On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) delivered remarks on the expansion of funding for apprenticeship education programs.
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NewsTranscript
00:00. All right well gone. I think
00:17we're ready to get going I'm
00:18going to kick it off here
00:19welcome to the Fillmore center
00:20we're so glad to have you here
00:24this morning or this afternoon.
00:27My name is Heather stains I
00:29welcome you all to the Fillmore
00:33center here before we begin I'd
00:34like to recognize the governor
00:35Pritzker for being here and I
00:37know we have alder woman Scott
00:39and senator Lakeisha Collins
00:41maybe but representative I know
00:42Yolanda Morris and Omar
00:43Williams are both here to thank
00:45you all very much to our esteem
00:47group- these elected officials
00:51leading by governor Pritzker
00:52are really leading the charge to
00:54invest in the people and the
00:55organizations in the west side
00:57communities are really making a
00:58difference in the world and I
01:00want to thank them for their
01:01leadership on this- the Fillmore
01:03center is thrilled to be hosting
01:04this important announcement-
01:06this building's been existing
01:07here in the heart of north
01:08Lawndale for over a hundred
01:10years it's been vacant for a
01:11long period of time- we are
01:13recently- renovating it
01:15repowering it with the first
01:16business opening up behind us
01:18you see the Fillmore linen
01:19service- which does hospital
01:22laundry here locally. And that's
01:24really about reducing
01:25environmental impact creating
01:27more jobs and more jobs- and
01:29that's very much aligned with
01:31what we're going to be learning
01:32about today with all the work
01:34that- five forty eight
01:36foundation is doing and we're in
01:38fact partnering with the five
01:39forty eight foundation to do the
01:40solar panel installations on the
01:42roof of this building as well so
01:44thank you to five forty eight
01:46folks. And today's
01:50announcement of the climate
01:51works pre apprenticeship program
01:53represents a significant stride
01:55towards expanding our state's
01:56capacity for sustainable
01:58development environmental
02:00stability sustainability and
02:02ensuring include inclusive that
02:04excuse me inclusivity within
02:06our workforce- for the thriving
02:08economy of the future- you're
02:10gonna hear more about that from
02:11governor Pritzker in a moment.
02:12But first I have the honor of
02:14introducing Rob Wallace the
02:16senior vice president for
02:18sustainable solutions at the
02:19five forty eight foundation and
02:21an engineer. A logical engineer
02:23energy engineer all sorts of
02:24things. Thank you. Sorry about
02:34that my talking points got
02:35confused when I was on the
02:36stage and I realized I was
02:37missing one of the pages so
02:39we're gonna go ahead rock and
02:40roll for your so hey. Hello and
02:42welcome everybody this is a
02:43joyous occasion let's give it a
02:44round of applause for the five
02:45forty eight team governor
02:46Pritzker this team everything
02:47they've done here. The Fillmore
02:50foundation everything they've
02:51done for us hello and welcome
02:53to the five forty eight team
02:54governor Pritzker and the
02:55sustainable solutions for five
02:57forty eight foundation. I'm
02:59through truly thrilled to be
03:01here with you today to celebrate
03:03an initiative that has taken
03:05years. To get here years to get
03:07here this is a great training
03:08opportunity for the climate
03:10works training program. First I
03:12like to extend my heart well
03:13thanks to governor Pritzker
03:15where is he. Thank you sir
03:18appreciate it. And I'm gonna
03:20say this from the heart for his
03:22commitment to clean energy and
03:24what we do here in the
03:25community thank you. Okay.
03:28Thanks to his administration
03:29for its efforts along with his
03:31dedication to our team and the
03:32many other advocates we're
03:34about to open a new chapter in
03:36the state's economic history.
03:38At five forty eight foundation
03:40our mission is to economically
03:42empower entire communities and
03:44one of the best ways to provide
03:46that is to energy training and
03:48economic empowerment and that's
03:50what we do at five forty
03:52foundation. We believe that an
03:54individual can move from a low
03:56paying job to a moderate or
03:58high paying job it will change
04:00their lives but also the legacy
04:02that comes after them so let me
04:03repeat that. Economic
04:05empowerment is what changes
04:06their lives but the legacy that
04:08comes after that and that's the
04:09focus of this program. They're
04:11able to build wealth that can
04:12be passed down from generations
04:14to come. Ensuring that their
04:15kids and their grandchildren
04:17have a better opportunity than
04:18they have and that's the
04:19significance of this program.
