Sunday School 8/30/20: Extra Credit

In this week's Sunday School, we heard from two pretty good non-answer-people, one from each party. Today, I wanted to switch gears and hear from people who are not politicians, who are not afraid of answering questions, talk about a subject that they are uniquely qualified to talk about (and that the politicians are uniquely not qualified to talk about): professional athletes, talking about professional athletes and social justice. 

First up? Chuck Todd on MTP, talking with former NBA player (and SU alum) Etan Thomas, and current WNBA player /VP of the Players Association Sue Bird. The interview comes after last week's actions across multiple sports leading to the cancellation of nine NBA games, 11 MLB games, six WNBA games, four NHL games, and more. 

Thomas talked about the leagues standing in solidarity, and making "their powerful statement heard really around the world" and said they've gone above and beyond, not only by not playing, but through the new social change fund, and through focused advocacy work. And he pointed out how it was "interesting" to hear people complaining that the athletes went back to work after their 'strike' or 'boycott' or whatever it should be called, noting that

...it's also not the job of professional athletes to solve the policing problems that we have in this country. You know, that should be the focus of all the people we just saw at the Republican convention this past week. And I would say, instead of Donald Trump screaming "law and order" at the American citizens exercising their right to protest, that he should be screaming "police accountability." But I bet we probably won't hear that. 

Todd, noting that when players boycott, they're taking money out of the hands of the owners, sponsors, and the leagues, asked Bird what role owners and sponsors should play in all of this. She noted that in the WNBA, the owners support the players, noting that she and others heard directly from their owners saying, "We support whatever you want to do."  That being the case, she said, 

I think a lot of it is more so about, like you said, the corporate sponsors, trying to get them to understand where we stand, what we believe in, what we're fighting for.

And, she added, "this isn't new for us. We've been doing this for year, and years, and years."  She said that

what was so special about this moment was an opportunity, like Etan said, for all of these leagues to be unified. And that’s, that’s when, you know -- we've learned in the WNBA when we're unified as one voice, that's where the impact is felt for us. So to have all these leagues together, I mean, you've seen what's happened. 

Todd asked Thomas about some athletes suggesting that, while they're doing a lot, they're not doing enough. Thomas said people always want to do more, and he also wanted to make clear that "this has nothing to do with being for the police or against the police. That's just the right redefining the issue." He used his kids to illustrate the difference between being supportive and being an enabler.

So, for instance, I love my baby Sierra. You know, that's my girl. But if baby Sierra came to me and said, "Daddy, I want to have chocolate chips for dinner," I wouldn't be supporting her by telling her that she can go have chocolate chips for dinner, you know what I mean? That's not supporting her.

And Trump and the right believe that you have to allow the police to do anything that they want to do and then that equals supporting them... Applauding someone and saying, "Everything that you do is wonderful" is not supporting them. It's actually enabling them. And, you know, so I would say Trump is actually acting more anti-police than what he's claiming to be.

Todd turned to Bird, asking if she understood the need or desire to do more. She talked about being in the 'wubble' (the WNBA bubble) and how all of the players being together, being able to talk about the emotionally and mentally draining, "traumatizing and re-traumatizing" experiences the black players have had, makes people feel like they're not doing enough.

We've actually been doing the work. And to be honest, I've had a front row seat with, you know, my girlfriend Megan Rapinoe. She took a knee four years ago. It took four years for that to come back around. So personally for me, I like to share that message with the players because, while it doesn't feel like you're doing enough and while people are going to come at you and be, like, "Well, what are you going to do about it." Just you have to, like, find solace in the fact that we actually are doing the work.

Thomas was asked about NBA players speaking out more than athletes in other leagues like the NHL and MLB, with Todd noting "here're two sports that are whiter and certainly their fan bases are very white," and asked about the importance of the sports world uniting "across racial lines."  Thomas said it's "definitely important," adding

Right now, you know, when you see from the right there's so much of a divisive type of a tone. I mean, just looking at the Republican National Convention, you know, everything is divisive. And so sports has the opportunity to be able to bring people together. And so -- and it's a matter of empathy. So some of these sports that you say, you know, as you say are whiter, you know, they might not be dealing with the same things that I'm dealing with as a Black man in this country. 

He talked about "the conversation" that black parents have with their sons - and daughters -about what to do when they're stopped by the police. Not if, mind you -- but when they are stopped, and how they can't act like their white friends might, because "they will get to live."  And, he pointed out,

... the fact that you are making millions of dollars in the NBA doesn't save you from being Black. And that's the difference. So when the policeman pulls me over... it doesn't matter what I've accomplished in life or who I am or, you know, what tax bracket I'm in or anything like that. I'm a Black man and I'm a threat.

Final question was to Bird, about what she'd say to the politicians who "don't like it when the sports world speaks out on social issues." 

... as a female athlete, the one thing that I've come to realize is we're judged on everything except our sport. We've been judged because we're Black, gay, because we're women. Nobody talks about us playing. So you fast forward, you know, ten, 20 years of this and we've developed an identity. And we're being authentic to it. And so for us, when people say, "Stick to sports," it's kind of, like, yeah, 20 years ago, we tried. You wouldn't let us. And now you're saying that? So it makes no sense to me.

Or to me, frankly.  

Sunday School 8/30/20

Let's meander around the classrooms, shall we?

First up: Highlights of the conversation between Dana Bash and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Trump, via WI), on CNN's State of the Union.

Bash asked whether Johnson's "comfortable with the president appearing to inflame tensions" instead of calling for calm, let's look at his entire response:

Listen, I have been urging calm across the board, particularly in light of what happened here in Kenosha. But, as I said in the opening statement, when we had acting Secretary Wolf before my committee, when you encourage disdain for the police, you encourage criminals. When you do little or nothing to stop rioting, you encourage anarchy. So, when you're encouraging criminals and anarchy, people's lives are lost. You have more and more destruction, more and more violence. So, what we need to do is, we need to get control of the situation. And until we -- until we do, we're going to have more violence, we're going to have, unfortunately, potentially more loss of life. So, we need to get control of the situation. We need to encourage calm. 

And here's something else we need to do. We need to figure out what we do all agree on. And we share the same goal. We all want a safe, prosperous and secure America in states and communities. Let's concentrate on those areas of agreement, because that's how we achieve the unity everybody says they want.

Not hearing him mention the president, Bash tried again. Appreciating Johnson saying that "everybody should be calm," but reiterated the president's "agitating and actively encouraging his supporters." and wondered if that was what Johnson wanted to see from the president.

But, Dana, there are people -- there are people agitating all over the place. And what we need to do is get control of the situation.

Again, Bash reminded him she's talking about the President of the United States. Again, he didn't answer, instead talking about Wisconsin officials. So, Bash gave him one last chance, asking, "OK. So, given what you're saying, would you prefer that the president not tweet agitating comments and agitating ideas on his Twitter feed?

Well, that's how you -- that's how you are typifying it. What we need to do is, we need to encourage an end to the violence and the rioting.

Bash allowed as how there's really no other way to see it. And when Johnson again talked about the governor, Bash said AGAIN, "I'm talking about the president."

No, what the president did was, he offered to surge manpower resources, so the violence could end. The governor did not accept that that day. That night, tragically, two people lost their lives because citizens took matters into their own hands. I'm not for vigilantism. I'm not sure that's what was happening. People felt, because the governor and local -- local officials were looking for help. The governor did not accept the help. And so, there was not the resolve to end the rioting. And so, people took matters into their own hands. And that's what ended up happening. People die.

