00:00I'm going to talk about America's comeback. I'm going to talk about the fact that this is a great day
00:06to be a resident of Middletown, Ohio.
00:08This is a great day to be right here in southwestern Ohio.
00:12And you all know my story. I look at what you all are wearing, and I remember my papaw going
00:19to work in an outfit not all that different
00:21and coming to this very place to work for nearly 40 years as a welder at what was then Armco
00:28Steel.
00:30And I can't help but think about the last time a James Vance stood in this very place.
00:36He had spent nearly 40 years as a welder at Armco Steel, now, of course, Middletown Works of Cleveland Cliffs.
00:44He was not an educated man by any means, but he was a brilliant one.
00:49He was a complicated man, a man of faith who never went to church.
00:54He was an alcoholic since middle school, but he quit cold turkey as a grandfather.
00:59But if he was a complicated man on the inside, he was a man with very simple ambitions.
01:05He didn't want to get rich. He had no desire to build a business. That's not who my papaw was.
01:10His American dream was well-fed kids, a car engine to tinker with. He loved to build out cars.
01:16A lukewarm cup of coffee, never cold, never hot. And, of course, a donut from either Central Pastry or Milton's
01:24Donuts.
01:24That was his American dream.
01:31I went to Central Pastry today because, of course, I had to go get an ugly donut while I was
01:35in town.
01:35And the ladies behind the counter, they said, you've lost way too much weight. What's going on?
01:39And I said, well, I don't have a Central Pastry in Washington, D.C. That's what's going on.
01:44My papaw, it's funny. He voted in every election. He loved this country, but he did not care for politics.
01:51Now, back then, he said that Democrats were the party of union men, so he usually voted Democrat.
01:56But he thought way too many politicians were just plain old corrupt. And he was right.
02:04All he asked for from his political leaders was very simple. He asked that his taxes be reasonable.
02:10He asked that his community be safe. He asked that our politicians ensure that there were good jobs
02:17for men and women who were willing to work for them. And he asked that America never be asked
02:22to be the policeman of the world. Now, he was my grandfather. I called him papaw.
02:28And he toiled in this very place to give our family the little extras, like I said,
02:32for nearly four decades. Now, I'm very honored because the welders of this facility made me
02:39this incredible, beautiful, artisan plaque to commemorate me coming here. And those of you
02:45who don't know, papaw was a welder, so it's particularly meaningful for me and for all the
02:49welders behind me and in front of me. Thank you all. It means a great deal. But papaw was a
02:54welder
02:55in this place for 40 years. And today, his grandson stands here as the vice president of these United
03:01States. It's an amazing thing.
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