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Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the
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United States.
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Well, thank you very much everybody. It's really an honor. Speaker Johnson,
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Vice President Vance, First Lady of the United States.
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Second Lady of the United States.
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members of Congress and my fellow Americans, our nation is back. Bigger,
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better, richer, and stronger than ever before.
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Less than five months from now, our country will celebrate an epic milestone in American history, the 250th
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anniversary of our glorious American independence. This July 4th, we will
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mark two and a half centuries of liberty and triumph, progress and freedom in the
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most incredible and exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the earth. And you've seen nothing yet. We're going
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to do better and better and better. This is the golden age of America.
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When I last spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just inherited a
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nation in crisis with a stagnant economy, inflation at record levels, a
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wide openen border, horrendous recruitment for military and police,
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rampant crime at home, and wars and chaos. us all over the world. But
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tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have
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achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before and a turnaround
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for the ages. It is indeed a turnaround for the ages.
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And we will never go back to where we were just a very short time ago. We're not going back.
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Today, our border is secure.
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USA. USA.
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Thank you. Today, our border is secure. Our spirit is restored.
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Inflation is plummeting. Incomes are rising fast. The roaring economy is
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roaring like never before. And our enemies are scared. Our military and
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police are stacked. And America is respected again. perhaps like never
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before.
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After four years in which millions and millions of illegal aliens poured across
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our borders totally unvetted and unchecked, we now have the strongest and most secure border in American history
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by far.
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In the past nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United
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States.
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But we will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country and will work hard to maintain
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our country.
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The flow of deadly fentinol across our border is down by a record 56%
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in one year.
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And last year the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded
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history. This is the biggest decline, think of it, in recorded history. the lowest number in over
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125 years. Year 1900. In fact, substantially before my wonderful
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father, I had a wonderful father, Fred, before he was born. Substantially before
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he was born. That's a long time ago. He wouldn't like me to say that, but that's
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a long time ago. The Biden administration and its allies in Congress gave us the worst inflation in
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the history of our country. But in 12 months, my administration has driven core inflation down to the lowest level
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in more than 5 years. And in the last three months of 2025, it was down to
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1.7%.
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Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some states. Under my
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predecessor, it was quite honestly a disaster, is now below $2.30 a gallon in
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most states and in some places $1.99 a gallon. And when I visited the great
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state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $185
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a gallon for gasoline.
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Mortgage rates are the lowest in four years and falling fast. And the annual cost of a typical new mortgage is down
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almost $5,000. just since I took office, one year.
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And low interest rates will solve the Biden created housing problem while at
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the same time protecting the values of those people who already own a house that really feel rich for the first time
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in their lives. We want to protect those values. We want to keep those values up. We're going to do both.
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And we are going to keep it that way. The stock market has set 53 all-time
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record highs since the election. Think of that. One year boosting pensions,
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401ks, and retirement accounts for the millions and millions of Americans.
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They're all gaining. Everybody's up, way up. In four long years, the last administration got less than $1 trillion
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dollar in new investment in the United States. And when I say less, substantially less. In 12 months, I
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secured commitments for more than 18 trillion dollars pouring in from all over the globe.
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Think of it. Much less than $1 trillion for four years versus much more than $18
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trillion for one year. What a difference. a president makes.
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A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now, we are the hottest country anywhere in the world. The hottest.
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As thousands of new businesses are forming and factories, plants, and laboratories are being built, we have
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added 70,000 new construction jobs in just a very short period of time. It's
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getting bigger and bigger and stronger. Nobody can believe what they're watching. American oil production is up
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by more than 600,000 barrels a day. And we just received from our new friend and
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partner, Venezuela, more than 80 million barrels of oil.
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American natural gas production is at an all-time high because I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill.
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More Americans are working today than at any time in the history of our country.
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Think about that. Any time in the history of our country, more working today. And 100% of all jobs created
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under my administration have been in the private sector.
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We ended dei in America.
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We cut a record number of jobk killing regulations. And in one year, we have lifted 2.4 million Americans, a record,
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off of food stamps.
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And for all of these reasons, I say tonight, members of Congress, the state
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of our union is strong.
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Our country is winning again. In fact, we're winning so much that we really don't know what to do about it. People
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are asking me, "Please, please, please, Mr. president, we're winning too much. We can't take it anymore. We're not used
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to winning in our country. Until you came along, we're just always losing. But now we're winning too much. And I
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say, "No, no, no. You're going to win again. You're going to win big. You're going to win bigger than ever." And to
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prove that point, to prove that point, here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation
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proud. the men's gold medal Olympic hockey team. Come on in.
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Heat.
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Heat.
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Go ahead.
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That's the first time I've ever seen them get up. And actually, not all of them did get
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up, but they beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime, as everybody saw, as did
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the American women who will soon be coming to the White House.
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They were in the Oval Office before. And I just want to say a second very big
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congratulations to Team USA. But I have to say that and I told them this and we
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took a vote of the team. I said, "Anybody votes no, I'm not doing it." So they stood there and they weren't about
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to say no because I've never seen a goalender play as well as goalie Connor
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Halib.
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think of it. 46 shots on gold. And I asked him the one shot, the one where
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you put your stick in the back and it hit the neck of your stick and bounced off. Do you practice that or was that a
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little lucky? He refused to answer that question.
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But I just want to tell you that the members of this great hockey squad will
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be very happy to hear based on their vote and my vote and in this case my vote was more important that I will soon
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be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor which we will be given
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and which has been given to many athletes over the years. But when I say
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many, not too many, like 12. It's called the highest civilian honor in our
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country, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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great athletes have gotten that very great, the best. And I thought he deserved it. And I did take a vote.
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Every single one of them, I said, I'm not giving it if anybody goes no. And every single one of them rapidly put up
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their hand. So I want to thank you all. What a special job you did. What special
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champions you are. Thank you very much.
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I'm also pleased to say that the next time the Olympic torch is lit, it will be here in America for the 2028
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Olympics. And it's the summer version right in Los Angeles. We're going to do a good job in Los Angeles.
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And Los Angeles is going to be safe just like Washington DC is now one of the
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safest cities in the country.
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and this year. And I must say I got them both. I got them in my first term and I
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was disappointed because I didn't think I'd be the president when this happened.
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But strange things took place. And now I've got them because I got the Olympics
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and I got the 2026 FIFA World Cup and I wanted to claim the 250th, but I didn't
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get away with that one. I couldn't claim that one for myself. But we're getting the World Cup. So, we have the World Cup
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and the Olympics coming and that is exciting news.
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So this will be a year to celebrate our country and the heroes who have kept it
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free. Men like Buddy Tagert. At age 17, Buddy volunteered to defend
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America in World War II, serving in the Pacific under the great General Douglas
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MacArthur. He fought bravely in the famous battle of Manila. Worked so hard.
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He was badly wounded and almost killed by enemy machine guns in Luzon.
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And 81 years ago this month, he liberated the largest internment camp in
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the Philippines, one of the largest anywhere in the world. But he earned many honors, including a Purple Heart
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and a Bronze Star. came home, started a family, and tonight he is in the gallery looking forward to July 4th, 2026, his
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100th birthday.
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So buddy, you're a brave man and we salute you even in times of challenge,
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setback, and immense heartache. The spirit of 1776
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has always shone through very brightly. It was July 4th of last year when
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floodwaters tore through a girl's summer camp in central Texas. One of the worst
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things I've ever seen. I was there rising 26 feet in the matter of minutes,
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tragically claiming many, many lives. You all remember that one. As the waters threatened to sweep her away,
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11-year-old Millie Kate Mlan closed her eyes and prayed to God. She thought she
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was going to die. Those prayers were answered when Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskin descended from a helicopter
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above. Nobody knew where he came from. It was Scott's first ever rescue
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mission. Young guy, but very brave, very, very top. always top in his class.
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And he lifted not just Billy Kate, but 164 others to safety.
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People watched Scott from a distance and they couldn't believe what they were seeing. The winds were blowing, the rain
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was pouring, everything was going. And that rapid water, nobody's ever seen anything like it. They said, "Wow,
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that's something." Tonight, Scott and Millie Kate are here together, reunited
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for the very first time. Thank you, Scott. Millie Kate.
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and Petty Officer Ruskin, I'm pleased to inform you that I am now awarding you
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the Legion of Merit for Extraordinary Heroism, which is what it was,
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extraordinary heroism. Thank you.
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And I'd like to have the military aid to please come down
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and take care of the service. Military aid. Thank you very much. Take care of that very important service.