About those people dying? This exchange is absurd, it really is.

RJ: It is a tragedy. DB:  Do you -- do you condemn that? RJ: It is a tragedy. DB: Do you condemn it? RJ:  It is a tragedy. It is -- it's a tragedy. DB: It is a tragedy, but do you condemn it?  RJ:  The entire situation is a tragedy. Listen, I don't want to see any loss of life. It is a tragedy. And the way you prevent these tragedies is, you support law enforcement... you calm the situation. DB: A tragedy could be a car accident or something happening that is not based on fault. Do you condemn this? RJ:  You don't allow peaceful protest to turn siege -- into siege. Listen, I don't want to see anybody lose their life. I don't want to see the violence continue. I don't want to see businesses burned down. I don't want to see economic destruction. I condemn it all.

Honestly, I would have asked a simple question: "Senator, do you have any intention of answering the questions I'm asking? Because if you do, let's move ahead, and if you're only here to get your talking points across, you can send them in writing and we'll take a look at them."

In Case You Missed it (v51)

It was VERY busy around here last week, so go grab your cuppa whatever and dive in!

Sunday School brought us interviews with Currently Acting and Maybe Soon Confirmed DHS head Chad Wolf, who was in the CNN SOTU classroom with Jake Tapper, and former FBI Director James Comey, who was in the Face the Nation classroom with Margaret Brennan.  Among other things, Wolf said that he's not authorized to send DHS law enforcement officers to police polling places, which was a good thing as far as Comey was concerned, as we learned in his 'speed round' answers.

• He trusts "state, local and federal law enforcement to honor their oath to the rule of law and to not be part of suppressing votes." so thinks LEOS and US attorneys and the like will not be present suppressing votes in November.

• He "can't imagine" that he's a target of US Attorney John Durham's investigation and he's "not worried at all about that investigation of the investigation. Next, I'm sure will be an investigation of the investigation of the investigation..."

My classroom visits sparked a Sidebar highlighting Jake Tapper's commentary at the end of his show on Sunday. He said, in part 

Now, empathy and decency are of course not the only measures by which one makes a decision about an election. There is policy and acuity, feelings of safety and security, a host of other factors. But it is pretty clear there's a profound empathy and decency gap between President Trump and Joe Biden.

And what's important to keep in mind at this point in our nation's history, a politician bereft of empathy and decency, that's someone by definition who is willing to literally do anything, to sink to any depth to win.

I also sat down at the Update Desk, after more news came out about Rev. Franklin Graham's intentions, which I discussed in an Irony Board post from the week before,

And, there is, of course, the well-known history of Biden's personal life, losing his wife and daughter in a car accident, losing his son to brain cancer, and how it was his faith that got him through those tragedies. Ignoring all of that smacks of a person who has a specific message he wants to deliver, but won't come right out and say it.

Yet. I'm sure he's saving it for next week.

Well, it seems that I was right. Rev. Graham has been announced as one of the speakers for the Republican National Convention. 

After those couple of twists and turns,  finally got to the David Muir/Robin Roberts interviews with the Democratic ticket, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for your Sunday School Extra Credit. Much of the conversation centered on the pandemic, and on the debates and comments made then, and how she was eventually picked and how she felt about being the choice.

Harris was comfortable signing on as  VP choice, pointing to a number of policies that are "about translating the pain we collectively should feel as a country" and turning that pain into action on multiple fronts, including the Green New Deal - and that setting goals and timelines would be priorities there, along with a million new jobs.

And then, it was time for the convention, and the speeches, in all of their insufferable glory. And the president, who, you know, did presidential stuff as part of the convention, because just as he can't separate his presidency from his business interests, he can't separate his candidacy from the presidency.  Raise your hand if you're shocked about that...

• From the opening night, which included a call for no birth control (Charlie Kirk), a blatant misunderstanding of our country and immigration (Most Favored Son's Girlfriend and $180,000/year campaign shill Kimberly Guilfoyle), and a complete lack of understanding of how the Republicans are not the party of free speech (Guilfoyle's boyfriend) and how they don't think cancel culture is "dangerous and wrong (Nikki Haley, who's in the battle against Ivanka to be the first woman president, it would seem). And there Sen. Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, who at least was honest.

Trust me though, after seven years in the Senate, I know I’m not the only one in Congress who failed civics.

• From the second night, which brought us libertarian/Republicans Rand Paul, who at one point was honest about Trump and now is somehow one of the biggest fans of the self-aggrandizing fake conservative; the 'it takes one to know one' view of criminals from Pam Bondi, registered foreign lobbyist and former FL AG; the least son, who pleaded for attention from his daddy, and the ever pompous, unethical, afraid-of-strong-women SecState, speaking to us from a direct violation of his own State Department policy just issued in July; and the empathetic other daughter, who knows how it feels to not have a job, and about mental manipulation by the media.

This manipulation of what information we receive impedes our freedoms, rather than allowing Americans the right to form our own beliefs, this misinformation system keeps people mentally enslaved to the ideas they deem correct.

• From the third night, which brought us politicians, first responders, people with pre-existing conditions, political candidates, sports heroes, and more - including someone accused of insider trading, 

which I thought was pretty cool for the 'Law and Order' party, although I'm sure the arrest of the speaker earlier this month was all part of the grand deep-state hoaxspiracy to bring down the Chosen One, or something. What is it they say, W1GOTDEWAGOTDE (When One Goes Off the Deep End, We All Go Off the Deep End)?

• And then, it was Thursday, the final night. (The emphasis here is mine.) Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell spoke (those were fun), as did Ja'Ron Smith, who incomprehensibly managed to bucket together Ahmaud Arbery, (murdered for jogging while black), George Floyd (murdered while being arrested while black) and LeGend Taliferro (a four-year old child senselessly murdered in a non-racially-motivated beef between LeGend's family and a man with whom his aunt had a relationship); and of course, the penultimate speaker (who if everything she said is true, might actually be the first woman president), the first daughter. Among the things she told us about her daddy in her introduction? 

He’s so unapologetic about his beliefs that he has caused me and countless Americans to take a hard look at our own convictions and ask ourselves, (How the hell did we elect a celebrity conman as president of the greatest country in the history of the world?)  What kind of America do we want to leave for our children, (one championed by a bully who lies through his teeth on a daily basis, brings out the worst in the worst of us, and has so lowered the bar that underground limbo is now a thing)?

I must say, it was all so bigly huge and patriotic, I took an extra day to get the TGIF post out, which included word-for-word the Pence and Trump acceptance speeches, without comment.

It was a historic and truly veritable pastiche last week, I've got to say. 

I'll be back later with today's Sunday School. 

TGIF 8/28/20: So Bigly it Took An Extra Day

Here you go, folks. In full, without comment, snicker or snort, the acceptance speeches of vice president Mike Pence and of president Donald Trump.

First, the veep.

Good evening, America. It’s an honor to speak to you tonight from the hallowed grounds of Fort McHenry. The site of the very battle that inspired the words of our national anthem. Those words have inspired these land of heroes in every generation since. It was on this site, 206 years ago, when our young republic heroically withstood a ferocious naval bombardment from the most powerful empire on earth. They came to crush our revolution, to divide our nation, and to end the American experiment. The heroes who held this Fort took their stand for life, liberty, freedom, and the American flag. Those ideals have defined our nation, but they were hardly ever mentioned at last week’s Democratic National Convention. Instead, Democrats spent four days attacking America.

