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c-span, powered by cable. ♪ announcer: now live to vice president kamala hars, scheduled to speak at south carolina state university. it's taking place a day before the state's democratic primary. you will hear from james clyburn and the vice president will be intruced by the reigning miss south carolina state. live coverage here on c-span. >> they said, you know what? you matter. the progeny of those folks who were in bondage, of the folks who picked cotton, now, those folks won't be picking cotton, but will be picking presidents. [applause] folks, for far too long, we have been relegated to the back of the bus, but now we are driving the damn bus, and i want you to

understand what your power is. don't be silent! show up! make sure your voices are heard, not only here in orangeburg, not only here in south carolina, but all over this country! that is the power that you have right now. don't you sit there and say, "i'm not going to vote." there is too much at stake. if you believe in a better world for yourself, your family and your community, you've got to stand up and exercise that right. don't let anybody take it away from you. it is too invaluable. here in south carolina, we have a model. while i breathe, i hope. but that is not big enough. we know from our good book, i know from life, hope without action is never realized. so, folks, while i breathe, i hope can't be our motto, it has

to be, while i breathe, i vote. because that is how we make hope real. that is how we make hope real. let me tell you as somebody who fights every day to make hope real, somebody who i call my political father, someone who has given so much to the state -- so this state. it is my honor to introduce this next speaker who needs no introduction. he is a hero of the civil rights movement in south carolina and a leader in the u.s. congress. a great congressman and alumni of south carolina state university. welcome to the stage the one and only jim clyburn. [applause] >> hey, everybody. thank you.

thank you so much for presenting me here today. i need not be introduced to south carolina state university. students or graduates or administrators. this is home for me. thank you so much. i just want to expand a little bit on something you heard from jamie. since he took all of my speech away. [laughter] a a lot of times, it's great to think about what has happened. what you have done. but every election is about the future. what lies in my future? let me say something about student loan debt relief. jamie has told you about the $137 billion in debt elimination already taking place. he mentioned to you that covers

4.3 million people. what he did not mention is that for the next four years, every two months, another $75,000 will become eligible for that debt relief. we've got to decide, who do we want to be in charge of that program for the next four years? the guy who decides to eliminate it in all three of his budgets or the guy who transformed it and turned it into what it is today? that is what this election is about. it is about the future of student loan debt relief. it's about the future of medicare. it's not just he put it cap -- put a cap of $35 and up for senior citizen everybody on medicare, he has also put in place a law that allows them

tenure, all medicare recipients, to be limited to $2000 a year for all of their medical care, no matter what it's for. whatever that care is. [applause] no matter how expensive the medicine is. no matter how expensive the operation may be. no matter how expensive, if you are on medicare, if you're mother or father -- your mother or father, grandparents are on medicare, they will not pay more than $2000 a year going forward. that is what is in this law. that is what is on the line. do we continue to have that kind of what i call reform in our medicine? or do we sent home -- sit home and allow someone to get elected who has told you, with his

actions, you all saw him a couple of weeks ago making fun after john mccain when he did his thumbs down on their attempt to eliminate the affordable care act. you all saw he said. he tried with his republican friends, he tried 60 times to get rid of the affordable care act. but there's a guy there counting votes on the democratic side and he failed 60 times. given an opportunity, he has told you what he is going to. my advice to you is to believe him. and to show up and make sure he never occupies the white house again. there is an old saying, fool me

once, fool me twice, shame on me. we were fools once. that is his shame. if we stay home and get a second time, that is our shame. and that is not what we want for our future. let me close with this, because the vice president is ready to come out here. [applause] my girl. i told somebody back during the campaign four years ago, this is kamala harris, a member of the divine nine last year, and so am i.

i said, no, i am an omega. but come november i am an a.k.a it's just that simple. i don't mind being an a.k.a. i want to close with this -- way back, the last time we had any kind of activity in this country like we have seen and saw on january 6, 2021, it was 1876 where we had a presidential election and three states, florida, louisiana, and south carolina held up their 21 votes and tildon, samuel tilden

missed becoming president by one vote in the electoral college, and he promised the pro-segregationists, the white supremacists, that he would bring in reconstruction. they put together a committee of 15 people in the house of representatives, and they voted 8-7 to give the presidency to brother b hayes by one vote. tilden missed the presidency by one vote.

hayes became president, brought an end to reconstruction and started jim crow. jim crow came into being by one vote. one vote could very well defined what our future is. i would hope that not any of you will allow yourselves or your family members or your friends to be that one vote. we have got to vote tomorrow. we have got to vote come november. and think about your future. who are you going to put in charge of your future? a president who has shown you that he has very little respect, or the person who has demonstrated his dignity and respect, that he believes in a

future where freedom prevails, and where democracy is the law of the land. thank you so much for being here, south carolina state. and remember, i want every person to repeat, bulldogs, tenacity! [indiscernible] [applause] ♪ ♪ ["le freak" by chic playing]

♪ >> please welcome miss south carolina state university.