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Thank you very much. From 1776 to today, every generation of Americans
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has stepped forward to defend life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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And they're really doing it for the next generation. But now it's our turn. Together, we're building a nation where
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every child has the chance to reach higher and go further. where government
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answers to the people, not the powerful, and where the interests of hardworking American citizens are always our first
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and ultimate concern. That is the debt we owe to the heroes who came before us, and that is the
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promise we must keep to America for our 250th year. Last year, I urged this Congress
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to begin the mission by passing the largest tax cuts in American history.
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and our Republican majorities delivered so beautifully. Thank you, Republicans.
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All Democrats, every single one of them voted against these really important and
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very necessary massive tax cuts.
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They wanted largescale tax increases to hurt the
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people instead. But we held strong and with the great
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big beautiful bill. We gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and no tax
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on social security for our great senior.
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And we also made interest on auto loans taxdeductible the first time, but only
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if the car is made in America.
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Recently in Pennsylvania, I met Megan Hemhouser, a devoted mom whose
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homeschools her children, beautiful, two children, during the day while waiting
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tables at night as her husband works overtime operating very heavy equipment.
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Megan is here this evening and she's happy to tell you that she is so so much
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richer because with no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and her expanded child
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tax credit done again by Republicans, Megan and her husband will take home
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more than $5,000 extra just for the year, cutting her tax bill in more than
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half.
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Megan, please stand up. We're fighting for you, Megan.
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Thank you, thank you, Megan. We're fighting for
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you, Megan. Under our bill, parents like Megan can also activate their children's
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brand new Trump accounts. And I didn't name it. I didn't name it. I did not
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name that.
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Nobody believes me, but I did not name it. It was named by a very tall man sitting right there in the third row.
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Nice man, a good man. Tax-free investment accounts for every American
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child. This is something that's so special and has taken off and gone through the roof. Millions will be
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preunded courtesy of the US Treasury and private individuals like Michael and Susan Dell who have donated 6 bill250
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million to fund the Trump accounts for 25 million American children.
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They're great people.
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When I asked Michael Dell, "How do you make all that money?" He said, "Well, I just sat on my dorm in school and I made
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computers and I'd sell them to people and I just kept selling and selling and selling and pretty amazing story."
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That's called the American dream. He sold a lot of computers, a lot of those laptops. So, I congratulate him on that.
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But I really thank him and Susan as well as others like Brad Gersonner, a very
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tremendous guy. He was behind it right from the beginning. Brad Gersonner. Thank you, Brad.
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So, with modest additional contributions, these young people's accounts could grow
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to over $100,000 or more by the time they turn 18. Think of it. How much money is that for somebody that started
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with nothing, over a hundred,000, could be much more than that. To make this investment in our children's future, go
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to trumpaccounts.gov. Trumpacounts.gov. And a lot of people are doing it. It's setting every record
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in the book. It's popular. They knew what was going to what it was going to take. I'm so proud of them. I'm so proud
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of the people that got it started and now it's just taken off. One of the primary reasons for our country's
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stunning economic turnaround. the biggest in history where the Dow Jones
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broke 50,000 four years ahead of schedule and the S&P hit 7,000 where it
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wasn't supposed to do it for many years were tariffs.
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I used these tariffs took in hundreds of billions of dollars to make great deals for our country both economically and on
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a national security basis. Everything was working well. Countries that were
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ripping us off for decades are now paying us hundreds of billions of dollars.
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They were ripping us so badly. You all know that. Everybody knows it. Even the Democrats know it. They just don't want
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to say it. And yet these countries are now happy and so are we. We made deals.
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The deals are all done and they're happy. They're not making money like they used to, but we're making a lot of
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money. There was no inflation, tremendous growth. And the big story was how Donald Trump called the economy
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correctly and 22 Nobel Prize winners in economics didn't. They got it totally
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wrong. They got it really wrong. And then just four days ago, an unfortunate
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ruling from the United States Supreme Court. It just came down. It came down. Very unfortunate ruling.
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But the good news is that almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deal that they already made. Right,
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Scott? Knowing that the legal power that I, as president, have to make a new deal
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could be far worse for them and therefore they will continue to work along the same successful path that we
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had negotiated before the Supreme Court's unfortunate involvement.
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So despite the disappointing ruling these powerful country saving it's
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saving our country the kind of money we're taking in peace protecting many of
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the wars I settled was because of the threat of tariffs I wouldn't have been able to settle them without will remain
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in place under fully approved and tested alternative legal statutes and they have
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been tested for a long time. They're a little more complex, but they're actually probably better, leading to a
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solution that will be even stronger than before. Congressional action will not be
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necessary. It's already time-t tested and approved. And as time goes by, I believe the tariffs paid for by foreign
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countries will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day
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system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love.
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Right.
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Moving forward, factories, jobs, investment, and trillions and trillions of dollars will continue pouring into
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the United States of America because we finally have a president who puts America first. I put America first. I
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love America.
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For decades before I came along, we had the exact opposite. From trade to
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healthcare, from energy to immigration, everything was stolen and rigged in order to drain the wealth out of the
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productive, hardworking people who make our country great, who make our country run. Under Biden and his corrupt
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partners in Congress and beyond, it reached a breaking point with the Green New Scam, open borders for everyone.
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They poured in by the millions and millions from prisons, from mental institutions. They were murderers.
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11,888 murders. They came into our country. You allowed that to happen. and record
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setting inflation that cost the typical family $34,000 in just a speck of time.
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Now, the same people in this chamber who voted for those disasters
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suddenly used the word affordability, a word they just used it. Somebody gave it
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to them knowing full well that they caused and created the increased prices
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that all of our citizens had to endure. You caused that problem. You caused that
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problem.
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They knew their statements were a lie. They knew it. They knew their statements were a dirty, rotten lie. Their policies
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created the high prices. Our policies are rapidly ending them. We are doing
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really well. Those prices are plummeting downward.
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The price of eggs is down 60%.
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Madam Secretary, thank you. The cost of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels,
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automobiles, rent is lower today than when I took office by a lot. And even
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beef, which was very high, is starting to come down significantly. Just hold on
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a little while. We're getting it down. And soon you will see numbers that few people would think were possible to
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achieve just a short time ago. Nobody can believe when they see the
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kind of numbers and especially energy. when they see energy going down to numbers like that, they cannot believe
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it. It's like another big tax cut. I'm also confronting one of the biggest
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ripoffs of our times, the crushing costs of health care
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caused by you. Since the passage of the unaffordable care act,
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sometimes referred to as Obamacare, big insurance companies have gotten rich. It was meant for the insurance companies,
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not for the people. with our government giving them hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars a year as their
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stock prices soared 1,200,400 and even 1,700%
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like nothing else. That's why I introduced the great health care plan. I want to stop all payments
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to big insurance companies and instead give that money directly to the people
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so they can buy their own healthcare which will be better healthcare at a much lower cost.
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In addition, my plan requires maximum price transparency. That's a big deal.
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Sounds so simple, so big. And I did that in my first term and the
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Democrats immediately terminated it with full knowledge that they were doing a very bad thing for the people. Costs
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were going to go way up and that's what happened. And now I'm bringing them way down on healthcare and everything else. I'm also ending the wildly inflated cost
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of prescription drugs like has never happened before.
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Other presidents tried to do it, but they never could. They tried. Most
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didn't try, actually, but they tried. They said they tried. They couldn't do it. They didn't even come close. They
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were all talk and no action, but I got it done. Under my just enacted most
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favored nation agreements. Americans who have for decades paid by far the highest
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prices of any nation anywhere in the world for prescription drugs will now
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pay the lowest price anywhere in the world for drugs. Anywhere. The lowest price.
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So in my first year of the second term
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should be in my third term but strange things happen. I took prescription drugs
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a very big part of healthcare from the highest price in the entire world to the
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lowest. That's a big achievement. The result is price differences of 300, 400,
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500, 600% and more. All available right now at a new website called trumprx.gov.
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And I didn't name that one either, by the way.
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And here tonight is the very first customer ever to get that big discount. And it is big. Katherine Rener. For five
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years, she and her husband have struggled with infertility, and they turned to IVF.
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One drug has been costing Katherine $4,000 to purchase. But a few weeks ago,
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she logged onto the Trump RX website and got that same drug that cost $4,000, got
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it for under $500. A reduction of much more actually than $3,500.
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Katherine, we are all praying for you and you're going to be a great mom.
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So now I'm calling on Congress to codify my most favored nation program into law.