04:20So in my twenty years of
04:22experience in clean energy I've
04:23seen how entering high paying
04:25fields can allow individuals to
04:27build generational wealth and in
04:29those twenty years I've also
04:30seen the stresses that come with
04:32this with the work we do. When
04:34we started in clean energy
04:35training I had hair I had an
04:37even Steven I had a black beard
04:39and you can see now it's gray
04:40and my hair is gone so this is
04:42this is very important work that
04:43we do. But the industry requires
04:45specialized skill set to
04:47make sure that this job
04:48training is essential especially
04:50for black and brown and
04:52marginalized communities who
04:53have historically been left out
04:55of the green energy revolution.
04:57That's why this is so important
04:58so our graduates when they come
04:59to our training program the
05:01average starting salary is
05:03between fifty and sixty
05:04thousand dollars right when they
05:06start which represents life
05:08changing economic impact for
05:09many families. Think about this
05:11folks who are low income maybe
05:13no experience minimum experience
05:15in college or education can now
05:17start a career after thirteen
05:19weeks making fifty to sixty
05:21thousand with benefits health
05:23care for one K. this is a game
05:25changer. Thank you. We also
05:31focus on teaching our trainees
05:33life skills because we believe
05:35for an individual to learn a
05:36new trade they must also have
05:38the tools to handle their
05:39financing to manage conflict
05:42relationship building so life
05:44skills is a key part of our
05:45training as well. So thanks to
05:47the climate works program we'll
05:48be able to expand our offering
05:50and welcome a new generation of
05:52skilled workers who will help
05:54fight climate change not only in
05:56Illinois but nationally. Hire
05:58360 will also be able to expand
06:00its similar workforce training
06:01programs in other parts of
06:03Illinois making our state ready
06:05for the economy of the future.
06:07With incentives like solar for
06:09all and other solar companies
06:10that are moving here who hire
06:11these graduates it's the perfect
06:14storm because now you have the
06:16federal incentives you have the
06:18state incentives and local
06:19workforce to make sure that the
06:21economic impact stays in the
06:22communities we're building in.
06:24And that's one of the focuses of
06:26fire for rate. I truly believe
06:28our state is set to become a
06:29model nationally. Many of you
06:30seen the solar for all program
06:31that was rolled out by
06:32President Biden for the entire
06:34country. If we can make this
06:36work here in Illinois this will
06:38be the blueprint for the entire
06:39country. And that's why this
06:40program is so important. So I
06:41thank you for having me today.
06:44Thank you for having me. Now I
06:46would like to introduce
06:47governor Pritzker whose
06:48commitment to investment in
06:49economic empowerment and the
06:51green economy is truly
06:53admirable. Well good afternoon.
07:05Go we can do better than that
07:07good afternoon. All right great
07:09to see everybody it's a great
07:11day but then again every day is
07:13a great day. So I want to thank
07:15you governor Pritzker. First and
07:17foremost I want to thank Rob
07:19thank you for the work that you
07:21do the five forty eight
07:23foundation- for hosting us this
07:25afternoon and for their
07:27continued partnership as we
07:29drive Illinois into a
07:31sustainable and prosperous
07:33future for all. From day one of
07:35my administration I've worked
07:37with stakeholders and the
07:39General Assembly to put green
07:41energy at the forefront of the
07:43conversation. We knew that we
07:45too often get left out and left
07:47behind to get an opportunity to
07:49leap ahead. We knew that a
07:51generation defining issue. Like
07:54climate change would require us
07:57to leverage every ounce of
07:59strength and ingenuity that our
08:01people had. And we knew that a
08:03full scale mobilization
08:05presented us an opportunity to
08:07put our economy on a long term
08:09path. And provide a pathway to
08:11success for every person in
08:13every corner of this state. So
08:16we met that opportunity with
08:18bold and decisive action. We
08:20passed one of the most ambitious
08:22climate and clean energy
08:24packages in the entire nation.