Joe Biden said that we were living through a season of darkness, but as President Trump said, where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness. In these challenging times, our country needs a president who believes in America, who believes in the boundless capacity of the American people to meet any challenge, defeat any foe, and defend the freedoms we hold dear. America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House. Before I go further, allow me to say a word to the families and communities in the path of Hurricane Laura. Our prayers are with you tonight. Our administration is working closely with authorities in the States that will be impacted. FEMA has mobilized resources and supplies for those in harm’s way.

This is a serious storm, and we urge all those in the affected areas to heed State and local authorities. Stay safe and know that we’ll be with you every step of the way to support, rescue, respond, and recover in the days and weeks ahead. That’s what Americans do. Four years ago, I answered the call to join this ticket because I knew that Donald Trump had the leadership and the vision to make America great again. For the last four years, I’ve watched this President endure unrelenting attacks, but get up every day and fight to keep the promises that he made to the American people. So, with gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican Party, and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as Vice President of the United States.

Serving the American people in this office has been a journey. I never expected. It’s a journey that would not have been possible without the support of my family. Beginning with my wonderful wife, Karen. She’s a lifelong school teacher, an incredible mother to our three children, and she is one outstanding Second Lady of the United States. I’m so proud of you. We couldn’t be more proud of our three children, Marine Corps Captain Michael J. Pence and his wife, Sarah. Our daughter, Charlotte Pence Bond, an author, and the wife to Lieutenant Henry Bond who is currently deployed and serving our nation in the United States Navy. Our youngest, a recent law school grad, our daughter Audrey and her fiance who like so many other Americans had to delay their wedding this summer. But we can’t wait for Dan to be a part of our family. In addition to my wife and kids, the person who shaped my life the most is also with us tonight. My mom, Nancy. She is the daughter of an Irish immigrant, 87 years young, and mom follows politics very closely. The truth be told, sometimes I think I’m actually her second favorite candidate on the Trump-Pence ticket. Thank you, mom. I love you.

Over the past four years, I’ve had the privilege to work closely with our President. I’ve seen him when the cameras are off. Americans see President Trump in lots of different ways, but there’s no doubt how President Trump sees America. He sees America for what it is, a nation that has done more good in this world than any other, a nation that deserves far more gratitude than grievance. If you want a President who falls silent when our heritage is demeaned or insulted, he’s not your man. Now, we came by very different routes to this partnership, and some people think we’re a little bit different. I’ve learned a few things watching him, watching him deal with all that we’ve been through over the past four years, he does things in his own way, on his own terms. Not much gets past him. When he has an opinion, he’s liable to share it. He certainly kept things interesting, but more importantly, President Donald Trump has kept his word to the American people. In a city known for talkers, President Trump is a doer, and few presidents have brought more independence, energy, or determination to that office. Four years ago, we inherited a military hollowed out by devastating budget cuts, an economy struggling to break out of the slowest recovery since the great depression, ISIS controlled a land mass twice the size of Pennsylvania.

We witnessed a steady assault on our most cherished values, freedom of religion, and the right to life. That’s when President Donald Trump stepped in. From day one, he kept his word. We rebuilt our military. This President signed the largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan, and created the first new branch of our armed forces in 70 years, the United States Space Force. With that renewed energy, we also returned American astronauts to space on an American rocket for the first time in nearly 10 years. After years of scandal that robbed our veterans of the care that you earned in the uniform of the United States, President Trump kept his word again. We reformed the VA and Veterans Choice is now available for every veteran in America. Our armed forces and our veterans fill this land of heroes, and many joined us tonight in this historic Fort.

Tonight, we have among us four recipients of the Medal of Honor, six recipients of the Purple Heart, a Gold Star mother of a gallant Navy SEAL, and wounded warriors from SoldierStrong, a group that serves our injured veterans every day. We are honored by your presence and we thank you for your service. With heroes just like these, we defend this nation every day. Under this Commander in Chief, we’ve taken the fight to radical Islamic terrorists on our terms on their soil. Last year, American armed forces took the last inch of ISIS territory, crushed their caliphate, and took down their leader without one American casualty. I was there when President Trump gave the order to take out the world’s most dangerous terrorist, Iran’s top general will never harm another American because Qasem Soleimani is gone.

My fellow Americans, you deserve to know, Joe Biden criticized President Trump following those decisions, decisions to rid the world of two terrorist leaders. But it’s not surprising because history records that Joe Biden even opposed the operation that took down Osama bin Laden. It’s no wonder that the Secretary of Defense under the Obama-Biden Administration once said that Joe Biden has been, and I quote, “Wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” So, we’ve stood up to our enemies and we’ve stood with our allies. Like when President Trump kept his word and moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel, setting the stage for the first Arab country to recognize Israel in 26 years. Closer to home, we appointed more than 200 Conservative judges through our federal courts. We supported the right to life and all the God-given liberties enshrined in our constitution, including the Second Amendment, right to keep and bear arms. When it came to the economy, President Trump kept his word and then some. We passed the largest tax cut and reform in American history. We rolled back more federal red tape than any administration ever had. We unleashed American energy and fought for free and fair trade.

In our first three years, businesses, large and small, created more than seven million good paying jobs, including 500,000 manufacturing jobs all across America. Our country became a net exporter of energy for the first time in 70 years. Unemployment rates for African Americans and Hispanic Americans hit the lowest level ever recorded. And on this 100th anniversary of a woman’s right to vote, I’m proud to report that under president Donald Trump, we achieved the lowest unemployment rate for women in 65 years, and more Americans working than ever before. In our first three years, we built the greatest economy in the world. We made America great again. And then the Coronavirus struck from China. Before the first case of the Coronavirus spread within the United States, the president took unprecedented action and suspended all travel from China, the second largest economy in the world. Now that action saved untold American lives. And I can tell you firsthand, it bought us invaluable time to launch the greatest national mobilization since World War II.

President Trump marshaled the full resources of our federal government from the outset. He directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America, in both political parties. We partnered with private industry to reinvent testing and produce supplies that were distributed to hospitals around the land. Today we’re conducting more than 800,000 tests a day, and we have coordinated the delivery of billions of pieces of personal protective equipment for our amazing doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers. We saw to the manufacture of 100,000 ventilators in a hundred days. And no one who required a ventilator was ever denied a ventilator in the United States. We build hospitals, surged military medical personnel, and enacted an economic rescue package to save 50 million American jobs. As we speak, we’re developing a growing number of treatments known as therapeutics, including convalescent plasma that are saving lives all across America.

Now last week, Joe Biden said that no miracle is coming. Well what Joe doesn’t seem to understand is that America is a nation of miracles. And I’m proud to report that we’re on track to have the world’s first safe, effective Coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year. After all the sacrifice in this year like no other, and all the hardship, we’re finding our way forward again. But tonight, our hearts are with all the families who’ve lost loved ones and have family members still struggling with serious illness. In this country we mourn with those who mourn, we grieve with those who grieve. And this night, I know that millions of Americans will pause and pray for God’s comfort for each of you. A country doesn’t get through such a time unless its people find strength within. The response of doctors, nurses, first responders, farmers, factory workers, truckers, and everyday Americans who put the health and safety of their neighbors first has been nothing short of heroic.