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Now the one thing I'm not sure it matters because it's going to be very hard for somebody that comes along after
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me to say let's raise drug prices by 700 or 800%.
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But John and Mike, if you don't mind, codify it anyway. They may do it. Codify
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it anyway. Thank you. Many Americans are also concerned that energy demand from
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AI data centers could unfairly drive up their electric utility bills. Tonight,
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I'm pleased to announce that I have negotiated the new rateayer protection pledge. You know what that is?
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We're telling the major tech companies that they have the obligation to provide for their own power needs. They can
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build their own power plants as part of their factory so that no one's prices will go up and in many cases prices of
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electricity will go down for the community and very substantially down. This is a unique strategy never used in
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this country before. We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount of electricity
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that's needed. So, I'm telling them they can build their own plant. They're going to produce their own electricity. It
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will ensure the company's ability to get electricity while at the same time lowering prices of electricity for you
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and could be very substantial for all of you cities and towns. You're going to see some good things happen over the
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next number of years. Another pillar of the American dream that has been under attack is homeownership.
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With us tonight is Rayo Wiggins, a mom of two from Houston. She placed bids on
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20 homes and lost all of those bids to gigantic investment firms that bypassed inspection, paid all cash, and turned
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those houses into rentals, stealing away her American dream. She was devastated.
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Stories like this are why last month I signed executive order to ban large Wall
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Street investment firms from buying up in the thousands single family homes.
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And now I'm asking Congress to make that ban permanent because homes for people
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Really, that's what we want. We want homes for people, not for corporations. Corporations are doing just fine. Rayel,
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thank you very much. Good luck with your home. You'll get one soon.
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We're also working to make it easier for Americans to save for retirement. And
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under this administration, we will always protect Social Security and Medicare. They are not protecting it for
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our seniors. We will always protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid.
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Since I took office, the typical 401k balance is up by at least $30,000.
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That's a lot of money. We have millions and millions of people because the stock
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market has done so well setting all those records. Your 401ks are way up. Yet half of all of working Americans
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still do not have access to a retirement plan with matching contributions from an employer. To remedy this gross
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disparity, I'm announcing that next year my administration will give these oft forgotten American workers, great
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people, the people that built our country, access to the same type of retirement plan offered to every federal
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worker. We will match your contribution with up to $1,000 each year. As we
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ensure that all Americans can profit from a rising stock market, let's also ensure that members of Congress cannot
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corruptly profit from using insider information.
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They stood up for that. I can't believe
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I can't believe it. Did Nancy Pelosi stand up if she is here?
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Doubt it. Pass the Stop Insider Trading Act
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without delay.
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I wasn't sure if anybody even on this side was going to applaud for that. I was I'm very impressed. Thank you. I'm
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very impressed. But when it comes to the corruption that is plunging, really it's plundering
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America, there's been no more stunning example than Minnesota, where members of
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the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion dollar from the
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American taxpayer. Oh, we have all the information. And in actuality, the number is much higher than that. and
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California, Massachusetts, Maine, and many other states are even worse. This
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is the kind of corruption that shreds the fabric of a nation, and we are working on it like you wouldn't believe.
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So, tonight, although started four months ago, I am officially announcing the war on fraud to be led by
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our great vice president J. D. Vance.
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We'll get it done. And if we're able to find enough of that
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fraud, we will actually have a balanced budget overnight. It'll go very quickly.
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That's the kind of money you're talking about. We'll balance our budget. The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota
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remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption, and lawlessness are the norm, not the
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exception. Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right
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here to the USA. And it is the American people who pay the price in higher
49:14
medical bills, car insurance rates, rent, taxes, and perhaps most importantly, crime. We will take care of
49:21
this problem. We're going to take care of this problem. We are not playing games. Delila
49:41
Delilah Coleman was only 5 years old in June 2024 when a 18-wheel tractor
49:48
trailer plowed into her stopped car traveling at 60 miles an hour or more.
49:55
The driver was an illegal alien led in by Joe Biden and given a commercial
50:00
driver's license by open borders politicians in California.
50:06
Doctors said Delila would never be able to walk or talk, have a good life. She
50:12
wouldn't even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in the first grade learning to walk. And she's
50:20
here this evening with her dad, Marcus, a fantastic man. Delila, please. You are
50:25
a great inspiration. Please stand up.
50:58
Thank you, Delilah. Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the
51:04
most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location. That's why
51:10
tonight, I'm calling on Congress to pass what we will call the Delilah law,
51:15
barring any state from granting commercial driver's licenses to illegal aliens.
51:34
And yesterday, as you probably saw at the White House, I hosted a ceremony with Americans who lost their treasured
51:42
loved ones to the scourge of illegal immigration. People came into our
51:48
country, how we allowed this to happen with our open borders. These are the angel moms and families that for decades
51:55
our government betrayed and our media totally ignored. Totally. It was terrible. Hard to believe actually. In
52:03
2023, a 16-year-old high school cheerleader named Elizabeth Medina was
52:10
supposed to perform in her town's Christmas parade, but she never arrived. Her mother, Jacqueline, went home to
52:16
look for her and she found her lying dead in a bathtub, bleeding profusely
52:22
after being stabbed 25 times. Elizabeth's killer was a previously
52:29
arrested illegal alien who had broken in and brutally really just brutally extinguished
52:35
the brightest light in her family's life violently and viciously. Her heartbroken
52:43
mother is in the gallery to remind everyone in this chamber exactly why we are deporting illegal alien criminals
52:50
for our country at record numbers and we're getting them the hell out of here fast. We don't want to.
53:19
Thank you very much, Jacqueline. Thank you. We can never forget that many in this
53:24
room not only allowed the border invasion to
53:30
happen before I got involved, but indeed they would do it all over again if they
53:36
ever had the chance. If they ever got elected, they would open up those borders to some of the worst criminals
53:42
anywhere in the world. The only thing standing between Americans and a wide open border right now is President
53:49
Donald J. Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress. Thank you. Thank you.
54:05
As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the
54:11
Department of Homeland Security. It's all cut off. It's all cut off. They have
54:17
instituted another Democrat shutdown. the first one costing us two points on
54:22
GDP. Two points we lost on GDP which probably made them quite happy actually.
54:29
Now they have closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers. Tonight,
54:36
I'm demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for the border security, homeland security of
54:43
the United States, and also for helping people clean up their snow. We have no
54:50
money because of the Democrats. And it would be nice. We'd love to give you a hand at cleaning it up, but you gave no
54:56
money. Nobody's getting paid. It's a shame. So, you have to think about it. We have, in case you didn't know, pretty
55:02
large snowstorm out there. One of the great things about the State of the Union is how it gives Americans the
55:09
chance to see clearly what their representatives really believe. So
55:15
tonight, I'm inviting every legislature to join with my administration in reaffirming a fundamental principle. If
55:22
you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. The
55:28
first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not
55:33
illegal aliens.
56:09
Heat.
56:15
Heat.
56:39
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
57:25
Isn't that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself not standing up. You should be ashamed of yourself. That is
57:33
why I'm also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect the
57:39
criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who block the
57:44
removal of criminal aliens. In many cases, drug lords, murderers all over
57:49
our country. They're blocking the removal of these people out of our
57:55
country. And you should be ashamed of yourself. Heat.
58:09
Heat.
58:20
USA. And perhaps most importantly, I'm asking
58:27
you to approve the Save America Act
58:39
to stop illegal aliens and others who are unpermitted persons from voting
58:46
in our sacred American elections. That cheating is rampant in
58:51
our elections. It's rampant. is very simple. All voters must show
58:58
voter ID.
59:14
All voters must show proof of citizenship in order to vote.
59:27
And no more crooked mail in ballots except for illness, disability,
59:33
military, or travel. None.
59:40
And this should be an easy one. And by the way, it's polling at 89% including Democrats. 89%.
59:56
And even the new communist mayor of New York City, I think he's a nice guy. Actually, speak to him a lot. Bad
1:00:02
policy, but nice guy. Just said they want people to shovel snow. They got hit
1:00:08
hard. Want some to shovel snow. But if you apply for that job, you need to show
1:00:14
two original forms of ID and a social security card.
1:00:19
Yet they don't want identification for the greatest privilege of them all voting in America. No, it's no good.
1:00:27
No good. Both Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly agree on the policy that
1:00:34
we just enunciated. and Congress should unite and enact this common sense
1:00:41
country legislation right now. And it should be before anything else happens.
