Trumpfs Speech to Congress: Video and Transcript
FEB. 28, 2017 - The New York Times
President Trump on Tuesday
delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress. The following is a
transcript, as prepared by the Federal News Service.
For
more coverage, read
our live analysis.
TRUMP:
Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, the
first lady of the United States ...
(APPLAUSE)
...
and citizens of America, tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration
of Black History Month, we are reminded of our nationfs path toward civil rights
and the work that still remains to be done.
Recent
threats ...
(APPLAUSE)
Recent
threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries,
as well as last weekfs shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a
nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning
hate and evil in all of its very ugly forms.
(APPLAUSE)
Each American generation passes the torch of truth,
liberty and justice, in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present. That
torch is now in our hands. And we will use it to light up the world.
I am here tonight to deliver a
message of unity and strength, and it is a message deeply delivered from my
heart. A new chapter ...
(APPLAUSE)
... of American greatness is now beginning. A new national
pride is sweeping across our nation. And a new surge of optimism is placing
impossible dreams firmly within our grasp. What we are witnessing today is the
renewal of the American spirit. Our allies will find that America is once again
ready to lead.
(APPLAUSE)
All the nations of the world — friend or foe — will find
that America is strong, America is proud, and America is free. In nine years,
the United States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding, 250
years since the day we declared our independence. It will be one of the great
milestones in the history of the world.
But what will America look like as
we reach our 250th year? What kind of country will we leave for our children? I
will not allow the mistakes of recent decades past to define the course of our
future.
For too long, wefve watched our middle class shrink as
wefve exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries. Wefve financed and
built one global project after another, but ignored the fates of our children in
the inner cities of Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit and so many other places
throughout our land.
Wefve defended the borders of
other nations while leaving our own borders wide open for anyone to cross
[Fact check: Open
in parts, but heavily patrolled as well.], and for drugs to
pour in at a now unprecedented rate. And wefve spent trillions and trillions of
dollars overseas, while our infrastructure at home has so badly crumbled.
Then, in 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet. The
rebellion started as a quiet protest, spoken by families of all colors and
creeds, families who just wanted a fair shot for their children, and a fair
hearing for their concerns.
But then the quiet voices became a
loud chorus, as thousands of citizens now spoke out together, from cities small
and large, all across our country.
Finally, the chorus became an
earthquake, and the people turned out by the tens of millions, and they were all
united by one very simple, but crucial demand, that America must put its own
citizens first, because only then can we truly make America great again.
(APPLAUSE)
Dying industries will come roaring back to life. Heroic
veterans will get the care they so desperately need. Our military will be given
the resources its brave warriors so richly deserve.
Crumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads,
bridges, tunnels, airports and railways, gleaming across our very, very
beautiful land. Our terrible drug epidemic will slow down and ultimately stop.
And our neglected inner cities will see a rebirth of hope, safety and
opportunity.
Above all else, we will keep our
promises to the American people.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. Itfs been a little over a month since my
inauguration, and I want to take this moment to update the nation on the
progress Ifve made in keeping those promises. Since my election, Ford,
Fiat-Chrysler, General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart and
many others have announced that they will invest billions and billions of
dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American
jobs.
(APPLAUSE)
The stock market has gained almost $3 trillion in value
since the election on Nov. 8, a record. Wefve saved taxpayers hundreds of
millions of dollars by bringing down the price of fantastic — and it is a
fantastic — new F-35 jet fighter, and wefll be saving billions more on contracts
all across our government.
We have placed a hiring freeze on nonmilitary and
nonessential federal workers.
We have begun to drain the swamp of government corruption
by imposing a five-year ban on lobbying by executive branch officials — and a
lifetime ban ...
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you. Thank you. And a lifetime ban on becoming
lobbyists for a foreign government. We have undertaken a historic effort to
massively reduce job-crushing regulations, creating a deregulation task force
inside of every government agency ...
(APPLAUSE)
... and wefre imposing a new rule which mandates that for
every one new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated.
(APPLAUSE)
Wefre going to stop the regulations that threaten the
future and livelihood of our great coal miners. [Fact check: This
is partly true but misleading.]
