaks at a Political Event in Southfield, MI - October 16, 2020 | Factba.se

Joe Biden

00:00:00 - 00:00:21 ()

Alexia, thank you for -- for taking the time and telling your story. It's -- it's important. Unfortunately, there are an awful lot of stories like yours all over America as I travel the country, too many. Don't have to be. And folks, it's great to be back.

Joe Biden

00:00:21 - 00:00:53 ()

It's great to be here. There is not a better governor in the United States of America than Gretchen Whitmer. That's a fact. I've met virtually all of them. And Gary, we badly need you back in the United States Senate, pal. We badly need you back in the United States Senate. And my sister, Debbie Stabenow, God love you, Debbie.

Joe Biden

00:00:53 - 00:01:14 ()

We worked so closely together for so long, and as vice president as well. Folks, look, we need to send Gary back for another term standing up for Michigan, Michigan families, small businesses. He was -- he was our main congressional partner back in 2010 when we passed the critical legislation supporting small businesses.

Joe Biden

00:01:14 - 00:01:41 ()

I remember -- I remember the president giving me the responsibility to go out and -- and round up support. The person I -- my go-to guy to get it done, I mean that sincerely, was -- was Gary. He was the go-to guy, and he always shows up and he always shows up for Michigan. And like all of you, Jill and I are so grateful that the governor and her family are safe.

Joe Biden

00:01:41 - 00:02:00 ()

It's -- it's an unusual year. Governor, you've been through a lot but, my lord, you are a leader. You stand up straight and tall and you don't bend. Governor is not easy to lead in moments of crisis, but that's a determination of whether you have a real leader where you stepped up to the crisis. And you've stepped up.

Joe Biden

00:02:00 - 00:02:23 ()

You've done it and you keep doing it. And as I said a moment ago, you're pretty much doing it better than anybody else in the whole United States of America. You've shown this whole nation just how tough and thoughtful you are, tough just like Michigan. I've got to believe the state has to be so proud of you.

Joe Biden

00:02:23 - 00:02:57 ()

I know personally I am as I've gotten to know you. I'm proud to call your friend, gov. We're grateful to the FBI and law enforcement who discovered these domestic terrorists and stop them. And make no mistake, that's who they are, domestic terrorists, flat terrorists -- Planning to blow up a bridge on American soil, to threaten the lives of police officers, to kidnap an elected leader, and now we're finding out the same thing was happening in Virginia.

Joe Biden

00:02:57 - 00:03:24 ()

You know, it's the sort of behavior you might expect from ISIS, and it should have shocked the conscience of every American, every American. And the failure to condemn these folks is stunning from the outset. You know, I remember it matters. You've heard me say before, words matter, and the words of a president particularly matter.

Joe Biden

00:03:24 - 00:03:56 ()

When the president tweeted liberate Michigan, liberate Michigan, that's the call that was heard. That was the dog whistle, just like when he said there were "very fine people on both sides" in Charlottesville while those -- they came out of the fields caring torches, their veins are just bulging -- bulging, shouting anti-Semitic bile, caring Nazi flags, accompanied by the Ku Klux Klan.

Joe Biden

00:03:56 - 00:04:25 ()

When a young woman was killed protesting, the president was asked what did he think. And he said something no president has ever, ever, ever, ever heard. There were very fine people on both sides. Those words were heard just like when he stood on the debate stage with me and refused to denounce white supremacists.

Joe Biden

00:04:25 - 00:05:06 ()

He told that right-wing extremist group to "stand back and stand by," "stand back and stand by," an American president. It not only shocked us but it stunned the world, those words we heard. You know the reason I decided to run for president, and I know that Debbie knows this. I hadn't planned on running ever again after my son died.

Joe Biden

00:05:06 - 00:05:31 ()

But when I saw those folks come out of those woods, I thought how in God's name, how in God's name can I remain silent? I said at the time, I was somewhat -- not criticized, but people didn't think it was -- well, I don't know what it was, when I said I think we're in a battle for the soul of America. I think we are.

Joe Biden

00:05:31 - 00:05:59 ()

What I saw in Charlottesville and the president's response to it is why I went to Gettysburg battlefield of Pennsylvania last week, because I thought there was a need to stand up to hate in America and urge us, as Lincoln did, to come together as a nation. But I've learned hate never goes away. It only hides.

Joe Biden

00:05:59 - 00:06:39 ()

It never goes away. And if you give it oxygen, it comes out from under the rocks. It grows. We need to be clear from the president on down, in this country there is no place for hate in America period, none. It will not be tolerated. But President Trump revels in division and chaos. He'll do anything to distract us from focusing on his failures to deal with this virus and to protect the nation.