1:01:07
And the reason they don't want to do it, why would anybody not want voter ID? One reason. Because they want to cheat.
1:01:14
There's only one reason. They make up all excuses. They say it's
1:01:19
racist. They come up with things. You almost say, "What imagination they have? They want to cheat. They have cheated.
1:01:26
And their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to cheat. And we're going to stop it. We have to
1:01:32
stop it, judge.
1:01:46
And here is one more opportunity to show common sense in government.
1:01:51
In the gallery tonight are Sage Blair and her mother Michelle.
1:01:56
In 2021, Sage was 14 when school officials in Virginia sought to socially
1:02:03
transition her to a new gender, treating her as a boy and hiding it from her
1:02:09
parents. Hard to believe, isn't it? Before long, a confused Sage ran away
1:02:15
from home after she was found in a horrific situation in Maryland. A
1:02:21
left-wing judge refused to return Sage to her parents because they did not
1:02:27
immediately state that their daughter was their son. Sage was thrown into an
1:02:33
all boys state home and suffered terribly for a long time. But today, all
1:02:39
of that is behind them because Sage is a proud and wonderful young woman with a
1:02:44
full ride scholarship to Liberty University. Sage and Michelle, please
1:02:50
stand up.
1:03:13
And thank you for your great bravery. And who can believe that we're even speaking about things like this? 15
1:03:19
years ago, if somebody was up here and said that, they say, "What's wrong with him?" But now we have to say it because
1:03:26
it's going on all over numerous states without even telling the parents.
1:03:32
But surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from their parents' arms and transition them to a
1:03:39
new gender against the parents will. Who would believe that we've been talking about? We must ban it and we must ban it
1:03:47
immediately.
1:03:59
Look, nobody stands up. These people are crazy. I'm telling you, they're crazy.
1:04:09
Amazing.
1:04:17
Boy, oh boy. We're lucky we have a country with people like this. Democrats
1:04:22
are destroying our country. But we've stopped it just in the nick of time, didn't we?
1:04:38
No one cares more about protecting America's youth than our wonderful first
1:04:44
lady, now a movie star. She's a movie star. Can you believe it? Who would have believed that? Over the
1:04:51
past year, she has had an incredible impact championing AI legislation,
1:04:56
advancing a landmark executive order on foster care, and helping secure $30 million to launch the Melania Trump
1:05:04
foster youth to independence initiative. It's a tremendous,
1:05:10
really a tremendous thing that happened and had a lot of bipartisan support. She gets much better bipartisan support than
1:05:16
I do. I get none. She gets a lot. Someday you're going to have to tell me
1:05:22
how you did that. And students and educators in every state have joined the first lady's
1:05:29
efforts in the presidential AI challenge keeping America's next generation
1:05:34
position to succeed and strongly succeed in the future. Tonight, we welcome two
1:05:40
young people whose lives reflect the first lady's impact. Sierra Burns and
1:05:46
Everest Neveront. Thank you both. And Melania, thank you. I know how hard you worked on her. Thank
1:05:52
you very much.
1:06:18
I'm very proud to say that during my time in office both the first four years
1:06:23
and in particular this last year there has been a tremendous renewal in
1:06:28
religion, faith, Christianity and belief in God.
1:06:33
Tremendous renewal.
1:06:46
This is especially true among young people. And a big part of that had to do with my great friend Charlie Kirk, who
1:06:55
great guy, great man.
1:07:06
So last year, Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin
1:07:11
and martyed. Really martyed for his beliefs. His wonderful wife, Erica, is with us
1:07:18
tonight. Erica, please stand.
1:07:41
Thank you, Erica. Been through a lot. In Charlie's memory, we must all come together to reaffirm
1:07:48
that America is one nation under God, and we must totally reject political
1:07:54
violence of any kind.
1:08:07
We love religion and we love bringing it back and it's coming back at levels that
1:08:13
nobody actually thought possible. It's really a beautiful thing to see. Above all, unleashing America's promise
1:08:20
requires keeping our communities safe. We have made incredible strides, yet dangerous repeat offenders continue to
1:08:27
be released by pro-rime Democrat politicians again and again. We are
1:08:33
honored to be joined tonight by a woman who's been through hell, Ana Zurka.
1:08:40
In 2022, she and her beautiful daughter, so beautiful. What a beautiful young woman. Ireina fled warn
1:08:50
wartorrn Ukraine to live with relatives near Charlotte, North Carolina. And by
1:08:56
the way, what's going on with Charlotte? Last summer, 23-year-old Ireina was
1:09:02
riding home on the train when a deranged monster who had been arrested over a
1:09:07
dozen times and was released through no cash bail stood up and viciously slashed
1:09:13
a knife through her neck and body. No one will ever forget there were people
1:09:20
on that train. No one will ever forget the expression of terror on Ireina's
1:09:25
face as she looked up at her attacker in the last seconds of her life. She died instantly.
1:09:31
She had escaped a brutal war only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free to
1:09:37
kill in America. Came in through open borders. Mrs. Zeretska, tonight I promise you we
1:09:44
will ensure justice for your magnificent daughter, Ireina.
1:10:11
How do you not stand? How do you not stand? I'm asking this Congress to pass tough legislation to ensure that violent
1:10:19
and dangerous repeat offenders are put behind bars and importantly that they stay there. Yeah.
1:10:39
Starting last summer, I deployed our National Guard and federal law enforcement to restore law and order to
1:10:46
our most dangerous cities, including Memphis, Tennessee. Big success.
1:10:52
New Orleans, Louisiana, big success. And our nation's capital itself, Washington
1:10:59
DC, where we have almost no crime anymore in Washington DC. How did that happen?
1:11:15
In fact, crime in Washington is now at the lowest level ever recorded. and
1:11:21
murders in DC this January were down close to 100%
1:11:27
from a year ago.
1:11:40
They don't like to hear that. One of sick people, one of the brave service
1:11:46
members who helped achieve this stunning turnaround was 20-year-old West Virginia
1:11:51
Army National Guard specialist Sarah Beckm. After a 4month deployment, she
1:11:58
voluntarily extended her service and her rank was going to be lifted. She was
1:12:04
doing so well. They were so proud of her. But the very next day, she was on patrol
1:12:10
near the White House when she was ambushed and shot in the head by a terrorist monster from Afghanistan.
1:12:18
Shouldn't have been in our country. And all because she wore the uniform of our nation. She was shot. He traveled
1:12:25
here because he didn't like people wearing our uniform. He was sick and deranged. Shouldn't have been in our
1:12:32
country. Sarah Beckm died in order to defend our capital. And we are honored
1:12:38
to be joined by her wonderful parents, Gary and Evely.
1:12:43
Your daughter was a true American patriot and she will be greatly missed. She was a great person. I saw reports on
1:12:49
her. They've never seen anything like it.
1:13:15
So sorry. Thank you very much. A great young lady. I saw reports that
1:13:21
were like perfect. She was perfect. Serving alongside Sarah that day was
1:13:27
Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolf. The terrorist shot Andrew in the head and no
1:13:33
one thought he could possibly make it. The two of them, Sarah and Andrew, both
1:13:38
shot violently in the head. Neither was expected to make it. They weren't even
1:13:44
given a chance except his wonderful mother named Melody, who I spoke to the same
1:13:51
night, and she was so positive. The doctors thought that Andrew was gone, but his
1:13:58
mother said, "No, no, Mr. President. Andrew will be fine. He's going to make it. I've never seen anything like it. I
1:14:03
mean, he was given almost no chance." She said, "I have no doubt, sir. He's
1:14:10
going to be okay." This was a conversation that I had with her that night with her son laying helplessly in
1:14:17
bed, blood all over. Everybody is praying. She said, "Sir, he
1:14:23
will be okay. The doctors didn't understand what she was saying and after
1:14:28
looking at the results of the damage done, neither did I. She was so strong and conclusive that even Andrew's great
1:14:36
father felt she didn't really understand the gravity of the situation.
1:14:42
But she turned out to be right. Right, Melody? She turned out to be right.
1:14:53
Heat
1:15:08
up
1:15:22
Amazing. Actually,
1:15:28
I said, "Where does this woman come from?" She most positive person I've ever met. With God's help, Andrew has
1:15:35
battled back from the edge of death. And we're talking about the edge of death.
1:15:41
On his way to a miraculous recovery. He's got a little work to do,
1:15:46
but he's doing great. Nice to see you. He's a good-looking guy. Nice to see
1:15:51
you. Thanks, Andrew. Thank you very much.