Veronica Sayez put on her scrubs every day, day in and day out went to work in one of New York City’s busiest hospitals. She stayed on the job, put in the long hours until it was done and then, got back in her neighborhood and helped neighbors and friends struggling. Her brother William is a New York City firefighter, and they’re both emblematic of heroes all across this country. They’re with us tonight. And I say to them and to all of you; you have earned the admiration of the American people, and we will always be grateful for your service and care. Thanks to the courage and compassion of the American people, we’re slowing the spread, we’re protecting the vulnerable, and we’re saving lives, and we’re opening up America again. Because of the strong foundation that president Trump poured in our first three years, we’ve already gained back 9.3 million jobs in the last three months alone. And we’re not just opening up America again, we’re opening up America’s schools. And I’m proud to report that my wife Karen, that school teacher I’ve been married to, will be returning to her classroom next week.

And so to all of our heroic teachers, and faculty, and staff, thank you for being there for our kids. We’re going to stay with you every step of the way. In the days ahead as we open up America again, I promise you, we’ll continue to put the health of America first. And as we’ve worked to bring this economy back, we all have a role to play, and we all have a choice to make. On November 3rd, you need to ask yourself, who do you trust to rebuild this economy? A career politician who presided over the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression, or a proven leader who created the greatest economy in the world? The choice is clear, to bring America all the way back, we need four more years of president Donald Trump in the White House. My fellow Americans, we’re passing through a time of testing, but in the midst of this global pandemic, just as our nation had begun to recover, we’ve seen violence and chaos in the streets of our major cities.

President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest, but rioting and looting is not peaceful protest. Tearing down statues is not free speech, and those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Last week, Joe Biden didn’t say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country. So let me be clear. The violence must stop. Whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see American strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color. President Trump and I know that the men and women that put on the uniform of law enforcement are the best of us. Every day when they walk out their door, they consider our lives more important than their own. People like Dave Patrick Underwood, an officer in the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service, who was shot and killed during the riots in Oakland, California.

Dave’s heroism is emblematic of the heroes that serve in blue every day, and we’re privileged tonight to be joined by his sister, Angela. Angela, we say to you, we grieve with your family, and America will never forget or fail to honor Officer Dave Patrick Underwood. The American people know, we don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with our African American neighbors to improve the quality of their lives, education, jobs, and safety. And from the first days of this administration, we’ve done both, and we will keep supporting law enforcement and keep supporting our African American and minority communities across this land for four more years. Joe Biden says that America is systemically racist and that law enforcement in America is, and I quote, an implicit bias against minorities. When asked whether he’d support cutting funding of law enforcement, Joe Biden replied, “Yes, absolutely.” Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to violence in America’s cities. The hard truth is, you won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.

Under president Trump, we will always stand with those who stand on the thin blue line, and we’re not going to defund the police, not now, not ever. My fellow Americans we’re passing through a time of testing, but soon we will come to a time for choosing. Joe Biden has referred to himself as a transition candidate, and many were asking, “Transition to what?” But last week, Democrats didn’t talk very much about their agenda and if I were them, I wouldn’t either. I mean, Bernie Sanders did tell his followers that Joe Biden would be the most liberal president in modern times. In fact, he said, and I quote, that many of the ideas he fought for, that just a few years ago were considered radical, are now mainstream in the Democratic Party. At the root of their agenda is the belief that America is driven by envy, not aspiration, that millions of Americans harbor ill will toward our neighbors, instead of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

The radical left believes that the federal government must be involved in every aspect of our lives to correct those American wrongs. They believe the federal government needs to dictate how Americans live, how we should work, how we should raise our children, and in the process deprive our people of freedom, prosperity, and security. Their agenda is based on government control. Our agenda is based on freedom. Where president Trump cut taxes, Joe Biden wants to raise taxes by nearly $4 trillion. Where this president achieved energy independence for the United States, Joe Biden would abolish fossil fuels, and fracking, and impose the regime of climate change regulations that would drastically increase the cost of living for working families. Where we fought for free and fair trade, and this president stood up to China and ended the era of economic surrender, Joe Biden has been a cheerleader for communist China. He wants to repeal all the tariffs that are leveling the playing field for American workers. And he actually criticized president Trump for suspending all travel to China at the outset of this pandemic.

Joe Biden is for open borders, sanctuary cities, free lawyers and healthcare for illegal immigrants. And president Trump, he secured our border and built nearly 300 miles of that border wall. Joe Biden wants to end school choice, and president Trump believes that every parent should have the right to choose where their children go to school regardless of their income or area code. President Trump has stood without apology for the sanctity of human life, every day of this administration. Joe Biden, he supports taxpayer funding of abortion, right up to the moment of birth. When you consider their agenda, it’s clear, Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left. The choice in this election has never been clearer, and the stakes have never been higher. Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot and the truth is, our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order are on the ballot, but so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country.

In this election, it’s not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or more Democrat. The choice in this election is whether America remains America. It’s whether we will leave to our children and our grandchildren a country grounded in our highest ideals of freedom, free markets, and the unalienable right to life and liberty, or whether we will leave them a country that’s fundamentally transformed into something else. We stand at a crossroads, America. President Trump has set our nation on a path of freedom and opportunity, Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline. But we’re not going to let it happen. President Donald Trump believes in America, and in the goodness of the American people, the boundless potential of every American to live out their dreams and freedom. And every day, president Trump has been fighting to protect the promise of America. Every day, our president has been fighting to expand the reach of the American dream. Every day, president Donald Trump has been fighting for you, and now it’s our turn to fight for him.

On this night, in the company of heroes, I’m deeply grateful, deeply grateful for the privilege of serving as vice president of this great nation, and to have the opportunity to serve again. I pray to be worthy of it, and I will give that duty all that’s in me. In the year 2020, the American people have had more than our share of challenges, but thankfully, we have a president with the toughness, energy, and resolve to see us through. Those traits actually run in our national character, as the invading force learned on approach to this Fort, in September of 1814, against fierce and sustained bombardment, our young country was defended by heroes, not so different from those who are with us tonight. The enemy was counting on them to quit, but they never did. Fort McHenry held, and when morning came, our flag was still here.

My fellow Americans, we’re going through a time of testing. But if you look through the fog of these challenging times, you will see, our flag is still there today. That star-spangled banner still waves over the land of the free and the home of the brave. From these hallowed grounds, American Patriots in generations gone by did their part to defend freedom. Now it’s our turn. So let’s run the race marked out for us. Let’s fix our eyes on Old Glory and all she represents. Let’s fix our eyes on this land of heroes, and let their courage inspire. And let’s fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith and our freedom, and never forget, that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. That means freedom always wins. My fellow Americans, thank you for the honor of addressing you tonight, and the opportunity to run and serve again as your vice president. I leave here today inspired, and I leave here today more convinced than ever that we will do in our time as Americans have done throughout our long and storied past. We will defend our freedom, and our way of life. We will reelect our president, and principled Republican leaders across the land, and with president Donald Trump in the White House for four more years, and with God’s help, we will make America great again, again. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. 

And, the president, and all the words that fit into his 70-minute speech.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.   Friends, delegates and distinguished guests, please. I stand before you tonight honored by your support, proud of the extraordinary progress we have made together over the last four incredible years and blooming with confidence in the bright future we will build for America over the next four years.  

We begin this evening — our thoughts are with the wonderful people who have just come through the wrath of hurricane Laura. We are working closely with state and local officials in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi. Sparing no effort to save lives while the hurricane was fierce, one of the strongest to make landfall in 150 years. The casualties and damage were far less than thought possible only 24 hours ago. 

And this is due to the great work of FEMA, law enforcement and the individual states. I will be going this weekend. And congratulations, thank you for that great job out there. We really appreciate it. We are one national family, and we will always protect, love and care for each other. Here tonight are the people who have made my journey possible and filled my life with so much joy. 