(APPLAUSE)
We have cleared the way for the construction of the
Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines ...
(APPLAUSE)
... thereby creating tens of thousands of jobs. [Fact
check: This
needs context.] And Ifve issued a new directive that new American
pipelines be made with American steel.
(APPLAUSE)
We have withdrawn the United States from the job-killing
Trans-Pacific Partnership.
(APPLAUSE)
And with the help of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we
have formed a council with our neighbors in Canada to help ensure that women
entrepreneurs have access to the networks, markets and capital they need to
start a business and live out their financial dreams.
(APPLAUSE)
To protect our citizens, I have directed the Department of
Justice to form a task force on reducing violent crime. I have further ordered
the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, along with the Department of
State and the director of national intelligence, to coordinate an aggressive
strategy to dismantle the criminal cartels that have spread all across our
nation. [Fact check: True,
but they donft do much.]
(APPLAUSE)
We will stop the drugs from pouring into our country and
poisoning our youth, and we will expand treatment for those who have become so
badly addicted.
(APPLAUSE)
At the same time, my administration has answered the pleas
of the American people for immigration enforcement and border security.
(APPLAUSE)
By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise
wages [Fact check: Maybe
a little.], help the unemployed, save billions and billions of dollars,
and make our communities safer for everyone.
(APPLAUSE)
We want all Americans to succeed, but that canft happen in
an environment of lawless chaos.
We must restore integrity and the rule of law at our
borders.
(APPLAUSE)
For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a
great, great wall along our southern border.
(APPLAUSE)
As we speak tonight, we are removing gang members, drug
dealers and criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our very
innocent citizens. [Fact check: Not
a big change.] Bad ones are going out as I speak, and as I
promised throughout the campaign. To any in Congress who do not believe we
should enforce our laws, I would ask you this one question: What would you say
to the American family that loses their jobs, their income or their loved one
because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders?
(APPLAUSE)
Our obligation is to serve, protect and defend the
citizens of the United States. We are also taking strong measures to protect our
nation from radical Islamic terrorism.
(APPLAUSE)
According to data provided by the Department of Justice,
the vast majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism-related
offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country. We have seen the
attacks at home, from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and, yes, even
the World Trade Center. We have seen the attacks in France, in Belgium, in
Germany and all over the world.
It is not compassionate, but reckless to allow
uncontrolled entry from places where proper vetting cannot occur.
(APPLAUSE)
Those given the high honor of admission to the United
States should support this country and love its people and its values. We cannot
allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America, and we cannot allow our
nation to become a sanctuary for extremists.
(APPLAUSE) That is why my
administration has been working on improved vetting procedures, and we will
shortly take new steps to keep our nation safe, and to keep those out who will
do us harm.
(APPLAUSE)
As promised, I directed the Department of Defense to
develop a plan to demolish and destroy ISIS, a network of lawless savages that
have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women and children of all
faiths and all beliefs. We will work with our allies, including our friends and
allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.
(APPLAUSE)
I have also imposed new sanctions on entities and
individuals who support Iranfs ballistic missile program, and reaffirmed our
unbreakable alliance with the state of Israel.
(APPLAUSE)
Finally, I have kept my promise to appoint a justice to
the United States Supreme Court, from my list of 20 judges, who will defend our
Constitution.
(APPLAUSE)
I am greatly honored to have Maureen Scalia with us in the
gallery tonight.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you, Maureen. Her late, great husband, Antonin
Scalia, will forever be a symbol of American justice.
To fill his seat, we have chosen Judge Neil Gorsuch, a man
of incredible skill and deep devotion to the law. He was confirmed unanimously
by the Court of Appeals, and I am asking the Senate to swiftly approve his
nomination.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight, as I outline the next steps we must take as a
country, we must honestly acknowledge the circumstances we inherited.
Ninety-four million Americans are out of the labor force. [Fact check: This
is misleading.] Over 43 million people are now living in
poverty. [Fact check: True
— but the number has also fallen.] And over 43 million
Americans are on food stamps. [Fact check: The
number is correct.]