08:26The climate and equitable jobs
08:28act which dedicated billions of
08:30dollars to getting us to a
08:32hundred percent clean energy by
08:34twenty fifty. We enacted our
08:36forty five billion dollar
08:38infrastructure plan to rebuild
08:40Illinois. To upgrade and
08:42modernize our roads and our
08:44bridges our railways our ports
08:46and more. And let's not forget
08:48broadband. That includes
08:50billions for environmentally
08:52conscious projects from mass
08:54transit to new water management
08:56systems. We crafted nation
08:58leading incentive programs to
09:00attract new clean energy
09:02businesses. From electric
09:04vehicle makers to chip
09:06manufacturers to renewable
09:08energy producers to lay down
09:10roots in our state. Developing a
09:12robust ecosystem of businesses
09:14focused on sustainability. This
09:16is the vision that requires
09:18transformation. But it does not
09:20happen without people at the
09:22forefront. With the help of
09:24partners like five forty eight
09:26enterprises and others from
09:28community colleges to the clean
09:30energy companies themselves we
09:32have developed a global
09:34workforce development
09:36infrastructure capable of
09:38shaping a world class green
09:40workforce right here in
09:42Illinois. So far the results
09:44have been promising we rank
09:46number one in workforce
09:48development in the Midwest
09:50according to CNBC. But we will
09:52not meet our climate goals or
09:54our commitment to the people of
09:56Illinois. We will not meet our
09:58climate goals or our commitment
10:00to the people of Illinois. We
10:02will not meet our climate goals
10:04or our commitment to the people
10:06of this state until there is a
10:08pathway to a a quality
10:10meaningful career for every
10:12person in Illinois that pathway
10:14starts with quality K. twelve
10:16stem education and it extends
10:18through career and technical
10:20education and apprenticeship
10:22programs so that learners of all
10:24levels can take part. Today
10:26with our partners here at five
10:28forty eight I am very proud to
10:31be a part of this initiative and
10:33I am very proud to be a part of
10:35this initiative and I look forward
10:37to moving forward in that
10:39pursuit. Through the climate
10:41works pre apprenticeship program
10:43established in the climate and
10:45equitable jobs act we are
10:47strengthening our clean energy
10:49talent pipeline and creating new
10:51career pathways for potentially
10:53thousands of underserved people.
10:55Climate works will provide
10:57participants with the direct
10:59access to the most cutting edge
11:01technology while further
11:03bolstering our world class
11:05workforce development
11:07infrastructure. In the coming
11:09years pre apprentices people of
11:11color women and other groups
11:13that have been historically
11:15excluded from the trades will
11:17take the first step to good
11:19paying careers in clean energy
11:21Illinois will move closer to a
11:23future built on sustainable and
11:25shared prosperity. That's the
11:28future that we deserve. Thank
11:30you all very much for joining us
11:32and for being our partners in
11:34that future it's now my great
11:36pleasure to introduce the great
11:38older woman of the twenty fourth
11:40ward Monique Scott. Good
11:52afternoon. As all the women of
11:54Illinois know. It's an honor to
11:58represent this community but
12:00it's not just on not just every
12:02day but especially on a day like
12:04today. I'd like to thank
12:06governor Pritzker and
12:07distinguished representatives
12:08from the city of Chicago. North
12:10Lawndale is rich in history
12:12culture and potential. Week we
12:15continually strive for
12:16initiatives that uplift and
12:17empower our residents and
12:19today's announcement of the
12:21climate works pre apprenticeship.
12:23This program and the existence
12:25of the Fillmore center are
12:27examples of that commitment.
12:29This program is not just about
12:31training it's about creating
12:33pathways to prosperity for our
12:35community members by expanding
12:37our clean energy workforce and
12:39promoting diversity within
12:40trades so that we can ensure
12:42that North Lawndale and the
12:43communities across Illinois have
12:45a stake in our state's clean
12:47energy future. Governor
12:49Pritzker. Your leadership is
12:51making a significant impact on
12:52North Lawndale. Your commitment
12:54to equitable development and
12:55sustainability growth is paving
12:57the way for a brighter tomorrow.
