Hillsborough Community College
Tampa, Florida
3:04 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Florida! (Applause.) Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello.
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Well, God love you. Well, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Kaitlyn, thank you for that introduction. And more importantly —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Laughter.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Joe.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you for that introduction and for your courage, if you’re back there — your courage for the — and to share your story. (Applause.) That’s not an easy thing to do.
You know, Kaitlyn represents millions of women who are enduring unbearable pain and cruelty because of Donald Trump.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: Sadly, it’s pain and cruelty that millions of women in Florida now face. You know, but as I said — as she just said, it’s not inevitable. It’s not inevitable. We can stop it. When you vote, we can stop it. (Applause.)
And thanks to Representative Kathy Castor. Kathy, where are you? There she is. Stand up, Kathy. (Applause.) Kathy is doing an incredible job in Congress, and I — and is a great, great friend. Thanks for riding over with me from the airport.
You know, the worst sentence in the English language these days is, “The President is at the airport.” It means you got to show up, you know? (Laughter.) But anyway, thank you.
And I want to thank Debbie, our next U.S. senator. Deb, stand up. (Applause.) As one — as one senior senator, years ago when I was a freshman running for reelection in the United State Senate, said to me — he said, “I’ll campaign for you or against you, whatever will help the most.” (Laughter.)
It’s really important you win. This is a critical, critical race. (Applause.)
Debbie is running against Rick Scott —
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: — who wants to sunset Social Security.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: I think that voters are going to sunset Rick Scott. (Applause.)
It’s important, man.
And thanks to all of you here today. It’s good to be at a community college. As a matter of fact, my wife has been campaigning all over the country with me between classes. My wife still is a full-time professor at — (applause) — at Northern Virginia Community College.
(An audience member drops his cell phone.)
You lost your phone. Get that man his phone. He’s going to be in trouble. Or that woman her phone. (Laughter.)
She’s teaching this very day, Jill is. Community college, as she often says, is one of the best-kept secrets in America. (Applause.) No, I really mean it.
You know, if I have my way in the next four years, I’m going to make community college free. (Applause.)
And it’ll grow the economy. It won’t cost the taxpayers.
Look, next week, one of the nation’s most extreme anti-abortion laws will take affect here in Florida. It’s criminalizing reproductive healthcare for — before women even know whether they’re pregnant.
I mean, this is bizarre. I can put — you can put a doctor in prison if he takes care of a patient, as you just heard some version of from Louisiana.
You know, this extreme Florida law is going to impact 4 million — 4 million women in the state of Florida. Florida is one of the Twenty-one states in America — where America — you can’t get access you need for care. This adds up to one in three women throughout the United States of America have this limitation.
For 50 years, the court ruled that there was a fundamental constitutional right to privacy, but two years ago that was taken away.
Let’s be real clear. There’s one person responsible for this nightmare, and he’s acknowledged and he brags about it: Donald Trump.
AUDIENCE: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: In fact, Trump has bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade, which meant there’s no federal right, no decision can be made — all those decisions are made at a state level. A lot of people don’t even know that. They don’t focus on it. It’s a — every state can make a decision.
Well, you know, now Trump says the law is, quote, “working the way it’s supposed to.”
Trump goes on to say individual state laws are working — his words — “brilliantly.” “Brilliantly.”
It’s a six-week ban in Florida. It’s really brilliant, isn’t it? Even before women know they’re pregnant. Is that brilliant?
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: Look, just take a look at Arizona. That goes all the way back to 1864, before Arizona was even a state and before women had the right to vote — concluding that that’s the law of the land in Arizona. And today, MAGA Republicans refuse to re- — repeal that ban in — in Arizona.
Trump is literally taking us back 160 years. He says it’s up to the states and this is all about states’ rights. But he’s wrong. The Supreme Court was wrong.
This should be a constitutional right in the federal Constitution, a federal right. (Applause.)
And it shouldn’t matter where in America you live. It’s about — this isn’t about states’ rights. It’s about women’s rights. (Applause.) No, I really — I mean this. I —
Look — folks, look, now he’s worried the voters will hold him accountable for saying he’s responsible for getting Roe v. Wade overturned. (Laughs.) Donald Trump is worried voters are going to hold him accountable for the cruelty and chaos he created.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We will!
THE PRESIDENT: Folks, the bad news for Trump is that we are going to hold him accountable. (Applause.) We — we are. He should be held accountable.
He should be accountable for states enacting extreme laws that put IVF treatments at risk for women desperately trying to have families.
Voters are going to hold Trump accountable for women being turned away from emergency rooms, like my introducer was; forced to travel hundreds of miles to get basic healthcare; forced to go to court to plead for help to protect herself and her ability to have children in the future.
Folks, voters are going to hold Trump accountable.
When — (applause) — when women are told by extreme politicians and judges to wait, get sicker and sicker to the point where your life is determined to be in danger.
Pregnant women in America are risk — at risk, particularly Black women in America.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: No, that’s the statistic. Data shows they’re already too likely to die from complications at birth.