More than one in five people in
their prime working years are not working. We have the worst financial recovery
in 65 years. In the last eight years, the past administration has put on more
new debt than nearly all of the other presidents combined.
Wefve lost more than one-fourth
of our manufacturing jobs since Nafta was approved [Fact check: Not
because of Nafta.], and wefve lost 60,000 factories since China joined
the World Trade Organization in 2001. Our trade deficit in goods with the world
last year was nearly $800 billion. And overseas, we have inherited a series of
tragic foreign policy disasters.
Solving these and so many other
pressing problems will require us to work past the differences of party. It will
require us to tap into the American spirit that has overcome every challenge
throughout our long and storied history. But to accomplish our goals at home and
abroad, we must restart the engine of the American economy, making it easier for
companies to do business in the United States and much, much harder for
companies to leave our country.
(APPLAUSE)
Right now, American companies are taxed at one of the
highest rates anywhere in the world. My economic team is developing historic tax
reform that will reduce the tax rate on our companies so they can compete and
thrive anywhere and with anyone.
(APPLAUSE)
It will be a big, big cut.
At the same time, we will provide massive tax relief for
the middle class. We must create a level playing field for American companies
and our workers — have to do it.
(APPLAUSE)
Currently, when we ship products out of America, many
other countries make us pay very high tariffs and taxes, but when foreign
companies ship their products into America, we charge them nothing or almost
nothing.
I just met with officials and workers from a great
American company, Harley-Davidson. In fact, they proudly displayed five of their
magnificent motorcycles, made in the U.S.A., on the front lawn of the White
House.
(APPLAUSE)
And they wanted me to ride one, and I said, gNo, thank
you.h
(LAUGHTER)
At our meeting, I asked them, gHow are you doing? How is
business?h They said that itfs good. I asked them further, gHow are you doing
with other countries, mainly international sales?h
They told me — without even
complaining, because they have been so mistreated for so long that theyfve
become used to it — that itfs very hard to do business with other countries,
because they tax our goods at such a high rate. They said that in the case of
another country, they taxed their motorcycles at 100 percent.
They werenft even asking for a
change. But I am. I believe ...
(APPLAUSE)
I believe strongly in free trade, but it also has to be
fair trade. Itfs been a long time since we had fair trade.
The first Republican president,
Abraham Lincoln, warned that gthe abandonment of the protective policy by the
American government will produce want and ruin among our people.h
Lincoln was right, and itfs time we heeded his advice and
his words.
(APPLAUSE)
I am not going to let America and its great companies and
workers be taken — advantage of us any longer. They have taken advantage of our
country no longer.
(APPLAUSE)
I am going to bring back millions of jobs. Protecting our
workers also means reforming our system of legal immigration.
(APPLAUSE)
The current, outdated system depresses wages for our
poorest workers and puts great pressure on taxpayers. Nations around the world,
like Canada, Australia and many others, have a merit-based immigration
system.
(APPLAUSE)
Itfs a basic principle that those seeking to enter a
country ought to be able to support themselves financially. Yet in America we do
not enforce this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest
citizens rely upon.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current
immigration system costs American taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.
[Fact check: This
needs context.] Switching away from this current system of
lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, we will
have so many more benefits. It will save countless dollars, raise workersf wages
and help struggling families, including immigrant families, enter the middle
class. And they will do it quickly, and they will be very, very happy,
indeed.
(APPLAUSE)
I believe that real and positive immigration reform is
possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages
for Americans, to strengthen our nationfs security and to restore respect for
our laws.
If we are guided by the
well-being of American citizens, then I believe Republicans and Democrats can
work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades.
(APPLAUSE)
Another Republican president, Dwight D. Eisenhower,
initiated the last truly great national infrastructure program: the building of
the interstate highway system. The time has come for a new program of national
rebuilding.
(APPLAUSE)
America has spent approximately $6 trillion in the Middle
East, all the while our infrastructure at home is crumbling.
With the $6 trillion, we could
have rebuilt our country twice, and maybe even three times, if we had people who
had the ability to negotiate.