12:59The building is just an example
13:01that North Lawndale is worth the
13:03investment. That the people here
13:05deserve cutting edge technology
13:07that will make life better for
13:09all of us. I want to extend my
13:11deepest appreciation to everyone
13:13involved in bringing this
13:15program to life and creating
13:16opportunities for the residents
13:18of North Lawndale. Again I thank
13:20you. And now I would like to
13:22introduce. Kenya Merritt deputy
13:28mayor city of Chicago. Good
13:35afternoon everybody. Thank you
13:38so much all the woman Scott it
13:40is a pleasure to be here today
13:42to celebrate the impact this
13:44grant will have and playing a
13:46pivotal role in advancing our
13:48workforce and clean energy.
13:50Mayor Johnson wishes he could be
13:52here today but he sends his
13:54congratulations to you AJ and
13:56the entire five forty eighteen.
13:58I'd like to also acknowledge our
14:00governor governor Pritzker as
14:02well as his team at the
14:04department of commerce and
14:06economic opportunity. For their
14:08vision and their leadership and
14:10launching the Illinois clean
14:12jobs workforce network program.
14:14And so this program is a
14:16cornerstone of the climate and
14:18equitable jobs act which creates
14:20a skilled diverse pipeline of
14:22workers. Ready to take on
14:24careers in construction building
14:26trades and clean energy sectors.
14:28And so through this initiative I
14:30am so grateful that AJ and his
14:32team has been at the helm. They
14:34have emerged as a crucial
14:36partner. And our collective
14:38efforts to build a sustainable
14:40future right here in Chicago.
14:42And so thank you so much for
14:44joining me today. I'm so
14:46grateful for the opportunity to
14:48be a part of this incredible
14:50future right here in Chicago.
14:52And the clean energy training
14:54program provided by five forty
14:56eight offers comprehensive
14:58training certification
15:00preparation and skill
15:02development for entry level jobs
15:04and clean energy clean energy
15:06industries like solar wind
15:08energy efficiency as well as E.
15:10V. maintenance. But this
15:12program has also provided
15:14individuals from diverse
15:16historically disinvested
15:18communities in Chicago with the
15:20knowledge and skills needed to
15:22succeed in emerging clean energy
15:24fields. And so since the launch
15:26of this program in April of
15:28twenty twenty three I have the
15:30opportunity to witness it myself
15:32firsthand they've made
15:34remarkable achievements over
15:36sixty students have graduated
15:38each one stepping into the clean
15:40energy workforce with the
15:42qualifications but most
15:44importantly the confidence to
15:46make meaningful impact. The
15:48upcoming class starting in the
15:50early fall is already fully
15:52enrolled with twenty seven
15:54excited trainees underscoring
15:56the demand and excitement for
15:58this transformative education.
16:00In Chicago we are at the
16:02cutting edge of the clean
16:04energy economy and building out
16:06a strong local workforce is
16:08critical to Mayor Johnson's
16:10strategy. We are supporting
16:12clean energy investments in the
16:14areas that need the most through
16:16the climate infrastructure fund.
16:18And so building a sustainable
16:20city and a sustainable future is
16:22going to take the full force of
16:24public private partnerships as
16:26well as strategic investments
16:28like the one that we're here
16:30today to celebrate. And to aid
16:32in this we have our new
16:34department of environment I
16:37have a representative of ours
16:39here she's our- commissioner we
16:41have a representative here she's
16:43a commissioner of environment as
16:45well as our chief sustainability
16:47officer. But this grant provided
16:49by the states of five forty eight
16:51is more than just financial
16:53support. It is an investment and
16:55investment in our city's future
16:57by empowering individuals with
16:59industry recognized
17:01certifications and career
17:03placement opportunities. By that
17:05we are building a sustainable
17:07local workforce and ensuring
17:09that all benefits of the clean
17:11energy economy are accessible to
17:13everyone. And this initiative
17:15not only supports our city's
17:17environmental goals but also
17:19promotes social equity and
17:21economic resilience in all of
17:23our neighborhoods. As deputy
17:25mayor and most importantly former
17:27resident of North Lawndale I am
17:29proud to see such initiatives
17:31taking root and flourishing in
17:33our city. And I am proud to
17:35serve as a partner in advancing
17:37this work. Once again I commend
17:39AJ and the five forty eighteen
17:41for their unwavering dedication
17:43and all the partners and
17:45stakeholders here today who have
17:47made this program a success.
17:49Together we are building a
17:51brighter cleaner and more
17:53equitable future for our city.