1:16:14
So Andrew, while you're up now, I'm going to ask a highly respected General
1:16:19
James Seart to present Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolf and the great family of
1:16:26
Sarah Beckmrom with the award created by our late great President George
1:16:31
Washington himself. It's called the Purple Heart.
1:16:57
Heat. Heat.
1:17:24
We love you all. Love you. We're proudly restoring safety for Americans at home.
1:17:31
And we are also restoring security for Americans abroad. Our country has never
1:17:37
been stronger. My first 10 months, I ended eight wars, including Cambodia.
1:17:43
Isn't it funny? Sick people. Cambodia and Thailand,
1:17:50
Pakistan and India would have been a nuclear war. 35 million people said the
1:17:56
prime minister of Pakistan would have died if it were not for my involvement. Kosovo and Serbia,
1:18:02
Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Armenia and Azerbaian,
1:18:09
the Congo and Rwanda, and of course the war in Gaza, which proceeds at a very
1:18:15
low level. It's just about there. And I want to thank Steve Witco and Jared
1:18:21
Kushner for your help. Thank you, Steve. Thank you, Jared.
1:18:41
And I also want to thank the mandate report to Secretary of State Marco
1:18:47
Rubio. Thank you, Marco.
1:18:52
People
1:19:08
don't like you. You know, Marco got 100% of the votes when he was in confirm. I
1:19:14
think our next one was about 54%. And some of the Democrats are now
1:19:20
saying, "I can't believe we approved that guy." And he said, "It's an honor that they
1:19:26
feel that way." Right, Marco? You have done a great job. Great Secretary of State. I think he'll go down as the best
1:19:32
ever
1:19:44
under the ceasefire. I negotiated. Every single hostage, both living and dead,
1:19:49
has been returned home. Can you believe that?
1:20:05
Nobody thought it was possible. Nobody thought that was possible.
1:20:11
Both living and dead. And those parents who had a dead son, their boy, they'd
1:20:16
always tell me their boy, they wanted him as much as though he were living. That was an amazing period of time. And
1:20:23
they came back and when we got all of the living hostages back and many, many before them, but I always said those
1:20:29
last 20 are going to be very tough. But we got many, many more, hundreds. But I said, "Those last 20 are going to
1:20:36
be tough." We got him back, but we only got back 14 or 15 of the dead of the 28.
1:20:44
And believe it or not, Hamas worked along with Israel and they dug
1:20:49
and they dug and they dug. It's a tough It's a tough thing to do. Going through
1:20:55
bodies all over, passing up 100 bodies sometimes for each one that
1:21:02
they found. Tough job. And uh they finally got it back to 27. And then
1:21:09
Steve and Jared, they got it back to 28. They found all 28. Nobody thought that was possible, but we did it. And I
1:21:16
remember the family of the 28th. They were so grieved, but they were so happy.
1:21:24
As happy as it's possible to be. They had their boy back. The mother said,
1:21:29
"Sir, we have our boy back." What a period of time that was. But we got them all back. So, thank you both very much.
1:21:36
Great job.
1:21:50
And we're working very hard to end the ninth war, the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine, where 25,000
1:21:57
soldiers are dying each and every month. Think of that. 25,000
1:22:03
soldiers are dying a month. A war which would have never happened if I were
1:22:09
president. Would have never happened. As president, I will make peace wherever I
1:22:14
can. But I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we
1:22:19
must. That's why in a breakthrough operation last June, the United States
1:22:24
military obliterated Iran's nuclear weapons program with an attack on
1:22:29
Iranian soil known as Operation Midnight Hammer.
1:22:47
For decades, it had been the policy of the United States never to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Many decades
1:22:56
since they seized control of that proud nation 47 years ago, the regime and its
1:23:01
murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism and death and hate.
1:23:07
They've killed and maimed thousands of American service members and hundreds of
1:23:12
thousands and even millions of people with what's called roadside bombs. They
1:23:18
were the kings of the roadside bomb. And we took out Solommani. I did that
1:23:24
during my first term. Had a huge impact. He was the father of the roadside bomb.
1:23:40
And just over the last couple of months with the protests, they've killed at least, it looks like, 32,000 protests.
1:23:48
32,000 protesters in their own country. They shot them and hung them. We stopped
1:23:56
them from hanging a lot of them with the threat of serious violence. But this is
1:24:04
some terrible people. They've already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas. And
1:24:11
they're working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America. After Midnight Hammer,
1:24:19
they were warned to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program, in particular nuclear weapons.
1:24:27
Yet, they continue. They're starting it all over. We wiped it out and they want to start all over again and at this
1:24:35
moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions. We are in negotiations with
1:24:40
them. They want to make a deal but we haven't heard those secret words. We will never have a nuclear weapon. My
1:24:49
preference.
1:25:05
My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is certain. I will never
1:25:12
allow the world's number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a
1:25:17
nuclear weapon. Can't let that happen.
1:25:33
And no nation should ever doubt America's resolve. We have the most powerful military on earth. I rebuilt
1:25:41
the military in my first term. We're going to continue to do so. Also,
1:25:46
we just approved a trillion dollar budget. We have no choice. We have to be strong
1:25:52
because hopefully we will seldom have to use this great power that we built
1:25:57
together. It's really called peace through strength and it's been very very effective.
1:26:15
So thanks to Republican in Congress, we're investing that record number of
1:26:22
dollars have no choice in the United States armed forces. Also creating a lot
1:26:27
of jobs, but we're not even doing it for that reason because as I said, we have more jobs, more people working today
1:26:33
than ever before in the history of our country. And NATO countries are friends and allies. They are they're our friends
1:26:40
and they're our allies have just agreed at my very strong request
1:26:45
to pay 5% of GDP for military defense rather than the 2% which they weren't
1:26:51
paying. We were paying for almost all of them. Now they're paying five as opposed
1:26:56
to not paying for
1:27:07
and getting that 5% was something which everyone said would never be done could not happen. We got it really easily one
1:27:13
meeting and uh big difference between 2% that's not paid. We were paying the
1:27:19
freight of many of them. Very few were paid up. Now 5% then they're paid. And
1:27:24
everything we send over to Ukraine is sent through NATO and they pay us in full. They pay us totally in full. Every
1:27:34
branch of our armed forces is setting records for recruitment. This is so
1:27:39
exciting. And every service member recently
1:27:54
And every service member recently received a warrior dividend of $1776.
1:28:12
You know, they put it on my desk. We got the money from tariffs and other things. A lot of money we have. We have much more money than people understand. Have
1:28:19
to rebuild that program a little bit, but it won't take long. But we got the money and it was $1,775.
1:28:26
And I they wanted my approval. And I said, "What's the number?" $1,75.
1:28:33
I said, "Wait a minute. For one more dollar, we can have 1776. It's going to
1:28:38
I said, "We're going to figure that." I never asked anybody if we could afford it. One more dollar. I said 1776.
1:28:45
And I said, "That's good." And I'll tell you what, our military, that was four months ago, our military, I never see a
1:28:51
person in the military that doesn't thank me for it. So, we're honored to do it. They deserve it. And uh se we call
1:28:56
it 1776. It was great. And we love our military. We love our law enforcement.
1:29:02
We love our firemen. You know, the firemen don't get mentioned enough. We love our firemen. We're also
1:29:23
We're also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, acting to secure our national interests
1:29:30
and defend our country from violence, drugs, terrorism, and foreign interference. For years, large swasts of
1:29:38
territory in our region, including large parts of Mexico, really large parts of
1:29:44
Mexico, have been controlled by murderous drug cartels. That's why I
1:29:50
designated these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. And I declared
1:29:56
illicit fentinol as a weapon of mass destruction.
1:30:10
And with our new military campaign, we have stopped record amounts of drugs coming into our country and virtually
1:30:17
stopped it completely coming in by water or sea. You probably noticed that
1:30:24
we very seriously damaged their fishing industry. Also, nobody wants nobody wants to go fishing anymore.
1:30:31
We've also taken down one of the most sinister cartel kingpins of all. You saw that yesterday
1:30:38
in January.
1:30:53
In January, elite American warriors carried out one of the most complex, spectacular feats of military competence
1:31:00
and power in world history. No one's seen anything like it. Foreign leaders,
1:31:05
I won't tell you who, called me and they said, "Very impressive." Very,
1:31:10
they couldn't believe. They all watched. They saw what happened. This is a different fighting force than we had
1:31:17
years ago when we fought to Thai. You know, it's a great fighting force. I'm so proud of it. Look at Space Force.
