Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of
Congress, the first lady of the United States ...

... and citizens of America, tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our
celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our nation's path
toward civil rights and the work that still remains to be done.

Recent threats ...

Recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of
Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week's shooting in Kansas City,
remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a
country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all of its
very ugly forms.

Each American generation passes the torch of truth, liberty and justice,
in an unbroken chain all the way down to the present. That torch is now
in our hands. And we will use it to light up the world.

I am here tonight to deliver a message of unity and strength, and it is
a message deeply delivered from my heart. A new chapter ...

... of American greatness is now beginning. A new national pride is
sweeping across our nation. And a new surge of optimism is placing
impossible dreams firmly within our grasp. What we are witnessing today
is the renewal of the American spirit. Our allies will find that America
is once again ready to lead.

All the nations of the world  friend or foe  will find that America is
strong, America is proud, and America is free. In nine years, the United
States will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding, 250 years
since the day we declared our independence. It will be one of the great
milestones in the history of the world.

But what will America look like as we reach our 250th year? What kind of
country will we leave for our children? I will not allow the mistakes of
recent decades past to define the course of our future.

For too long, we've watched our middle class shrink as we've exported
our jobs and wealth to foreign countries. We've financed and built one
global project after another, but ignored the fates of our children in
the inner cities of Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit and so many other places
throughout our land.

We've defended the borders of other nations while leaving our own
borders wide open for anyone to cross, and for drugs to pour in at a now
unprecedented rate. And we've spent trillions and trillions of dollars
overseas, while our infrastructure at home has so badly crumbled.

Then, in 2016, the earth shifted beneath our feet. The rebellion started
as a quiet protest, spoken by families of all colors and creeds,
families who just wanted a fair shot for their children, and a fair
hearing for their concerns.

But then the quiet voices became a loud chorus, as thousands of citizens
now spoke out together, from cities small and large, all across our
country.

Finally, the chorus became an earthquake, and the people turned out by
the tens of millions, and they were all united by one very simple, but
crucial demand, that America must put its own citizens first, because
only then can we truly make America great again.

Dying industries will come roaring back to life. Heroic veterans will
get the care they so desperately need. Our military will be given the
resources its brave warriors so richly deserve.

Crumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads, bridges,
tunnels, airports and railways, gleaming across our very, very beautiful
land. Our terrible drug epidemic will slow down and ultimately stop. And
our neglected inner cities will see a rebirth of hope, safety and
opportunity.

Above all else, we will keep our promises to the American people.

Thank you. It's been a little over a month since my inauguration, and I
want to take this moment to update the nation on the progress I've made
in keeping those promises. Since my election, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler,
General Motors, Sprint, Softbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart and many
others have announced that they will invest billions and billions of
dollars in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new
American jobs.

The stock market has gained almost $3 trillion in value since the
election on Nov. 8, a record. We've saved taxpayers hundreds of millions
of dollars by bringing down the price of fantastic  and it is a
fantastic  new F-35 jet fighter, and we'll be saving billions more on
contracts all across our government.

We have placed a hiring freeze on nonmilitary and nonessential federal
workers.

We have begun to drain the swamp of government corruption by imposing a
five-year ban on lobbying by executive branch officials  and a lifetime
ban ...

Thank you. Thank you. And a lifetime ban on becoming lobbyists for a
foreign government. We have undertaken a historic effort to massively
reduce job-crushing regulations, creating a deregulation task force
inside of every government agency ...

... and we're imposing a new rule which mandates that for every one new
regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated.

We're going to stop the regulations that threaten the future and
livelihood of our great coal miners.

We have cleared the way for the construction of the Keystone and Dakota
Access Pipelines ...

... thereby creating tens of thousands of jobs. And I've issued a new
directive that new American pipelines be made with American steel.

We have withdrawn the United States from the job-killing Trans-Pacific
Partnership.

And with the help of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we have formed a
council with our neighbors in Canada to help ensure that women
entrepreneurs have access to the networks, markets and capital they need
to start a business and live out their financial dreams.

To protect our citizens, I have directed the Department of Justice to
form a task force on reducing violent crime. I have further ordered the
Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, along with the Department
of State and the director of national intelligence, to coordinate an
aggressive strategy to dismantle the criminal cartels that have spread
all across our nation.

We will stop the drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our
youth, and we will expand treatment for those who have become so badly
addicted.

At the same time, my administration has answered the pleas of the
American people for immigration enforcement and border security.

By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the
unemployed, save billions and billions of dollars, and make our
communities safer for everyone.

We want all Americans to succeed, but that can't happen in an
environment of lawless chaos.

