President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took a victory lap on prescription drug costs in Maryland on Thursday, touting billions of dollars in savings that Medicare patients will soon see.

The raucous event marked the first time the pair have appeared together since Biden dropped out of the presidential race against Republican Donald Trump and endorsed Harris. It also spotlighted two Maryland politicians with rising national profiles. Supporters filled a gym at Prince George’s Community College, where large blue signs declared: “Lowering Prescription Drug Costs.”

Speeches were interrupted with chants of “Joe! Joe! Joe!” and “Thank you, Joe! Thank you, Joe!” — with the crowd acknowledging both Biden’s work on drug costs as well as his decision to step aside as a presidential candidate.

The event was staged to allow Biden and Harris to announce that American seniors collectively will save billions of dollars on drugs with prices that have been negotiated by Medicare, which is now allowed under the administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.

Seniors themselves are projected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket costs in the first year, while the Medicare program will save $6 billion.

Biden told the friendly crowd that he first co-sponsored a bill on Medicare negotiating drug prices in 1973. And he praised Harris for casting the tie-breaking vote in 2022, in her role as president of the U.S. Senate, to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which permitted the negotiations.

“Not a single Republican voted for this bill, period. Not one in the entire conference,” Biden said, eliciting a chorus of boos from the crowd.

Biden warned that if Trump and Republicans are victorious in the November general election, they’ll work to roll back the Inflation Reduction Act. Under Project 2025 — the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for a Republican-led government — “they want to go back to Big Pharma charging whatever they want,” Biden said.

“Let me tell you what our Project 2025 is: Beat the hell out of them,” Biden said to cheers.

The savings are on the first 10 prescription drugs that have been negotiated between Medicare and drug companies. The new prices take effect in 2026.

The diabetes and kidney disease drug Jardiance, for example, has a list price of $573 for a 30-day supply but a new negotiated price for Medicare patients of $197, according to a White House fact sheet.

And the price of the arthritis and psoriasis drug Enbrel will now cost Medicare patients $2,355 for a 30-day supply, down from the list price of $7,106.

Biden and Harris also pointed to other provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, including a monthly cap of $35 on insulin and $2,000 annual cap for all out-of-pocket drug costs. Biden said the next step should be to expand those provisions to more Americans, not just those on Medicare, which mostly covers those 65 and older.

“Every senior in our nation should be able to live with security, stability and dignity,” Harris said. “And in the United States of America, no senior should have to choose between either filling their prescriptions or paying their rent.”

After their remarks in the community college gym, Biden and Harris visited two different overflow rooms on campus and spoke with supporters. All told, there were 2,300 people on hand, according to the White House.

The event was an official White House event — not a campaign event — but it took on added political importance this election season, with supporters and media alike drawn to Prince George’s County to see the president and vice president share a stage together.

When the warm-up speakers mentioned that Biden and Harris would soon be on stage, they elicited cheers from the crowd.

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat who is also running for the U.S. Senate against Republican Larry Hogan, got the energy up right at the start.

“How lucky are we to have Joe Biden as our president?” Alsobrooks said, eliciting a round of cheers. “And how incredibly proud are we to have Kamala Harris as our vice president,” she said, to an even bigger round of cheers.

“I think you’d agree with me that they have done an outstanding job,” she said.

The cheers and applause were nearly deafening when Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said: “In a few minutes you’re going to hear from not just the 46th president of the United States, you’re also about to hear from the 47th president of the United States!”

Some in the audience wore shirts or hats for the Harris-Walz campaign; others were decked out in colors from the various Divine Nine historically Black fraternities and sororities. Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.

The state of the economy, and inflation specifically, is a key issue in the presidential campaign between Harris and Trump. Trump has been blasting the Biden-Harris administration for inflation that continues to strain the finances of many Americans.

Trump, in a statement this week, said seniors are “struggling” under Biden-Harris economic policies.

Harris, meanwhile, has praised the inflation-fighting policies of the administration, including the Inflation Reduction Act.

Biden’s and Harris’s remarks came on the heels of a new report showing that year-over-year inflation has reached its lowest point in more than three years — an indication that surging prices and costs have begun to cool.

Now as a presidential candidate, Harris has yet to unveil her full platform, but told reporters last week that her agenda will be “focused on the economy and what we need to do to bring down costs and also strengthen the economy overall,” according to the Associated Press.

Harris has already been to Maryland multiple times this year, but back when she was still running for reelection as vice president along with Biden.

First, Harris appeared at a recreation center with Alsobrooks to talk about gun violence and publicly endorse Alsobrooks’ campaign for the U.S. Senate. A few weeks later, Harris was at the University of Maryland, College Park discussing abortion access on the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.