1:31:26
Space Force is my baby. As we did that, my baby is becoming so important
1:31:49
and America's armed forces overwhelmed all defenses and not only defeated a
1:31:56
enemy good fighters to end the reign of outlaw dictator
1:32:01
Nicholas Maduro and bring him to face American justice.
1:32:14
And this was an absolutely colossal victory for the security of the United States. And it also opens up a bright
1:32:21
new beginning for the people of Venezuela. We're working closely with
1:32:26
the new president of Venezuela, Deli Rodriguez, to unleash extraordinary economic gains for both of our countries
1:32:33
and to bring new hope to those who have suffered so terribly. They really did suffer. With us tonight is Alejandro
1:32:41
Gonzalez. She grew up in a tight-knit Venezuelan family and was especially close to her beloved uncle Enrique.
1:32:50
But after Enrique ran for office and opposed Maduro, he was kidnapped by Madura security forces and thrown into
1:32:57
the regime's really infamous prison in Caracus.
1:33:02
Alejandro feared she would never see her uncle again. She feared for her own life
1:33:07
also. But since the raid, we have worked with the new leadership and they have
1:33:12
ordered the closure of that vile prison and released hundreds of political prisoners already
1:33:19
with more to come. Alejandra, I'm pleased to inform you that not only has
1:33:24
your uncle been released, but he is here tonight. We brought him over to
1:33:30
celebrate his freedom with you in person. Enrique, please come down.
1:33:57
Heat. Heat.
1:34:16
Thank you, Enrique. Have a good time. Nice to have you back, Enrique.
1:34:23
There were many heroes on that January raid to capture Maduro. Really great heroes.
1:34:29
It was very dangerous. They knew we were coming. They were all set. But the deeds of one warrior that night will live
1:34:36
forever in the eternal chronicles of military valor.
1:34:41
Chief warrant officer 5 Eric Slover planned the mission and was the flight
1:34:49
lead in the cockpit of the first helicopter. a big, beautiful, powerful helicopter
1:34:57
with a massive shinook carrying, as you can imagine, many, many American war
1:35:05
fighters. Wearing the dog tags his wife Amy had blessed with holy water before he left.
1:35:11
She knew it was going to be a rough one. Eric steered the Chinook under the cover of night and descended swiftly upon
1:35:19
Madura's heavily protected military fortress. This was a major military
1:35:24
installation protected by thousands of soldiers and guarded by Russian and Chinese military
1:35:31
technology. How did that work out? Not too good.
1:35:37
While preparing to land, enemy machine guns fired from every angle and Eric was
1:35:42
hit very badly in the leg and hip. One bullet after another. He absorbed four
1:35:49
agonizing shots, shredding his leg into numerous pieces. And yet, despite the
1:35:55
fact that the use of his legs was vital to successful helicopter flight, legs
1:36:02
are the most important part of flying a helicopter. To deliver the many commandos who would capture and detain
1:36:10
Maduro was the only thing Eric was thinking about. Then even as he was
1:36:16
gushing blood which was flowing back down the aisle, helicopter lands at a steep angle. The machine gun stood right
1:36:23
in front of him. They were right in front of him. Two machine gunners who escaped the wrath of the previous
1:36:29
planes. Eric maneuvered his helicopter with all of those lives and souls to face the
1:36:35
enemy and let his gunners eliminate the threat. Turn the helicopter around so
1:36:40
the gunners could take care of business. saving the lives of his fellow warriors
1:36:45
from what could have been a catastrophic crash deep in enemy territory.
1:36:52
Only after safely landing the helicopter with all the warriors aboard in the
1:36:57
exact right spot which was vital to the mission probably would have had to maybe
1:37:02
cancel the mission if that didn't happen. Eric told his co-pilot, also wounded,
1:37:09
but not as gravely, to take over. I'm about ready to pass out.
1:37:17
The success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors hinge on Eric's ability to take
1:37:24
searing pain. It was unbelievable what's happened to his legs of the bullets and
1:37:31
keep on flying and landing. And people knew what was happening. Everybody in
1:37:37
the back of the helicopter knew cuz they saw the blood pouring down the aisle.
1:37:43
Chief Warrant Officer Slover is still recovering from his serious wounds, but
1:37:48
I'm thrilled to say that he is here tonight with his wife Amy. Eric and Amy,
1:37:54
come on in.
1:37:59
Heat. Heat.
1:38:46
So, we have a surprise for Eric and Amy. In recognition of
1:38:51
Eric's actions above and beyond the call of duty, I would now like to ask General Jonathan
1:38:59
Braa to present Chief Warrant Officer Slover
1:39:05
with our nation's highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
1:39:15
Heat.
1:40:07
Heat. Heat.
1:40:23
Well, thank you very much, Eric and Amy. Great to get to know you. I met with
1:40:29
them and with a lot of their fellow warriors at Fort Bragg recently. You notice the name Fort Bragg. We have it
1:40:36
back. We brought it back. We won the first world war with it, the second world war with it, and then they decide
1:40:41
to change the name, but we changed it back. Everybody wanted to change back, too.
1:40:48
And 10 of Eric's fellow warriors from that incredible night of victory will
1:40:54
also be receiving medals at a private ceremony that will soon be held at the White House. And Eric will do that.
1:41:04
Thank you.
1:41:24
Thank you, Eric. That's a big one. Tonight, we've celebrated many truly
1:41:30
extraordinary American patriots, but there is one last living legend to honor before we go. He is one more heroic
1:41:39
American aviator. Navy fighter pilot Royce Williams served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, flying
1:41:48
more than 220 missions. In the skies over Korea 1952,
1:41:54
Royce was in the dog fight of a lifetime. Legendary dog fighting through
1:42:02
blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter planes.
1:42:07
It was his first aerial combat of the war. Despite being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the take down
1:42:14
of four enemy jets and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries
1:42:20
while taking 263 bullets to his own plane and being seriously hurt. His
1:42:27
story was secret for over 50 years. He didn't even want to tell his wife. But the legend grew and grew.
1:42:34
But tonight, at 100 years old, this brave Navy captain is finally getting
1:42:40
the recognition he deserves. He was a legend long before this evening. Royce,
1:42:47
please stand up. And I will ask the first lady of the United States to present Captain Royce Williams with his
1:42:54
Congressional Medal of Honor.
1:43:00
Heat.
1:43:17
Heat.
1:43:42
Heat. Heat.
1:43:47
Heat. Heat.
1:44:28
Heat. Heat.
1:44:35
Heat.
1:44:58
Heat.
1:45:06
Thank you, Royce. And thank you, Eric. I've always wanted the Congressional Medal of Honor, but I was informed I'm
1:45:13
not allowed to give it to myself, and I wouldn't know why I'd be taking it. But they ever open up that law. I will be
1:45:19
there with you someday. But, you know, that's our highest honor, Congressional Medal of Honor. And that's
1:45:25
a big thing. And it's an honor to be in the same room with you. Thank you both very much, Eric. Thank you.
1:45:49
Thank you. 250 years is a long time in the life of
1:45:55
a nation. But in another sense, it's really a mere moment in the eye of history. Two of the gentlemen we met in
1:46:02
the gallery this evening took their first breaths one century ago. 100 years
1:46:09
before that on July 4th, 1826, the author of the Declaration of
1:46:16
Independence, brilliant. Thomas Jefferson drew his last breath. Just a
1:46:22
single long human lifespan separates the giants who declared and won our
1:46:27
independence from the heroes who stand among us tonight. Everything our nation has done, everything we have achieved
1:46:35
has been the work of those few great lifetimes. In those brief chapters, Americans built
1:46:41
this nation from 13 humble colonies into the pinnacle of human civilization and
1:46:47
human freedom. The strongest, wealthiest, most powerful, most successful nation in all of history.
1:46:54
Americans ventured out across the daunting and dangerous continent. We
1:47:00
carve paths through an unforgiving wilderness, settled a boundless
1:47:05
frontier, and tamed the beautiful but very, very dangerous wild west.
1:47:12
From empty marshes and wide open plains, we raised up the world's greatest
1:47:18
cities. Together, we mastered the world's mightiest industries and
1:47:23
shattered history's monstrous tyrannies. And we liberated millions from the
1:47:28
chains of fascism, communism, oppression, and terror. Americans lifted
1:47:34
humanity into the skies on the wings of aluminum and steel. And then we launched
1:47:39
mankind into the stars on rockets powered by sheer American will and
1:47:45
unyielding American pride. We wired the globe with our ingenuity. We captivated
1:47:52
the planet with American culture. And now we are pioneering the next great
1:47:58
American breakthroughs that will change the entire world.
