57th IAFF Convention: Sen. JD Vance

[Music] on the hingley thank you guys thank you so much [Music] well CI guys we got some sounds like we got some fans and some haters that's okay at list listen to what I have to say here and I'll make my pitch I want to first say uh thank you to representative uh Jimenez for the great introduction it's very kind of you thank you for your service to our country the only career firefighter in the United States Congress so thrilled to have you on our side and thrilled to have you fighting for America's firefighters let's give it up for representative jenez now I also want to thank President Kelly and every single iff member for your warm welcome it is an honor to be here with America's incredible firefighters and I'm honored to be here God bless you guys and thanks for what you do now I have a I do have some news to break this morning uh I guess I just heard on the right over here that the New York City Fire Marshals benevolent Association has endorsed the Trump Vance ticket I of course want to thank them for their support and I want to humbly ask all of you to join them and I'd like to explain why now the American people respect you they respect firefighters and we're eternally grateful for the Valiant work you do for our communities and for our neighborhoods every day firefighters RIS your lives to save homes businesses and the precious lives of our fellow citizens now you're also incredibly kind and patient as as the father of a seven-year-old a four-year-old and a 2-year-old I have been to firehouses all over this country in San Diego Atlanta in New York City and of course many in my home state of Ohio and despite the fact you guys are probably annoyed to have a few Young kids drop in you were always unfailingly kind and patient and I'm grateful to it it's one of the reasons we love our firefighters in this country you all are the embodiment of American Spirit heroic determined selfless hardw working and tough this country was built by people like you America is great because of people like you and I believe you deserve a government that is loyal to you now I I know Governor Tim walz was here yesterday and I'm glad he was able to come and I respect this Union for inviting both sides to take the stage and to make the case to all of our membership and of course that's what democracy is about you listen to both sides you weigh their records you weigh their plans and then you vote and so today I'm asking you to ignore the campaign rhetoric and look at the record in 2019 this Union endorsed a Democrat for president with High Hopes but sadly I believe you've been let down now let's talk about the issues that affect all Americans and then let's talk about some of the issues that affect just firefighters but all Americans are affected by this terrible inflation crisis and under President Trump wages were rising and nobody was really talking about inflation in 2020 in this country but under the economic mismanagement of this Administration firefighters have had already strained budgets and pensions stretched to the Breaking Point by this affordability crisis with President Trump at the helm our border was Secure and drug trafficking was down and under the open policy open border policies of this Administration America has experienced a massive increase and a massive influx of illegal aliens and deadly drugs and I know that a lot of you are on the front lines fighting against it enough fol has poured into this country under KLA Harris's leadership to kill every single American man woman and child and firefighters and EMTs every single day are fighting against this crisis I know it because I've seen you in my communities and I admire you for it now when I visit a factory or some other place of business I always ask the the workers there are you better off than you were 4 years ago the answer is almost always no now I want to ask the firefighters in this room a slightly different but a related question are you administering less Narcan today than you were four years ago my guess is that for almost every person in this room the answer is unfortunately no and that was a policy Choice a policy choice of the president Administration now you are so often the first to resp respond when someone is suffering an overdose you try to help our fellow citizens living with addiction to survive those overdoses and to be able to build a second chance at a better life and I know and I've seen it very personally you tried desperately to revive parents who took something they shouldn't all while comforting the children who were terrified that they might lose their mom or dad I've spoken to so many firefighters and EMTs over the years who are on the front lines of this drug war this addiction crisis they revive people who took fanol they rescue their children and they even sometimes as you all know put out fires who were start that were started by drug addicts and one of the things they confess to me in private though I know you would never say this in public is their fear that they aren't making a difference now there's a hidden trauma among our firefighters I don't think I'm telling you anything you don't know a trauma that comes from staring death in the eye every single day and worrying that you are fighting a losing battle and I just want you to hear it from me that I understand but I want you to hear a story very personal story when I was 12 my mom was in the middle of a terrible terrible addiction crisis herself she struggled with it from most of my early childhood and I remember during a particularly bad episode I I called 911 like so many kids who have kids who who have parents who struggle I called 911 now the firefight ERS the EMTs and the police came they calmed her down but as you all know they calm me down too they calm my sister down they did that public service that only they can do now years later she took something else that she shouldn't have taken and the firefighters and the EMTs they saved her life and took her to the hospital where she lay in a coma before eventually waking up and I want you to know that for us we did get a second chance and so if you're ever worried that you're not making a difference listen to this from the sad and tearful 12-year-old to a 40-year-old who's now asking to be your vice president you do make a difference you make a difference every single day and I thank you for it now you not might not always see it and you might not hear it and I know that a lot of the people that you are out there fight fighting for and saving sometimes they don't say thank you but my mom as much as she struggled with addiction for a big chunk of my early life when you saved her life when you gave her a second chance she got clean and she's been clean and sober for now almost 10 years and God bless her and God bless all of you for fighting for her so believe it from me believe it from a kid who's seen it with with his very own eyes you are making a difference you are saving lives and you are giving people an opportunity at a second chance even if you don't see them