For her incredible service to our nation and its children, I want to thank our magnificent first lady. I also want to thank my amazing daughter Ivanka for that introduction, and to all of my children. Ivanka — please stand up — and to all of my children and grandchildren, I love you more than words can express. 

I know my brother Robert is looking down on us right now from heaven. He was a great brother and was very proud of the job we are all doing. Thank you. We love you, Robert. 

Let us also take a moment to show our profound appreciation for a man who has always fought by our side and stood up for our values, a man of deep faith and steadfast conviction — our vice president, Mike Pence. And Mike is joined by his beloved wife, a teacher and military mom, Karen Pence. 

My fellow Americans, tonight, with a heart full of gratitude and boundless optimism, I profoundly accept this nomination for president of the United States.  The Republican Party, the party of Abraham Lincoln, goes forward united, determined and ready to welcome millions of Democrats, independents and anyone who believes in the greatness of America and the righteous heart of the American people. 

In the new term as president, we will again build the greatest economy in history, quickly returning to full employment, soaring incomes and record prosperity. We will defend America against all threats and protect America against all dangers. We will lead America into new frontiers of ambition and discovery, and we will reach four new heights of national achievement. We will rekindle faith in our values, new pride in our history and a new spirit of unity that can only be realized through love for our great country. 

Because we understand that America is not a land cloaked in darkness. America is the torch that enlightens the entire world. Gathered here at our beautiful and majestic White House, known all over the world as the people’s house, we cannot help but marvel at the miracle that is our great American story. 

This has been the home of larger-than-life figures like Teddy Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson, who rallied Americans to bold visions of a bigger and brighter future. Within these walls lived tenacious generals like President Grant and Eisenhower, who led our soldiers in the cause of freedom. From these grounds, Thomas Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to chart our continent. In the depths of a bloody Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln looked out these very windows upon a half-completed Washington Monument and asked God and his Providence to save our nation. Two weeks after Pearl Harbor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt welcomed Winston Churchill, and just inside, they set our people on course to victory in the Second World War. 

In recent months, our nation and the entire planet has been struck by a new and powerful invisible enemy. Like those brave Americans before us, we are meeting this challenge. We are delivering lifesaving therapies and will produce a vaccine before the end of the year, or maybe even sooner. We will defeat the virus and the pandemic and emerge stronger than ever before. 

What united generations past was an unshakable confidence in America’s destiny and an unbreakable faith in the American people. They knew that our country is blessed by God and has a special purpose in this world. It is that conviction that inspired the formation of our union, our westward expansion, the abolition of slavery, the passage of civil rights, the space program and the overthrow of fascism, tyranny, and communism. 

This towering American spirit has prevailed over every challenge and has lifted us to the summit of human endeavor. And yet despite all of our greatness as a nation, everything we have achieved is now in danger. This is the most important election in the history of our country. 

Thank you. At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies or two agendas. This election will decide if we save the American dream or whether we allow a socialist agenda to demolish our cherished destiny. It will decide whether we rapidly create millions of high-paying jobs or whether we crush our industries and send millions of these jobs overseas, as has been foolishly done for many decades. Your vote will decide whether we protect law-abiding Americans or whether we give free rein to violent anarchists and agitators and criminals who threaten our citizens.  

And this election will decide whether we will defend the American way of life or allow a radical movement to completely dismantle and destroy it. It won’t happen. At the Democrat National Convention, Joe Biden and his party repeatedly assailed America as a land of racial, economic and social injustice, so tonight, I ask you a simple question: How can the Democratic Party ask to lead our country when it spent so much time tearing down our country? 

In the left’s backward view, they do not see America as the most free, just and exceptional nation on Earth. Instead, they see a wicked nation that must be punished for its sins. Our opponents say that redemption for you can only come from giving power to them. This is a tired anthem spoken by every repressive movement throughout history, but in this country, we don’t look to career politicians for salvation. In America, we do not turn to government to restore ourselves. We put our faith in almighty God. 

Joe Biden is not a savior of America’s soul. He is the destroyer of America’s jobs, and if given the chance, he will be the destroyer of America’s greatness. For 47 years, Joe Biden took the donations of blue-collar workers, gave them hugs, and even kisses, and told them he felt their pain, and then he flew back to Washington and voted to ship our jobs to China and many other distant lands. 

Joe Biden spent his entire career outsourcing their dreams and the dreams of American workers, offshoring their jobs, opening their borders and sending their sons and daughters to fight in endless foreign wars, wars that never ended. 

Four years ago, I ran for president because I cannot watch this betrayal of our country any longer. I could not sit by as career politicians let other countries take advantage of us on trade, borders, foreign policy and national defense. Our NATO partners, as an example, were very far behind in their defense payments, but at my strong urging, they agreed to pay $130 billion more a year — the first time in over 20 years that they upped their payments. 

And this $130 billion will ultimately go to $400 billion a year, and Secretary General Stoltenberg, who heads NATO, was amazed after watching for so many years and said that President Trump did what no one else was able to do. Thank you. 

From the moment I left my former life behind — and it was a good life — I have done nothing but fight for you. I did what our political establishment never expected and could never forgive, breaking the cardinal rule of Washington politics. I kept my promise. Together we have ended the rule of the failed political class, and they are desperate to get their power back by any means necessary. You have seen that. They are angry at me because instead of putting them first, I very simply said, “America first.”

Thank you. Days after taking office, we shocked the Washington establishment and withdrew from the last administration’s job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership. I then immediately approved the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, ended the unfair and very costly Paris climate accord and secured, for the first time, American energy independence. 

We passed record-setting tax and regulation cuts at a rate nobody had ever seen before. Within three short years, we built the strongest economy in the history of the world. Washington insiders asked me not to stand up to China. They pleaded with me to let China continue stealing our jobs, ripping us off and robbing our country blind, but I kept my word to the American people. We took the toughest, boldest, strongest and hardest-hitting action against China in American history by far. 

They said that it would be impossible to replace NAFTA, but again they were wrong. Earlier this year, I ended the NAFTA nightmare and signed the brand-new Mexico-U.S.-Canada agreement into law. And right now, auto companies and others are building their plants and factories in America, not firing their employees, and not deserting us for other countries. 

In perhaps no area did the Washington special interests try harder to stop us than on my policy of pro-American immigration. But I refused to back down, and today America’s borders are more secure than ever before.  Thank you. 

We ended catch and release, stopped asylum fraud, took down human traffickers who prey on women and children, and we have deported 20,000 gang members and 500,000 criminal aliens. We have already built 300 miles of border wall, and we are adding 10 new miles every single week. The wall will soon be complete, and it is working beyond our wildest expectations. 

We are joined this evening by members of the Border Patrol union, representing our country’s courageous border agents. Thank you very much for being here. Thank you, brave, brave people. 

You see, this country loves our law enforcement. They do. They do. They really do. Love and respect. When I learned that the Tennessee Valley Authority laid off hundreds of American workers and forced them to train their lower-paid foreign replacements, I promptly removed the chairman of the board, and now those talented American workers have been rehired and are back providing power to Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia. 

They have their old jobs back, and some are here with us this evening. Please stand. You went through a lot. Please stand. Thank you. Thank you very much. You have been through a lot. Thank you very much. 

Last month, I took on big pharma. You think that’s easy? It’s not. And signed orders that would massively lower the cost of your prescription drugs and give critically ill patients access to lifesaving cures. We passed the decades-long-awaited right to try, right to try. 

