Are registered to vote as a democrat . Ok, thats a good sign. We at Grinnell College have new democrats every four years here. We want to make sure you have an opportunity to register as a democrat. It just makes it so much easier no matter who youre supporting that well be ready for you on caucus night. We have three of the campus democrats, copresident s out here tonight. Olver, ali, they were holding clipboards. And nat all the way in the back. If you are registered as a democrat, it just makes everything go so much better. If you can register on the way excited tol be so see you back, many of you on february 3. Without further ado, i wanted to do a quick introduce of someone who were very excited to welcome back to grinnell. Hes been here three times. I dont know if you were here the first time. It was a group of 20 students who were interested in meeting a young mayor from south bend, indiana, who president obama said might be a new leader of the Democratic Party. And so we got to meet with him. We sat around a seminar table. At that time, we were able to talk to him and we were really excited. We felt like he might the leader of the Democratic PartyGoing Forward at that time when i got to introduce him, i was so concerned i said buttigieg the right way i forgot about the other things to say about him. One, it is inspiring, as someone who has been a democrat for 25 years, when i became a democrat, i never would have imagined that people in the Lgbt Community would have almost full rights of citizenship. It was a dream, it was an aspiration. It was not something that we thought was possible. [applause] thank you. And so for the idea that someone not only could be a full citizen, can be someone who can be married, can be in the military and do all these things, but also could be running for president , which is something we never thought was possible. Testament tos a what people have done around the country. There is still more work to be done, but its exciting to see this happening. The second thing that i would say is, we hear so much that the road to the white house, to take back the white house, goes through the midwest. Goes through towns like green bay, wisconsin, or grand rapids, michigan, and places where democrats havent been doing so well. And places like south bend, indiana. The fact that mayor pete has been looking at these challenges for the last eight years, looking into issues about housing, looking into issues about when employments changing, he has someone who has looked at these issues and people look at what he does in south bend and they like it, this might be a model for democrats. So its experience that really matters. The third thing i would mention is he is someone who has his service as mayor was interrupted for a time, which was to be in the u. S. Military. So thats something that he spent eight months in afghanistan in the Navy Reserves and its something that so many people, regardless of the wisdom or lack of wisdom of our policymakers, people who join the military are doing it because they believe in what the United States can be and try to make the world a better place, and i know that thats something that people make real sacrifices for that, and i know that pete has done that. That hes been close to people who have done. That hes seen the families who have done that. Thats something that i think is worth considering and keeping in public life. The last thing i would mention is sort of why a 37yearold, why does a 37yearold need to run for president . Is this the right time . Something he said in those small meetings when we met is, were a generation thats impatient for change. Were a generation thats seeing things like Climate Change, like economic inequality, seeing things that we really feel like need to change, and this is something that is not just about the next election, but is about generations to come and what theyre going to face, and thats something that he was saying is something that he wants to see, the leadership from his generation, that its not time to wait. So those are the things i would want to say about mayor pete, and right now i want to make sure that we all give him a warm welcome. Without further ado, here comes mayor Pete Buttigieg. [cheers and applause] mr. Buttigieg thank you so much. First, a big thank you to john and the county Democratic Party. I would say the county party chair is in many ways the unsung hero of democratic politics. I know im here by way of the 2020 election. But lets make sure that we never get caught treating the presidency like the only office that matters. Because the work were doing in the state and local democratic races is critically important too. And we want to lift that up. [cheers and applause] mr. Buttigieg and i want to thank all of you for, first of all, making me feel so welcome. Each time we come to grinnell, theres more folks, theres a bigger room and a bigger crowd. And the conversation grows big ger, too. So im looking forward to the conversation were going to have today. I want to ask begin by asking you, in as much detail as you can, to picture something that is definitely in our future. A day thats going to come one way or the other. And that is the first day that the sun comes up over america and donald trump is no longer the president of the United States. Just hold that image in your mind for a second. [cheers and applause] mr. Buttigieg the sooner the better, right . We cannot go on like this. And i think were all ready to put that chaos behind us, to put the corruption behind us. To put the tweets in the rearview mirror. Just not wake up to that anymore. Wouldnt that be nice . [applause] but part of why im asking you to really picture that day is to think about the challenges were going to have that day as well. Just think about it. The suns going to come up over a country thats