1:48:03
All of this and so much more is the enduring legacy, unmatched glory of the
1:48:09
hardworking patriots who built and defended this country and who still carry the hopes and freedoms
1:48:16
on all of humanity's backs. For years, they were forgotten, betrayed, and cast
1:48:22
aside. But that great betrayal is over, and they will never be forgotten again.
1:48:28
Because when the world needs courage, daring, vision, and inspiration, it is
1:48:33
still turning to America. And when God needs a nation to work his miracles, he
1:48:40
knows exactly who to ask. There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome. No
1:48:47
frontier too vast for us to conquer, no dream too bold for us to chase, no
1:48:54
horizon too distant for us to claim. For our destiny is written by the hand of
1:49:01
Providence. And these first 250 years were just the beginning. From the rugged
1:49:08
border towns of Texas to the heartland villages of Michigan. From the
1:49:13
sun-kissed shores of Florida to the endless fields of the Dakotas and from
1:49:18
the historic streets of Philadelphia to right here in our nation's capital,
1:49:24
Washington DC. The golden age of America is upon us. The revolution that began in
1:49:31
1776 has not ended. It still continues because the flame of liberty and
1:49:37
independence still burns in the heart of every American patriot. And our future
1:49:44
will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder, and more glorious than ever before. Thank you. God bless you. And
1:49:52
God bless America.
1:49:58
Heat. Heat.
1:50:46
Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.
1:50:57
speech. That was a home run.
1:51:03
Thank you very much. President,
1:51:12
you're the best. Good job. Thank you. Thank you.
1:51:20
Very well done. We'll see you Friday, Mr. President. Great job. Good, good, good. See you. See you.
1:51:28
God bless you. Great job, Mr. President. Great job. Thank you very much.
1:51:33
Excellent speech. Excellent. So, thank you, Mr. President.
1:51:40
Best ever
1:51:54
president. Thank you for honoring those veterans.
1:52:06
Good, good, good, good. I think you should take the rest of the day off. I think we have to. We're going to have
1:52:12
to Thank you. All right, guys. You killed it.
1:52:17
Thank you. Thank you, Virginia. It was amazing. It really was. Home run.
1:52:23
Really a grand slam. Grand slam. America loves you. Thank you. It was amazing. America loves you.
1:52:30
Oh, look at this guy. I like that guy. I want that. Give me that time.
1:52:36
John initial just an initial
1:52:43
I like that
1:52:49
thank you everybody Mr. President outstanding speech Mr. He will. He's
1:52:54
getting good. They love the insider trading.
1:53:00
How's he doing? He's a youngster. He fell asleep a couple times.
1:53:06
Did amazing. He really did. Great speech. Proud of you. Great job, Mr. President. Thanks for your leadership. Well done. God bless
1:53:13
you. God bless you, sir. Thank you very much.
1:53:18
That's a big statement coming from you guys. Great job. Great job.
1:53:23
Yes, sir.
1:53:29
Home run here. Great job. Thank you everybody. Great job. Great.
1:53:35
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you everybody. The best.
1:53:40
Thank you very much. Really the best ever. That's that's a nice coming from you.
1:53:46
That's a big statement. Phenomenal. Great job. Congratulations. Thank you.
1:53:52
Thank you so much. Take care. Thank you. Still need to talk. Congratulations, Mr. President. Thank you.
1:54:14
Yeah.
1:54:20
Can we go out?
1:54:27
The chair declares the joint session of the two houses now dissolved.
1:54:40
All right, buddy. This is kind of loose.
1:54:47
Unofficially, President Trump's speech was an hour and 47 minutes, the longest
1:54:53
on record. Now, we've got about 5 minutes before the Democratic response.
1:54:58
We're going to show you the numbers. We're going to take your calls a little bit later. You can see the numbers there. We want to get your response to
1:55:05
the president's State of the Union address. 202 is the area code for all of the numbers. 7488921
1:55:12
for Republicans, 7488920 for Democrats, 202788922
1:55:18
for independents. Now, if you want to send a text message and you can't get through on the phone lines, 2027488903.
1:55:27
Again, that's for text messages only. Please include your first name and your city if you would, and we'll try to get
1:55:34
to some of those as well. Well, we are here on the set to take your calls and
1:55:40
to have a conversation with our two reporter guests. We have Marissa Schultz
1:55:45
of the New York Post and Dian N Rozi of Politico joining us on the set. Marissa,
1:55:52
you listened intently and you have pages and pages of notes there. I'd love to show the audience those, but what's the
1:55:59
headline right now? So that he started off his speech by saying, "We're winning
1:56:04
so much." And I think he carried on that theme throughout the the speech. It
1:56:10
started by him honoring heroes. Uh you had that dramatic entrance for the team
1:56:15
USA, the hockey team. He immediately decided he was going to award a medal to
1:56:20
the goalie. And then this these medals just continued all throughout the night from like a a 100-year-old veteran to a
1:56:28
daring pilot to um the the wounded
1:56:34
National Guard soldier Andrew Wolf and then um he honored the family of Sarah
1:56:39
Beckrom the National Guard um soldier who was shot and killed in Washington
1:56:45
DC. So, it was a it was a theme very much of patriotism, winning, and we're
1:56:51
gonna honor heroes. And then on the flip side, it was very much a campaign speech. He was trying to flip the script
1:56:58
on Democrats regarding affordability. And he went through President Biden's
1:57:03
record on things like immigration, rising inflation, and he looked Democrats right in the eye, and he said,
1:57:09
"You caused that problem. You caused this things like rising healthcare costs." He said, "You own this." So he
1:57:14
was trying to take back the narrative that had dogged him a bit in his presidency and in approval ratings on
1:57:21
things like economic issues. Diana Nerozi, Politico, your headline.
1:57:26
I think the headline would be a change Donald Trump with a question mark because I think as we saw I think the
1:57:33
biggest surprise was just how measured he was for about 75% of his speech. I
1:57:39
was expecting a little bit more back and forth with the Democrats, but I don't think I counted any new insults or
1:57:46
nicknames in that speech. He didn't go after the Supreme Court justices and everyone was wondering how he was going
1:57:51
to handle that. He barely talked about the tariffs and he barely talked about
1:57:57
international things and really focused on domestic. So again, question mark. We'll see how this goes forward, but
1:58:03
this may be his new approach to the midterms. Now, in less than a minute, Governor Abigail Spanberger of Virginia,
1:58:10
just elected in November, will be giving the Democratic response from Williamsburg, Virginia. She'll have a
1:58:17
small audience with her. We will bring that to you live and so we might abruptly go because it's supposed to
1:58:24
start in about 30 seconds and we will bring that to you immediately. After
1:58:29
that though, we will be taking your calls. Now, if you've noticed, if you've been flipping through the C-SPAN
1:58:35
channels, you've got us on C-SPAN. There's C-SPAN 2, which was just sights and sounds, no commentary, no
1:58:41
conversation. And then on C-SPAN 3, we were showing some of the alternative state of the unions that uh some of the
1:58:48
Democrats were holding, one on the National Mall, one at the National Press Club. After the Democratic response, we
1:58:56
will be we will be here to take your calls and to hear from our two guests.
1:59:01
Now, beginning now from Williamsburg, in just a second, you're going to hear
1:59:06
Abigail Spanberger, former CIA agent, former member of Congress, just elected
1:59:12
to the governorship of Virginia, first woman governor.
1:59:25
Good evening. Good evening and welcome to historic Williamsburg. We are
1:59:31
gathered here in the chambers of the House of Burgesses. In 1705, the people
1:59:36
of the Virginia colony gathered here to take on the extraordinary task of governing themselves. Before there was a
1:59:44
declaration of independence, a constitution, or a bill of rights, there were people in this room. The people who
1:59:52
served here ultimately dreamed of what a new nation unlike anything the world had
1:59:58
ever seen could be. The United States was founded on the idea that ordinary people could reject
2:00:05
the unacceptable excesses of poor leadership, band together to demand
2:00:11
better of their government, and create a nation that would be an example for the world.