We also passed V.A. Accountability and V.A. Choice; our great veterans, we’re taking care of our veterans — 91 percent approval rating this month, the V.A. Given by our veterans. First time anything like that has happened. 

By the end of my first term, we will have approved more than 300 federal judges, including two new great Supreme Court justices. And to bring prosperity to our forgotten inner cities, we worked hard to pass historic criminal justice reform, prison reform, opportunity zones and long-term funding of historically Black colleges and universities, and before the China virus came in, produced the best unemployment numbers for African-Americans, Hispanic Americans and Asian-Americans ever recorded. 

And I say very modestly that I have done more for the African-American community than any president since Abraham Lincoln, our first Republican president. 

And I have done more in three years for the Black community than Joe Biden has done in 47 years. And when I am re-elected, the best is yet to come. Thank you very much.

When I took office, the Middle East was in total chaos. ISIS was rampaging, Iran was on the rise, and the war in Afghanistan had no end in sight. I withdrew from the terrible one-sided Iran nuclear deal. 

Unlike many presidents before me, I kept my promise, recognized Israel’s true capital and moved our Embassy to Jerusalem. But not only did we talk about it as a future site; we got it built. Rather than spending $1 billion on a new building as planned, we took an already owned, existing building in a better location. Real estate deal, right? And opened it at a cost of less than $500,000. Many things like that the government is doing right now. We also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and this month we achieved the first Middle East peace deal in 25 years. Thank you to the U.A.E. Thank you to Israel. 

In addition, we obliterated 100 percent of the ISIS caliphate and killed its founder and leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Then, in a separate operation, we eliminated the world’s No. 1 terrorist by far, Qassim Suleimani. 

Unlike previous administrations, I have kept America out of new wars, and our troops are coming home. We have spent nearly $2.5 trillion on completely rebuilding our military, which was very badly depleted when I took office, as you know. This includes three separate pay raises for our great warriors. 

We also launched the Space Force, the first new branch of the United States military since the Air Force was created almost 75 years ago. 

We have spent the last four years reversing the damage Joe Biden inflicted over the last 47 years. Biden’s record is a shameful roll call of the most catastrophic betrayals and blunders in our lifetime. He has spent his entire career on the wrong side of history. Biden voted for the NAFTA disaster, the single worst trade deal ever enacted. He supported China’s entry into the World Trade Organization, one of the greatest economic disasters of all time. After those Biden calamities, the United States lost one in four manufacturing jobs. We laid off workers in Michigan, Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and many other states. They did not want to hear Biden’s hollow words of empathy. They wanted their jobs back. 

As vice president, he supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have been a death sentence for the U.S. auto industry. He backed the horrendous South Korea trade deal, which took many jobs from our country, and which I’ve reversed and made a great deal for our country. He repeatedly supported mass amnesty for illegal immigrants. He voted for the Iraq war. He opposed the mission that took out Osama bin Laden. He opposed killing Suleimani, he oversaw the rise of ISIS, cheered the rise of China as a positive development for the world. Some positive development. That is why China supports Joe Biden and it desperately wants him to win. I can tell you that upon very good information. 

China would own our country if Joe Biden got elected. Unlike Biden, I will hold them fully accountable for the tragedy that they caused all over the world — they caused. In recent months, our nation and the world has been hit by the once-in-a-century pandemic that China allowed to spread around the globe. They could have stopped it, but they allowed it to come out. We are grateful to be joined tonight by several of our incredible nurses and first responders. Please stand and accept our profound thanks and gratitude. 

Many Americans, including me — I have sadly lost friends and cherished loved ones to this horrible disease. As one nation, we mourn, we grieve, and we hold in our hearts forever the memories of all of those lives that have been so tragically taken so unnecessary. 

In their honor, we unite in their memory. We will overcome it. And when the China virus hit, we launched the largest national mobilization since World War II, invoking the Defense Production Act. We produce the world’s largest supply of ventilators. Not a single American who has needed a ventilator has been denied a ventilator. 

Good job heading the task force by our great vice president — thank you very much. Please, please stand up. We shipped hundreds of millions of masks, gloves and gowns to our front-line health care workers to protect our nation’s seniors. We rushed supplies, testing kits and personnel to nursing homes. We gave everything you can possibly give, and we’re are still giving it because we are taking care of our senior citizens.

The Army Corps of Engineers built field hospitals, and the Navy deployed our great hospital ships. We developed from scratch the largest and most advanced testing system anywhere in the world. America has tested more than every country in Europe put together and more than every nation in the Western Hemisphere combined — think of that. We have conducted 40 million more tests then the next closest nation, which is India. We developed a wide array of effective treatments, including a powerful antibody treatment known as convalescent plasma. You saw that? On Sunday night when we announced it. That will save thousands and thousands of lives. Thanks to advancements, we have pioneered the fatality rates, and you look at it, and you look at the numbers, it has been reduced by 80 percent since April — 80 percent. 

The United States has among the lowest case fatality rates of any major country anywhere in the world. The European Union’s case fatality rate is nearly three times higher than ours, but you don’t hear that. They do not write about that. They don’t want to write about that. They do not want you to know those things. Altogether, the nations of Europe have experienced a 30 percent greater increase in excess mortality than the United States. Think of that. 

We enacted the largest package of financial relief in American history. Thanks to our Paycheck Protection Program, we have saved or supported more than 50 million American jobs. That’s one of the reasons we’re advancing so rapidly with our economy. Great job. As a result, we have seen the smallest economic contraction of any nation, and we are recovering at a much faster rate than anybody. 

Over the past three months, we have gained over nine million jobs, and that is a record in the history of our country. Unfortunately, from the beginning, our opponents have shown themselves capable of nothing but a partisan ability to criticize. 

When I took bold action to issue a travel ban on China — very early indeed — Joe called it hysterical and xenophobic. And then I introduced a ban on Europe, very early again. If we had listened to Joe, hundreds of thousands more Americans would have died. Instead of following the science, Joe Biden wants to inflict a painful shutdown on the entire country. His shutdown would inflict unthinkable and lasting harm on our nation’s children, families and citizens of all backgrounds. The cost of the Biden shutdown would be measured in increased drug overdoses, depression, alcohol addiction, suicides, heart attacks, economic devastation, job loss and much more. Joe Biden’s plan is not a solution to the virus, but rather it’s a surrender to the virus. 

My administration has a very different approach. To save as many lives as possible we are focusing on the science, the facts and the data. We are aggressively sheltering those at highest risk, especially the elderly, allowing lower-risk Americans to safely return to work and to school, and we want to see so many of those great states be opened by Democrats. We want them to be open. They have to be open. They have to get back to work. They have to get back to work, and they have to get back to school. 

Most importantly, we are marshaling America’s scientific genius to produce a vaccine in record time. Under Operation Warp Speed, we have three different vaccines in the final stage of trials right now, years ahead of what has been achieved before. Nobody thought it could be done this fast. Normally it would be years, and we did it in a matter of a few months. We are producing them in advance so hundreds of millions of doses can be quickly available. We have a safe and effective vaccine this year, and together we will crush the virus. 

At the Democrat convention, you barely heard a word about their agenda. But that is not because they don’t have one. It is because their agenda is the most extreme set of proposals ever put forward by a major party nominee. 

Joe Biden may claim he is an ally of the light, but when it comes to his agenda, Biden wants to keep us completely in the dark. He doesn’t have a clue. He has pledged a $4 trillion tax hike on almost all American families, which would totally collapse our rapidly improving economy, and once again record stock markets that we have right now will also collapse. That means your 401(k)s. That means all of the stocks that you have. 