(APPLAUSE)
To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking
Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in
infrastructure of the United States, financed through both public and private
capital, creating millions of new jobs.
(APPLAUSE)
This effort will be guided by two core principles: Buy
American and hire American.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and
replace Obamacare ...
(APPLAUSE)
... with reforms that expand choice, increase access,
lower costs and at the same time provide better health care.
(APPLAUSE)
Mandating every American to buy government-approved health
insurance was never the right solution for our country.
(APPLAUSE)
The way to make health insurance available to everyone is
to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we are going to do.
(APPLAUSE)
Obamacare premiums nationwide have increased by double and
triple digits. [Fact check: True,
but cherry-picked.] As an example, Arizona went up 116 percent last
year alone. Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky just said Obamacare is failing in his
state, the state of Kentucky, and itfs unsustainable and collapsing.
One third of the counties have
only one insurer, and theyfre losing them fast, they are losing them so fast.
Theyfre leaving. And many Americans have no choice at all. Therefs no choice
left.
Remember when you were told that you could keep your
doctor and keep your plan? We now know that all of those promises have been
totally broken. Obamacare is collapsing [Fact check: This
is an exaggeration.], and we must act decisively to protect all
Americans.
(APPLAUSE)
Action is not a choice; it is a necessity. So I am calling
on all Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work with us to save Americans
from this imploding Obamacare disaster.
(APPLAUSE)
Here are the principles that should guide Congress as we
move to create a better health care system for all Americans.
First, we should ensure that
Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage and that we have
a stable transition for Americans currently enrolled in the health care
exchanges.
(APPLAUSE)
Secondly, we should help Americans purchase their own
coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded health savings accounts,
but it must be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by our
government.
(APPLAUSE)
Thirdly, we should give our state governors the resources
and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out.
(APPLAUSE)
Fourth, we should implement legal reforms that protect
patients and doctors from unnecessary costs that drive up the price of insurance
and work to bring down the artificially high price of drugs and bring them down
immediately.
(APPLAUSE)
And finally, the time has come to give Americans the
freedom to purchase health insurance across state lines ...
(APPLAUSE)
... which will create a truly competitive national
marketplace that will bring costs way down and provide far better care. So
important.
Everything that is broken in our
country can be fixed. Every problem can be solved. And every hurting family can
find healing and hope. Our citizens deserve this, and so much more, so why not
join forces and finally get the job done and get it done right?
(APPLAUSE)
On this and so many other things, Democrats and
Republicans should get together and unite for the good of our country and for
the good of the American people.
(APPLAUSE)
My administration wants to work with members of both
parties to make child care accessible and affordable, to help ensure new parents
that they have paid family leave ...
(APPLAUSE)
... to invest in womenfs health, and to promote clean air
and clean water, and to rebuild our military and our infrastructure.
(APPLAUSE)
True love for our people requires us to find common
ground, to advance the common good, and to cooperate on behalf of every American
child who deserves a much brighter future.
An incredible young woman is with
us this evening who should serve as an inspiration to us all. Today is Rare
Disease Day, and joining us in the gallery is a rare disease survivor, Megan
Crowley. Megan ...
(APPLAUSE)
Megan was diagnosed with Pompe disease, a rare and serious
illness, when she was 15 months old. She was not expected to live past 5. On
receiving this news, Meganfs dad, John, fought with everything he had to save
the life of his precious child. He founded a company to look for a cure and
helped develop the drug that saved Meganfs life. Today she is 20 years old and a
sophomore at Notre Dame.
(APPLAUSE)
Meganfs story is about the unbounded power of a fatherfs
love for a daughter. But our slow and burdensome approval process at the Food
and Drug Administration keeps too many advances, like the one that saved Meganfs
life, from reaching those in need.
If we slash the restraints, not
just at the F.D.A. but across our government, then we will be blessed with far
more miracles just like Megan.
(APPLAUSE)
In fact, our children will grow up in a nation of
miracles. But to achieve this future, we must enrich the mind — and the souls —
of every American child. Education is the civil rights issue of our time.
