PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP'S ADDRESS TO A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS
Remarks as prepared for delivery
The speech, as downloaded from CNN, with comments by me. (I get grumpy by the end)
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First Lady of the United States, and Citizens of America:
Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our Nation's path toward civil rights and the work that still remains. Recent threats targeting Jewish Community Centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week's 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 its forms.
[We are a nation divided on even defining what ‘evil’ is, much less agreeing on how to battle it. Many Americans define the actions and statements of the President and his cabinet and advisors as being entirely evil. The hypocrisy of Mr. Trump on his matter is well known.]
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.
[Or, from reading this text, from the sclera of some speechwriter]
A new chapter 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.
[Mr. Trump’s definition of ‘greatness’ differs from most Americans who define a nation’s greatness as the greatness of its citizens, not of its financial elite. “White Pride” is not the same thing as national pride, and many of us are dismayed at the actions of the occupants of the White House. Cockeyed optimism that the school bully will finally have official power is not the dream that most Americans wish for. Many of us define ‘the American Spirit’ different from Mr Trump and his handlers. Trump has shown no real leadership.]
All the nations of the world -- friend or foe -- will find that America is strong, America is proud, and America is free.
[Less free every day]
In 9 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.
[Of some aspects of the political world, perhaps. Our Declaration of Independence was a turning point. This anniversary will probably not be]
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, we've watched our middle class shrink as we've exported our jobs and wealth to foreign countries.
We've 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.
We've defended the borders of other nations, while leaving our own borders wide open, for anyone to cross -- and for drugs to pour in at a now unprecedented rate.
[Illegal immigration has reduced considerably for the past 8 years, and controls have been strong and increasing]
And we've spent 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.
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 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.
[Protestations to the contrary, millions more voted against your policies than voted for them. We are far from united, and a large part of that has been laid at your feet. Your definition of “greatness” is sadly lacking in any connection to reality. No actual plans to bring back American industry have been shown to the people, and the few politicians echoing your campaign phrase have been shown by their actions to be self serving and dishonest, which makes us unable to give them any credibility. The American people have been calling for infrastructure spending for years, only to be blocked at every turn by the Republicans in congress. What actual concrete (as it were) plans do you have for this infrastructure spending, and why have they not been made public? Your actions to date have been more of the sort that make people want to take drugs - why do you think they will reduce drug abuse? What actual policies and practices do you have that will give the citizens of the inner city hope for a rebirth? Not generalities - actual PLANS? What opportunities for real people? What advances in safety? So far, your promises have been more easily seen as threats than as things to hope for.]
It's been a little over a month since my inauguration, and I want to take this moment to update the Nation on the progress I've 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 of dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs.
[All plans made before you became President]
The stock market has gained almost three trillion dollars in value since the election on November 8th, a record.
[All apparently based on your promises to reduce responsibility for large corporations and their executives, but having nothing at all to do with actual productivity]
We've saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing down the price of the fantastic new F-35 jet fighter, and will be saving billions more dollars on contracts all across our Government. We have placed a hiring freeze on non-military and non-essential Federal workers.
[“Fantastic” is a good word for the F-35. As in ‘made of fantasy’. A jet with a budget over a trillion dollars that is still not functional or operational, built as a boondoggle by the war profiteers, which, even if it becomes operational will have no benefit to our safety or even our military supremacy (such as it is), as it will immediately be copied by or sold to other countries... while freezing employment on those trained to work on such planes, which means they now have impetus to work for someone else. Toys like the F-35 are almost entirely symbolic, and only help the executives at Lockheed/Martin and Boeing and other such companies, but not the actual people]
We have begun to drain the swamp of government corruption by imposing a 5 year ban on lobbying by executive branch officials --- and a lifetime ban on becoming lobbyists for a foreign government.
[A ban so full of holes as to be worthless, as witnessed by the number of lobbyists you have invited into your administration]
We have undertaken a historic effort to massively reduce job crushing regulations, creating a deregulation task force inside of every Government agency; imposing a new rule which mandates that for every 1 new regulation, 2 old regulations must be eliminated; and stopping a regulation that threatens the future and livelihoods of our great coal miners.