Joe Biden

00:06:39 - 00:07:08 ()

He's still living in a dream world. He keeps -- he keeps telling us that this virus is going to disappear like a miracle. He said, I think last night in his town hall -- I didn't have the pleasure of hearing it. I was doing one myself. He said we have turned the corner. And my grandfather Finnegan might say we're -- here, he said he's gone around the bend.

Joe Biden

00:07:08 - 00:07:44 ()

Turned the corner? My Lord, it's not disappearing. In fact, it's on the rise again. It's getting worse as predicted. We all know the terrible price this nation has paid, lives lost, employment way -- unemployment way up across Michigan and the country. Folks are worried about making their next rent payment or mortgage payment, whether their healthcare will be ripped away in the middle of the pandemic that you worked so damn hard, Gary, to keep.

Joe Biden

00:07:44 - 00:08:28 ()

Worried about -- we talked about this with Alexia, kids in school. Are they able to get back to school? More than 215,000 Americans, I think it's 217,000 as of this morning Americans have died from COVID-19. And experts have said and have been saying for the last month and a half that nearly another 200,000 lives are like to be lost -- likely to be lost in the coming months between now and the first of the year if, if we continue to refuse to follow science because he refused to embracing wearing a mask.

Joe Biden

00:08:28 - 00:09:18 ()

How many times on television have you seen him make fun of Biden wearing a mask? Because he refuses to practice social distancing, he puts his supporters in such jeopardy. It's estimated by his own folks, if we just wore masks nationally, almost 100,000 lives would be saved in the next few months. His own director of CDC said, while we're waiting for a vaccine, even if we had a vaccine, this will prevent more deaths between now and the end of January that a vaccine would.

Joe Biden

00:09:18 - 00:09:56 ()

You know what's really sad about all this? I've been talking about this, but every time I repeat it I get more, well, not very happy. The president knew and lied about knowing. He knew in January. The intelligence community and their -- what they call the PDB, the Presidential Daily Briefings, which I've sat in on hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them as vice president.

Joe Biden

00:09:56 - 00:10:30 ()

And, cut out that they laid out in detail to him how devastating this could be, how much life could be lost and so on. He said he was unaware of it, didn't read those reports. Well, that surprised no one that he doesn't read the reports, but he didn't read the reports. Everybody said, "Well, maybe he didn't." But, then as was acknowledged because of his ego, he wanted to impress a famous journalist.

Joe Biden

00:10:30 - 00:11:04 ()

He thought he could change his mind about his view of him. Did a long interview with Bob Woodward. Bob Woodward, a renowned journalist, taped the interview with him, extensive interview, hours. And, he taped an interview that -- where Trump said he knew this disease was deadly, significantly worse than the flu.

Joe Biden

00:11:04 - 00:11:35 ()

But, that's not what he told you. That's not what he told the public. And, the reason he lied, again, to the American people, well he said he didn't want to panic the American people. Americans don't panic. Donald Trump panicked. That's who panicked. It was a consequence of his overwhelming lying negligence and irresponsible action.

Joe Biden

00:11:35 - 00:12:13 ()

How many empty chairs were around the kitchen table this morning or the dining-room table last night? How many? How many women and men we know when they got in bed last night or reached over to touch their husband and wife and they weren't there? You all know what loss is and it's profound, especially when it was avoidable, much of it.

Joe Biden

00:12:13 - 00:12:40 ()

Well, mishandling the pandemic isn't enough for Trump. On top of that, he's still trying to take away your healthcare. Trump's still determined, in the midst of this pandemic -- and by the way, if the projections -- and pray God they're not right, Father. If they're right, though, the next several months, there will be over 200,000 additional deaths.

Joe Biden

00:12:40 - 00:13:11 ()

That'll be in one year, 400,000 people would have -- Americans will have died. That's more than lost in all of World War II. Hear me? World War II was four years. More American souls will have been lost than in World War II. But, what's he doing? He's still determined to destroy the Affordable Care Act.

Joe Biden

00:13:11 - 00:13:49 ()

This isn't hyperbole, just like your opponent calls it a disaster. Talk about a disaster. There's a disaster. The guy is 2,000 percent or 200 percent, whatever it is with Trump. Hope everybody remembers. Look, as I said, this isn't hyperbole. It's real, as real as it gets. On November 10th, in the United States Supreme Court will hear the Trump administration make the case that the Affordable Care Act should be struck down in its entirety.

