TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Trump campaign made its way through Tallahassee Saturday evening.
When the Vice President landed on the runway at Tallahassee International Airport, there was a crowd of hundreds waiting for him.
Supporters began lining up hours before the rally, despite the rainy weather.
A few hundred people now either waiting outside in the rain for the VP or in the hangar bay. Mostly everybody has a mask — but no social distancing in sight indoors. @abc27 pic.twitter.com/l9uDPRKvyR
— Chantelle Navarro (@ChantelleABC27) October 24, 2020
Not long after his arrival in Tallahassee around 7:30 p.m., Pence took the stage, calling the Florida Panhandle "Trump country."
"America will never be a socialist country," Pence said to the cheering crowd. He struck down the Affordable Healthcare Act as ineffective and touted President Trump's plans to repeal and replace it.
The Vice President also brought up Joe Biden's 47 year record, saying that Trump will continue to fight for jobs and "bring America all the way back." Pence also said that Trump stands with law enforcement.
"They deserve the respect of every American, every single day," Pence said.
He slammed both Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris for their stance on law enforcement. He said that Trump will always "back the blue," protect the freedom of religion and support the right to bear arms.
- @VP: ‘We will not defund the police, not now not ever.’ @abc27
— Chantelle Navarro (@ChantelleABC27) October 25, 2020
Pence also talked about Judge Amy Coney Barrett and the upcoming Senate vote to confirm her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court and said that she had received negative comments about her Catholicism.
"President Donald Trump will always stand for the freedom of religion for every American of every faith," Pence said. "President Trump is the most pro-life president in American history."
Pence tackled Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and touted the President's decision to banned travel from China. He also said that the COVID-19 vaccine will be out before the end of this year.
"Until that day that we have a vaccine available we're gonna keep working to slow the spread," Pence said. "As Biden speaks about shutting down our economy again, we're opening up America. And we're opening up America's schools."
Pence also praised Governor Ron DeSantis' response to the pandemic. He also made his case for why President Trump should remain in office.
"I think the choice in this election is whether America remains America," Pence said as he hailed patriotism as a founding cornerstone of the nation. "For the freedom that we cherish in this nation, we need to decide right here and right now that Joe Biden will never be president of the United States. We're going to elect President Trump for four more years!"
The Vice President also said that he was pleased to see the large crowd in Tallahassee and said he couldn't wait to tell the President about it.
Before he left, he asked Tallahassee voters to vote to reelect President Trump and to spread the word about why they feel so passionate about his potential reelection.
.@VP says “friends don’t let friends vote alone.” @abc27 pic.twitter.com/HZVm4ch0Go
— Channing Frampton (@Channing_TV) October 25, 2020
"Men and women of Florida you gotta do what you did before and drive the victory forward on November 3," Pence said.
He called America "a nation of faith" and asked for prayers as election day approaches.
"I encourage you to pray with confidence," Pence said. "Pray for all the American people. It'll make a difference - I promise you."
Calling the crowd, "a dedicated and soggy Tallahassee bunch," he said the President will make Florida and America more prosperous and united than ever before.