[Regulations which keep actual working people alive and safe. Proper regulation creates jobs and saves lives. Deregulation does the opposite. Coal miners know you’re lying - coal is a technology of the past]
We have cleared the way for the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines -- thereby creating tens of thousands of jobs -- and I've issued a new directive that new American pipelines be made with American steel.
[At most, a couple of thousand very short term jobs, leading to probably many more deaths from spills of toxic chemicals, none of which benefits the American people. A pipeline that takes Canadian crude to ports to sell it to other nations is a very large net loss]
We have withdrawn the United States from the job-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership.
[Which was already washed up before the election]
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.
[Liar. We all saw Trudeau’s reactions to you. You might get part of a council, but he is not your ally]
To protect our citizens, I have directed the Department of Justice to form a Task Force on Reducing Violent Crime.
[By what means? Enforcement does not reduce crime unless it is paired with prevention at the source, and all of your policies increase the source of 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 across our Nation.
[Again, the cartels (your word) are fueled by your policies. Increasing the militarization of the police only makes the situation worse]
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.
[If this is true, why has your HHS pick never shown any tendencies in this direction? All of the actions of your cabinet picks have been toward punishment, not treatment]
At the same time, my Administration has answered the pleas of the American people for immigration enforcement and border security. By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions of dollars, and make our communities safer for everyone. We want all Americans to succeed --- but that can't happen in an environment of lawless chaos. We must restore integrity and the rule of law to our borders.
[Now that is the kind of fallacious logic I expect from you. Making ‘jobs’ available only to Americans that pay less than minimum wage under conditions no one would willingly accept (try picking strawberries for a week some time) really helps to raise wages. Eliminating millions of taxpayers who are willing to do those jobs really helps financially. Eliminating field workers entirely is of enormous benefit to the economy, right? If you don’t understand, ask Alabama]
For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great wall along our southern border. It will be started ahead of schedule and, when finished, it will be a very effective weapon against drugs and crime.
[Walls are not weapons. Walls are entirely passive. And spending untold billions on a symbol (which is all the wall is) is a boondoggle of the first order. This has been worked over so many times as to be absurd - even you should be capable of understanding it by now.]
As we speak, we are removing gang members, drug dealers and criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our citizens. Bad ones are going out as I speak tonight and as I have promised.
[Really? “Bad ones”? Not by the reporting that has been allowed to surface so far. You have been terrorizing taxpayers and breaking up families, but not even touching on the root cause of drugs and gangs, which means that your symbolic actions are causing more harm than good.]
To any in Congress who do not believe we should enforce our laws, I would ask you this question: what would you say to the American family that loses their jobs, their income, or a loved one, because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its borders?
[those in congress who work against enforcing our laws are generally republicans. Look at all of the laws they have flouted in the past eight years. Look at all of the work they have neglected while out playing golf and fund-raising. Look at the many months they refused to seat a Supreme Court Justice, in direct obstruction of our entire system of laws. Racism might be your answer, but it is not a valid answer.]
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.
[Again, sowing fear is not how you protect nations - it is how you endanger them.]
According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for 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.
[Cherry-picking studies to get the answer yu want is invalid. The actual numbers show that the vast majority of terrorism since (and before) 9/11 was home grown]
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. 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 -- we cannot allow our Nation to become a sanctuary for extremists.
[It already has. Home grown ones.]
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 out those who would do us harm.
[Start with your cabinet, please. If anyone deserves extreme vetting it is Steve Bannon. But the measures used to vet immigrants are already very strong. Learn about them.]
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 beliefs. We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.
[Yes - you priomised a secret plan that would destroy ISIL within 30 days. It has been 40. And still you continue to distance us from our allies world-wide]
I have also imposed new sanctions on entities and individuals who support Iran's ballistic missile program, and reaffirmed our unbreakable alliance with the State of Israel.
[Both at the same time? Wow - both sides of your face must be exhausted by now. Is that why you look so old and tired?]