2:00:21
And this year, as we celebrate 250 years since America declared our independence
2:00:28
from tyranny, I can think of no better place to speak to you as we reflect on
2:00:34
the current state of our union. Tonight, as we watched our nation's lawmakers
2:00:40
gather for a joint session of Congress, we did not hear the truth from our
2:00:45
president. So, let's speak plainly and honestly and let me ask you, the
2:00:50
American people watching at home, three questions. Is the president working to
2:00:56
make life more affordable for you and your family? Is the president working to
2:01:02
keep Americans safe both at home and abroad? Is the president working for
2:01:08
you? As I campaigned for governor last year, I traveled to every corner of
2:01:14
Virginia and I heard the same pressing concern everywhere. Costs are too high
2:01:21
in housing, health care, energy, and child care. And I know these same
2:01:26
conversations are being had all across this country because since this
2:01:32
president took office last year, his reckless trade policies have forced
2:01:37
American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs. Small
2:01:43
businesses have suffered, farmers have suffered, some losing entire markets.
2:01:49
Every day, Americans are paying the price. And even though the Supreme Court
2:01:54
struck these tariffs down four days ago, the damage to us, the American people,
2:02:00
has already been done. Meanwhile, the president is planning for new tariffs,
2:02:06
another massive tax hike on you and your family. And Republicans in Congress,
2:02:13
they remain unwilling to assert their constitutional authority to stop him.
2:02:18
They're making your life harder. They're making your life more expensive. They're even making it more difficult to see a
2:02:25
doctor. Rural health clinics in Virginia and across the country are already
2:02:31
closing their doors thanks to the so-called one big beautiful bill championed by the president and
2:02:37
Republicans in Congress. And tonight, the president celebrated this law, the one threatening rural hospitals,
2:02:44
stripping health care for millions of Americans and driving up costs in energy
2:02:50
and housing, all while cutting food programs for hungry kids. But here in
2:02:56
Virginia, I am working with our state legislature to lower costs and make the Commonwealth more affordable.
2:03:07
And it's not just me. Democrats across the country are laser focused on affordability in our nation's capital
2:03:14
and in state capitals and communities across America. In the most innovative
2:03:19
and exceptional nation in the history of the world, Americans deserve to know
2:03:24
that their leaders are focused on addressing the problems that keep them up at night. problems that dictate where
2:03:31
you live, whether you can afford to start a business, or whether you have to skip a prescription in order to buy
2:03:38
groceries. So, I'll ask again, is the president working to make life more
2:03:44
affordable for you and your family? We all know the answer is no. I grew up in
2:03:52
a house of service. My mother was a nurse and my father was a career law enforcement officer. I began my career
2:03:59
by following in my father's footsteps as a federal agent working moneyaundering
2:04:04
and narcotics cases. I worked side by side with local and state police to keep
2:04:09
our community safe and to uphold and enforce the law. Law enforcement
2:04:14
officers across the country know that it is a unique responsibility to do the
2:04:19
serious work of investigating crimes, comforting victims, and making arrests.
2:04:25
It's about building trust and that requires an abiding sense of duty and
2:04:31
commitment to community. And yet our president has sent poorly trained
2:04:37
federal agents into our cities where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be
2:04:45
Americans. And they have done it without a warrant. They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies. They
2:04:53
have sent children, a little boy in a blue bunny hat, children to faroff
2:04:59
detention centers. And they have killed American citizens in our streets. And
2:05:05
they have done it all with their faces masked from accountability.
2:05:10
Every minute spent sewing fear is a minute not spent investigating murders, crimes against children, or the
2:05:17
criminals defrauding seniors of their life savings. Our president told us tonight that we are safer
2:05:24
because these agents arrest mothers and detain children. Think about that. Our
2:05:30
broken immigration system is something to be fixed, not an excuse for unaccountable agents to terrorize our
2:05:38
communities.
2:05:44
After working in law enforcement, I continued my career of service as a CIA officer, working undercover to protect
2:05:51
the United States and our allies from global threats, terrorism, nuclear weapons, and the aggression of
2:05:58
adversarial nations around the globe. But as the president spoke of his perceived successes tonight, he
2:06:05
continues to seed economic power and technological strength to Russia, bow
2:06:10
down to to China, bow down to a Russian dictator, and make plans for war with
2:06:17
Iran. Here's the truth. Over the last year, through Doge, mass firings, and
2:06:23
the appointment of deeply unserious people to our nation's most serious
2:06:28
positions, our president has endangered the long and storied history of the
2:06:33
United States of America being a force for good. So, I'll ask again, is the
2:06:40
president working to keep Americans safe, both at home and abroad? We all
2:06:46
know the answer is no. In his speech tonight, the president did
2:06:51
what he always does. He lied. He scapegoed. And he distracted. And he
2:06:57
offered no real solutions to our nation's pressing challenges. So many of
2:07:03
which he is actively making worse. He tries to divide us. He tries to enrage
2:07:08
us, to pit us against one another, neighbor against neighbor. And sometimes
2:07:14
he succeeds. And so you have to ask, who benefits from his rhetoric, his
2:07:20
policies, his actions, the short list of laws he's pushed through this Republican Congress? Somebody must be benefiting.
2:07:29
He's enriching himself, his family, his friends. The scale of the corruption is
2:07:35
unprecedented. There's the cover up of the Epstein files, the crypto scams,
2:07:40
cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms, putting his name and face on
2:07:46
buildings all over our nation's capital. This is not what our founders
2:07:53
envisioned. Not by a long shot.
2:08:01
So I'll ask again, is the president working for you? We all know the answer
2:08:07
is no. But here's the special thing about America. On our 250th anniversary,
2:08:15
we know better than any nation what is possible. When ordinary citizens, like
2:08:21
those who once dreamed right here in this room, reject the unacceptable and
2:08:27
demand more of their government. We see it in the determination of students
2:08:33
organizing school walkouts all across the country whose voices are becoming so
2:08:39
powerful that the governor of Texas seeks to silence them. We see it in the
2:08:44
bravery of Americans in Minnesota standing up for their communities. from
2:08:49
peacefully protesting in subzero temperatures to carpooling children to
2:08:54
school so that their immigrant parents are not ripped away from them in the
2:08:59
parking lot. As a mother of three school-aged daughters, I am inspired by
2:09:04
their bravery, but I am sickened that it is necessary. And Americans across the
2:09:11
country are taking action. They are going to the ballot box to reject this
2:09:17
chaos. With their votes, they are writing a new story, a more hopeful
2:09:22
story. In November, I won my election by 15 points.
2:09:32
And we won 13 new seats in our state legislature
2:09:39
because voters decided they wanted something different. Our campaign earned
2:09:44
votes from Democrats, Republicans, independents, and everyone in between. Because they knew as citizens they could
2:09:52
demand more, that they could vote for what they believe matters, and that they didn't need to be constrained by a party
2:09:59
or political affiliation. This is happening across the country.
2:10:04
New Jersey elected Mikey Cheryl as governor in a doubledigit victory.
2:10:13
Democrats flip state legislative seats in places like Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, and Texas. The list goes on
2:10:20
and on. Ordinary Americans are stepping up to run in the spirit of our
2:10:27
forefathers. They are running to demand more and to do more for their neighbors
2:10:32
and communities. I know the story well. I first ran for office in 2018 alongside
2:10:39
dozens of other Democrats who did the seemingly impossible, flipping 41 seats
2:10:46
in Congress. In my case, I was the first Democrat elected in 50 years, swinging
2:10:52
our district 17 points. Those who are stepping up now to run will win in
2:10:59
November because Americans, you at home, know you can demand more. And that we
2:11:06
are working to lower costs. We are working to keep our communities and our country safe and we are working for you.
2:11:19
In his farewell address, George Washington warned us about the possibility of quote cunning, ambitious,
2:11:26
and unprincipled men rising to power. But he also encouraged us, all
2:11:32
Americans, to unite in a common cause to move this nation forward. That is our
2:11:39
charge once more. And that is what we are seeing across the country. It is
2:11:45
deeply American and patriotic to do so. And it is how we ensure that the state
2:11:50
of our union remains strong, not just this year, but for the next 250
2:11:56
years as well. Because we, the people, have the power to make change, the power to stand up for what is right, the power
2:12:04
to demand more of our nation.
2:12:12
May God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia and may God bless the United States of America.
2:12:28
And that was Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger of Virginia talking in
2:12:34
Williamsburg. the Democratic response. She went about 15 minutes or so. Now,
2:12:39
Marissa Schultz, you called the president's speech on one hand an election speech.
2:12:46
Was that a campaign speech or a campaign speech? Yes. And it's it's notable that she was
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the one that was giving it. She Abigail Spamber, she won Virginia by 15 points.
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She picked up seats for Democrats in the state in the state legislature. So she is supposed to be the example of what
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Democrats can do in 2026 and November