Joe Biden

00:13:49 - 00:14:14 ()

Now, I know everybody thinks they know, but I just want to remind you. Ten million of you have already lost your health insurance because your employers' health insurance, they've gone out of business. Ten million Americans already without health insurance. If Trump gets his way, 20 million more Americans will lose their healthcare.

Joe Biden

00:14:14 - 00:14:47 ()

It's godawful, in the midst of this god-awful economic crisis. One hundred million Americans will lose their protections for pre-existing conditions, including more than 4 million people right here in Michigan. Lifetime limits and benefits [Inaudible] benefits will be back. Insurance -- and by the way, you know, a lot of you have been through what I've been through and worse.

Joe Biden

00:14:47 - 00:15:44 ()

But, I can distinctively remember sitting on the bed with my Beau, my son, who came back from -- he was the attorney general, came back from a year serving in Iraq -- which this president talks about losers serve -- losers -- with the same significant disease that your mom had, stage IV glioblastoma. When he was diagnosed when he got home, he asked the docs, it was only a matter of months, not if -- just months.

Joe Biden

00:15:44 - 00:16:18 ()

We never gave up hope. But, I remember watching him on that bed. He made it almost 16 months. Toward the end -- and this is not about me. It's about all of you. I consciously thought to myself, what would it feel like if they were able to walk in and say, "Mr. Biden, you've outrun your insurance coverage.

Joe Biden

00:16:18 - 00:16:51 ()

Suffer the last two or three months in pain on your own, lots of luck," because that's what was happening before. Insurers, if they win -- and that's what this court packing going on now is about -- insurers will no longer allow you to keep your kids on your policy until the age 26 in the middle of this economic crisis.

Joe Biden

00:16:51 - 00:17:11 ()

Women once again will be charged more for their healthcare, just because they're a woman. Older folks will be able to be charged more. And, as the governor said, long-term complications from COVID will become pre-existing conditions, joint, asthma, diabetes, even pregnancy is a pre-existing condition before.

Joe Biden

00:17:11 - 00:17:38 ()

You can allow insurers to jack up your premiums or deny coverage all together. Getting rid of Obamacare is why they're racing to get this nominee through the Supreme Court. Make no mistake about it. Trump's made it clear from the beginning, as your opponent has, he wants to get rid of Obamacare in its entirety.

Joe Biden

00:17:38 - 00:18:11 ()

And, with this nominee, he's made that incredibly clear as well. Michigan deserves so much better. It deserves leaders like Gary and Debbie Stabenow, public servants who lead with decency and honor, always look out for your needs. Well, think about how to ease the burden on your family. That's the sort of leader you've got in Gretchen, in Governor Whitmer as well.

Joe Biden

00:18:11 - 00:18:33 ()

When she was in the State Senate, she led the charge to secure Obamacare and Medicaid expansion for more than 800,000 Michiganders. Think about this now. Some of those states with Republican governors did not expand, even though the federal government is paying for the frontend. There's millions of people have no coverage.

Joe Biden

00:18:33 - 00:19:04 ()

After we passed Obamacare, with the help of Debbie and Gary -- Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, we were able to reduce the uninsured rate by 55 percent here in Michigan. If I have the honor of becoming your president, we'll build on the Affordable Care Act, no matter what they do. You can choose to keep the private plan if you still have one, because some of the private plans we negotiated [Inaudible] are good plans.

Joe Biden

00:19:04 - 00:19:30 ()

But, we'll also offer you a Medicare, like public health insurance option. We'll force private insurers to keep premiums low and offer better coverage because for the first time, you don't have to compete for your business against a public insurer that doesn't have the profit motive in mind. If you choose this public option or a private plan, we'll increase subsidies for your premiums so that they're lower.

Joe Biden

00:19:30 - 00:20:00 ()

You can afford our plans with lower deductibles, lower out-of-pocket spending. An independent analysis found that my plan will slash the cost of prescription drugs by 60 percent. Not a liberal think tank. Serious folks looking at this. Here's the bottom line. My plan lowers health care costs and gets universal coverage quickly at a time when Michigan families desperately are going to need that relief, and they need it now.

Joe Biden

00:20:00 - 00:20:25 ()

Families are reeling right now. They need a lifeline now. And I promise you, when I'm president, I'll take care of your health coverage the same way I would my own family. I grew up like a lot of people in this state and Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware, in a three-bedroom foot level home with four kids and a grandpa that lived with us.

Joe Biden

00:20:25 - 00:20:43 ()

I can remember how my dad, when we lived in Scranton with no work, moved down to Delaware, and we stayed with my grandpa for a year, came home every week. He finally got a job and got an apartment and we lived in it. And it ended up being Section 8 housing years later. But it was decent, and we were happy.