>> good afternoon, bulldogs! i am proud to be serving as the 87th miss south carolina state university. [applause] now, we know our next speaker as a leader, history maker, and true inspiration to people around the world. like us, she is a proud product of an hbcu, and like me, a member of the first and the finest sorority, alpha kappa alpha sorority inc. [applause] i am talking about our very own madame vice president, kamala harris. with kamala harris as our vice

president, i can see myself reflected in the white house. i see how big our dreams should be. because our choices are the doors are wide open. as the first black woman vice president, kamala harris has been our boys at the table -- voice at the table where decisions get made. she wakes up every day fighting to make life better for each and every one of us. she is fighting for our reproductive rights. she is crisscrossing the country right now on a tour to tell the stories of women harmed by the overturning of roe. she has been fighting for like maternal health equity since her days in the senate when she introduced the maternal care act. she is fighting to close the racial wealth gap, announcing a new plan by the administration this summer to confront racial bias in the housing industry. she has helped bring billions of dollars to our hbcu's, because in her words, they are

centers of academic evidence that for too long have been underfunded. on these issues and so many more, she is fighting for for and fighting for -- fighting for you and fighting for me. our democracy is at stake. our rights are at stake. our futures are at stake. donald trump and maga republicans want to stifle our voices, tear us down and take away our freedoms. even amidst the challenges we face today, i am hopeful still, because i know that we are not fighting alone. because we have a president and vice president who see us and value us. as a future leader -- as future leaders of this country, it is on us to have their backs. to organize and get out and vote for president biden and vice president harris, so that they can finish the job they started three years ago. so now, it is my pleasure to

introduce a fighter for our freedoms, a breaker of glass ceilings, and our voice at the table when decisions are made. please join me in welcoming our m.v.p., madame vice president kamala harris. [cheering and applause] vice pres. harris: thank you. [applause] all right, can we hear

for south carolina state's drum line? [applause] good afternoon, everyone. good afternoon. can we please applaud carrington for her inspiration, her excellence? thank you for that introduction. [applause] thank you, thank you. of course it is good to be with so many extraordinary leaders, including jamie harrison, i want to thank him, a son of south carolina and the head of the national democratic party, and of course assistant leader jim clyburn, listen, i don't need to tell south carolina what a powerful leader jim clyburn is. he always speaks the truth with courage and conviction, and he is truly one of the closest advisors and friends to president joe biden and i. thank you for are you -- for all

you are and all you do. [applause] it is so wonderful to be back in this beautiful state. this is my third trip to south carolina. this is the beginning of the year and my ninth trip to the state as vice president. of course, there are many trips that i have taken to be here. of -- in 2020, it was south carolina that put president joe biden and me on the path to the white house. [applause] in 2020, in the height of a historic pandemic, in the midst of so much loss and uncertainty, the people of south carolina showed up to vote, you convinced your friends and your family members and neighbors and coworkers of the power of their vote and the power they have when they show up to vote.

and it is because of that work that joe biden is president of the united states and i am the first woman and first black woman to be vice president of the united states. [applause] [cheering] and an auntie. [laughter] in 2020, you sent us to the white house, because frankly, we had some business to handle. in 2020, south carolina said, "we need to take on the issue of high-speed internet." for years, i have spoken with leaders from hemingway to here in orangeburg about the urgent need for high-speed internet. in particular for rural communities, where students have had to go to the public library

just to submit their homework on wi-fi. because you voted in 2020, president biden and i are connecting every person in america with high-speed internet, including more than 100,000 families right here in south carolina. in 2020, you said, we need to do more to help folks struggling with student loan debt. the young couples who worry they will never be able to buy a home or start a family because of their student loans. the mothers who work two and three jobs just to keep up with their monthly payments. and so, because you voted in 2020, president biden and i have canceled more than $136 billion in student loan debt for more than 3.5 million americans. and although the republicans in congress refused to work with us to canceled more debt, we will

not be deterred. president biden and i will keep fighting for relief from student loan debt. south carolina, in 2020, you said, as you just heard, hbcu's are centers of academic excellence. [cheering and applause] can we must do more to support them. they don't have the kinds of endowments that some other schools have. although they produce leaders of our country and our world. so as a proud hbcu graduate, i made sure we invested more than $7 billion in hbcu's across our nation. including nearly $60 million for the students right here in south carolina state. to help them pay for textbooks and laptops and rent. in 2020, you told us, we need to lower health care costs. especially for insulin for our

seniors. in fact, raise your hand if you have a family member with diabetes. right. for too many years, too many of our seniors have had to make the choice of either filling the prescription or filling the refrigerator. but because you voted, president biden and i took on big pharma and we capped the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 a month. and capped the entire cost of prescription medication are $2000 a year. so this is just some of what we have accomplished, since we took office. over the past three years, president biden and i have lowered costs, created opportunity, and are building an economy that works for working people. we have created more than