(APPLAUSE)
I am calling upon members of both parties to pass an
education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including
millions of African-American and Latino children.
(APPLAUSE)
These families should be free to choose the public,
private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them.
(APPLAUSE)
Joining us tonight in the gallery is a remarkable woman,
Denisha Merriweather. As a young girl, Denisha struggled in school and failed
third grade twice. But then she was able to enroll in a private center for
learning — great learning center — with the help of a tax credit and a
scholarship program. Today, she is the first in her family to graduate, not just
from high school, but from college. Later this year, she will get her masterfs
degree in social work. We want all children to be able to break the cycle of
poverty just like Denisha.
(APPLAUSE)
But to break the cycle of poverty, we must also break the
cycle of violence. The murder rate in 2015 experienced its largest single-year
increase in nearly half a century. [Fact check: True,
but somewhat misleading.] In Chicago, more than 4,000 people
were shot last year alone, and the murder rate so far this year has been even
higher. This is not acceptable in our society.
(APPLAUSE)
Every American child should be able to grow up in a safe
community, to attend a great school and to have access to a high-paying job.
(APPLAUSE)
But to create this future, we must work with — not against
— not against — the men and women of law enforcement.
(APPLAUSE)
We must build bridges of cooperation and trust, not drive
the wedge of disunity and itfs — really, itfs what it is, division. Itfs pure,
unadulterated division. We have to unify. Police and sheriffs are members of our
community. Theyfre friends and neighbors, theyfre mothers and fathers, sons and
daughters, and they leave behind loved ones every day who worry about whether or
not theyfll come home safe and sound. We must support the incredible men and
women of law enforcement.
(APPLAUSE)
And we must support the victims of crime. I have ordered
the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American
victims. The office is called Voice, Victims of Immigration Crime
Engagement.
We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by
our media [Fact check: They
have received coverage.] and silenced by special interests.
Joining us ...
(APPLAUSE)
Joining us in the audience tonight are four very brave
Americans whose government failed them. Their names are Jamiel Shaw, Susan
Oliver, Jenna Oliver and Jessica Davis. Jamielfs 17-year-old son was viciously
murdered by an illegal immigrant gang member who had just been released from
prison. Jamiel Shaw Jr. was an incredible young man with unlimited potential who
was getting ready to go to college, where he would have excelled as a great
college quarterback.
But he never got the chance. His
father, who is in the audience tonight, has become a very good friend of mine.
Jamiel, thank you. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
Also with us are Susan Oliver and Jessica Davis. Their
husbands — Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver and Detective Michael Davis — were slain
in the line of duty in California. They were pillars of their community. These
brave men were viciously gunned down by an illegal immigrant with a criminal
record and two prior deportations. Should have never been in our country.
Sitting with Susan is her daughter, Jenna. Jenna, I want
you to know that your father was a hero and that tonight you have the love of an
entire country supporting you and praying for you.
(APPLAUSE)
To Jamiel, Jenna, Susan and Jessica, I want you to know
that we will never stop fighting for justice. Your loved ones will never, ever
be forgotten. We will always honor their memory.
(APPLAUSE)
Finally, to keep America safe, we must provide the men and
women of the United States military with the tools they need to prevent war — if
they must — they have to fight and they only have to win.
(APPLAUSE)
I am sending Congress a budget that rebuilds the military,
eliminates the defense sequester...
(APPLAUSE)
... and calls for one of the largest increases in national
defense spending in American history.
My budget will also increase funding for our veterans. Our
veterans have delivered for this nation, and now we must deliver for them.
(APPLAUSE)
The challenges we face as a nation are great. But our
people are even greater. And none are greater or braver than those who fight for
America in uniform.
(APPLAUSE)
We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the
widow of U.S. Navy special operator, Senior Chief William gRyanh Owens. Ryan
died as he lived, a warrior and a hero, battling against terrorism and securing
our nation.
(APPLAUSE)
I just spoke to our great General [Jim] Mattis just now
who reconfirmed that, and I quote, gRyan was a part of a highly successful raid
that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more
victories in the future against our enemy.h
Ryanfs legacy is etched into eternity. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
And Ryan is looking down right now. You know that. And
hefs very happy, because I think he just broke a record.
