Hillary Clinton Shares Vision to Make America Stronger Together, Makes History Accepting Democratic Nomination
PHILADELPHIA – While making history accepting the Democratic nomination for president tonight, Hillary Clinton made the case to the American people that we must not let our nation be torn apart.
While Donald Trump and Republicans portray America as a nation whose best days are behind us, Hillary Clinton believes that America is stronger together – when our economy works for everyone and not just those at the top, and when we listen to each other and lift each other up instead of tearing each other down.
This week, the core values that drive Hillary Clinton have been demonstrated by dozens of people who’ve shared their stories – people who she’s known her whole life and people she’s never met whose lives she’s changed.
Tonight, Hillary Clinton shared her vision to protect and improve the lives of all Americans.
Central to Hillary’s economic plan is putting families first – creating new jobs, raising incomes, lowering the cost of college, holding Wall Street accountable, and reforming outdated laws to match how families live, learn and work in today’s economy.
See for yourself how lines from Hillary Clinton’s speech compare with the truth about her record and Donald Trump’s:
We will not build a wall. Instead, we will build an economy where everyone who wants a good paying job can get one. And we’ll build a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants who are already contributing to our economy!
TRUMP: We’re going to do a wall…Mexico’s going to pay for the wall
The Briefing: Stronger Together: Hillary Clinton’s Plan for An Economy That Works for Everyone, Not Just Those at the Top
NBC News: Hillary Clinton reaffirmed her intent to introduce immigration reform in her first 100 days in office
We will not ban a religion. We will work with all Americans and all our allies to fight terrorism.
TRUMP: “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”
HillaryClinton.com: Combating terrorism and keeping the homeland safe
And most of all, don’t believe anyone who says: “I alone can fix it.” Those were actually Donald Trump’s words in Cleveland. And they should set off alarm bells for all of us.
TRUMP: I alone can fix it
Look at what happened in Dallas after the assassinations of five brave police officers. Chief David Brown asked the community to support his force, maybe even join them. And you know how the community responded? Nearly 500 people applied in just 12 days.
Business Insider: According to statistics posted on its Facebook page, applications to the Dallas Police Department have more than tripled since the shooting, The Washington Postreported. Between June 8 and June 20, 136 people applied. Between July 8 and July 20, 467 applied.
I went to work for the Children’s Defense Fund, going door-to-door in New Bedford, Massachusetts on behalf of children with disabilities who were denied the chance to go to school. I remember meeting a young girl in a wheelchair on the small back porch of her house. She told me how badly she wanted to go to school – it just didn’t seem possible. … So we gathered the facts. We built a coalition. And our work helped convince Congress to ensure access to education for all students with disabilities.
Children’s Defense Fund: Hillary Rodham Clinton was with CDF from the beginning. Rodham joined CDF as a young staff attorney right out of law school and knocked on doors to research and help prepare CDF’s first landmark report, Children Out of School in America – a major catalyst for the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. She became a CDF board member and ultimately board chair until she became First Lady.
HILLARY CLINTON: It was that hard daily work of gathering the facts, and what did I find? I found some children weren’t in school because they had to work to help support the family or they had to take care of their siblings, but I mostly found children with disabilities who in those days were not really welcome in our schools, children whose families couldn’t afford the wheelchair or the hearing aid or the other intervention that might have made it possible for them to attend school, and I was one of many who reported back the data.
Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice: The 1973 CDF report Children out of School, for instance, shed light on the problem of minors who were not being formally educated, a significant number of whom were youths with disabilities. Subsequent efforts to redress the problem contributed to the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, a landmark piece of legislation designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities.
U.S. Department of Education: Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142), in 1975, to support states and localities in protecting the rights of, meeting the individual needs of, and improving the results for Hector and other infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families.
Now, I don’t think President Obama and Vice President Biden get the credit they deserve for saving us from the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. Our economy is so much stronger than when they took office. Nearly 15 million new private-sector jobs.
The White House: U.S. businesses have now added 14.8 million jobs since private-sector job growth turned positive in early 2010.
Twenty million more Americans with health insurance.
