RUSH: We are happy to welcome back the Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence, who is in Florida getting ready for the gigantic reelection kickoff rally tonight in Orlando.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling)
RUSH: Mr. Vice President, welcome back.
RUSH: I’m told that there are more people that are lined up to get into your rally tonight than go to Disney World on a daily basis.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (laughing) It’s just amazing. The president and I were talking about it this morning. And, you know, no guitars, no music. You know, no Epcot. (laughing) People have been lined up for a couple days now. God bless every single one of them. I know a lot of them are listening to the sound of my voice right now, and Karen and I are gonna jump on a plane here in a few minutes. Air Force Two will be landing in Orlando. And, I tell you what: With the president and the first lady there tonight, it’s gonna be… It’s gonna be a great, great kickoff to the election campaign of 2020.
RUSH: You know, it really is — you make jokes about it — no guitars, no this or that. What —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (laughing)
RUSH: No, let me explain that. It’s just a guy at a microphone, a guy at a podium.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (laughing)
RUSH: It normally takes a band and a warmup act to draw 25,000 people, 20,000, at 16 or 18 bucks to get in. You’re doing it with just a guy and a microphone and his vision of the country.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (laughing)
RUSH: It really is amazing. And you look at, you know, no matter where Joe Biden goes, they have to have camera close-ups ’cause there’s nobody there. Hillary Clinton didn’t draw any crowds to her rallies, and that’s when they said, “Crowd size doesn’t matter! You can’t extrapolate from that.” But we know that’s not true now.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, it really is. It’s very humbling for the president.
RUSH: And the enthusiasm seems as big and strong as it’s always been for you guys.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: But you and I both know it’s the man and it’s the vision. I mean, this is a president who’s a distinctly American leader. He’s able to connect with the American people, speak in language that relates to everyday Americans. I saw it across the Hoosier State back when I was governor. I’ve seen it across America in my 2-1/2 years as vice president. But it’s also the vision. I mean, that’s… I’m gonna be speaking a couple minutes before the president tonight, and we’re just gonna talk about…
You think about everything we’ve been able to accomplish in the last 2-1/2 years: Rebuilding our military, reviving this economy, appointing strong conservatives to our federal courts, America standin’ tall in the world again. I mean, the strong stand the president took just 10 days ago. I mean, now, I mean, you know… You know, Mexico is doing more to secure our southern border in the last 10 days than Democrats in Congress have done in the last 10 years. And it’s all because of this president’s vision.
It’s because of his leadership, and that’s what people are responding to. And I really think the enthusiasm that you see in Orlando — where I understand it’s actually raining about right now, and people have camped out. The enthusiasm I know (chuckles) Karen and I are gonna see when we take to the stage tonight is all emblematic of a president who is making America great again, and we’re gonna just work our hearts out (crosstalk) —
RUSH: Well, you know, if Peter Strzok —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — to keep America growing.
RUSH: If Peter Strzok is watching, he probably thinks he can smell that crowd. You know, that’s what he said about Trump voters and Walmart and so forth.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (laughing)
RUSH: You guys have had to put up with a lot. You’ve had to put up with more never-ending, incessant attacks on your very existence than any administration in our lifetimes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah, it really is amazing. You go back to “basket of deplorables.” And, you know, and let me say something about this president. He loves the American people. I mean, it’s one of the things that comes through. You know, I’m with him every day and we talk every day when we’re in different places in the country and in the world. And this is a president who, on election night 2016, he said he wanted to be president of all Americans. And I can tell, in agreement or disagreement, he loves every American.
And sometimes when I hear our detractors out there leveling their attacks, I don’t know that they really know that they’re literally attacking tens of millions of Americans who believed in a leader who could make our country safer, could make our country more prosperous, and is making our country great again. But that’s what they don’t understand, and that’s why I really… I gotta tell you: We feel like the starting gun is firing tonight, and we’re gonna both be out of the gate. And I just can’t wait to go take this record and take the leadership that President Trump’s provided to the four corners of this country, and I know — I know — he feels exactly the same way.
