Remarks by President Trump on Protecting America's Seniors - October 16, 2020 | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Hi. Look, she is waving. (Laughs.) Hi. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, hon.

    But, you know, they're - they're tough actually. And -but, they - you know, they feel comfortable, until this is gone. And there are people - and I do that. Do that. I might do that. If I weren't in this position, maybe I'd be doing it myself. In this position, it's a little tougher.

    But we cannot allow unscientific, panic-driven, fear-based policies to deny our children and grandchildren their future and their dreams. We can't take a year or two years out of their life. (Applause.) There's a whole social thing going on there, too.

    These left-wing lockdowns will crush America. And my plan is very simple: We're going to crush the virus and go back to exactly where we were. We're almost getting back there now. (Applause.)

    So, together, we will end this pandemic, we will rebuild our economy, and we will ensure our seniors can live long, happy, secure, and healthy lives with your grandchildren and your children. You're going to hug them, right? It's good. (Applause.)

    Under my leadership, next year will be one of the greatest years in the history of our country economically. We're grateful to be joined today by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar. Alex, we're counting on you. (Applause.) We're counting on you. I'm going to blame him if this stuff doesn't happen fast. Right?

    Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - a fantastic woman - Administrator Seema Verma. Thank you, Seema. Great job you're doing. (Applause.)

    And a friend of mine who's become very, very popular. I guess that was what that big applause was. I was backstage, and I said, "Who just came in?" I thought Elvis entered the room. (Laughter.) It was your Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis. (Applause.) Stand up, Ron. That's great, Ron. Great.

    And, by the way, we have some crowd. You see what's going on outside? The mayor said he's never seen anything - he's never seen anything like that. (Applause.) He's never seen anything. No, that's a lot - there's a lot of love outside, I want to tell you. It's - that's a lot of love.

    And, you know, we're leading in the State of Florida, just so we understand. (Applause.) By perhaps a lot.

    Also with us, some warriors: Representatives Gus Bilirakis. Gus. Gus. (Applause.) Great job, Gus. And another friend of mine - these are really terrific people - Greg Steube. Greg. Thank you very much, Greg. Thank you. (Applause.)

    Thanks as well to Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson. Randy. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you, Randy. Good job, Randy. That's quite a crowd, huh?

    MAYOR HENDERSON: Welcome to town, Mr. President.


    THE PRESIDENT: That's good. (Laughs.) Thank you very much.

    And Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello. Joe Coviello. Thank you Joe. (Applause.) Great job. Great job.

    We're also tremendously honored to be joined by World War Two and Korean War veteran, a very brave guy, Wally Cortese. Wally Cortese. (Applause.) Thank you, Wally. You look good, Wally. I'll tell you, two wars and you're looking - you're looking good. Thank you, Wally. Appreciate it. Beautiful. Thank you very much.

    Thanks also to all of the members of the VFW Golden Gate Honor Guard. They're with us today. Thank you. That's so great, huh? (Applause.) That's so great. VFW. Fantastic job. Thank you very much for being here.

    As I fight to protect our amazing seniors from the China virus, I'm also fighting to protect you from another danger, one which threatens everything we cherish, value, and worked our entire lives to build and to defend. As we gather today, seniors are under threat from a radical-left movement that seeks to destroy the American way of life. We're not going to allow it. (Applause.)

    And you know one thing: Sleepy Joe can do nothing about it. (Laughter.)

    The left has been taken over by socialists and Marxists and extremists, and they have. They want to transform our nation into a country that would no longer be recognizable. And their agenda will shatter America's seniors. Their plan to delay the vaccine, delay therapies, and prolong the pandemic will cost thousands and thousands of lives - will be horrifying for our country.

    Their plan for higher taxes - they want to quadruple taxes; every company will move out. They'll go back to where they came. We had tremendous people, tremendous companies come into our country. We're bringing tremendous jobs - 160 million jobs. We've never had anything like it before the plague, and then we're building it back up again. (Applause.)

    The last four months, we've set records on employment, on hiring, employment. And, you know, a number that, let's say a year ago, wouldn't have sounded great but now sounds incredible: 7.8 percent unemployment. Think of it. People were talking about 42 percent. We're back down to 7.8, and we'll be soon down to the number where we were seven months ago. Pretty amazing. (Applause.)

    I never thought I'd be happy with 7.8 percent, but, you know, when you think about it - right? - it's - they were talking 39 percent, 42 percent. Ron, 7.8 is a pretty - an amazing thing. We did that in a rapid fashion. Nobody has ever seen anything like it, actually.

    Their plan for higher taxes and crippling regulations, however, would crater our economy. They're insane energy polices - because you know they're going to be fracking.

    Hey, Biden, for a year and a half, was saying, "There will be no fracking." Then he lucks out; he gets the nomination because Elizabeth Warren refused to get out. So Bernie - a second time. That happened twice to Bernie. Bernie - he's a hell of a loser, that's one thing I'll say. (Laughter.) He knows how to lose. (Applause.) Well, he knows how to lose. And loses - he goes back to work like nothing happened. (Laughter.) No, they took it away from him twice. I think the second time, in a way, worse - because she stayed in, and she took the votes. And Sleepy Joe just got in there. (Laughter.) That's why you got to be careful. You got to be careful. You never know what happens.

