Here is the full transcript of Kamala Harris, Tim Walz Speak At Detroit Rally on August 8, 2024.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
Tim Walz – Governor of Minnesota
Hello, Michigan! We Minnesotans, you probably know this, we’re a stoic people, people of few words. But holy hell, can you throw a party here in Michigan?
Wow. I want to take a moment to acknowledge a few friends, folks that I’ve gotten to know, and let’s be very clear. This is someone who I consider my dearest friend, and someone who taught all the other governors how to fix the damn roads: Governor Whitmer!
You have got a treasure in Michigan. And I’ll tell you what, we share a lot between us in the upper Midwest. Oh, we need some water. We have somebody down. We need some water. Medic! We need a medic. Right here. We’ve got somebody here.
Got him? All right, we’ve got a medic on the way. Thank you for caring for your neighbors. Thank you for showing what Michigan does.
Shared Values and Resources
Look, we share a lot of things. That’s one of them. We’re neighbors and we’re not weird, that’s for sure. But I’ve got to tell you, something else we share is a care for the incredible natural resources.
We in the upper Midwest, in our states, we care for 20 percent of the world’s fresh water in those Great Lakes. And the Great Lakes have no better friend than your senator, Senator Stabenow. I’ve got some members of Congress I had the privilege of serving with and some that are new to that place.
Political Landscape
Let’s be clear, we’ve got to put gavels in the hands of these Democratic representatives so that we can get some work done. My friend Dan Kildee, Debbie Dingell, Haley Stevens, Elissa Slotkin, Hillary Scholten, Representative Thanedar , I believe just won a primary here, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, and the chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, Lavora Barnes. Thank you.
And I want to just take a moment. It’s been a pretty interesting 24 hours for me, I’ll have to be honest. And I don’t know how I could explain to you, walking into that arena in Philly, or that field out in Wisconsin, or right here, to what I have been told, is the largest rally of the campaign.
Appreciation for Supporters
And look, and look, this is a place full of working folks, students, folks who care. And I think about this, you came out here early, found a place to park, stood in the sun, sat here and waited, and you did it. You did it for one simple and eloquent and beautiful reason. You love this country. You love this country.
I couldn’t be prouder to be on this ticket, and to help make Kamala Harris the next President of the United States. Every day of her life, Vice President Harris fights for the American people. She’s taken on predators, fraudsters, and transnational gangs, you heard it.
Vice President Harris’s Qualities
She stood up to powerful corporate interests, and she has never hesitated to reach across the aisle, try and find some common solutions. And she has done it, and this is what we know. All the things that make me mad about those other guys, and all the things they do wrong, the one thing that I will not forgive them for is their try to steal the joy from this country.
They try and steal the joy. But you know what? You know what? Our next President brings the joy. She emanates the joy.
Personal Background
I know a little something about that commitment to people. I was born in a small town of 400 people in Nebraska, and community was the way of life. My mom and dad taught me, you show generosity to your neighbors, and you work for a common good amongst them.
At 17, I joined the Army National Guard, and for the next 24 years, it was a privilege to wear the uniform of this country. And just as it did for my dad, a Korean War era veteran, and millions of others, I used the GI Bill to get a college education. Followed a bit in my dad’s footsteps, he was a teacher.
Teaching Experience
My brothers and sisters were teachers. And they married teachers. I had the privilege of teaching high school social studies, and I coached the football team.
We did win a state championship. I tell you that because don’t ever close the yearbook is my pro tip to you. My students were the ones who encouraged me to run for office.
Political Journey
I never thought much about it. But they saw in me what I hoped to instill in them. A commitment to the common good. A true belief that one person truly can make a difference, can make a difference in the world.
I lived in a district where I didn’t know this at the time, only one other Democrat since 1892 had won that district. And on that election night, my neighbors graced me with the opportunity to go to the United States Congress and represent them. I learned how to compromise without compromising my values.