going to be even more divided. Even more exhausted from fighting and torn up over politics than we are right now. Very much needing to be brought together. Because of everything weve been through. And everything were about to go through right now. And on the other hand, Something Else will also be true. Something else will be facing the next president , which is the simple fact that the issues before us, the crises that have brought us to this point will still be there, crying out for action. The issues like a climate that is this close to the point of no return. The fact that we have a gun violence epidemic that has kids getting active shooter drills before they learn to read. An economy where, even if the stock market is looking good, more and more americans are left out. And today, there is not one place in the United States of america, not one county, where somebody on the federal minimum wage can afford a twobedroom apartment. Those problems are crying out for action. And so you see whats going to be required of the next american president. On one hand, were going to need Bold Solutions to solve these and other major problems that cant wait. And were going to need a way to do it that can actually draw the American People together and have us less divided and galvanized rather than polarized. That is the kind of president that im running to be. And its why im asking you to caucus for me here in iowa. To be the kind of president who can help america pick up the pieces, come together in common cause, and get these big things done. And while that sounds like a tall order, this is what the presidency is capable of, and its what the presidency is for. Not the glorification of the president , but the empowerment and unification of the American People. [applause] mr. Buttigieg thats why im running. Now, the road map to get that done lies in American Values that do not belong to one party or the other. Theyre our values. But if you take them seriously, i believe they lead in a progressive direction. I will give you an example. Patriotism. Love of country. The flag does not belong to one political party. And if we want to honor the flag, then we have to to honor what it stands for. Its going to take more to live up to the honor of patriotism , the value of moving our country. Its going to take more than the cheap nationalism of a president who hugs the flag, literally. Or worse, a president who thinks that its pro military to overthrow military justice and pardon war criminals, feeding into the falsehood that theres no difference between a war fighter and a war criminal. That is not patriotism. That is not right. That is not making our country safe. [applause] mr. Buttigieg when i talk about loving our country, im starting with the understanding that our country is made of people. And you cannot love a country if you hate half of the people in it. Im talking about a richer, deeper sense of love of country. That understands what its going to take to protect our country and the part of that is to protect our values. To protect the honor of the United States. Thats why it matters as a question of National Security that the word of the United States is trusted, and that no ally ever have reason to question whether its a good idea to bet your life on the credibility of the United States of america. Thats a matter of National Security and patriotism. [applause] mr. Buttigieg but protecting our country, protecting each other, that starts right here at home. And so it is also for reasons of security and protection of this nation that we must act to make sure that the Second Amendment can never again be twisted into an excuse to do nothing at all to save american lives when we need commonsense gun laws like background checks, red flag laws and action on assault weapons like what i carried in the military. That will keep us safer. [cheers and applause] mr. Buttigieg and if we really mean business about protecting our country, then we have to protect our countrys future. That is why we must act here at home and lead the world to face up to Climate Change as the Global Security threat of our time and be ready to meet that challenge with the actions that will resolve it in our time. To conquer that challenge before it conquers us. Thats where my patriotism takes me. [applause] mr. Buttigieg so you see how that value can lead us to the right place and help us hold together an american majority that is increasingly ready to do the right thing. The problem is theyre pitting us against each other around the very values that could be uniting us. You think about a value like faith. First of all, this is a country designed around the idea that our constitution, our nation and our government belong to people of every religion and of no religion equally. That is a core premise of the United States constitution. And at the same time, to those who are guided in their moral formation by religious faith, im offering a presidency where you dont have to wake up in the morning, look at the news, and think to yourself, whatever happened to i was hungry and you fed me . I was a stranger and you welcomed me. What you did to the least of these, you did to me. [applause] mr. Buttigieg thats where faith leads me. I believe that American Values like democracy can lead the way towards us doing a lot better. I am not just talking about democracy as a system. Im talking about democracy as a value. The moral weight to ensuring that every vote is counted and every voter counts. That must be honored, where we are talking about districts that are drawn in so many parts of the country, to where politicians pick out their voters instead of the other way around. Or the role of money in politics, where Citizens United has basically held that corporations have the same political soul as you and i do. Or the simple fact, and some folks