Joe Biden

00:20:43 - 00:21:03 ()

It took my dad about three years to get a job good enough, that he could actually buy a home. And he bought that small home at the time that the suburban sprawl was going on. There were 70 homes like it, three and four bedrooms, homes. But the walls were thin. I look back and I wonder how my mom and dad did it, come to think of it.

Joe Biden

00:21:03 - 00:21:25 ()

I remember one night my dad's being really restless. You could hear restlessly rolling, and our bedroom was next to him. And I asked my mom the next morning what's wrong with dad? She said, Honey, it's complicated. I said, what's the matter, Mom? I was like 14 years old. Well, his company just lost his health insurance.

Joe Biden

00:21:25 - 00:21:54 ()

We're going to be okay, honey. All the people rolling around in bed tonight, tomorrow night, last night. Trump doesn't see things this way. Because he only sees things, sees the world from a Park Avenue perspective. I'm not being a wise guy. I'm being literal. He can only see from his penthouse Wall Street.

Joe Biden

00:21:54 - 00:22:17 ()

I see the world where I grew up, like many of you. I grew up in Scranton, as I said. My mom taught me. My mom had a backbone like a ramrod. My mom told me, she said, Joey, look at me, look at me. Because I used to stare. She said, nobodies better than you, Joey, but everybody sure equal. That's how I was raised.

Joe Biden

00:22:17 - 00:22:44 ()

I think you and I, we measure people, whether you're a Democrat or Republican, we measure people on the strength of their character, honesty, decency. Recognizing that some things are bigger than just your self-interest. That's what America is about. That's who we are. It's about family respect, decency, honor, opportunity.

Joe Biden

00:22:44 - 00:23:11 ()

Our families and yours weren't asking for anything. Just a shot, just an even shot. Given a shot, the American people have never, ever, ever, ever, ever let their country down. That's what Michigan needs now, a shot to come back strong. That's what you needed ten years ago in your automobile industry. The heart and soul of Michigan was on the brink.

Joe Biden

00:23:11 - 00:23:45 ()

My state used to be an auto state, small population. We had the highest percentage of auto workers of any state in the nation because we had less than a million people. The largest General Motors and Chrysler plants outside of Michigan. You all remember, like I do. You remember it was like yesterday. When Barack and I decided we had to bet on Michigan, remember all the blowback even from some Democrats.

Joe Biden

00:23:45 - 00:24:14 ()

We can't compete. Well, we bet on autoworkers. We bet on the UAW. And they came through and it paid off. For real. The industry wasn't in trouble because the auto workers were in trouble because management decisions. Over the objective of many, we stepped in and rescued the automobile industry. General Motors and Chrysler saving over one million jobs by that one deal.

Joe Biden

00:24:14 - 00:24:59 ()

Don't ever underestimate the American worker. By contrast, on Donald Trump's watch, we were in a nationwide manufacturing recession before COVID struck. And we're now down nearly 650,000 manufacturing jobs across the country. Now, now it is rising. In fact, Donald Trump will be the first president in modern American history to leave office, God willing, to leave office with fewer jobs than he had when he started in office.

Joe Biden

00:24:59 - 00:25:26 ()

The last one was Herbert Hoover. For real. Folks, we can bring this economy back. I'm positive of it. I'm optimistic about it. We know how to go about doing an independent analysis on Wall Street. Moody's, the well-respected Wall Street firm has done an in-depth analysis of every aspect of my plan as well as his.

Joe Biden

00:25:26 - 00:26:00 ()

Do you know what the conclusion was? This is Moody's now. My plan will create 18.6 million jobs, 7 million more than his would. And $1 trillion more in economic growth than the president's plan by investing in people. And by the way, you see these ads here in Michigan. Biden's going to raise your taxes.

Joe Biden

00:26:00 - 00:26:26 ()

Once again, a flat, unadulterated lie. No one who makes less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more. If you make more than that, you're going to start paying at the rate you paid under the administration of George W. Bush at 39.6 percent. I'm going to ask big corporations and the very wealthy to pay their fair share for a change.

Joe Biden

00:26:26 - 00:26:49 ()

Trump's more than $2 trillion tax cut. I'm going to roll back 1.5 trillion of that in the giveaways of the biggest company in the top 1 percent. And the money we raise, we'll invest in working people growing the middle class. And this time, make sure we bring everybody along, black, white, Hispanic, disabled, everyone comes along.