(APPLAUSE)
For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of
love than to lay down onefs life for onefs friends. Ryan laid down his life for
his friends, for his country and for our freedom. And we will never forget
Ryan.
(APPLAUSE)
To those allies who wonder what kind of a friend America
will be, look no further than the heroes who wear our uniform. Our foreign
policy calls for a direct, robust and meaningful engagement with the world. It
is American leadership based on vital security interests that we share with our
allies all across the globe.
We strongly support NATO, an
alliance forged through the bonds of two world wars, that dethroned fascism
...
(APPLAUSE)
... and a Cold War and defeated communism.
(APPLAUSE)
But our partners must meet their financial obligations.
And now, based on our very strong and frank discussions, they are beginning to
do just that. In fact, I can tell you the money is pouring in. Very nice.
(APPLAUSE)
We expect our partners, whether in NATO, in the Middle
East or in the Pacific, to take a direct and meaningful role in both strategic
and military operations, and pay their fair share of the cost — have to do
that.
We will respect historic
institutions, but we will respect the foreign rights of all nations. And they
have to respect our rights as a nation, also.
(APPLAUSE)
Free nations are the best vehicle for expressing the will
of the people, and America respects the right of all nations to chart their own
path. My job is not to represent the world. My job is to represent the United
States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
But we know that America is better off when there is less
conflict, not more. We must learn from the mistakes of the past. We have seen
the war and the destruction that have ravaged and raged throughout the world.
All across the world.
The only long-term solution for
these humanitarian disasters, in many cases, is to create the conditions where
displaced persons can safely return home and begin the long, long process of
rebuilding.
(APPLAUSE)
America is willing to find new friends, and to forge new
partnerships, where shared interests align. We want harmony and stability, not
war and conflict. We want peace, wherever peace can be found. America is friends
today with former enemies. Some of our closest allies, decades ago, fought on
the opposite side of these terrible, terrible wars. This history should give us
all faith in the possibilities for a better world.
Hopefully, the 250th year for America will see a world
that is more peaceful, more just, and more free.
On our 100th anniversary in 1876, citizens from across our
nation came to Philadelphia to celebrate Americafs centennial. At that
celebration, the countryfs builders and artists and inventors showed off their
wonderful creations. Alexander Graham Bell displayed his telephone for the first
time. Remington unveiled the first typewriter. An early attempt was made at
electric light. Thomas Edison showed an automatic telegraph and an electric pen.
Imagine the wonders our country could know in Americafs 250th year.
(APPLAUSE)
Think of the marvels we could achieve if we simply set
free the dreams of our people. Cures to the illnesses that have always plagued
us are not too much to hope. American footprints on distant worlds are not too
big a dream. Millions lifted from welfare to work is not too much to expect. And
streets where mothers are safe from fear — schools where children learn in
peace, and jobs where Americans prosper and grow — are not too much to ask.
(APPLAUSE)
When we have all of this, we will have made America
greater than ever before, for all Americans. This is our vision. This is our
mission. But we can only get there together. We are one people, with one
destiny.
We all bleed the same blood. We all salute the same great
American flag. And we are all made by the same God.
(APPLAUSE)
When we fulfill this vision, when we celebrate our 250
years of glorious freedom, we will look back on tonight as when this new chapter
of American greatness began. The time for small thinking is over. The time for
trivial fights is behind us. We just need the courage to share the dreams that
fill our hearts, the bravery to express the hopes that stir our souls, and the
confidence to turn those hopes and those dreams into action.
From now on, America will be empowered by our aspirations,
not burdened by our fears, inspired by the future, not bound by failures of the
past, and guided by a vision, not blinded by our doubts.
I am asking all citizens to embrace this renewal of the
American spirit. I am asking all members of Congress to join me in dreaming big
and bold and daring things for our country. I am asking everyone watching
tonight to seize this moment. Believe in yourselves. Believe in your future. And
believe, once more, in America.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United
States.