14.5 million new jobs, increased wages for tens of millions of americans, today, consumer confidence is up and consumer spending is at an all-time high, and although we have more work to do, let us be clear, america's economy continues to be the strongest in the world. so it all comes down to this, president biden and i are guided by fundamental beliefs. we work for you. the american people. and every day, we fight for you. sadly, however, that is not true for everyone. case in point, donald trump. former president trump has made clear time and time again that his fight is not for people, he

-- for the people, he fights for himself. he openly talks about his intention to weaponize the department of justice. he openly says that he is "proud" that he overturned roe v wade. proud that he took the freedom of choice from millions of american women. for years, the former president has stoked the fires of hate and bigotry and racism and xenophobia for his own power and political gain. he accused immigrants of "poisoning the blood of our country." and after neo nazis marched in charlottesville, he said they were "very fine people on

both sides." the former president openly talks about his admiration for dictators and vowed that he will be a dictator on day one. understand what dictators do. dictators put journalists in jail. dictators suspend elections. dictators take your rights. and as the great maya angelou once said, when someone tells you who they are, believe them the first time. well, the former president has told us who he is. and it is on us, then, to recognize a profound threat he poses to our democracy and to our freedoms.

and let us recognize, there are extremists across our country who have been inspired, encouraged, and even cowered by the former president. in this moment, just look at states across our country where we witness a full on attack on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights. the freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from the horror of gun violence, the freedom to live without fear of hate or bigotry, the freedom to be who you are and love who you love openly and with pride, the freedom to learn and acknowledge our nation's true and full history, and the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have the

government telling her what to do. [applause] and on that point, i know all of us are clear, one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree that the government should not be telling her what to do with her body. [applause] so, across our nation, across our nation, fundamental freedoms are at stake. and understand, and i say this in particular to the students, it does not have to be this way. it does not have to be this way. when we win majorities in the u.s. congress and congress passes a bill that reinstates the protections of roe v wade, president joe biden will sign it. when we win majority's in

congress, president biden will sign into law an assault weapons ban, he will sign into law the george floyd justice in policing act act. and he will sign into law the freedom to vote act and the john lewis voting rights advancements act. [applause] on these issues and so many more, who sits in the white house, it matters. and in this election, we each, each and every one of us, we face the question, what kind of country do we want to live in? we each face that question. what kind of country do we want to live in? do we want to live in a country of liberty, freedom, and rule of law? or a country of disorder, fear, and hate?

we face a choice, cruelty or compassion. chaos or competence. division, or unity. each of us has the power to answer these questions on a daily basis, tomorrow and south carolina at the ballot box, for tomorrow is primary day in south carolina. it is on a saturday here. south carolina, you are the first primary in the nation. and president biden and i are counting on you. we are counting on you to vote and to get everyone you know to vote, to send out text messages, to knock on doors and to make your voices heard. so in conclusion, then, i ask, are you ready to make your

voices heard? [cheers and applause] v.p. harris: do we believe in freedom? do we believe in democracy? do we believe in opportunity for all? and are we ready to fight for it? and when we fight, we win. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. thank you. [cheers and applause] ♪ >> ♪ when i move my body like

this i don't know why but i feel like freedom i hear a song that takes me back and i let go with so much freedom is it the shoes? we're overdue for a little more prancing now it's your time you can shine if you do, then i'ma do too when i move my body just like i don't know why but i feel like freedom i hear a song that takes me back

and i let go with so much freedom ♪ ♪

>> today, watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail, a weekly roundup of c-span's campaign coverage, dividing a one-stop shop to discover where the candidates are traveling and what they are saying to voter. this along with firsthand accounts from reporters, updatable numbers and campaign ads. watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail, online at c-span.org, or download as a podcast on c-span now, our free mobile app, or wherever you get podcast. c-span, your unfiltered view of politics. ♪ last december, the colorado supreme court ruled former president donald trump ible to appear on the states presidential ballot for violation of the u.s. constitution's insurrection clause under the 14th amendment.

thsd, the u.s. supreme court hears oral argument that donald trump's appeal that decision. we will have that live 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span, c-span now, and online at c-span.org. ♪ >> c-span's washington journal, our live forum involving you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics, and public policy. from washington and across the country. coming up saturday morning, the executive director of the death penalty information center discusses the recent execution in alabama which used nitrogen gas for the first time, and the overall state of the death penalty in the u.s.. then in our spotlight on podcast, a south carolina reporter discusses his podcast and the palmetto state's democratic residential primary on saturday. c-span's washington journal, join in the