We must restore integrity and the rule of law at our borders.

For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great, great
wall along our southern border.

As we speak tonight, we are removing gang members, drug dealers and
criminals that threaten our communities and prey on our very innocent
citizens. Bad ones are going out as I speak, and as I promised
throughout the campaign. To any in Congress who do not believe we should
enforce our laws, I would ask you this one question: What would you say
to the American family that loses their jobs, their income or their
loved one because America refused to uphold its laws and defend its
borders?

Our obligation is to serve, protect and defend the citizens of the
United States. We are also taking strong measures to protect our nation
from radical Islamic terrorism.

According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast
majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism-related
offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country. We have seen
the attacks at home, from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and,
yes, even the World Trade Center. We have seen the attacks in France, in
Belgium, in Germany and all over the world.

It is not compassionate, but reckless to allow uncontrolled entry from
places where proper vetting cannot occur.

Those given the high honor of admission to the United States should
support this country and love its people and its values. We cannot allow
a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America, and we cannot allow our
nation to become a sanctuary for extremists.

That is why my administration has been working on improved vetting
procedures, and we will shortly take new steps to keep our nation safe,
and to keep those out who will do us harm.

As promised, I directed the Department of Defense to develop a plan to
demolish and destroy ISIS, a network of lawless savages that have
slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women and children of all
faiths and all beliefs. We will work with our allies, including our
friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy
from our planet.

I have also imposed new sanctions on entities and individuals who
support Iran's ballistic missile program, and reaffirmed our unbreakable
alliance with the state of Israel.

Finally, I have kept my promise to appoint a justice to the United
States Supreme Court, from my list of 20 judges, who will defend our
Constitution.

I am greatly honored to have Maureen Scalia with us in the gallery
tonight.

Thank you, Maureen. Her late, great husband, Antonin Scalia, will
forever be a symbol of American justice.

To fill his seat, we have chosen Judge Neil Gorsuch, a man of incredible
skill and deep devotion to the law. He was confirmed unanimously by the
Court of Appeals, and I am asking the Senate to swiftly approve his
nomination.

Tonight, as I outline the next steps we must take as a country, we must
honestly acknowledge the circumstances we inherited. Ninety-four million
Americans are out of the labor force. Over 43 million people are now
living in poverty. And over 43 million Americans are on food stamps.

More than one in five people in their prime working years are not
working. We have the worst financial recovery in 65 years. In the last
eight years, the past administration has put on more new debt than
nearly all of the other presidents combined.

We've lost more than one-fourth of our manufacturing jobs since Nafta
was approved, and we've lost 60,000 factories since China joined the
World Trade Organization in 2001. Our trade deficit in goods with the
world last year was nearly $800 billion. And overseas, we have inherited
a series of tragic foreign policy disasters.

Solving these and so many other pressing problems will require us to
work past the differences of party. It will require us to tap into the
American spirit that has overcome every challenge throughout our long
and storied history. But to accomplish our goals at home and abroad, we
must restart the engine of the American economy, making it easier for
companies to do business in the United States and much, much harder for
companies to leave our country.

Right now, American companies are taxed at one of the highest rates
anywhere in the world. My economic team is developing historic tax
reform that will reduce the tax rate on our companies so they can
compete and thrive anywhere and with anyone.

It will be a big, big cut.

At the same time, we will provide massive tax relief for the middle
class. We must create a level playing field for American companies and
our workers  have to do it.

Currently, when we ship products out of America, many other countries
make us pay very high tariffs and taxes, but when foreign companies ship
their products into America, we charge them nothing or almost nothing.

I just met with officials and workers from a great American company,
Harley-Davidson. In fact, they proudly displayed five of their
magnificent motorcycles, made in the U.S.A., on the front lawn of the
White House.

And they wanted me to ride one, and I said, "No, thank you."

At our meeting, I asked them, "How are you doing? How is business?" They
said that it's good. I asked them further, "How are you doing with other
countries, mainly international sales?"

They told me  without even complaining, because they have been so
mistreated for so long that they've become used to it  that it's very
hard to do business with other countries, because they tax our goods at
such a high rate. They said that in the case of another country, they
taxed their motorcycles at 100 percent.

They weren't even asking for a change. But I am. I believe ...

I believe strongly in free trade, but it also has to be fair trade. It's
been a long time since we had fair trade.

The first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, warned that "the
abandonment of the protective policy by the American government will
produce want and ruin among our people."

Lincoln was right, and it's time we heeded his advice and his words.

I am not going to let America and its great companies and workers be
taken  advantage of us any longer. They have taken advantage of our
country no longer.

