President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held their first joint event since Biden left the presidential race and endorsed her for the Democratic nomination.
At Thursday’s event, the crowd erupted into spontaneous chants of “Thank you, Joe” as Harris spoke first and praised Biden for all he has done for our country, including efforts to lower health care costs.
Harris said:
"I could speak all afternoon about the person that I'm standing on the stage with," she said. "Our extraordinary president, Joe Biden. And he's going to speak in a minute, but there’s a lot of love in this room for our president. And I think it is for many, many reasons, including few leaders in our nation have done more on so many issues, including to expand access to affordable health care. And today we take the next step ‘’ Thank you, Joe, forward in our fight.”
Now this may have sounded like another boisterous Harris campaign rally, but it was actually an official presidential event.
ABC News reported:
The two walked out together to cheers to deliver remarks on stage at Prince George's County Community College in Maryland about the economy and what their administration's done to alleviate costs for Americans.
That includes the administration's announcement earlier Thursday that the Department of Health and Human Services reached an agreement on price negotiations for 10 commonly used drugs that they say will save Medicare enrollees $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs when the new prices go into effect in 2026.
Instead of Harris-Walz placards, many in the audience held up signs reading “Lowering prescription drug costs.”
Biden opened his remarks by saying:
“Folks I have an incredible partner the progress we made. She’s going to make one hell of a president.” Biden then said: “Kamala and I both get it. We know it isn’t just about health care, it is about your dignity. It’s about peace of mind. It’s about security. It’s about taking care of your family. It’s about giving folks just a little bit more breathing room. That’s all. Look, I believe health care should be a right and not a privilege in America."
(Biden’s remarks begin about the 5-minute mark in this clip)
In an official statement Thursday, Harris said she “was proud to cast the tie-breaking vote” in the Senate on the Inflation Reduction Act that “cut prescription drug costs, capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month, and lowered premiums for seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare – helping millions of families get the care they deserve.”
She wrote:
Today, we are building on our work to lower costs and increase access to affordable prescription drugs by announcing that the Biden-Harris Administration has reached agreements with all participating manufacturers to lower prices for the first 10 drugs selected for the Medicare price negotiation program – from those that treat cancer to those that treat diabetes, heart disease, and blood clots. Thanks to our historic work to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, millions of Americans who rely on these drugs will save on their out-of-pocket costs. While people enrolled in Medicare are expected to save $1.5 billion in 2026 alone, American taxpayers will also save an estimated $6 billion.
Today’s announcement will be lifechanging for so many of our loved ones across the nation, and we are not stopping here. Additional prescription drugs will be selected each year as part of our Medicare drug price negotiation program. This includes up to 15 additional drugs covered under Medicare Part D for negotiation in 2025, up to an additional 15 Part B and Part D drugs in 2026, and up to 20 drugs every year after that.
ABC News wrote: that on Friday at a campaign event in North Carolina, Harris will talk about her own economic platform to deal with the rising cost of living. Her campaign announced that she will propose a federal ban on corporate price-gouging on food and groceries.
Thursday’s event shows just how much Donald Trump is out of touch with reality. He seems to believe he can actually read Biden’s mind and know what he’s thinking.
Huffpost wrote Thursday:
Writing on social media and speaking in front of cameras around the country, Trump has continually brought up theories about what Biden is thinking, feeling and potentially plotting — all without evidence.
Trump’s preoccupation with Biden comes as Harris makes gains in the polls, turning what was a contest that favored Trump into a dead-even heat.
His most bizarre claim over the last several weeks has been the idea that Biden is going to swoop in at the eleventh hour of the Democratic National Convention and take back the presidential nomination. …
Biden is scheduled to give a speech on Monday, the first night of the Democratic National Convention.
Huffpost wrote:
Along with his campaign staffers, Trump has now taken to painting Biden’s willful decision as a “coup” and claiming the Democratic Party acted disrespectfully toward Biden.
“They are throwing him out on the Monday Night Stage, known as Death Valley,” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social.
“[Biden] now HATES Obama and Crazy Nancy more than he hates me! He is an angry man, as he should be. They stole the Presidency from him — ‘It was a Coup!’”
But Biden certainly didn’t look angry at Thursday’s event with Harris. He even joked about his age.
The Telegraph wrote:
The US president, 81, told the audience in Maryland that he had served in the Senate for “270 years”.
“I know I look 40 but I’m a little bit older”, he joked.
“Last time I was too damn young because I was only 29 when I got elected, now I’m too damn old”, he added, prompting the audience to laugh.
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