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. I am honored to have Maureen Scalia with us in the gallery tonight. 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 to the Court of Appeals, and I am asking the Senate to swiftly approve his nomination.
[Yes - right after they appoint Merrick Garland. Someone qualified would be far better for the nation than someone unqualified.]
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.
Over 43 million people are now living in poverty, and over 43 million Americans are on food stamps.
More than 1 in 5 people in their prime working years are not working.
[As Mark twain said, “lies, damned lies, and statistics”. How many of those are students, homemakers, disabled or otherwise incapable?]
We have the worst financial recovery in 65 years.
[Absolutely untrue. Yet. Give it a year.]
In the last 8 years, the past Administration has put on more new debt than nearly all other Presidents combined.
[Also absolutely untrue. Look at the real economy, not a few numbers cooked by insiders]
We've lost more than one-fourth of our manufacturing jobs since NAFTA was approved, and we've 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 dollars.
And overseas, we have inherited a series of tragic foreign policy disasters.
[And how many of those were Trump businesses? How many of the jobs lost to overseas production were chaired by people now on your cabinet? How many of those lost jobs were declared as major victories by the republican establishment?]
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 harder for companies to leave.
Right now, American companies are taxed at one of the highest rates anywhere in the world.
[Not true. Many businesses (the bigger the more likely) do not pay taxes at all. Until you change that, you are only doing more damage]
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. At the same time, we will provide massive tax relief for the middle class.
[Your definition of ‘massive’ differs from that of the real world. The numbers so far released say your tax benefits will go almost entirely to the extremely wealthy, many of whom are under-taxed already.]
We must create a level playing field for American companies and workers.
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 almost nothing.
[Again, a blatant falsehood. Please learn about our tariffs and how trade treaties are formed before you speak]
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 USA, on the front lawn of the White House.
At our meeting, I asked them, how are you doing, how is business? They said that it's good. I asked them further how they are doing with other countries, mainly international sales. They told me -- without even complaining because they have been mistreated for so long that they have become used to it -- that it is very hard to do business with other countries because they tax our goods at such a high rate. They said that in one case another country taxed their motorcycles at 100 percent.
They weren't even asking for change. But I am.
I believe strongly in free trade but it also has to be FAIR TRADE.
[Please define that phrase in a realistic way]
The first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, warned that the "abandonment of the protective policy by the American Government [will] produce want and ruin among our people."
[Cherry-picking again. Were Lincoln alive now, he’d be working with Bernie Sanders before working with you.]
Lincoln was right -- and it is time we heeded his words. I am not going to let America and its great companies and workers, be taken advantage of anymore.
I am going to bring back millions of jobs. Protecting our workers also means reforming our system of legal immigration. The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, and puts great pressure on taxpayers.
[How do you create jobs by eliminating workers? How do you improve the economy by removing the money from it?]
Nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others --- have a merit-based immigration system. It is 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 America's taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.
Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: it will save countless dollars, raise workers' wages, and help struggling families --- including immigrant families --- enter the middle class.
[Show us a clear, detailed plan that includes migrant workers and farm workers, and ensures that the work they continues to get done, and perhaps you’ll have a smidgen of credibility, but at present your rhetoric on this issue reeks of jingoism and racism and nothing else]
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 nation's 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.
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.
[The republican congress has fought tooth and nail against infrastructure spending for the past eight years. A system of cronyism will not improve the infrastructure]
America has spent approximately six trillion dollars in the Middle East, all this while our infrastructure at home is crumbling. With this six trillion dollars we could have rebuilt our country --- twice. And maybe even three times if we had people who had the ability to negotiate.
To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking the Congress to approve legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in the infrastructure of the United States -- financed through both public and private capital --- creating millions of new jobs.
[What is the balance of those finance payments? If it is anything like your plans in the past, it will enrich the very wealthy and decimate the working classes. What will those jobs do? In what fields? How will you convince the boards of multinational corporations to cripple their own interests to benefit only one nation? How will you enforce such foolish legislation when it would be easier for corporations and banks to just relocate to the Cayman islands or Cyprus?]