Huffington Post: 20 Million Gained Health Insurance From Obamacare, President Says
And an auto industry that just had its best year ever.
PolitiFact: Hillary Clinton says 2015 was the best year in US auto industry history
That’s why we need to appoint Supreme Court justices who will get money out of politics and expand voting rights, not restrict them. And we’ll pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United!
HillaryClinton.com: As president, Hillary will overturn Citizens United—the Supreme Court case that unleashed hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate and special-interest money into U.S. elections.
And I believe Wall Street can never, ever be allowed to wreck Main Street again.
HillaryClinton.com: Hillary Clinton has a plan to reduce the risk of future crises and make our financial system fairer and more accountable.
I believe in science. I believe that climate change is real and that we can save our planet while creating millions of good-paying clean energy jobs.
TRUMP: The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive
TRUMP: Obama’s talking about all of this with the global warming and … a lot of it’s a hoax. It’s a hoax. I mean, it’s a money-making industry, okay? It’s a hoax, a lot of it.
HILLARY CLINTON: I won’t let anyone take us backward, deny our economy the benefits of harnessing a clean energy future, or force our children to endure the catastrophe that would result from unchecked climate change
I believe that when we have millions of hardworking immigrants contributing to our economy, it would be self-defeating and inhumane to kick them out. Comprehensive immigration reform will grow our economy and keep families together – and it’s the right thing to do.
Politico: Trump’s immigration plan: Mass deportation
HillaryClinton.com: We need comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to full and equal citizenship.
Now, you didn’t hear any of this from Donald Trump at his convention. He spoke for 70-odd minutes – and I do mean odd. And he offered zero solutions.
The Hill: Trump’s marathon address clocked in at nearly 76 minutes
New York Times: Mr. Trump offered no solutions beyond his messianic portrayal of himself.
But we already know he doesn’t believe any of these things.
PolitiFact: Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump wants to get rid of the federal minimum wage – TRUE
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: Trump’s health care plan “would cause almost 21 million people to lose their insurance coverage…this would almost double the number of Americans without health insurance.”
The Briefing: Stronger Together: Hillary Clinton’s Plan for An Economy That Works for Everyone, Not Just Those at the Top
QUESTION: So if you become president will a woman make the same as a man and will I get to choose what I do with my body?
TRUMP: You’re going to make the same if you do as good a job. And I happen to be pro-life. OK?
No wonder he doesn’t like talking about his plans.
Politico: Donald Trump’s One Unbreakable Policy: Skip the Details
CNS News: Trump On Specifics Of His Proposals: ‘Trust Me’
In my first 100 days, we will work with both parties to pass the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II. Jobs in manufacturing, clean energy, technology and innovation, small business, and infrastructure.
CNN: Clinton to make first 100 days pledge on $275 billion infrastructure plan
And then we will transform the way we prepare our young people for those jobs. Bernie Sanders and I will work together to make college tuition-free for the middle class and debt-free for all! We will also liberate millions of people who already have student debt.
The Briefing: Hillary Clinton’s Commitment: A Debt-Free Future for America’s Graduates
Bloomberg: Clinton Wins Sanders Praise With Expanded College-Cost Plan
It’s just not right that Donald Trump can ignore his debts, but students and families can’t refinance theirs.
TRUMP: I have borrowed knowing you can pay back with discounts. I have done very well with debt.
USA Today: Hundreds allege Donald Trump doesn’t pay his bills
We’re going to give small businesses a boost. Make it easier to get credit. Way too many dreams die in the parking lots of banks. In America, if you can dream it, you should be able to build it.
The Briefing: Hillary Clinton Aims to be the “Small Business President”
We’re going to help people balance family and work. And you know what, if fighting for affordable child care and paid family leave is playing the “woman card,” then Deal Me In!
Politico: Clinton releases plan to cap child care costs
HillaryClinton.com: Paid family and medical leave
Now, here’s the thing, we are not only going to make all these investments, we’re going to pay for every single one of them. And here’s how: Wall Street, corporations, and the super-rich are going to start paying their fair share of taxes.