Governance Philosophy
I learned how to work across the aisle to get good things done for people. And now as governor of Minnesota, I bring those experiences together, so we can tackle some of those hard problems. Inequities, climate change, all of the things that we care about.
We’ve got a lot of shared values in this room. By the way, is labor in the room? This might be my chance to use it.
Criticism of Donald Trump
We know who built the middle class, but here’s the deal. What we know is Donald Trump, he sees the world a bit differently than we see the world. And I’ve been saying it, he doesn’t know the first thing about service. Because he’s way too busy serving himself.
This is a big difference, again and again. He does things that weakens our country, only to strengthen his own hand.
He mocks our laws. He sows chaos and division amongst the public. And that’s to say nothing about his record as president. He is that. He is that. Look, we had the worst crisis of a generation. And he froze during COVID. People lost their lives because of that. He drove the economy into the ground, and make no mistake, violent crime was up during Donald Trump’s presidency.
And that’s not even counting the crimes he committed. Some of the gray hairs in here remember a Republican Party that used to actually talk about freedom. These guys, when they talk about freedom, it means government has the freedom to invade your exam room with your doctor.
Now I know, look, we got a lot of commonalities. And I’ll say this, as an NFC North guy, Vikings fans are proud of the Lions. I will say that.
I will say that. But in Minnesota, we respect our neighbors’ personal choices. We may not agree with them or make them from ourselves, but I’ve been saying this, you all know it, our golden rule is, mind your own damn business.
Mind your own business. It’s amazing what minding your own damn business does to make things work better. Don’t like the book? Don’t read it.
Is there anybody in America sitting around in a bar, a bunch of people talking and saying, “You know what we need in this country? We need a bad animal farm.” That’s the first thing we’d even do. Nobody says that.
But you know what? It would be funny if it wasn’t so dangerous. Because then they start thinking about things like IVF and banning IVF. And I have to tell you, this is very personal for my family. When my wife and I decided to have children, we went through years of fertility treatments. Remember, every time the phone rang, I’d catch my breath, I’d feel nervousness, and then it would be a crushing feeling when they told us that the treatments didn’t work.
Hope and Action
The agony of that I can feel to this day. But I can also feel some joy in this. Because it wasn’t by chance, as I say this, when our daughter, and we finally conceived, and our daughter was born, we didn’t hesitate at all. We named her Hope. We named her Hope. But I do have to tell you something about Hope.
My wife always tells me this. It’s not a damn plan. We can’t hope we beat this guy.
Freedom and Democratic Values
We can’t hope that things get better. We go out and work our butts off to make sure it happens. So when our next president walks out here and she talks about freedom, she means the freedom to make your own health care decisions.
And when she comes out here and talks about that our children should be free to go to school without being shot dead in their classrooms. Look, we believe strongly in Minnesota, in the Second Amendment, just like you do. But we also believe strongly in common-sense gun violence prevention laws.
Education and Political Differences
Freedom to an education is a ticket to the middle class, not crushing student loan debt. And it’s a place where we know freedom means we settle our political differences, not through violence, but with our votes. You get it.
You drove out here. You stood here. Please… Look, let’s all decide right now on this whatever. We know it’s going to be a hard race. We know it’s going to be close. But let’s not be so close that these guys have anything to say. Let’s not be so close that there’s anything. Let’s just win the damn thing by a broader margin. Simple proposition.
Election Stakes
This election’s about which direction this country’s going to go in. We know Donald Trump’s taking us backwards. And don’t believe the act. He’s playing dumb. He knows exactly what Project 2025’s going to do to our personal liberties.
Trump’s Agenda
Destroy unions. Rig the economy for the ultra-wealthy. We know that when he goes back, he’s picking up and doing the same things he did when he was there the last time. Except, except, you all know this, it will be much, much worse when he comes back.
Raising costs for all of you. Repealing the Affordable Care Act. He doesn’t care. Gutting Social Security. And be very clear, they can say whatever they want. They are banning abortion across this country, no questions asked. No questions asked. You think this guy cares about you or your family? His running mate has the same dangerous and backward agenda as Trump.