take that opportunity every single time God bless you guys I love you for it and I'm so grateful for it we wouldn't have the second chance with my mom without probably some of the people that are sitting in this room now while overwhelming America's firefighters and EMTs KLA Harris's open p border policy it's also depleting our budgets New York city mayor Eric Adams not a fan of mine or president Trump said that illegal immigration will destroy New York City due to the huge financial strain which is about1 billion over the next three years and that's just in New York City the mayor announced sweeping budget cuts that would slash $300 million from the fire department and cut the number of police officers to the lowest level since the 1990s and it's the same story all over the United States States of America illegal immigration Cost Chicago taxpayers $361 Million last year Denver is shelling out $180 million Washington DC is paying $36 million if we don't secure our border soon my friends our cities are going to have to cut vital police fire and Emergency Medical Services to the Bone and it's you you who's going to suffer and it's the people you serve who are going to suffer we shouldn't be forced to spend billions of on people who aren't even supposed to be here we should be spending that money on schools police and fire departments and our citizens and under President Donald J Trump's leadership we will now here's another promise not just a promise based on some plan that's written on a website but based on the real record When Donald Trump as President we won't sit on our hands while riers and arsonists burn down American cities like they did to Minneapolis in 20120 I'd ask you to remember the scene back in the summer of 2020 State Troopers in full riot gear protecting the firefighters of Minneapolis from the Rabid mob that was torching down that City and we have to ask why were they doing it and part of the reason they were doing it is because people like Tim Walls invited those Riders into Minneapolis and it was people like Donald Trump who were trying to send in the National Guard to protect them to protect you and we sure as hell will not bail out the criminals like kamla Harris did the criminals many of whom were going after our firefighters as they tried to keep our city safe and put out the fires we're going to put criminals behind bars where they belong and we will always stand with the courageous firefighters and the First Responders who keep this country be safe every single day now president Trump and I are proud to be the most Pro worker Republican ticket in history and I want to talk about why we're fighting for working people why we're going to fight for unions and non-union alike now our enemies and a lot of a lot of Democrats call us populists like it's something of an in but if being a populist means being on the side of working people rather than the powerful Elites who hollowed out our middle class and sent us into stupid Foreign Wars then sign me up I am a populist and I'm proud of it for de now for decades unions have given support to Democrat candidates without giving Republicans much consideration and I'm not here to judge you or to blame you or to criticize you I am here to tell you that it's a different world now you may have noticed that Donald Trump is not exactly like Mitt Romney or some of the Republicans of the past he is a different kind of Republican and under his leadership the Republican party is the party of the American worker now just think about the Republican and Democrat conventions we just had it says a lot who each party chose to put up on that stage at the Republican convention we were featuring every everyday American workers and of course we had Hulk Hogan and while it's tempton and I'm sure it would make some big headlines don't worry any ever everybody I'm not going to try to take off my shirt here but at the Democrat convention it was a parade of celebrities and billionaires it felt sometimes like every celebrity except for HW hokan was at the Democratic National Convention and I don't blame anybody for being famous or for making money but you cannot be a champagne socialist who supports open borders and pretend that you're a friend of working men and women it doesn't make an ounce of sense my friends it just doesn't the most profound moment for me at either convention was the American hero who couldn't be there and I think we're all United and celebrating and remembering Corey comori a great American a great fire chief a great husband and a great father but while the assassin in Butler Pennsylvania barely missed Donald Trump he took the life of that great firefighter a selfless Patriot and a respected citizen in his community now at the convention president Trump Stood Beside Cory's helmet and gear and called for a moment of silence and I tell you there wasn't a dry eye in the arena in Milwaukee Wisconsin our nation wept for Corey just as our nation weeps for all the firefighters and the First Responders who lost their lives in the service of others now of course I couldn't help but notice this wall beside me with names I believe 644 names is that right 644 names of firefighters and emergency medical workers proud iff members who have passed since your last convention and I just want to tell you seeing that wall breaks my heart and it gives me a sense of renewed commitment to everything that you're doing and I think just as it's fitting to remember the sacrifice of Cory comor we should also take a moment let's take a moment of silence and remember the 644 of your brothers and sisters who have passed thank you all now Donald Trump I will tell you sometimes even when he has to fight his own party he cares for working people and he's been fighting for them for his entire life in public service he loves our firefighters and our First Responders and he wants to make your lives better and he wants to make your service easier it's never going to be easy but maybe it can be a little bit easier than it is right now and we have to be honest my friends the hard truth is that Kam Harris is the latest in a long line of Democrats who come by every few years asking unions for money and promising you the moon but often failing to deliver and I'd ask you after supporting democrats for so long in this Union what has it gotten you over the past 70 years union membership in this country and this is not a good thing but it has declined the influence of unions has declined and the wages of working people Union and non-union alike have not kept up with the pace of inflation over the last three and a half years so I want to ask you a question that Donald Trump asked America in 2016 what the hell do you have to lose now I know this is a diverse Union some of you love president Trump and some of you clearly don't I've heard from both sides just given this little speech now this may come as a shock to you but once upon a time I wasn't a trump guy either and trust me the president never lets me forget it what you may not know is why I changed my mind and it was actually