17:55Let us continue to support and
17:57expand these initiatives
17:59ensuring that Chicago remains at
18:01the forefront of innovation
18:03inclusivity and the clean energy
18:05sector. Thank you so much and
18:07with that I'm going to bring up
18:09Jay Rowell of Hire360.
18:11Jay?
18:13applause
18:15applause
18:17applause
18:19Good afternoon.
18:21Thank you Kenya for that kind
18:23introduction and your work on
18:25environmental issues. Hello I'm
18:27Jay Rowell executive director of
18:29Hire360 and it's great to be
18:31here with you all today.
18:33Congratulations to the Staines
18:35Family Foundation for putting
18:37this incredible center together.
18:39Thank you to AJ Patton and five
18:41forty eight for inviting us to
18:43participate today and a huge
18:45thank you to Governor Pritzker
18:47for being such a strong advocate
18:49for the Climate and Equitable
18:51Jobs Act or CJA and for
18:53building a green future for
18:55Illinois.
18:57applause
18:59Thank you to the
19:01legislators who are here for
19:03their work to pass this truly
19:05transformational legislation and
19:07a big thank you to all the
19:09efforts of organized labor to
19:11ensure that these jobs created
19:13by CJA are solid middle class
19:15jobs.
19:20And a big thank you to the
19:22entire team at DCEO, director
19:24Richards, Julio, Lisa and so
19:26The incentives in CJEA will drive green economic development for years to come,
19:31meaning long-term sustainable jobs. Hire360 is proud to be a key partner in
19:38this work. Hire360 is a partnership of the largest developers, general
19:42contractors, and trade unions focused on diversifying the construction industry.
19:46And our program rests on four pillars, workforce development, youth engagement,
19:51creating diverse supply firms, and scaling up diverse contractors. Currently
19:56we're scaling up over 190 diverse contractors with a whole host of unique
19:59supports from working capital loans, accounting support, and bid assistance.
20:03We've already helped over 10 firms become equity eligible contractors
20:07under the CJEA legislation. In an example of how impactful this work is, we
20:11helped Simply E&C, a black-owned electrical firm from Austin, become an
20:16equity eligible contractor, get a working capital loan thanks to JPMorgan Chase,
20:19and connected him with over five million dollars worth of solar work already.
20:23We're in the process of connecting him to another two million dollars right now.
20:27And now with CJEA's Climate Works pre-apprenticeship program, we'll be able
20:32to prepare candidates and connect graduates to jobs with these growing
20:36diverse contractors. Working with trade unions, Hire360 has already helped over
20:41420 individuals in the Chicagoland area who are diverse and female get into
20:46every single trade union program in the area. And CJEA expands our model to all
20:51102 counties and allows us to greatly scale up the number of workers we can
20:56prepare for clean energy careers. We're very proud to have been selected, along
21:01with 548, to run the Climate Works pre-apprenticeship program and to upscale
21:05Illinoisans to obtain these great long-term union careers. And we look
21:09forward very much to deepening our partnership with the governor's office,
21:13DCO, contractors, and trade unions to connect individuals for these careers.
21:17And again, thank you AJ for your leadership and partnership, and thank
21:21you governor for your vision and commitment. And I look forward to having
21:24you all back at our place in about six weeks for a ribbon-cutting of our new
21:28training center. And I will now bring up AJ Patton, the man of the hour.
21:36Thank you. Good afternoon. As mentioned, my name is AJ Patton. I'm the
21:48founder of the 548 Enterprise, which is a group of companies with the mission of
21:52investing and building sustainable communities. So at our core, we are a
21:57for-profit. I just want to put that out there. We invest in communities. We
22:01believe that sustainable communities and sustainable technologies should be
22:04accessible for all. But in the process of that, what I learned, what is equally
22:10as important, is who got those jobs. And so we started the 548 Foundation with
22:16the sole purpose of the same communities we invest in, we're going to train folks
22:21up so they participate in the ascension of their own community. And that's what
22:26548 Foundation is all about. And so today is a great opportunity to celebrate the
22:30growth of our program and so forth, but I just want to highlight the efforts of our
22:34entire platform. I know our CFO and CO is here, but I'm just really grateful
22:39that our entire team is able to share in this success. I want to point out a
22:44couple of folks that have been really important to the growth of the program. I
22:48want to highlight two specific advocates, and then I want to have a little bit of
22:52a call to action. One, I want to thank our host, the Staines family, for having us.