Criticism of Trump’s Running Mate
Well, heck, you all know it. Every regular person in the heartland went to Yale. Had Silicon Valley billionaires fund his career. And then he writes a book trashing the very community that raised him. That whole thing is, I wasn’t calling anybody names, I was just making an observation about it. We can see it.
And here’s my thing. There’s a lot of things going to happen, by the way. We got about 91 days, and I keep telling people this, 91 days. My God, you can do anything for 91 days. Christ, I haven’t slept in 24 hours. You know why?
We’ll sleep when we’re dead. We’ll sleep when we’re dead. Here’s my brass ring I’m looking for. I can’t wait to debate this guy. I cannot wait to talk about what they think. I can’t wait to ask him why he wants to take health care and take reproductive rights.
And why he wants to make sure that the wealthiest pay no taxes as we destroy unions and the middle class. So here’s the deal. You said it. These ideas that they’re putting out there, they are weird as hell. No one’s asking for it. No one’s asking for it.
Vision for America
We’re asking a fair shot. We’re asking for health care and child care. We’re asking for an education. We’re asking for safety in our streets. That’s what we’re asking for. And we’re going to get it because that’s what this campaign’s about.
Kamala Harris’s Beliefs
It’s about moving forward. Look, you know that Kamala Harris believes that you should be making your own choices in your life. She believes that every person should have an opportunity to enter the middle class.
She believes in something so beautiful and simple with joy. She believes in the promise of this great nation. Look, she can take care of herself out front and she said it. If they want to talk smack, she said it. Say it to my face, damn it. Say it to my face.
But what I’ve got to say is we’ve got to have her back. We’ve got to have her back. So Madam Vice President, thank you for the trust you’ve placed in me.
Introduction of Kamala Harris
Michigan, help me right now give a warm Midwest welcome to the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris – Vice President
Good evening, Detroit. Good evening. We got this. We’re going to do this. We are doing this. We are doing this. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. Okay, come on. We’ve got business to handle. We’ve got business to handle. Good evening, everyone. Good evening, good evening, good evening.
Praise for Tim Walz
Can we hear it up for Tim Walz? Isn’t he amazing? He’s going to be the most incredible vice president.
All right. So it is good to be back and to be with so many incredible leaders. I love you.
Thanks to Michigan Leaders
Governor Gretchen Whitmer, thank you for your friendship, your sisterhood, and your leadership, and we are going to do this together. Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, thank you so much. His parents are over there.
And the members of Congress, including Senator Debbie Stabenow, my dear friend. And your next United States Senator, Representative Elissa Slotkin. We’re going to get that done.
Mayor Mike Duggan, thank you for the warm welcome always. And, of course, it is so good to be with the president of the United Auto Workers, my dear friend, Shawn Fain. And last year—last week, it was my—it feels like last year.
Last week, it was my great honor to accept the endorsement of the United Auto Workers. And the UAW has always worked to lift up the working people of our nation. Do we need some help over there?
I need—we need a medic over there, please. There should be medics in each corner. We’re good? Okay. All right. Look, let’s all take care of each other and look out for each other, all right? That’s who we are. We look out for each other.
Okay. So, as I said to Shawn, as I talked to Shawn about this, this election is going to be a fight. We like a good fight. When you know what you stand for, you know what to fight for. We know what we stand for. So, I’m so proud to have UAW by my side because y’all know how to fight and you know how to win. Today, I also bring greetings from our incredible President Joe Biden.
Acknowledgment of President Biden
That’s right. Joe. That’s right. And I know we are all deeply, deeply grateful to Joe for his lifetime of service to our nation. And we thank you, Joe Biden, each and every day for all you are and all you still have yet to do. Thank you, Joe. I’m going to tell him what you said.