The Briefing: Investing in America by Restoring Basic Fairness to Our Tax Code
And if companies take tax breaks and then ship jobs overseas, we”ll make them pay us back. And we’ll put that money to work where it belongs … creating jobs here at home!
The Briefing: Ending Inversions and Investing in America
Now I know some of you are sitting at home thinking, well that all sounds pretty good. … But Trump, he’s a businessman. He must know something about the economy.
TRUMP: I’ve been a world-class businessman…That’s the thinking that our country needs
Well, let’s take a closer look. In Atlantic City, 60 miles from here, you’ll find contractors and small businesses who lost everything because Donald Trump refused to pay his bills. People who did the work and needed the money, and didn’t get it – not because he couldn’t pay them, but because he wouldn’t pay them.
Associated Press: After the Taj opened in April 1990, the self-anointed ‘King of Debt’ owed $70 million to 253 contractors employing thousands who built the domes and minarets, put up the glass and drywall, laid the pipes and installed everything from chandeliers to bathroom fixtures.
USA Today: Hundreds allege Donald Trump doesn’t pay his bills
USA Today: Marty Rosenberg, vice president of Atlantic Plate Glass Co. …was owed about $1.5 million for work at the Taj Mahal.
Philadelphia Inquirer: “When it came time to pay for the pianos, we weren’t getting paid,” said Michael Diehl, 88, owner of Freehold Music Co., which sold Trump eight Yamaha grand pianos for about $100,000. … Diehl did better than most: 70 cents on the dollar, an offer that came with a warning of much less if it came to bankruptcy.
Reuters: First [Trump] asked to pay the contractors 30 cents on the dollar, according to Charles Sperry, the president of Baring Industries, which had a multi-million dollar contract to provide kitchen equipment like stoves, walk-in freezers and countertops. … They eventually received 90 percent of what they were owed. Sperry said it was just enough to cover expenses and pay workers, but not enough to realize a profit for Baring’s work.
The Briefing: Donald Trump’s Record In Atlantic City Is A Disaster, Literally
The Briefing: Hear the Story of Trump’s Atlantic City Disaster from a Small Businessman Who Lived It
That sales pitch he’s making to be your president? Put your faith in him – and you’ll win big? That’s the same sales pitch he made to all those small businesses. Well, Trump walked away, and left working people holding the bag.
New York Times: How Donald Trump Bankrupted His Atlantic City Casinos, but Still Earned Millions
New York Times: Triad Building Specialties nearly collapsed when Mr. Trump took the Taj into bankruptcy.
USA Today: Construction bill that went unpaid by Trump began the demise of Edward J. Friel Company.
He also talks a big game about putting America First. Please explain to me what part of America First leads him to make Trump ties in China, not Colorado. Trump suits in Mexico, not Michigan. Trump furniture in Turkey, not Ohio. Trump picture frames in India, not Wisconsin. Donald Trump says he wants to make America great again – well, he could start by actually making things in America again.
ABC News: As first reported by Salon.com, the Trump wear sold in Macy’s, part of the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, is manufactured overseas, including ties in more than 50 different styles and colors (all made in China), suits (made in Mexico and Vietnam), and dress shirts (five styles made in China)
WALLACE: Your Trump Collection clothing line, some of it is made in Mexico – TRUMP: It’s true. WALLACE: – and China. TRUMP: That’s true.
Trump Home Press Release: The entire production process, from the moment the raw wood is cut until the product is finished or upholstered, occurs in Dorya’s Izmir, Turkey.
Donald Trump picture frame: Origin: India
I’ve laid out my strategy for defeating ISIS. We will strike their sanctuaries from the air, and support local forces taking them out on the ground. We will surge our intelligence so that we detect and prevent attacks before they happen. We will disrupt their efforts online to reach and radicalize young people in our country. It won’t be easy or quick, but make no mistake – we will prevail.
The Briefing: Hillary Clinton’s Comprehensive Strategy to Defeat ISIS
The Briefing: Clinton’s Comprehensive ISIS Strategy Has Drawn Broad Praise
Now Donald Trump says, and this is a quote, “I know more about ISIS than the generals do….” No, Donald, you don’t.
TRUMP: I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me.
He thinks that he knows more than our military because he claimed our armed forces are “a disaster.”