22:57This is a wonderful facility. I want to acknowledge the RISE strategy team. I
23:06know Tara Cooper's here because there's a helicopter on the roof, so I know she's
23:10nearby. Then POD strategies, I know Connor and Lisa, that team. As well as, this was
23:17also helped by Show Strategies. I saw the chairman, Glenn Charles, is here. He's in
23:21the back hiding. He is the first African-American-owned firm that will be
23:26the prime general contractor for the DNC this year. First ever.
23:36You'll find him in the nicest suit. That's where you'll figure out which
23:41one's Glenn. I want to underscore our relationship with local officials, so I'd
23:45like to acknowledge Rep Tarver, Rep Omar Williams, Senator Sims, I think Alderman
23:50Rodriguez might have snuck in here somewhere, Rep Morris, my teammate, my
23:57former football teammate, Alderman Chico's here, and so tons of great
24:03friends here. I do want to highlight two very specific folks that have been
24:10very integral to our success, and one you heard from, which is Alderman Scott. When
24:15we started the program, I got a phone call from the Alderman. He said, I heard
24:19what you're doing with your little non-profit, and she said, and I
24:25wanted in my community. Do you mind if I call on your behalf to find you a space?
24:30And so, of course, I said yes, and she found us a Catholic school, which we've
24:36expanded and taken over, and we've now got a satellite office that we're
24:40opening in Alderman Chico's ward, and then from then, we get a phone call
24:45from others that say, hey we're doing solar on the, we'd like to do solar on
24:49the Fillmore Center, and Alderman Scott said we should give you a call, and so,
24:54and then beyond, she said, you should do that press conference there because I
24:57think it's beautiful that you'll be graduating folks in this neighborhood
25:01and that they'll get jobs in this neighborhood, and so I just want to
25:04highlight Alderman Scott in her consistent and just overwhelming
25:10support of 540. Thank you, Alderman.
25:19Last, there's a another young man I want to acknowledge. He's here. He's been the
25:24victim, frankly, of some really tough street rumors, and I just want to
25:29acknowledge him and support him, and that is our Governor Pritzker. I've been
25:34hearing rumors about Pennsylvania Avenue. No, I want to just acknowledge
25:42the governor because him and I were connected almost two years ago to the
25:47date, thanks to allies with Christy George and others that set us up because
25:52he wanted, he was going on an international trade mission, and he
25:56wanted diverse businesses at the table representing not just diverse
26:00businesses but the intersection of workforce, and as he was traveling around
26:04the world, he requested that 548 be at the table with ComEd, Amarin, NICOR gas,
26:10People's Gas, and he said, you need to be here, and you need to be in these
26:13conversations as we advocate around the world for the state of Illinois to be the
26:17leader in clean energy, clean energy access, and labor development. That's who
26:22he is when no one was around, being intentional and thoughtful about
26:25inclusivity in meetings that no one will hear about from years to come but will
26:29impact all of us for years to come, and I want to thank the governor for his
26:34intentionality in including us in those conversations. Thank you, Governor.
26:44And I'm very sorry to hear those nasty rumors about you, too. I'm sorry about that.
26:50Lastly, this is just the beginning. Many of you represent tons of different
26:56institutions. I see many influential nonprofits, the utilities, labor
27:02leadership is here, and I would ask for, this is a call to action. Jay and I are
27:08just getting started on this path. We've graduated several students at this
27:12point, but we need all of your help in placing graduates, so if you know
27:17contractors, institutions, organizations around the region and the state that
27:22would be open to a conversation about partnership and building a bridge so
27:26that all of us can have access to these great middle-class jobs and building our
27:30communities together. So we ask for your help. Thank you so much for attending
27:35today, and we look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you.
27:44And for a very brief moment, I believe we will take a couple of questions from the
27:50press. Photo? Even better. Let's take a photo, and we can take some questions.
27:55Parker. Are you taking any questions?
28:01Yes.
28:07Yeah, first of all, he was fully engaged. We had, I don't know, around 20 governors,
28:12some most, half of them in the room, half of them on Zoom. We had a very good
28:17discussion between us, and again, the president did a great job of answering
28:22questions throughout that meeting. Listen, Joe Biden is our nominee. I am
28:28for Joe Biden. I've been campaigning for Joe Biden. I think you've seen I've got
28:32dates scheduled to go to Indiana, to Ohio for Joe Biden. So, you know, Joe Biden's
28:38going to be our nominee.