So, Michigan, this has been a big week. On Monday, I officially became the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. And yesterday, I announced my running mate in this campaign, Governor Tim Walz.
And as you just heard, he has an incredible record as Governor of the great state of Minnesota. And to those who know him best, some people are just getting to know him, but I’m going to tell you, you got to know him real quick because he’s incredible. He’s a serious, serious man. He has been a serious leader and he loves our country. And, you know, I’ve talked to some of the people who know him best, like his wife, Gwen.
And to Gwen, Tim Walz is his husband. To his kids, Hope and Gus, he is dad. To his fellow veterans, he is Sergeant Major Walz.
Tim Walz’s Background
To the people of southern Minnesota, for 12 years, he was a congressman. To his former high school students, he is Mr. Walz. And to his former high school football players, he was coach. And in 90 days, the nation will know Coach Walz by the title, Vice President of the United States. That’s right. So it is so good to be back in Michigan.
Importance of Michigan
And listen, I am clear, the path to the White House runs right through this state. And with your help, we will win in November. We will win.
And I know we are all clear about what we are up against. As many of you know, before I was elected Vice President, before I was elected as a United States Senator, I was elected Attorney General, and before that, elected District Attorney, and before that, I was a courtroom prosecutor.
Harris’s Background and Experience
In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, scammers who broke the rules for personal gain. So hear me, Detroit, when I say, I know Donald Trump type.
I’ve been dealing with them my whole career. For example, as Attorney General of California, I took on one of the country’s largest for-profit colleges that scammed students. Well, Donald Trump ran a for-profit college that scammed students.
You remember that? As a prosecutor, I specialize in cases of sexual abuse. Well, Donald Trump was found liable for committing sexual abuse. As Attorney General, I held the big Wall Street banks accountable for fraud. Well, Donald Trump was just found guilty of fraud. 34 counts, to be exact.
Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. You know what? Here. Hold on. Here’s the thing. The courts are going to handle that. We’re going to beat him in November. We’re going to beat him in November. We’ll beat him in November. We’ll handle that.
Campaign Vision
But all that to say, in this campaign, I proudly put my record against his any day of the week. Any day of the week. But make no mistake, our campaign, this campaign, is not just about us versus Donald Trump. It’s bigger than that. It is about two very different visions for the future of our nation. One, ours, focused on the future. And the other, focused on the past. And Michigan, we, we here, fight for the future. We fight for the future.
Democratic Vision for the Future
We fight for a future where every worker has the freedom to join a union. Where every senior can retire with dignity. A future with affordable housing, affordable child care, affordable health care, and paid leave.
A future where we build a broad-based economy where every American has an opportunity to own a home, to start a business, and to build wealth. And understand, in this fight, we are joyful warriors. Because while fighting for a brighter future may take hard work, we all here know hard work is good work.
Economic Priorities
Hard work is good work. We believe in a future where we lower the cost of living for America’s families. So they have a chance, not just to get by, but to get ahead.
Because look, while our economy is doing well by many measures, prices for everyday things like groceries are still too high. You know it and I know it. When I was Attorney General, I went after price-fixing schemes.
Economic Plans
And when I am President, it will be my day-one priority to fight to bring down prices, to take on the big corporations that engage in illegal price gouging, take on corporate landlords that unfairly raise rents on working families, to take on big pharma and cap the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans. That is the work we will do together.
And all of this to say, unlike Donald Trump, I will always put the middle class and working families first. Because Coach Walz and I know the middle class built this great country of ours. And when the middle class is strong, America is strong.
Criticism of Trump’s Agenda
And look, as we move our nation forward, Donald Trump intends to take our nation backwards. Just look at his Project 2025 agenda. Project 2025. And please do check out Project 2025. Because I’m telling you, it is a plan. It is a plan to weaken America’s middle class. Project 2025. If he is elected. It’s all good. It’s all good. It’s all good. I’m here because we believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now. I am speaking now.
