Read Vice President Mike Pence’s speech from the 2020 Republican National Convention, as prepared for delivery:
Good evening, America.
It is an honor to speak to you tonight from the hallowed grounds of Fort McHenry. The site of the very battle that inspired the words of our national anthem.
Those words have inspired this Land of Heroes ever since.
It was on this site 206 years ago when our young Republic heroically withstood a ferocious naval bombardment from the most powerful empire on earth.
They came to crush our revolution, to divide our nation, and to end the American experiment.
The heroes who held this fort took their stand for Life, liberty, freedom and the American flag. Those ideals have defined our nation.
Yet they were hardly ever mentioned during last week’s Democratic Convention.
Instead, Democrats spent four days attacking America. Joe Biden said we were living through a “season of American darkness.”
But as President Trump said, “where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness.”
In these challenging times… our country needs a president who believes in America. Who believes in the boundless capacity of the American people to meet any challenge, defeat any foe, and defend the freedoms we all hold dear…America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House!
Before I begin, allow me to say a word to the families and communities in the path of hurricane Laura.
Our administration is working closely with authorities in the states that will be impacted and FEMA has mobilized resources and supplies for those in harm’s way. This is a serious storm. We urge all those in the affected areas to heed state and local authorities.
Stay safe, and know that we’ll be with you every step of the way to support, rescue, response, and recovery in the days and weeks ahead.
Four years ago, I answered the call to join this ticket because I knew that Donald Trump had leadership and the vision to make America great again.
For the last four years, I have watched this President endure unrelenting attacks and get up every day and fight to keep the promises he made to the American people.
So, with gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican party, and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as Vice President of the United States.
Serving the American people in this office has been a journey I never expected. A journey that would not be possible without the support of my family, beginning with my wonderful wife Karen, a lifelong school teacher, an incredible mother to our three children and an outstanding Second lady of the United States. And WE couldn’t be more proud of our three children: Marine Corp Captain Michael J. Pence, his wife Sarah, our daughter Charlotte Pence Bond, author and wife to Lieutenant Henry Bond, who is currently deployed and serving our nation in the United States Navy and our recent law school graduate daughter Audrey and her fiancée, who like so many other Americans, had to delay their wedding this summer, but we can’t wait for Dan to be a part of our family. In addition to my wife and kids, the person who shaped my life the most is also with us tonight, my mom Nancy. She’s the daughter of an Irish immigrant, 87 years young, mom follows politics closely. And truth be told, sometimes I think I’m actually her second-favorite candidate on the Trump-Pence ticket. To mom and to my father looking down, thank you, I love you.
Over the past four years, I’ve worked closely with our President. I’ve seen him when the cameras are off. Americans see President Trump in lots of different ways but there’s no doubt how President Trump sees America. He sees America for what it is… a nation that has done more good in this world than any other … a nation that deserves far more gratitude than grievance … and if you want a president who falls silent when our heritage is demeaned or insulted, then he’s not your man.
We came by very different routes to this partnership and some people think we’re a little bit different. But I’ve learned a few things watching him deal with all we’ve been through these past four years. He does things his own way, on his own terms. Not much gets past him and when he has an opinion, he’s liable to share it. He’s certainly kept things interesting, but more importantly, he’s kept his word.
In a city known for talkers…President Donald Trump is a doer. Few presidents have brought more independence, energy, and determination to that office.
Four years ago we inherited a military hollowed out by devastating budget cuts, an economy struggling to break out of the slowest recovery since the great depression… ISIS controlled a land mass twice the size of Pennsylvania and we witnessed a steady assault on our most cherished values like freedom of religion, and the right to life.
That’s when President Trump stepped in.
From Day one, he kept his word. He rebuilt our military, created the Space Force, the first new branch of our armed forces in 70 years… and we returned American astronauts to space on an American rocket for the first time in nearly a decade.
And after years of scandal that robbed our veterans of the care they earned, President Trump kept his word. We reformed the VA … and veterans choice is now available to every veteran.
Our armed forces and our veterans fill this land of heroes and this historic fort. Tonight we have among us.. four recipients of the Medal of Honor… 6 recipients of the Purple Heart and a Gold Star mother, of a gallant Navy SEAL … wounded warriors from Soldier Strong, a group that serves injured veterans … We’re honored by your presence. Thank you for your service.
With heroes just like these we defend this nation every day and we’ve taken the fight to radical Islamic terrorists on our terms on their soil.
Last year, American armed forces took the last inch of ISIS territory, crushed their caliphate and took down their leader without one American casualty. Earlier this year, I was there when President Trump gave the order to take out the world’s most dangerous terrorist.
Iran’s top general will never harm another American again because Qassem Soleimani is gone.
My fellow Americans you deserve to know, Joe Biden criticized President Trump following his decision to rid the world of both of those terrorists. But it’s not surprising because history records that Joe Biden even opposed the operation that took down Osama Bin Laden.
It’s no wonder Bob Gates, Secretary of defense under the Obama Biden Administration said Joe Biden had “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”
So, we’ve stood up to our enemies and we’ve stood with our allies.
Like when President Trump kept his word and moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel, setting the stage for the first Arab country to recognize Israel in 26 years.
And closer to home, appointed more than 200 conservative judges to our federal courts, supported the right to life and all our God given liberties including the second amendment right to keep and bear arms.
But when it came to the economy, President Trump kept his word and then some…to pass the largest tax cut and reform in American history, rolled back more federal red tape than any admin, unleashed American energy and fought for free and fair trade.
in our first three years, Businesses large and small created more than 7 million jobs, including 500,000 manufacturing jobs. America became a net exporter of energy for first time in 70 years.
Under President Trump, unemployment rates for African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, hit their lowest levels ever!