On the other hand, just as I did in my first term, I will cut taxes even further for hardworking moms and dads. I will not raise taxes; I will cut them, and very substantially.And we will also provide tax credits to bring jobs out of China back to America, and we will impose tariffs on any company that leaves America to produce jobs overseas. We will make sure our companies and jobs stay in our country, as I’ve already been doing for quite some time, if you have noticed. Joe Biden’s agenda is made in China. My agenda is made in the U.S.A. 

Biden has promised to abolish the production of American oil, coal, shale and natural gas, laying waste to the economies of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico — destroying those states, absolutely destroying those states, and others. 

Millions of jobs will be lost, and energy prices will soar. These same policies led to crippling power outages in California just last week. Everybody saw that. Tremendous power outage. Nobody’s seen anything like it, but we saw it last week in California. How can Joe Biden claim to be an ally of the light when his own party can’t even keep the lights on? 

Joe Biden’s campaign has even published a 110-page policy platform. You can’t get away from this. Co-authored with far-left senator crazy Bernie Sanders. The Biden-Bernie manifesto calls for suspending all removals of illegal aliens, implementing nationwide catch and release, providing illegal aliens with free taxpayer-funded lawyers. Everybody gets a lawyer. Come over to our country — everybody has a lawyer. We have a lawyer for you. That’s is all we need is more lawyers. 

Joe Biden recently raised his hand on the debate stage and promised he was going to give it away — your health care dollars — to illegal immigrants, which will bring massive numbers of immigrants into our country. Massive numbers will pour into our country in order to get all the goodies that they want to give. Education, health care, everything. 

He also supports deadly sanctuary cities that protect criminal aliens. He promised to end national security travel bans from jihadist nations, and he pledged to increase refugee admissions by 700 percent. 

This is in the manifesto. The Biden plan would eliminate America’s borders in the middle of a global pandemic, and he is even talking about taking the wall down. How about that? 

Biden also vowed to oppose school choice and close all charter schools, ripping away the ladder of opportunity for Black and Hispanic children. In a second term, I will expand charter schools and provide school choice to every family in America. And we will always treat our teachers with the tremendous respect that they deserve. Great people. Great, great people. 

Joe Biden claims he has empathy for the vulnerable, yet the party he leads supports the extreme late-term abortion of defenseless babies, right up until the moment of birth. Democrat leaders talk about moral decency, but they have no problem with stopping a baby’s beating heart in the ninth month of pregnancy. Democrat politicians refuse to protect innocent life, and then they lecture us about morality and saving America’s soul. Tonight, we proudly declare that all children, born and unborn, have a God-given right to life. 

During the Democrat convention, the words “under God” were removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. Not once, but twice. We will never do that. But the fact is, this is where they are coming from. Like it or not, this is where they are coming from. If the left gains power, they will demolish the suburbs, confiscate your guns, and appoint justices who will wipe away your second amendment and other constitutional freedoms. 

Biden is a Trojan horse for socialism. If Joe Biden doesn’t have the strength to stand up to wild eyed Marxists like Bernie Sanders and his fellow radicals, and there are many, there are many many, we see them all the time. It is incredible, actually. Then how is he ever going to stand up for you? He’s not.

The most dangerous aspect of the Biden platform is the attack on public safety. The Biden-Bernie manifesto calls for abolishing cash bail, immediately releasing 400,000 criminals onto the streets and into your neighborhoods. When asked if he supports cutting police funding, Joe Biden replied, yes, absolutely. When Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called the Minneapolis Police Department “a cancer that is rotten to the root,” Biden would not disavow her support and reject her endorsement. He proudly displayed it shortly later on his website. Displayed it in big letters. 

Make no mistake, if you give power to Joe Biden, the radical left will defund police departments all across America. They will pass federal legislation to reduce law enforcement nationwide. They will make every city look like Democrat-run Portland, Oregon. 

No one will be safe in Biden’s America. My administration will always stand with the men and women of law enforcement. 

Every day, police officers risk their lives to keep us safe, and every year many sacrifice their lives in the line of duty. One of these incredible Americans was Detective Miosotis Familia. She was part of a team of American heroes called the NYPD, or New York’s finest, who I was very proud to get their endorsement just the other day. Great people. 

If they were allowed to do their job, you’d have no crime in New York. Rudy Giuliani knows that better than anybody. Thank you, Rudy. 

Three years ago on the Fourth of July weekend, Detective Familia was on duty in her vehicle when she was ambushed just after midnight and murdered by a monster who hated her purely for wearing the badge. Detective Familia was a single mom. She recently asked for the night shift so she could spend more time with her kids.

Two years ago, I stood in front of the U.S. Capitol alongside those beautiful children and held their grandmother’s hand as they mourned their terrible loss. And we honored Detective Familia’s extraordinary life. It was extraordinary. Detective Familia’s three children are with us this evening. Genesis, Peter, Delilah, we are so grateful to have you here tonight. Thank you very much for coming. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. 

I promise you that we will treasure your mom in our memories forever. We must remember that the overwhelming majority of police officers in this country, and that’s the overwhelming majority, are noble, courageous, and honorable. We have to give law enforcement, our police, back their power. 

They are afraid to act. They are afraid to lose their pension. They are afraid to lose their jobs. And by being afraid, they are not able to do the job that they so desperately want to do for you. And those who suffer most are the great people who they protect and who they want to protect at an even higher level. 

When there is police misconduct, the justice system must hold wrongdoers fully and completely accountable, and it will. But when we can never have a situation where things are going on as they are today, we must never allow mob rule. We can never allow mob rule. 

In the strongest possible terms, the Republican Party condemns the rioting, looting, arson, and violence we have seen in Democrat-run cities all, like Kenosha, Minneapolis, Portland, Chicago, and New York, and many others, Democrat-run. 

There is violence and danger in the streets of many Democrat-run cities throughout America. This problem could easily be fixed if they wanted to. Just call, we’re ready to go in. We will take care of your problem in a matter of hours. Just call. We have to wait for the call.It is too bad we have to, but we have to wait for the call. 

We must always have law and order. All federal crimes are being investigated, prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law. 

When the anarchists started ripping down our statues and monuments right outside, I signed an order immediately, 10 years in prison, and it was a miracle. It all stopped. No more statues.They said, that’s just too long as they looked as a statue.I think we’ll rip it down. Then they said, ‘10 years in prison? I think that is too long. Let’s go home.’ 

During their convention, Joe Biden and his supporters remained completely silent about the rioters and criminals spreading mayhem in Democrat-run cities. They never even mentioned it during their entire convention. Never once mentioned. Now, they are starting to mention it because their poll numbers are going down like a rock in water.  

It is too late, Joe. In the face of left-wing anarchy and mayhem in Minneapolis, Chicago, and others, Joe Biden’s campaign did not condemn it. They donated to it. At least 13 members of Joe Biden’s campaign have donated to a fund to bailout vandals, arsonists and anarchists, looters and rioters from jail. 

Here tonight is the grieving family of retired police Capt. David Dorn, a 38-year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department, a great man and a highly respected man by all. In June, Captain Dorn was shot and killed as he tried to protect a store from rioters and looters. Or as the Democrats would call them, peaceful protesters. They call them peaceful protesters. 

We are honored to be joined tonight by his wonderful wife and beloved family members. To each of you, we will never forget the heroic legacy of Capt. David Dorn. Thank you very much for being here. Thank you very much. Great man. 