RUSH: Mr. Vice President, I was discussing something the other day. Maybe you could pass this on to the president. I really think — or maybe Brad Parscale. But I think you guys need to show up in California a couple of times in this campaign. Not to win the state, but I know you’re going to Oregon, and that seems almost as improbable. But my reasoning is the Democrats, they got a big homeless problem in LA. They’ve got a real problem throughout, up and down that state with the division of wealth.
The gap there is crazy, and the Democrats… I saw the leaders of Los Angeles were complaining the Democrat candidates were not talking about their homeless problem. And I said, “They can’t. California’s guaranteed to go Democrat. They’re gonna ignore you. They can’t talk about you. It’d be to criticize themselves.” But you guys could go. You guys could go to California. You would make such news with a rally somewhere in California, and it would just be great.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I’ll tell you what, I’ll pass it along, and I’ll tell you what: I’ve been in California. The president’s been out that way. I guarantee you, this campaign’s gonna go to the four corners of this country. I mean, the American people have seen in this president, someone — a leader — who says what he means and means what he says. And it’s one of the reasons why America… Why we’ve made so much progress on the world stage is leaders around the world know the same thing about this president.
I mean, the reason Mexico stood up and took the action that they took to secure their southern border and embraced the remain-in-Mexico proposal that had only been talked about for months and months, is because they knew the president meant it. And I gotta tell you, it’s that kind of leadership that’s been making a difference for the country. I agree with you a hundred percent, Rush. I think that’s the kind of leadership, those are the kind of results that are gonna sell everywhere. I promise you: We’re gonna be talking to every American tonight over the airwaves. But in this campaign, I promise you over the next 503 days we’re gonna take President Trump’s agenda, his message, his vision for the second term to every American, and leave no stone unturned.
RUSH: I do think he may be — and you guys, as a team, may be — the only people in the Republican Party who could go to California and actually make a national impact on it by doing so. Not just an impact in California. But look, before you go —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yeah?
RUSH: — I need to ask you about this New York Times story from over the weekend that the intelligence community’s running renegade on Russian cyber-security actions and not telling the president because they’re not sure he would approve it, and they’re not sure that he would keep the secret, because he’s so close to Vladimir Putin. I know the president tweeted that it’s total fake news. But when a story like that hits, what is the reaction that you have with the president talking about this? I mean, what do you do about it?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You know, obviously we can never comment on intelligence matters, and so I won’t. But this president is fully engaged (chuckling), and every policy pertaining to our national security, to intelligence, he’s fully informed. Those of us that serve around him every day know that. I mean, he is in command, and I think the reason why he’s made such a connection across this country is ’cause people sense that. We have a leader in the Oval Office, and whether it’s things pertaining to our national defense, America’s place in the world, whether it be our intelligence community, whether it be this economy, engagement with Congress, moving our agenda on Capitol Hill, or the 110 appointments of conservatives to our federal courts — not including justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh — this president is fully engaged, fully informed, and any suggestion to the contrary is just laughable.
RUSH: Fake news.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (laughing)
RUSH: Total fake news.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That’s what we call it.
RUSH: Well, look, we appreciate your time, as always. You need to come back any time that you want. It’s always great to talk to you, and you’re such an enthusiastic and optimistic person in general. It’s very infectious. So —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (laughing) Well —
RUSH: It is. Come back any time.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I’ll tell you what: I serve with a guy that has boundless confidence in the American people, and for all that we’ve accomplished in the last 2-1/2 years, that’s just what President Trump calls a good start. Tonight, we’re gonna talk about not only what we’ve done but what we’re gonna continue to do to keep America great. So, thanks, Rush. And to everybody who’s going to be looking in tonight and everybody out there in Orlando, I can’t wait to take to the stage and introduce the man who I believe with all of my heart — in 503 days — is gonna be reelected as president of the United States of America.
RUSH: It’s gonna be electric. I don’t think there’s gonna have been anything like it. Of all the rallies before, this one’s got the potential to blow the roof off.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (chuckling) Get ready. It’s on!
RUSH: Well, have a great rest of the day, and we’ll all be watching tonight, looking forward to it.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thanks, Rush. Great to be with you.
RUSH: You bet. Same here. Vice President Mike Pence has been with us.
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