Governor Gretchen Whitmer, thank you for your -- [applause] -- thank you for your friendship, your sisterhood, and your leadership. And we are going to do this together. [Applause]


America has tried these failed economic policies before, but we are not going back. [Applause] We are not going back. We're not going back. [Audience chants ""We're not going back""]


So -- but let -- [Audience chants ""Lock him up""]


And that's who you are. I know who you are. I know who you are. This work is personal and it is professional and it is so critically important.


So, listen, everyone took time out of your busy lives and days and all your obligations to come out here and to be together as one community. [Applause] And I know you did it also because we all know, listen, so much is on the line in this election. It can't be said seriously enough. So much is on the line.


All of this to say, we are working to build up -- to build up, not tear down -- and to build up America's families and America's middle class, because we know when our middle class is strong, America is strong.


-- with the intention that they would overturn and undo the protections of Roe v. Wade. And as he intended, they did. And now, in over 20 states in our nation, there is a Trump abortion ban. [Audience boos]


We're doing this! [Applause] Oh! [Applause] We're doing this. [Applause] We're doing this. [Applause]


We, who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence, will finally pass universal background checks — [applause], red flag laws — [applause], and an assault weapons ban — [applause].


And you all helped us win in 2020. [Applause] And in 2024, we will win again. [Applause] Yes, we will.


And -- and I can say that we can. I think that we have great momentum; and in large, large part, it has to do with everybody who's on this call and all that you are doing to organize. In fact, just this past week, over 360,000 people signed up to volunteer. And us being a people-powered campaign means that with our power and with us continuing to grow and to connect each other and to connect folks that may be perfect strangers today but will be friends tomorrow, all that kind of work and that spirit of that work means we're going to win in November.


We must encourage in each other ambition. Ambition is a good thing. It is good to know one's power and then to go for what you want, knowing you can achieve it. That is very important. We do not need to step quietly.


As a prosecutor, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Well, Trump was found liable for committing sexual abuse.


And so, before he does and while I am here with you, I want to just share with you a little bit about him based on what I know, based on personal experience.


So, let us continue to fight with faith, with optimism, and with hope.


So, Arizona, ours is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom. [Applause]


And also, it's a national security issue. Right now, wars are being fought over oil. In a short matter of time, they will be fought over water. Let's take this seriously. California can be the leader.


Joe has stood up for democracy at home, and he has stood up for democracy abroad, and he has always stood up for what he believes is right.


But we are clear-eyed: As we work to build a brighter future and to move our nation forward, there are those who are really trying to take us backward.


And because we all remember what it was like before the Affordable Care Act, we understand what that means. That's about taking us back to a time when insurance companies had the power to deny people with pre-existing conditions. You remember that -- [Audience member calls out ""We're not going back""]


-- that he would round up peaceful protesters and throw them out of our country -- [Audience boos]


And Sheila Jackson Lee -- [applause] -- that was her character -- she never lost an opportunity to fight for the people she served. And her fight -- her fight was borne out of love. She had a big, big heart.


So, look, America has tried so many of those failed policies before, and, like we all know, we're not going back. [Applause] We -- we will move forward and take on the biggest issues facing our nation.


And so, we, who believe in the sacred freedom to vote, will finally pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. [Applause]


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 so, let me say about Tim Walz, he has shown up to stand against these attacks long before he stood on the stage with me. After Roe was overturned, he was the first governor in the country to sign a new law that enshrined reproductive freedom as a fundamental right. [Applause]


So -- [Audience members call out, inaudibly]


God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. [Applause] God bless you.


We've shown the world what we can do when we put our minds to it when we stop denying the fact of climate change and start investing in what we need to do around recycling and conservation and water storage and desalination. We have shown what can be done. You talked about being born in Los Angeles. You probably know that human beings figure out all that smog.


So, ultimately, to all the friends here, I say: In this election, we know we each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in: a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law -- [Audience member calls out ""Yes""]


And we're not going back. We are not going back. We're going back. No.


That's right. [Claps; Audience chants ""Joe""]


God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. [Applause] God bless you. Thank you.


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 -- [Audience members call out, inaudibly]


We who will fight for reproductive freedom, knowing if Trump gets the chance, he will sign a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every single state. But we are not going to let that happen. [Applause]


But Donald Trump wants to take our country backward. He and his extreme Project 2025 agenda —