say im going too far on this, but i think in a democracy, it might be appropriate, come november, in the future for us to just pick our president by counting up all the votes and giving it to the person who got the most. Like we do in every other election. [cheers and applause] mr. Buttigieg as a matter of democracy. And i believe that the core American Value of freedom can guide the way toward a better life in this country. But that means we have to rescue freedom from the way its been shrunk, the jar its been put into by our friends on the other side of the aisle when they get to washington. Im not interested in preserving when i talk about freedom, it is not about saving amazons freedom not have to pay any federal income taxes at all next year. It is not about cutting every regulation and every tax that was there. Sometimes freedom means that we have to get government out of the way. Like getting government out of the business of dictating to women what their Reproductive Health care choices ought to be. Thats certainly an important part of securing freedom. [applause] mr. Buttigieg but then sometimes in order to become more free, we need the Public Sector to step up. Thats why cities and towns and counties are organized to pave roads and deliver water. Thats why we have School Districts that, by the way, deserve to be supported by a secretary of education in washington who believes in Public Education and supports our teachers. [applause] mr. Buttigieg and also, in order to deliver on that idea of american freedom, i believe the Public Sector must step up when it comes to health. Because i dont think youre free if you dont have health care. So my proposal, medicare for all who want it, means that we take a version of medicare, we allow anybody to enroll on it, we allow you automatically if you are uninsured. But i trust to you decide whether you want it, and if youd rather be on some other plan, thats fine. The important thing is to make sure theres no such thing as an uninsured american and we need to step up to do that in the name of american freedom. [applause] mr. Buttigieg so the point im making is, if we follow our values, they lead us toward that urgent action that cannot wait. We cant wait 10 years to solve these problems. We cant wait four years to solve these problems. We have got to act on issue after issue. On our climate, we cant wait any longer than we have. On safety. On a minimum wage thats actually livable and paid family leave in this country. We cant wait. We cant wait to take steps to make sure that, in this country, your race has no bearing on your health or your wealth, your life expectancy, or your relationship with Law Enforcement. We have to act on that right now. [applause] we cant wait any longer about an escalating crisis of deaths from despair in the United States of america that could claim two million lives in the decade ahead. We have to act right now to see to it that addiction and Mental Health are addressed as vigorously and discussed as openly as any physical health or other medical challenge in the United States. Its time, and we cant wait. [applause] mr. Buttigieg i could go on but the point is on issue after issue, weve got to do this now. And we can. And when we do, we can also do it in a fashion that heals this nation. Im not pretending were all going to agree. Thats not going to happen. Thats not the point. But i can offer you a presidency where you can turn on the news, see the white house, and actually feel your Blood Pressure go down a little bit instead of through the roof. [applause] mr. Buttigieg and even more importantly than that, respond to the crisis of belonging in this country that i think is propelling some of those Mental Health challenges that we face well as whats wrong with our politics. Because the white house is going around this country, and the white house is fueling it, that says, you dont belong. To different people in different ways because of who you are or the language you speak at home or your race or religion or disability, whatever it is, people are being told, you dont belong. And my message, is yes, you do. And we all have to support each other in building that sense of belonging. And were working to do it, not just in the white house that i proposed to set up, but in the campaign that were running too. This is very important to us. Its why were reaching out to everybody who sees the need for change. To progressives, to moderates, im meeting a lot of future former republicans out there who may not agree with me on everything, but see why we have to have a change right now. And we can build a movement that will be big enough and will win big enough not just to put an end to the trump presidency, but to end trumpism and to set us on a better course not just politically, but governing this country for a better day. [applause] mr. Buttigieg that is what i am here to deliver. So hopefully thats more than enough by way of monologue. I want us to have a conversation, make sure im responding to whatevers on your mind. We have folks with mics. They will hold a mic for you as we go around the room. I see one, two. So, just sit tight and the mic will come to you. Youre up. Yes . [indiscernible] i think and care a lot about the needs and priorities of the Lgbt Community and the epidemic of so i think a lot about how there is a large epidemic in terms of the murder of trans women of color, specifically. And knowing that the gay and trans panic defense is only banned in eight states, which largely started in 2013, and thats only six years ago. Youeak universally, when are elected president , what are some of the things would you do to help protect and uplift the queer and trans community, knowing theres so much damage that has been done historically to our communities . [applause] mr. Buttigieg yes. Thank you for lifting t