28:48I suppose you could say that about any of the surrogates who are traveling
28:53around the Midwest or the country, that they're introducing themselves in some
28:56way or another. But importantly, what we're doing is talking about why it's
29:01important to reelect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and why it's important to
29:05defeat Donald Trump, who's trying to take away your freedoms, who's trying to
29:09send jobs overseas, and frankly, it would be bad for the economy and bad for
29:13working families.
29:18Senator Whitmer has said that she will not run even if Biden says he will not be the nominee, even if he drops out of the race. Can you say the same?
29:26What I can tell you is I'm not engaging in any hypotheticals. You can see that I'm
29:30all in for Joe Biden. Joe Biden's going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party.
29:34I'm going to go out there and wholeheartedly campaign for him. I've
29:37endorsed him and Kamala Harris. He's going to be at the convention in August
29:42accepting the nomination, and I'll be cheering for him in the audience.
29:46Do you think that he's physically and mentally capable of serving another four years?
29:50Of course.
29:52Were you disappointed at the meeting? Judging by your statement afterwards, it was so short. I wonder if you expected something else?
30:01No, I was asked, you know, about the meeting. It was a robust meeting, lots of
30:05conversation. There were questions of the president. He answered those questions.
30:10You know, some people came away with different impressions, maybe, but for the
30:15most part, you saw that the head of the Democratic Governors Association and two
30:19other governors, you know, went and did a press conference together representing
30:22all 20 of us, because again, some weren't able to be at the White House, and some
30:27of us had to go catch a plane. The truth is that it was a, I think, a robust
30:31discussion, and I just wanted to be accurate about how I reported what
30:36happened in that meeting.
30:38Is all of this fair? These questions, this hoopla, this media concentration?
30:42And frankly, among the party as well. Is it fair?
30:44Sure, I think that President Biden, and I've said this, he needs to go out there
30:48and answer all the questions, and he needs to show people that he is the
30:52leader of the free world, and that he's doing a heck of a job of making sure
30:56that the United States is leading us. We have a lot of enemies in the world,
31:01and it is going to take a tough, strong, smart, and principled leader,
31:07and that's what Joe Biden is.
31:09If you were to speak to the Democrats, would you involve them in the
31:12re-election, like the way you did before?
31:14So, at home, or at home, would you invite them to step aside?
31:18What does that mean for the parties?
31:20Look, I think it's not unreasonable for people to have differing opinions
31:23about all this, but I know Mike Quigley. I know he does not want Donald Trump
31:29to become President of the United States.
31:31So, you've seen a lot of comments by Congress people, by others who have
31:36questions. In the end, everybody understands that we're pulling together
31:40to put our party, and our party's nominee, and our issues over the line.
31:46And, importantly, the working families of America need our party
31:52and the issues that we're pushing in order for them to have better lives
31:55and better opportunity for their children.
31:58Do you see any chance that there could be a broken convention?
32:01Could anything happen between now and the Democratic convention?
32:04No, I can't imagine that. Joe Biden said he's going to be the nominee.
32:08He's planning to be at the convention. He's planning to be the guy who
32:12accepts the delegate vote that's going to occur.
32:15And so, I can't imagine what else could happen.
32:18Do you think the DNC could handle a broken convention?
32:22Oh, trust me. You know, the old Will Rogers line,
32:25I don't belong to an organized party, I'm a Democrat.
32:27I'm sure that we haven't seen anything like that in, I don't know,
32:31seems like in my lifetime. Well, yeah, in my lifetime,
32:34thinking about the last broken convention in my life.
32:37The fact is that I think it would be different for all of,
32:41for everybody that would be attending.
32:43But again, I don't expect that to happen.
32:45We're going to have an orderly convention.
32:47Again, there's going to be a roll call that occurs
32:51before the convention, and then at the convention,
32:54you're going to see that, and all the speeches, of course,
32:57endorsing President Biden.
33:00How does this chaos in the state help the party?
33:04Oh, I don't think it's helped the party.