This effort will be guided by two core principles: Buy American, and Hire American.
[Again: HOW??? Words are cheap.]
Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better Healthcare.
Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America. The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we will do.
[As you remarked the other day - health care is complex. Learn about risk pools. Learn about insurance before you tear health care away from people, because people will DIE. Show us a valid way to make health care more affordable while keeping it available at the same rate it is now and maybe you’ll have an argument, but so far you have done just the opposite]
Obamacare premiums nationwide have increased by double and triple digits. As an example, Arizona went up 116 percent last year alone. Governor Matt Bevin of Kentucky just said Obamacare is failing in his State -- it is unsustainable and collapsing.
[And why is that? It is because republican governors and legislatures have fought to cripple the system. In states that support the ACA, rates have not risen as high and/or have been balanced by subsidies. And if you just limit what insurers can charge, the problem goes away entirely, and your stated plan does just the opposite. Remember your earlier talk of ‘deregulation’? THIS is what you are deregulating]
One third of counties have only one insurer on the exchanges --- leaving many Americans with no choice at all.
[Again - all because insurers are unregulated]
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 broken.
[Liar]
Obamacare is collapsing --- and we must act decisively to protect all Americans. Action is not a choice --- it is a necessity.
[Liar. The ACA is being attacked at its foundations, but it would be better for everyone involved (except a few executives and their golden parachutes) to shore up the system and patch the cracks than to throw it out for something untested and mostly imaginary]
So I am calling on all Democrats and Republicans in the Congress to work with us to save Americans from this imploding Obamacare disaster.
Here are the principles that should guide the Congress as we move to create a better healthcare 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 healthcare exchanges.
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 the Government.
[Vouchers? Already proven to not work]
Thirdly, we should give our great State Governors the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out.
[“States Rights”. Code for racism, and for letting the states that are entirely unregulated to offer junk policies that benefit no one at all.]
Fourthly, 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.
Finally, the time has come to give Americans the freedom to purchase health insurance across State lines --- creating a truly competitive national marketplace that will bring cost way down and provide far better care.
[“States Rights”. Code for racism, and for letting the states that are entirely unregulated to offer junk policies that benefit no one at all.]
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 to finally get it done? 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.
My administration wants to work with members in both parties to make childcare accessible and affordable, to help ensure new parents have paid family leave, to invest in women's health, and to promote clean air and clear water, and to rebuild our military and our infrastructure.
[Liar.]
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 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 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, Megan's 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 Megan's life. Today she is 20 years old -- and a sophomore at Notre Dame.
Megan's story is about the unbounded power of a father's 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 Megan's life, from reaching those in need.
If we slash the restraints, not just at the FDA but across our Government, then we will be blessed with far more miracles like Megan.
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.
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. These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them.
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, with the help of a tax credit 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 masters degree in social work.
We want all children to be able to break the cycle of poverty just like Denisha.
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.
In Chicago, more than 4,000 people were shot last year alone --- and the murder rate so far this year has been even higher.
[Again cooking the books and cherry-picking to get the results you want. How about going for the root of the problem - economic and social pressures that drive the crime rate in the first place? How about limiting guns? How about putting the police under a system of regulations that keep them from adversarial relations with the people they are supposed to ‘serve and protect’?]
This is not acceptable in our society.
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.
But to create this future, we must work with --- not against --- the men and women of law enforcement.
[A false dichotomy. There are many places (Ferguson, Berkeley, Detroit for example) where the police are corrupt and do not deserve support.]
We must build bridges of cooperation and trust --- not drive the wedge of disunity and division.
Police and sheriffs are members of our community. They are friends and neighbors, they are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters -- and they leave behind loved ones every day who worry whether or not they'll come home safe and sound.
We must support the incredible men and women of law enforcement.
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, and silenced by special interests.
[A concept that is corrupt before it even goes into effect. Finking on your neighbors and having an official way to spread propaganda are not American]
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.
Jamiel's 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 quarterback. But he never got the chance. His father, who is in the audience tonight, has become a good friend of mine.
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.
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.