Trump’s Project 2025
I am speaking now. So Project 2025. Look, if he is elected, Donald Trump intends to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations. He intends to cut Social Security and Medicare. He intends to surrender our fight against the climate crisis. And he intends to end the Affordable Care Act.
If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that, otherwise I’m speaking. We’re not going back. We’re not going back. We’re not going back. We’re not going back. And we’re not going back because we know what that would look like. And again, understand, Donald Trump intends to end the Affordable Care Act.
Healthcare Concerns
And take us back to a time when insurance companies had the power to deny people with pre-existing conditions. We all remember what that looked like. And we’re not going back.
We’re not going back. Our fight is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom. Across our nation, we are witnessing a full-on attack on hard-fought, hard-won fundamental freedoms and rights, and we will not stand for it. Attacks on the freedom to vote. Attacks on the freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water.
The freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. And the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do. Generations, generations of Americans before us led the fight for freedom.
Call to Action
Now the baton is in our hands, each and every one of us. So we who believe in the sacred freedom to vote will finally pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. We who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence will finally pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and red flag laws.
We who believe in the freedom to organize will pass the PRO Act and put an end to union busting once and for all. And we who believe in reproductive freedom will fight for a woman’s right to choose. Remembering what Donald Trump did to pick three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would take away this freedom and they did as he intended.
Reproductive Rights
We who are paying attention to the fact that now over 20 states in our country have a Trump abortion ban, many with no exceptions, even for rape and incest. And we all know if he wins he would sign a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every state and that would include the great state of Michigan. But we’re not going back.
And on that point it is because there is a thing about who we are that is a bit different from the folks on the other side. We trust women to know what is in their best interest and not have their government telling them what to do. And when I am President of the United States and Congress passes a bill to restore reproductive freedom, I will sign it into law.
Stakes of the Election
So Michigan, here’s the thing. So much, so much, so much is on the line in this election. And we’ve got to remember, you know, we know who he is and what he was about in 16 and in 20, but there’s also something else that has happened recently that we really have to prioritize in our mind about the danger we’re looking at.
Last month the United States Supreme Court basically just told the former President, who has been convicted of fraud, that going forward he will be immune no matter what he does in the White House. But think about that. Think about that.
Concerns About Trump’s Intentions
Think about what that means. Think about what that means. The man has openly vowed, if reelected, that he will be a dictator on day one.
Think about what that means when he said that he will even, quote, “terminate the Constitution of the United States.” Let us be very clear. Someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again stand behind the seal of the President of the United States. Never again.
Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote. That’s right. So here’s the thing, to your point. When it comes down to all the things that are important about this, I think the most important thing that brings us all out today and always is we love our country.
Patriotism and American Ideals
We love our country. We love our country. And I do believe it is the highest form of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country.
That is how we preserve the promise of America. After all, the promise of America, think about it, is what makes it possible for Tim Walz and me to be together on this stage today. Think about it.
Think about that. Two middle-class kids, one a daughter of Oakland, California, who was raised by a working mother, had a summer job at McDonald’s. The other a son of the Nebraska plains who grew up working on a farm. Only in America is it possible for them together to make it all the way to the White House. Only in America. Only in America.
So we are running this campaign on behalf of all Americans. From red states to blue states. From the heartland to the coast.
And when elected, I promise you we will govern on behalf of all Americans. I promise that. To close with this, Michigan, ultimately in this election, we each face a question.
The Choice Ahead
We each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in? A country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law?
Or a country of chaos, fear, and hate? And the beauty of our democracy, the beauty of our democracy, we each have the power to answer that question. We each have the power to answer that question.
Call to Action
The power is with the people. So in the next 90 days, we need you to use your power. We need you to knock on some doors.
We need you to register folks to vote. We need you to organize and energize and mobilize and make your voices heard. So Michigan, I ask you, are you ready to make your voices heard?
Do we believe in freedom? Do we believe in opportunity? Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it? And when we fight, we win. God bless you. God bless America.
