POOL
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 9 July 2020
++BLACK FRAMES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++
1. Wide of Vice President Mike Pence on stage
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Pence, U.S. Vice President:
"But we live in a time when the radical left is presenting the American people with one false choice after another. Like lately we've been hearing people say that we've got to choose between funding our police and funding our communities. The urging of the radical left. You've seen it. Some cities around the country are already starting to make that wrong choice. Minneapolis, it was just reported, has begun dismantling their police department. New York City's Mayor de Blasio has actually cut the NYPD's budget by about a billion dollars. And I heard that just yesterday, Joe Biden said that well-armed police, in his words, become the enemy. And he said that he would, quote, absolutely cut funding for law enforcement. So I want you to hear this directly from me, under this president and this administration, we're not going to defund the police. Not now, not ever."
+++BLACK FRAMES+++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Pence, U.S. Vice President
" We've backed the Blue, I'm proud to report, by funding nearly 4,000 new police officer positions through the COPS program. And as the deputy attorney general just said, we've backed the blue by prosecuting violent crimes more than ever before, resulting in a historic decrease in crime to show for it. You've done the work on the thin blue line, and we're putting them away."
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4. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Pence, U.S. Vice President
"Nobody hates bad cops more than good cops. And that's why this president is also backed the blue, by signing an executive order that immediately provides law enforcement across the country with the resources that you need to improve training and accountability, and to prevent bad cops from moving from one department to another."
+++BLACK FRAMES+++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Pence, U.S. Vice President:
"There's no excuse for what happened to George Floyd. Justice will be served. But there's also no excuse for the rioting and looting and protests that turned violent that followed. I actually heard we've seen in recent days support for a convicted cop killers here in the Philadelphia area. Well, burning churches is not protest, tearing down statues is not free speech. And we're going to continue to stand with the freedom of speech and the freedom to peaceably assembly of every American. But we will join with you to stand against the rioters, and the looters and the anarchists who would pull down our statues and try and destroy our communities."
+++BLACK FRAMES+++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Pence, U.S. Vice President:
"This administration has been committed to safe and thriving communities for all Americans. Including our minority communities and our African-American communities, and our record proves it. Prior to the onset of this pandemic, your president cut taxes, rolled back regulations, unleashed American energy, fought for free and fair trade. We saw seven million jobs created and we saw the lowest unemployment ever recorded for African-Americans and Hispanic Americans."
7. Wide of Pence on stage after remarks
Vice President Mike Pence told Philadelphia police officers that President Donald Trump "backed the Blue" and that presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden would cut funding for police if he was elected in November.
Speaking at a lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, Pence took aim at the Minneapolis city council for defunding the police department, as well as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for cuts to law enforcement.
"I want you to hear this directly from me. Under this president, and this administration, we're not going to defund the police. Not now, not ever," he said.
Pence touted the executive order that Trump signed last month to create a database to track police officers with multiple instances of misconduct.
"Nobody hates bad cops more than good cops," Pence said.
Trump's executive order also uses federal grants to encourage departments to meet certain higher certification standards on use of force.
Pence decried the killing of George Floyd while in police custody, saying "justice will be done."
But he also condemned the violence that came in the aftermath of the killing.
"We will join with you to stand against the rioters, and the looters and the anarchists who would pull down our statues and try and destroy our communities," he said.
He also touted Trump's record on the economy before the economic freefall that occured at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
"We saw seven million jobs created and we saw the lowest unemployment ever recorded for African-Americans and Hispanic Americans," he said.
