Let me take you to January 20th,
2017.
I put my left hand on Ronald Reagan's Bible and
I raised my right hand and I swore an oath
to support and defend the Constitution of the United States
of America.
And it ended with a prayer.
So help me God. My son who's a captain in
the United States Marine Corps.
Reminded me one time that it's the exact same oath
that he took.
It was a promise I made to the American people.
It's a promise I made to Almighty God.
Now I know you might have a different impression about
what my duties and responsibilities were on January 6th,
and I'm happy to talk to you about it.
The truth is that states conduct our elections.
They do.
And once Iowa certifies the elections,
when there are questions, you can go to court.
Our campaign in 2020 had more than 60 lawsuits in
courts around the country.
There were also states that conducted recounts under the law.
But when all that was done,
if you read Article Two of the Constitution,
which I recommend to you very respectfully,
Article 2 says once the states send their electoral votes.
To the Congress of the United States,
the Vice President. As President of the Senate.
Will preside over a joint session of Congress,
and what it says is that that joint session,
the electoral votes shall be opened and shall be counted.
It doesn't say May. It doesn't say you can send
him back to the states.
It doesn't say you can reject votes.
Even though my former running mate and many of his
outside lawyers told me that that authority was there,
I knew there never was.
I mean, look, there's almost no idea.
More on American. Than the notion that anyone person could
pick the American president.
I mean, the American presidency belongs to the American people
and the American people alone.
And I'll I'll always believe by God's grace I did
my duty that day.
I truly believe it.
And it's among the reasons I step forward today,
because I truly do believe that.
People deserve to know that on that day.
The former president asked me to.
Choose him over my oath to the Constitution.
I chose the Constitution, and I always will.