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“Real American patriotism is loving your country so much that you want to help the people in your country,” he said.
On Monday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia of California delivered a speech reflecting on the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic and his journey as an immigrant in the United States.
Garcia, the first out gay immigrant to be elected to Congress, spoke to a packed audience at the United Center, sharing his personal losses during the pandemic and emphasizing the importance of leadership in times of crisis.
Garcia began his address by recalling the dark days of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the nation, taking lives and overwhelming the healthcare system. “We all remember the world in 2020, where we were, and for some of us, who we lost,” Garcia said. As the mayor of Long Beach, California, during the pandemic, he witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of the virus. He spoke of his mother, a healthcare worker, who succumbed to the virus, along with his stepfather. “I watched in terror and horror as the COVID pandemic consumed our lives. My mom and my stepfather both died of the COVID pandemic, and I miss them every single day,” Garcia shared.
He criticized former President Donald Trump for his handling of the pandemic, accusing him of de-emphasizing the severity of the virus and spreading dangerous misinformation. “While schools closed and dead bodies filled morgues, Donald Trump downplayed the virus. He told us to inject bleach into our bodies. He peddled conspiracy theories across the country,” Garcia said, drawing sharp contrasts between Trump’s leadership and that of the Biden-Harris administration. “What we needed at that moment was national leadership, but instead, we got Donald Trump.”
Garcia also took a moment to reflect on a personal call he received from Vice President Kamala Harris after his parents passed away. Harris, who also lost her mother, offered words of comfort and solidarity, he said.
“She told me about her own story of losing her own mother and that she was praying for me at that very moment,” Garcia recalled.
Garcia highlighted the successes of the Biden-Harris administration in responding to the pandemic. “Together, they got people vaccinated, they got the virus under control, they safely reopened our schools, and they passed the American Rescue Plan,” Garcia said.
Garcia also spoke passionately about his immigrant story, sharing how his mother moved their family to the United States to pursue the American dream. He described their challenges, from learning English as a second language to struggling to make ends meet.
“My mom moved here to the United States because she believed in the American dream,” he said, adding that becoming a U.S. citizen was the proudest day of his life. “I raised my right hand and pledged an oath to protect and to love this country.”
Garcia defined true American patriotism not as “screaming and yelling ‘America first,’” but as a deep love for the country and a commitment to helping its people. “Real American patriotism is loving your country so much that you want to help the people in your country,” he said.
Garcia concluded his speech with a rallying cry for the future, urging Americans to remember the challenges of 2020 but also to look forward with determination.
“Kamala Harris is ready to lead this country,” he said, adding, “We can all remember 2020. We can all remember the horrors of Donald Trump. But let’s remember, most importantly, tonight and every single day this week, that we are not going back.”