Joe Biden

00:26:49 - 00:27:26 ()

And outside economists said my plan will create millions of good paying union jobs in manufacturing. We're going to invest in building more resilient infrastructure. Remember, the president said, I have an infrastructure plan in 2017 and in 2018, and in 2019, not 2020. He doesn't have any plan. I'm going to build a resilient infrastructure, creating good paying jobs, building roads and bridges and ports.

Joe Biden

00:27:26 - 00:27:47 ()

One million new jobs in affordable housing units. It should be one million new affordable housing units, high-speed broadband for every household, one hundred billion dollars to rebuild our crumbling schools. One of the reasons we can't send our kids back to school is a lot of them aren't even safe now.

Joe Biden

00:27:47 - 00:28:10 ()

We're going to retrofit as we started our administration when the president allowed me to run the Recovery Act. We're going to retrofit four million buildings and weatherize two million homes. That alone will save hundreds of thousands and millions of barrels of oil. And it's all going to be done by certified union labor.

Joe Biden

00:28:10 - 00:28:44 ()

I'm going to end Trump's incentive. He actually talks -- he talks about his trade deals, as Gary and Debbie know, these trade deals, he incentivized people to send jobs abroad, abroad, more taking their jobs overseas. One thing more, the United States government owns and maintains an enormous fleet of vehicles.

Joe Biden

00:28:44 - 00:29:07 ()

And I promise you, the president controls that. I'm going to convert those government fleets into clean vehicles made of and sourced right here in the United States of America. I'm going to expand the capacity so the United States, not China, leads the world in clean vehicle production. We're going to make it easier for Americans to switch from fuel efficient -- inefficient vehicles.

Joe Biden

00:29:07 - 00:29:29 ()

We're going to build a network of 500,000 charging stations all across the country, offer consumer rebates to swap older inefficient, fuel efficient vehicles for new, clean, American made models. And together, this will mean, according to estimates, more than a million good new jobs in the American automobile industry because we will own the electric vehicle market in the world.

Joe Biden

00:29:29 - 00:30:01 ()

I guarantee we can do this, but we have to come together. I remember you and I talking, Gov, when I was running for the nomination and my saying we had to unite the country. You were the only one that thought I was right. You said that used to be the old days. Yeah, Joe, you got a lot done. You used to walk across, say I'll get a lot done, but everything's changed.

Joe Biden

00:30:01 - 00:30:34 ()

Well, folks, if we can't unite the country, we're in trouble. America and our system runs on consensus. Compromise is not a dirty word. I'm running as a proud Democrat but I'm going to govern as an American president. I'll work as hard for those who don't support me as those who do. I do not see America in terms of red and blue.

Joe Biden

00:30:34 - 00:31:11 ()

Bring the country together, that's the job of a president. It's the duty to care, to care for everybody. We can be so much better than what we've seen. We can be what we are at our best when we're in the United States of America. And folks, you have to vote. And people are turning out here in the state and overwhelming numbers around the country.

Joe Biden

00:31:11 - 00:31:39 ()

If you have any doubt, go visit IWillVote.com/m-i. Early voting is happening now in every city and township clerk's office in the state. You can register to vote in one quick stop. They have your ballot all ready. Mail it or drop it in a drop box today. Don't wait. Vote. And don't just vote for me and Senator Harris and Gary as well.

Joe Biden

00:31:39 - 00:32:06 ()

Vote all the way down the line. We're going to need Gary back in the United States Senate looking up for Michigan families because we're going to win back the United States Senate. And when we do, we're going to change things. Folks, it's time, I really mean this, to restore the soul of America, to re -- rebuild the backbone of this country, the middle class.

Joe Biden

00:32:06 - 00:32:42 ()

This time I'd bring everybody along. Debbie may remember, my colleagues in the caucus used to wonder -- kid me because I'd quote President Kennedy when he was -- about going to the moon in a famous speech. Everybody remembers different parts of the. The one I -- the line I remember more than anything else, he answered the question that wasn't -- that was implicitly being asked, why are you doing this?

Joe Biden

00:32:42 - 00:33:43 ()

And he said because we refuse to postpone. I refuse to postpone the work America must do now to bring this country back. There's nothing beyond our capacity. There's no limit to the American future. The only thing that can tear America part is America itself. No other country can do that. Everybody knows who Donald Trump is.

Joe Biden

00:33:43 - 00:34:15 ()

I mean, we have to let them know who we are, what we stand for. We choose hope over fear, unity over division, science over fiction, and yes, truth over lies. So, folks, thank you. May God bless you and may God protect our troops. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.