TRUMP: Our military is a disaster.
Ask yourself: Does Donald Trump have the temperament to be Commander-in-Chief? Donald Trump can’t even handle the rough-and-tumble of a presidential campaign. He loses his cool at the slightest provocation. When he’s gotten a tough question from a reporter.
Yahoo: Donald Trump to NBC reporter: ‘Be quiet’
The Hill: Later, Kelly asked Trump if he had the temperament to be president when he has in the past called women ‘fat pigs’ and ‘slobs.’ ‘The big problem this country has is being politically correct,’ Trump shot back. ‘What I say is what I say, and honestly, Megyn, if you don’t like it I’m sorry,’ he continued. ‘I’ve been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be, based on how you’ve treated me, but I won’t do that.’
ABC News: In a question directed at Trump, Kelly listed derogatory remarks she said the GOP hopeful has made about women, from “fat pigs” to “dogs, slobs and disgusting animals.” Trump fired back on Twitter following the debate.
When he’s challenged in a debate.
Politico: Trump…launched into a Twitter tirade hours after being the target of an intense salvo from Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz during Thursday night’s Republican debate
When he sees a protestor at a rally.
TRUMP: So if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of ’em, would you? Seriously. Okay? Just knock the hell — I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees. I promise. I promise
Imagine him in the Oval Office facing a real crisis. A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.
Mother Jones: Elizabeth Warren Mocks Trump on Twitter and Goads Him Into Striking Back
And if we’re serious about keeping our country safe, we also can’t afford to have a president who’s in the pocket of the gun lobby.
DonaldJTrump.com: Donald Trump: I Will Consult NRA on How Americans Can Defend Themselves
I’m not here to repeal the 2nd Amendment. I’m not here to take away your guns. I just don’t want you to be shot by someone who shouldn’t have a gun in the first place. We should be working with responsible gun owners to pass common-sense reforms and keep guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorists and all others who would do us harm.
PolitiFact: Donald Trump falsely claims Hillary Clinton ‘wants to abolish the 2nd Amendment’
FactCheck.org: Trump Distorts Clinton’s Gun Stance
The Briefing: Hillary Clinton will Fight for Common Sense Solutions to Reduce Gun Violence
For the past year, many people made the mistake of laughing off Donald Trump’s comments – excusing him as an entertainer just putting on a show.
Mic: Moreover, the media was similarly naive to the extent of Trump’s presidential potential
Huffington Post: A Note on Trump: We Are No Longer Entertained
CNN: Trump explains jab at Fiorina’s face: I’m an ‘entertainer’
Mediaite: Trump Excuses Attacks on ‘Terrific’ Megyn Kelly by Saying He’s an ‘Entertainer’
They think he couldn’t possibly mean all the horrible things he says – like when he called women “pigs.”
TRUMP: Does everybody know that pig named Rosie O’Donnell? She’s a disgusting pig, right?
TRUMP: Can you imagine the parents of Kelli … when she said, ‘Mom, Dad, I just fell in love with a big, fat pig named Rosie’
CHRIS MATTHEWS: Do you believe in punishment for abortion? Yes or no, as a principle?
TRUMP: The answer is that there has to be some form of punishment. CHRIS MATTHEWS: For the woman?
TRUMP: Yeah, there has to be some form.
Or said that an American judge couldn’t be fair because of his Mexican heritage.
TRUMP: I have a judge who is a hater of Donald Trump. A hater. He’s a hater. His name is Gonzalo Curiel….The judge – who happens to be, we believe, Mexican, which is great. I think that’s fine. You know what? I think the Mexicans are going to end up loving Donald Trump when I give all these jobs.
TRUMP: [regarding Judge Curiel’s heritage] I’m building a wall. It’s an inherent conflict of interest.
Or when he mocks and mimics a reporter with a disability.
TRUMP: Now the poor guy — you oughta see this guy [imitating disabled reporter] ‘aaah, I don’t know what I said, aaah, I don’t remember.’
Or insults prisoners of war like John McCain – a true hero and patriot who deserves our respect.
TRUMP: He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured, ok? I hate to tell you.
