President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris picked Prince George’s County for their first public appearance together since the president ended his re-election bid.

They headlined a boisterous rally that was designed to promote the administration’s work on drug prices, but also had the feel of a campaign event in this election year. In addition to the headline news of new prices on certain drugs for Medicare patients, here are other things we noticed.

More love for Moore

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore came close to upstaging the main act with his warm-up performance. From the very start, he had the crowd on his side, entering the stage to a long round of enthusiastic cheers and applause.

He whipped up the excitement with this line, referring to Biden and Harris, that was met with deafening cheers: “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!”

Moore continued to speak but was interrupted a few minutes later with chants of “48! 48! 48!” — an apparent encouragement that the governor could one day be the 48th president.

A spotlight on Alsobrooks

While Biden and Harris were the headliners, and Moore nearly stole the show, the event also provided a platform for Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive who hopes to take her political career to the U.S. Senate.

Alsobrooks was first up on the speaking program and was warmly received in her home county.

Others throughout the afternoon touted the possibility that she’ll be the state’s next U.S. senator.

Biden noted Alsobrooks and praised the tough job local-level officials have. He called Alsobrooks “soon-to-be senator.”

Harris also was effusive about Alsobrooks.

“I have worked with her over the years. I am telling you, Maryland: You’re going to do a great thing when you send her to the United States Senate,” Harris said.

Alsobrooks is facing Republican candidate Larry Hogan, the former two-term governor. Hogan issued a statement ahead of Thursday’s event noting that he “worked with the legislature” to lower costs, including cutting taxes on retirement income. He said further tax and drug reforms are still needed.

“Marylanders deserve leaders who put their health and well-being over partisan politics, and that’s what I’ll continue to do in the Senate,” the statement read.

Excitement for a potential future president

The crowd was in high spirits and eager to chant and cheer for Harris, who will officially accept the Democratic Party’s nomination as its presidential candidate next week.

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin noted that Harris cast a tie-breaking vote for the Inflation Reduction Act in her role as the president of the U.S. Senate.

“ ‘President’ is a good title for her,” Cardin said, to huge cheers.

When Moore concluded his remarks, he said that with President Biden “and future president Kamala Harris” — here he had to pause for big cheers — “we are going to build a future where we leave no one behind.”

Some in the crowd sported Harris gear, including a few in the neon green color that’s the symbol of “brat” summer — a devotion to living life authentically without regard for the status quo, named for pop star Charli XCX’s latest album.

Outside the community college gym, a man was stationed at a table selling Harris-themed T-shirts, but said he was too busy making sales to do an interview or even pose for a photograph.

Amanda Linton wore a “Yes We Kam” T-shirt with a picture of Harris evocative of a Barack Obama campaign poster. She drove up from Virginia, where she’s a co-leader of that state’s Women for Harris-Walz group. (Before Harris was the presidential candidate, Linton led Virginia’s Women for Biden-Harris group.)

“There is a level of excitement that I haven’t seen since 2008,” Linton said.

State Sen. Nick Charles, a Prince George’s County Democrat, was among a few officials who greeted the president and vice president when they arrived at the community college. It was his first time meeting Harris.

“To see the vice president and the amount of energy that everybody gave her, you know, it just reinvigorates,” Charles said. He thought the news cycle had been a little quiet about Harris, but thinks attention is picking up ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention.

“Everybody’s getting all jolted and ready to go,” he said.

A moment for an advocate

Amid the adulation, Moore was able to get out some policy talk during his 11 minutes of remarks. Moore told the story of his father dying in front of him from a treatable infection because he had not received proper medical care, eliciting concerned “oohhs.”

And the governor mentioned work in Maryland to curb drug prices, which caused longtime health advocate and lobbyist Vincent DeMarco to light up.

DeMarco and his organization, Maryland Citizens Health Initiative, convinced the state to start up a Prescription Drug Affordability Board that will set maximum prices for prescription drugs, starting with insurance plans for government employees.

DeMarco said afterward that he was “thrilled” that the governor mentioned the drug board, a concept that DeMarco is working to expand to more types of insurance plans and to other states.

“That board is about to make high-cost drugs more affordable for state and local governments, and we hope that next year it will get the full authority to make high-cost drugs portable for everybody,” he said.

DeMarco was joined by Stevensville resident Larry Zarzecki, who has lobbied for the drug board and other policies to lower drug prices. As a Parkinson’s patient, Zarzecki says the cost of his medication is exorbitant, causing both financial and emotional strain.

Zarzecki said the Inflation Reduction Act provisions, particularly the $2,000 annual cap, will be life-changing for him.

“I’m hoping that we don’t lose this provision,” he said. “I don’t know how to express it, other than with a genuine smile and goose bumps. It’s going to allow me to live a much healthier, happier and less reclusive life.”

Crowds and protests

Former president and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has questioned the size of crowds at Harris campaign events, falsely claiming that one crowd photo was faked with the help of artificial intelligence.

On Thursday, the Prince George’s Community College gym was filled with supporters, and there were also two overflow rooms. The White House estimated that 2,300 people attended the event between the three spaces.

On a road leading to the community college, members of the immigrant advocacy group CASA in Action wore blue T-shirts. One of their signs read, “TPS for Essential Workers” and “Immigrant Justice.”

After the speeches in the gym, Biden and Harris visited the overflow rooms and spoke with supporters. In one room, the president was interrupted by protesters, according to a pool reporter who was allowed in the room.

A person screamed about genocide and the others in the room shouted, “Thank you, Joe” to drown the person out.

As protests continued, Biden said Harris must win and that Trump does not respect foreign alliances. He said other world leaders want Democrats to win. “There is so much at stake here,” Biden said, according to the report.