in big part because of a firefighter friend from Dayton Ohio who persuaded me that I was wrong about Donald Trump and that he was right and by the way while we're talking about Dayton can I give a shout out to Dayton Firefighters local 136 where are we Dayton God bless you guys and God bless you for your service in Ohio now my buddy Matt I won't give his last name cuz I don't want to embarrass him but Matt was trying to convince me to trust Donald Trump in 2016 but the truth is I didn't fully believe in the promises Trump made I didn't believe in the promises that any politician made and you shouldn't either but I didn't change my mind because of Donald Trump's promises I changed my mind because he did a good job for the American people he created a booming economy with Rising wages and virtually no inflation he stood up to China and reinvigorated American manufacturing he kept us out of ridiculous Foreign Wars and time after time I saw that when Donald Trump makes a promise my friends he keeps it now just look at the promises he kept to our firefighters during his first term he extended the afg and safer authorizations to make sure firefighters got the funding they need he signed a $100 million increase for firefighters during the midst of the the pandemic he signed legislation to improve Wildfire suppression and Forest management and he signed an executive order to allow unions to create apprenticeship programs helping you all recruit and train a new generation of firefighters a Tas his EPA with addressing dangerous chemicals like past to ensure safe firefighter gear and I'll tell you I share president Trump's commitment and I speak for president Trump in saying that we are dedicated to health to safety and to the prosperity of our First Responders including our firefighters now a lot of Democrats want to attack Republicans as being anti-union and sometimes the shoe fits but not me and not Donald Trump when I was in the Senate I voted to pass the fire grants and safety act which authorized hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding to local firefighters and as vice president I will fight to ensure you get the resources you need especially in some fast growing places like fenus in Las Vegas where we need more firehouses not more shelters to house illegal aliens and after talking extensively with the local volunteer fire department that braved the Hazmat to respond to the disastrous East Palestine train derailment I was proud to work across the aisle to produce the railway safety act and our bipartisan Bill increased funding for communities to prepare for hazardous material spills and mandated that First Responders always be notified when hazardous materials are being transported on Rail lines in their communities it's just common sense you got to tell people what you're bringing into their communities if you're bringing in in the first place now you may remember remember a lot of businesses didn't like that bill but the Railway Union supported it and president Trump and I fought for it and we're still fighting for it to this very day now speaking of East Palestine I learned in talking to the local fire department there that our firefighters experience higher rates of cancer you all know this of course that's why I voted for a 5-year reauthorization to the firefighter cancer registry last year and I know when President Trump is elected we're going to prioritize firefighter research and addressing the health risk that every single one of you take upon yourself to fight for our citizens every single day now look when President Trump returns to the White House and I believe that he will we are always going to have an open door for the membership of this organization and the leadership of this organization and that's true whether it's this Union or other unions or anybody else we're going to have an open door for working people because we want to fight for working people every single day we will respect your right to engage in collective bargaining and this is important too we're going to defend your right to free speech including your right to speak out about unconstitutional covid vaccine mandates imposed by the current Administration we're going to abolish every single mandate and we're going to fight to rehire every firefighter who was wrongly terminated with all the back back pay that they deserve we're going to deliver the equipment and the funding the support and respect you all need to do your job and we're going to seal that border and stop the flood of fentol that is poisoning our C citizens and endangering each and every single one of you when you go to work and here's another promise we're going to protect your pensions because Heroes like you deserve to retire with dignity and to enjoy the blessings of the country that you helped build and help protect and it's not just words it's not just promises that I'm making I am actually a co-sponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act and I'm proud of it I think it's ridiculous to piz our firefighters in retirement for doing the right thing and fighting for our communities now look I I know you do a hard and dangerous job you spend long hours away from your family the work can leave physical and emotional scars and I've seen it even in the firefighters that I know frankly you don't get paid what you deserve but you don't do it for fame and you don't do it for Fortune you do do it and I know this because you love your communities and I think you deserve to live in a country where people like you and your children can afford to live the American dream in the cities and towns that all of us love you deserve to live in a country where you can buy a home put gas in your car provide health care and education to your family and put a nice meal on the table a country where kids can walk Safe Streets go to Safe schools and have the freedom to just be kids a country where if you work hard and play by the rules you can live a good life now these aren't democrat or republican principles but they are the principles that President Trump and I are fighting for on this campaign and we're going to fight for it every single day in the White House and that's why I want to ask you humbly for your support president Trump and I want exactly what you want more jobs Rising wages a secure border Safe Streets and an affordable country where every child and every family can achieve their dreams dreams now he delivered that during his first four years as president he changed my mind and he won my vote and for the skeptic still out there I hope he has changed your minds too but I'll tell you whatever your politics and whatever your preference is I make this solemn promise whether you support us or not whether you ultimately endorse us or not president Trump and I believe in our fir Fighters we believe in our First Responders and we will never stop fighting for you I am rooting for you I am proud of you I am thankful for you God bless you I want your support we're going to fight for you whether we get it or not God bless you guys and thank you