    But if you take a look - and we can't let any of this stuff happen. And you look at what's happened to other countries where they've had this philosophy, where they've had this ideology. We can't let. But you watch what they're saying about the fracking, where he said, "No, there..." And he said it with such - you know, it's not like, "Well, I'll think about it." He's doing the same thing with the courts right now. They're going to pack the Supreme Court. You see what they want to do.

    AUDIENCE: Booo -

    THE PRESIDENT: That would be destruction of our country. But you take a look. So he says, "No, there will be no fracking." These are the words. "There will be no fracking. You don't understand what I just said. There will be no fracking." And he gets very agitated. (Laughter.) "There would be no fracking." (Laughter.)

    And he gets the nomination, goes to Pennsylvania. They inform him that they have a million jobs, and fracking is a big deal. And they like inexpensive energy. Right? And so he goes from "There will be no fracking," with great anger, to "I never said there wouldn't be fracking." (Laughter.)

    It's the craziest thing. If that ever happened to me - (laughter) - and the media doesn't even talk about it. That's just one of many things. Then he does the thing with the courts. You - you see that, right? He goes, "I'll tell you left - I'll tell you after the election what I'm going to do." How important is it? Because he's going to put on radical-left, crazy judges that will destroy your lives.


    You know, it's the most important. They've - they've always said - I've always heard - Ron, I've always heard this: that the most important thing a President does is pick Supreme Court justices, right? (Applause.) I would say maybe the military, you know? But - but let's say it's right there. And they have to - he has to create a list of more than just that. He has to create a list and let you know. And he has to pick from that list. That's what I did. I created a list of 25 people - highly, highly capable people. And a lot of people said that's why I won the election, actually. So I don't know if that's true or not, but it was - it was a very important part, Mayor. You understand, mayors. You know that.

    So their insane energy policies will abolish millions of jobs and cost seniors thousands of dollars per year in higher energy bills. Their anti-police agenda will empower violent mobs and put every community at risk.

    Their anti-suburban agenda threatens the property values of millions of American seniors, and your families, who own homes in residential neighborhoods in the suburbs. I'm saving the suburbs. You know, people were saying, "Well, women in the suburbs, do they like Trump?" I said, "Yeah, they like me. You know why they like me? Because I'm saving their homes." (Applause.) That's why they like me. They may not like me, but they like what I'm doing, and that's more important.

    Oh, boy, they have these crazy people. The - the people on television, "I don't know if suburban women..." Suburban women want security, they want safety, they want law and order. They want their homes to be protected. (Applause.) The socialist ideology - ideology that they will use and indoctrinate our youth with is - it's like poisonous anti-American propaganda.

    The plan by Washington Democrats to give amnesty and free healthcare to illegal border-crossers will obliterate Medicare, bankrupt your Social Security, robbing you of the benefits that you've paid for your entire lives.

    You know, look, take a look at Venezuela. You know, people don't realize that was a wealthy country 18, 17 years ago. It was so wealthy. And it's gone from being wealthy - they don't have medicine. They don't have food. They don't have water. They don't have anything. And it's - you know, it can happen here, just a much larger version with that ideology. And that's the ideology that they're looking at. It's crazy.

    These radicals will destroy Medicare with totally open borders. And, by the way, you know the wall? It's up to almost 400 miles. (Applause.) Four hundred. Four hundred miles. And it goes down deep, (inaudible). It goes down deep and up very high. No, it's had a tremendous - we've never had a stronger southern border than we have right now. (Applause.) It'll be finished very soon. We're doing 10 miles a week. That's a lot. Ten miles a week. Army Corps of Engineers are also doing Lake Okeechobee and lots of other things. Right? They're doing a good job, right? (Applause.)

    They're giving away your benefits - that's what they want to do - to anyone in the world who trespasses into our country. And, you know, we all have big hearts, and we want to take care of people. But when you say, "We're going to give you free healthcare. We're going to give you college education..." I sarcastically said once, "We're going to give you a beautiful, brand-new Rolls Royce" - (laughter) - okay? - "if you're an illegal immigrant." And CNN went, and they said, "The President lied to the seniors." (Laughter.) You know, they just don't get it. They get it. Actually, unfortunately, they get it more than you would think. They're a little bit on the evil side.

    But, you know, they - you're going to bring millions of people. You're going to bring millions and millions of people. It's like when you say "free healthcare" and "free education," and "free this and that," millions of people are going to pour into the country. It's not going to be stoppable. And we can't let that happen. They care more about illegal aliens than they care about senior citizens - the Democrats.

    The left is coming after me because I'm defending you, and that's true. That's why they come after me every day. (Applause.) But we caught them on the Russian hoax. We finally caught them after two and a half years - the Russian hoax. (Applause.) Turned out to be the exact opposite: They're the ones that were playing with Russia. That was a beauty. Hillary - Crooked Hillary.

    AUDIENCE MEMBER: Lock her up!

    THE PRESIDENT: No, they're the ones.

    AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Lock her up! Lock her up!


    THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. I agree with you. I used to just be quiet. I agree with you 100 percent. They paid - they paid - millions and millions of dollars they paid. And they tried to show it. It was the greatest hoax and the greatest political crime in the history of our country. That's what they committed.