As long as I am president, we will defend the absolute right of every American citizen to live in security, dignity and peace. If the Democrat Party wants to stand with anarchists, agitators, rioters, looters, and flag burners, that is up to them. But I as your president will not be part of it. The Republican Party will remain the voice of the patriotic heroes who keep America safe and salute the American flag. 

Last year, over 1,000 African-Americans were murdered as a result of violent crime in just four Democrat-run cities. The top 10 most dangerous cities in the country are run by Democrats and have been for many decades. Thousands more African-Americans are victim and victims of violent crime in these communities. Joe Biden and the left ignore these American victims. I never will. If the radical left takes power, they will apply their disastrous policies to every town, city, and suburban America. 

Imagine if the so-called peaceful demonstrators in the streets were in charge of every lever of power in the U.S. government. Just think of that. Liberal politicians claim to be concerned about the strength of American institutions, but who exactly is attacking them? Who is hiring the radical professors, judges, and prosecutors? Who is trying to abolish immigration enforcement and establish speech codes designed to muzzle dissent? In every case, the attacks on American institutions are being waged by radical left. Always remember, they are coming after me because I am fighting for you. That is what is happening. It has been going on from before I even got elected. 

And remember this, they spied on my campaign and they got caught. Let’s see now what happens. 

We must reclaim our Independence from the left’s repressive mandates. Americans are exhausted, trying to keep up with the latest lists of approved words and phrases, and the ever more restrictive political decrees. 

Many things have a different name now, and the rules are constantly changing. The goal of cancel culture is to make Americans live in fear of being fired, expelled, shamed, humiliated, and driven from society as we know it. The far-left wants to coerce you into saying what you know to be false and scare you out of saying what you know to be true. Very sad. But on November 3, you can send them a very thundering message they will never forget. 

Joe Biden is weak. He takes his marching orders from liberal hypocrites who drive their cities into the ground while fleeing from the scene of the wreckage. The same liberals want to eliminate school choice while they enroll their children into the finest private schools in the land. They want to open the borders while living in walled off compounds and communities and the best neighborhoods in the world. They want to defund the police while they have armed guards for themselves. This November, we must turn the page forever on this failed political class.  

The fact is, I am here. What is the name of that building? But I’ll say it differently, the fact is, we are here and they are not. To me, one of the most beautiful buildings anywhere in the world is not a building, it is a home, as far as I am concerned. It’s not even a house, it is a home. Wonderful place with an incredible history. But it is all because of you. Together, we will write the next chapter of the great American story. 

Over the next four years, we will make America into the manufacturing superpower of the world. We will expand opportunity zones. Thank you, Tim Scott. Bring home our medical supply chains, and we end our resilience for bad things, we will go right after China. We will not rely on them one bit. We are taking our business out of China. We are bringing it home. We want our business to come home. 

We will continue to reduce taxes and regulations at levels not seen before. We will create 10 million jobs in the next 10 months. And it will be higher than that. We will hire more police, increase penalties for assaults on law enforcement, and surge federal prosecutors into high crime communities. We will ban deadly sanctuary cities and ensure federal health care is protected for American citizens, not for illegal aliens. 

We will have strong borders. And I’ve said for years, without borders, we don’t have a country. We don’t have a country. Strike down terrorists who threaten our people and keep America out of endless and costly foreign wars. We will appoint prosecutors, judges, justices who believe in enforcing the law, not enforcing their own political agenda. Which is illegal. 

We will ensure equal justice for citizens of every race, religion, color, and creed. We will uphold your religious liberty and defend your second amendment right to keep and bear arms. And if we don’t win, your second amendment doesn’t have a chance, I can tell you that. I have totally protected it. 

We will protect Medicare and Social Security. We will always and very strongly protect patients with pre-existing conditions, and that is a pledge from the entire Republican Party. Thank you. 

We will end surprise medical billing, require price transparency, and further reduce the cost of prescription drugs and health insurance premiums, they are coming way down. We will greatly expand energy development, continuing to remain the number one in the world, and keep America energy independent. 

And for those of you that still drive a car, look how low your gasoline bill is. You haven’t seen that in a long time. 

We will win the race to 5G and build the world’s best cyber and missile defense, already under construction. We will fully restore patriotic education to our schools and always protect — we will always, always protect free speech on college campuses. And we put a very big penalty in if they do anything having to do with your free speech. Colleges have to pay a tremendous, tremendous financial penalty. Again, it is amazing how open they have been lately. 

We will launch a new age of American ambition in space. America will land the first woman on the moon, and the United States will be the first nation to plant its beautiful flag on Mars. 

This is the unifying national agenda that will bring our country together. So tonight, I say to all Americans, this is the most important election in the history of our country. There has never been such a difference between two parties or two individuals in ideology, philosophy, or vision than there is right now. 

Our opponents believe that America is a depraved nation. We want our sons and daughters to know the truth. America is the greatest and most exceptional nation in the history of the world. Our country wasn’t built by cancel culture, speech codes, and crushing conformity. We are not a nation of timid spirits. We are a nation of fierce, proud, and independent American patriots. We are a nation of pilgrims, pioneers, adventurers, explorers, and trailblazers who refuse to be tied down, held back, or in any way reigned in. Americans have steel in their spines, grit in their souls, and fire in their hearts. There is no one like us on Earth. I want every child in America to know that you are part of the most exciting and incredible adventure in human history. No matter where your family comes from, no matter your background in America, anyone can rise with hard work, devotion, and drive. You can reach any goal and achieve every ambition. 

Our American ancestors sailed across the perilous ocean to build a new life on a new continent. They braved the freezing winters, crossed the raging rivers, scaled the rocky peaks, trekked the dangerous forests, and worked from dawn till dusk. These pioneers didn’t have money. They didn’t have fame. But they had each other. They loved their families, they loved their country, and they loved their God. When opportunity beckoned, they picked up their bibles, packed up their belongings, climbed into their covered wagons, and set out West for the next adventure. 

Ranchers and miners, cowboys and sheriffs, farmers and settlers. They pressed on past the Mississippi to stake a claim in the wild frontier. Legends were born. Wyatt Earp, Annie Oakley, Davy Crockett, and Buffalo Bill. Americans built their beautiful homesteads on the open range. Soon, they had churches and communities, then towns, and with time, great centers of industry and commerce. 

That is who they were. Americans build their future, we don’t tear down our past. We are the nation that won a revolution, toppled tyranny and fascism, and delivered millions into freedom. We laid down the railroads, built the great ships, raised up the skyscrapers, revolutionized industry, and sparked a new age of scientific discovery. We set the trends in art and music, radio and film, sport and literature. And we did it with style and confidence and flair because that is who we are.  

Whenever our way of life was threatened, our heroes answered the call, from Yorktown to Gettysburg, from Normandy to Iwo Jima. American patriots raced into cannon blasts, bullets, and bayonets to rescue American liberty. They had no fear, but America did not stop there. We looked into the sky and kept pressing onward. 

We built a 6 million pound rocket and launched it thousands of miles into space. We did it so two brave patriots could stand tall and salute our wondrous American flag planted on the face of the moon.

For America, nothing is impossible.

Over the next four years, we will prove worthy of this magnificent legacy. We will reach stunning new heights, and we will show the world that for America there is a dream, and it is not beyond your reach. Together, we are unstoppable. Together, we are unbeatable. Because together, we are the proud citizens of the United States of America. 

On November 3, we will make America safer. We will make America stronger. We will make America prouder. And we will make America greater than ever before. I am very proud to be the nominee of the Republican Party. 

I love you all. God bless you, and God bless America.