To Jamiel, Jenna, Susan and Jessica: I want you to know --- we will never stop fighting for justice. Your loved ones will never be forgotten, we will always honor their memory.
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 and --- if they must --- to fight and to win.
[You have no concept of what the military needs, or what ‘win’ means. Being a bully is nod a good thing]
I am sending the Congress a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates the Defense sequester, and calls for one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history.
[We already have the biggest military in the world - larger than the next 12 nations combined. And a lot of military spending is on boondoggles like the F-35 and extra M-1 tanks and Ships that don’t work and so on. Cut out the Military/Industrial complex, and spend the defense budget on the troops (training, safety, pension, etc) instead of on toys. The stop getting into unnecessary wars]
My budget will also increase funding for our veterans.
Our veterans have delivered for this Nation --- and now we must deliver for them.
[In what way? Will you properly fund the VA? Military pensions and hospitals? Training for those who get out so they have skills that are useful? Or do you just want to look tough?]
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.
[Remember: “Toy Soldiers” was not a documentary, and was a warning against dweebs who think that military school is a substitute for reality. I served, you did not. You know NOTHING of service, having only served yourself for your entire life. Until you have sacrificed yourself, kindly leave this to real soldiers.]
We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William "Ryan" Owens. Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero --- battling against terrorism and securing our Nation.
I just spoke to General Mattis, who reconfirmed that, and I quote, "Ryan 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 enemies." Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity. For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom --- we will never forget him.
[You killed Chief Ryan for nothing. Using him as a symbol is disgusting]
To those allies who wonder what kind of 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 across the globe.
We strongly support NATO, an alliance forged through the bonds of two World Wars that dethroned fascism, and a Cold War that defeated communism.
But our partners must meet their financial obligations.
[Then why have so many of your cabinet picks spoken of leaving NATO or breaking it up? You just don’t want to pay for things that benefit you.]
And now, based on our very strong and frank discussions, they are beginning to do just that.
We expect our partners, whether in NATO, in the Middle East, or the Pacific --- to take a direct and meaningful role in both strategic and military operations, and pay their fair share of the cost.
We will respect historic institutions, but we will also respect the sovereign rights of nations.
[Again with the ‘states rights’ nonsense. Supporting dictators is what you are proposing]
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. But we know that America is better off, when there is less conflict -- not more.
[Then why don’t you work toward reducing conflict instead of increasing it?]
We must learn from the mistakes of the past --- we have seen the war and destruction that have raged across our world.
The only long-term solution for these humanitarian disasters is to create the conditions where displaced persons can safely return home and begin the long process of rebuilding.
[I would suggest that you talk to some of the experts at the State Department about this, except they have quit or been fired. In too many cases there is nowhere for those refugees to go back TO. Their nations are in a shambles (mostly due to W’s idiocy in the middle east) and they are no longer welcome there. You cannot rebuild when rebuilding gets barrel bombs dropped on you]
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 World 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 America's centennial. At that celebration, the country's builders and artists and inventors showed off their 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 America's 250th year.
Think of the marvels we can achieve if we simply set free the dreams of our people.
Cures to 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.
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.
[Manifest destiny? Grow up]
We all bleed the same blood.
We all salute the same flag.
[Tell that to your followers who still wave the confederate battle ensign]
And we are all made by the same God.
[The same one worshiped by Jews Christians and Moslems, or perhaps the Hindu ones? How about Odin or Susano’o? The world has thousands of gods, all of them myths]
And 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.
[“Greatness” is not what you will be remember for, if we survive your term]
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 dreams to action.
From now on, America will be empowered by our aspirations, not burdened by our fears ---
inspired by the future, not bound by the failures of the past ---
and guided by our vision, not blinded by our doubts.
[Many (most, quite probably) do not share your dreams. Remember that only 22% of eligible voters backed you. Many (more than the number who voted for you) find your dreams toxic]
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. And I am asking everyone watching tonight to seize this moment and --
Believe in yourselves.
Believe in your future.
And believe, once more, in America.
Thank you, God bless you, and God Bless these United States.