33:06I think that, obviously, the president had a bad performance
33:09at a debate. That doesn't help anybody.
33:12He knows that, and what you have to do is stand up,
33:15say, I didn't do it well, which I think he said,
33:18and prove people wrong about what they want to say about him.
33:21And he's doing that. He's getting out there and talking,
33:24and, you know, I think he's having an impact,
33:27and I think you saw last night that the Black Caucus
33:30in the congressional delegation, right, in the congressional,
33:33in Congress, right, the Black Caucus in Congress
33:36stood up for Joe Biden yesterday.
33:39I don't think there was a single member of the Black Caucus
33:42who said anything except, we 100% support Joe Biden,
33:46and that's just one example of the many, many people
33:49that do support Joe Biden, and many, by the way,
33:52who had questions. We're all going to come together
33:55...
34:01What I would say is that we all have to work hard
34:04up and down the ballot. I actually am a believer,
34:07and I think you've seen this about the way that I've run for office.
34:10I believe that people who are down ballot actually lift people up
34:13who are on top of the ballot, and so the stronger
34:16they can do at the local level, getting people out to vote
34:19for people you know on your block, in your neighborhood,
34:22in your community, that those people, after they vote
34:25for the person that they know best, their community member
34:28for office, they're going to work their way up the ballot
34:31voting for Democrats, so that's going to help Joe Biden.
34:34But look, in the end, this is about the tremendous job
34:37that Joe Biden has done bringing jobs back to the United States.
34:40We've seen manufacturing come back to the United States.
34:43We've seen him fight hard to bring down prices,
34:46costs across the United States. I think there's no question
34:49we have the better argument. We've seen the chaos
34:52that Donald Trump has sowed, and we've seen that he wants
34:55to take away people's freedoms, particularly a woman's right
34:58to choose. That's not something people are going to accept
35:01when they go into the ballot box. They're going to vote for the guy
35:04who's voting for them, who's doing the right thing for them,
35:07and that's Joe Biden.
35:10Hi, Tara.
35:19Yeah.
35:22Actually, it took a letter from the governor
35:25in order to kick that off, so I was asked
35:28by the city of Chicago to write the letter for them,
35:31and so we did. We sent that to the White House
35:34and to the federal government. As we saw with Highland Park,
35:37where there was a lot of support that came from the FBI,
35:40the ATF, and other federal agencies,
35:43that's what the city of Chicago should get.
35:46We also need a lot of interdiction
35:49on the many guns that are coming over the border
35:52into Illinois from states that have very lax gun laws.
35:55We need more enforcement from the federal government.
35:58We're doing it, by the way, state police, CPD,
36:01but more help from the federal government is necessary,
36:04and so, yeah, it was the right thing for him to do.
36:07...
36:15Oh, that's not impossible. Let me just point out to you,
36:18we're actually in one of the best positions to be able to achieve that.
36:21Let's start with the fact that 53 to 54 percent
36:24of our power comes from a clean energy source already,
36:27and that's our nuclear reactors.
36:30So we have 54 percent of our energy coming from there.
36:33We also, in the time since
36:36Senator Staines was in the Senate
36:39and helped us start moving this clean energy bill,
36:42we went from 7.5 percent renewable energy
36:45in Illinois to 15 percent
36:48in just a little over two years,
36:51and we now, I believe, are going to add another 5 to 10 percent
36:54just in the next year or two.
36:57So think about that, just 54 plus roughly 25
37:00gets us pretty close, right? We're at 70 percent.
37:03That's a lot of work to do, but that's just in the near term,
37:06in the next few years. So if we have until 2050,
37:09I'm not saying we'll slow down.
37:12I'm just saying I think we have a good shot at actually hitting 2050,
37:15and that was what that bill was all about.
37:23I said you got to get out there and talk to the American public more.
37:26It was important. I think they took too long.
37:29I think he admitted this after the debate
37:32to press that would get national attention.
37:35I know they did some rallies along the way,
37:38but it's important for him to answer questions
37:41and talk about the issues. Hyper important.
37:44People are thinking about their own families,
37:47how they're going to deal with the kitchen table issues they've got in front of them,
37:50and their personal freedoms.
37:53And there's no candidate better on those issues than Joe Biden
37:56and, by the way, the Vice President Kamala Harris.
37:59Thank you, everyone.