I believe voters are going to hold Trump accountable when family members and doctors are threatened with prosecution for trying to help them. Not only that, I believe voters are going to hold Trump accountable and his MAGA extremist friends to prevent all women in America from getting safe and effective medication, like mifepristone. Approved by the FDA 20 years ago, they’re trying to outlaw that now. (Applause.)
For 50 years, the court had recognized that women in America had a fundamental, constitutional right, and then Trump took it away by the — with the deal he made.
Now, in America today, in 2024, women have fewer rights than their mothers and their grandmothers had because of Donald Trump.
Look, I don’t think we’re going to let them get away with it. Do you?
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: No!
THE PRESIDENT: And, folks, in a sense, I don’t know why he’s — we’re surprised by Trump. How many times does he have to prove we — [he] can’t be trusted?
Trump bragged how proud he was to get rid of Roe v. Wade over it — he took credit for it. He said there has to be “punishment” for women exercising their reproductive freedom.
AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Booo —
THE PRESIDENT: His words, not mine.
He described the Dobbs decision as a “miracle.” Maybe it’s coming from that Bible he’s trying to sell. (Laughter.) Whoa. I almost wanted to buy one just to see what the hell is in it. (Laughter.)
Folks, it was no miracle. It was a political deal to get rid of Roe v. — a deal. A political deal he made with the Evangelical base of the Republican Party to look past his moral char- — if they looked past his moral and character flaws in exchange for his commitment to appoint justices of the Supreme Court who would overturn Roe. Don’t think he’s making the deal right now with MAGA extremists to ban nationwide abortion in every single state, because he’s making it.
In fact, the MAGA majority in the House of Representatives has introduced three separate bans — three separate bans to choi- — to ban choice nationwide — in every single state, based on the state — each state.
These bills — they’re overwhelming — have overwhelming support of Republicans in Congress. But know this: As long as I have the power of the presidency, it’s never going to happen. (Applause.)
I mean it. Congress ever — if Congress ever passes a ban, I will veto that ban. (Applause.)
Elect a Democratic Congress. Kamala and I will make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again. (Applause.)
Let’s be clear. The overturning of Roe v. Wade also puts at risk broader rights of privacy for everyone. If you think I’m exaggerating, here’s what Justice Thomas wrote in his curr- — concurring opinion in Roe v. Wade. He wrote that the future cases of the Court should reconsider — reconsider all substantive due process precedents, from Griswold — Griswold legalized the use of contraception — O- — and Obergefell — legalized same-sex marriage.
Justice Thomas means it, and so does Donald Trump.
Again, here’s what that means: the right to make the best decisions for your health, the right to use birth control, the right to marry the person you love. All that is at risk now because there it is no longer viewed by some of our good friends in the Court as a constitutional guaranteed right.
Are we going to let that happened?
AUDIENCE: Nooo —
AUDIENCE MEMBER: No way, Joe! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: I like it, man. Will you come with me? (Laughter.)
Folks, the extreme laws passed that’s overturning Re- — Roe v. Wade have no place in the United States of America.
But what does have a place in America is your voice. (Applause.)
And this decision overturning Roe v. Wade and saying states should make the decisions of the court practically dared women — practically dared women to be heard.
Here’s what they wrote in that decision, “Women are not without electoral or political power.” No kidding. No kidding. (Applause.) I mean, almost challenging you.
I said at the time, I don’t think the court of the MAGA Republicans have a clue about the power of women in America. (Applause.) I re- — I mean it. I mean it. But they’re beginning to find out. (Applause.)
Since the Dobbs decision, which states said should make these decisions — the Court said that the state should make the decision — states all over this country, from Ohio, Kansas, Michigan, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Virginia — women and men in every background voted to record numbers to protect — in record numbers to protect reproductive freedom.
This November, you can add Florida to that list. (Applause.) You can.
Are you ready to do that? You got to show up and vote. (Applause.)
Are you ready to protect freedom? (Applause.)
It was Donald Trump who ripped away the rights of freedom of women in America. It will be all of us who restore those rights for women in America. (Applause.)
And when you do that, we’ll teach Donald Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans a valuable lesson: Don’t mess with the women of America. (Applause.)
And when you do that, we’ll teach Donald Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans a valuable lesson: Don’t mess with the women of America. (Applause.) And I mean it.
Folks, let’s get this done. Go to JoeBiden.com, sign up, get involved. I know you all in this room are involved. Talk to your family and friends. Organize your community. Register voters. Get them out to vote the old-fashioned way. Pick them up on Election Day. Call. “Do you need a ride to the polls?” (Applause.)
And let’s remember who we are. We’re the United States of America. And there is nothing — nothing beyond our capacity if we work together. (Applause.)
May God bless you all. And may God protect our troops.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.
We’re going to get this done. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Joe!
THE PRESIDENT: Love you.
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Let’s get it done. (Applause.)
3:18 P.M. EDT