I am going to bring back millions of jobs. Protecting our workers also
means reforming our system of legal immigration.

The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers and
puts great pressure on taxpayers. Nations around the world, like Canada,
Australia and many others, have a merit-based immigration system.

It's a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be
able to support themselves financially. Yet in America we do not enforce
this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens
rely upon.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration
system costs American taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.
Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration,
and instead adopting a merit-based system, we will have so many more
benefits. It will save countless dollars, raise workers' wages and help
struggling families, including immigrant families, enter the middle
class. And they will do it quickly, and they will be very, very happy,
indeed.

I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long
as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for
Americans, to strengthen our nation's security and to restore respect
for our laws.

If we are guided by the well-being of American citizens, then I believe
Republicans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that
has eluded our country for decades.

Another Republican president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, initiated the last
truly great national infrastructure program: the building of the
interstate highway system. The time has come for a new program of
national rebuilding.

America has spent approximately $6 trillion in the Middle East, all the
while our infrastructure at home is crumbling.

With the $6 trillion, we could have rebuilt our country twice, and maybe
even three times, if we had people who had the ability to negotiate.

To launch our national rebuilding, I will be asking Congress to approve
legislation that produces a $1 trillion investment in infrastructure of
the United States, financed through both public and private capital,
creating millions of new jobs.

This effort will be guided by two core principles: Buy American and hire
American.

Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace
Obamacare ...

... with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs and at
the same time provide better health care.

Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was
never the right solution for our country.

The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the
cost of health insurance, and that is what we are going to do.

Obamacare premiums nationwide have increased by double and triple
digits. As an example, Arizona went up 116 percent last year alone. Gov.
Matt Bevin of Kentucky just said Obamacare is failing in his state, the
state of Kentucky, and it's unsustainable and collapsing.

One third of the counties have only one insurer, and they're losing them
fast, they are losing them so fast. They're leaving. And many Americans
have no choice at all. There's no choice left.

Remember when you were told that you could keep your doctor and keep
your plan? We now know that all of those promises have been totally
broken. Obamacare is collapsing, and we must act decisively to protect
all Americans.

Action is not a choice; it is a necessity. So I am calling on all
Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work with us to save Americans
from this imploding Obamacare disaster.

Here are the principles that should guide Congress as we move to create
a better health care system for all Americans.

First, we should ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have
access to coverage and that we have a stable transition for Americans
currently enrolled in the health care exchanges.

Secondly, we should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through
the use of tax credits and expanded health savings accounts, but it must
be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by our government.

Thirdly, we should give our state governors the resources and
flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out.

Fourth, we should implement legal reforms that protect patients and
doctors from unnecessary costs that drive up the price of insurance and
work to bring down the artificially high price of drugs and bring them
down immediately.

And finally, the time has come to give Americans the freedom to purchase
health insurance across state lines ...

... which will create a truly competitive national marketplace that will
bring costs way down and provide far better care. So important.

Everything that is broken in our country can be fixed. Every problem can
be solved. And every hurting family can find healing and hope. Our
citizens deserve this, and so much more, so why not join forces and
finally get the job done and get it done right?

On this and so many other things, Democrats and Republicans should get
together and unite for the good of our country and for the good of the
American people.

My administration wants to work with members of both parties to make
child care accessible and affordable, to help ensure new parents that
they have paid family leave ...

... to invest in women's health, and to promote clean air and clean
water, and to rebuild our military and our infrastructure.

True love for our people requires us to find common ground, to advance
the common good, and to cooperate on behalf of every American child who
deserves a much brighter future.

An incredible young woman is with us this evening who should serve as an
inspiration to us all. Today is Rare Disease Day, and joining us in the
gallery is a rare disease survivor, Megan Crowley. Megan ...

Megan was diagnosed with Pompe disease, a rare and serious illness, when
she was 15 months old. She was not expected to live past 5. On receiving
this news, Megan's dad, John, fought with everything he had to save the
life of his precious child. He founded a company to look for a cure and
helped develop the drug that saved Megan's life. Today she is 20 years
old and a sophomore at Notre Dame.

Megan's story is about the unbounded power of a father's love for a
daughter. But our slow and burdensome approval process at the Food and
Drug Administration keeps too many advances, like the one that saved
Megan's life, from reaching those in need.

If we slash the restraints, not just at the F.D.A. but across our
government, then we will be blessed with far more miracles just like
Megan.

In fact, our children will grow up in a nation of miracles. But to
achieve this future, we must enrich the mind  and the souls  of every
American child. Education is the civil rights issue of our time.

I am calling upon members of both parties to pass an education bill that
funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of
African-American and Latino children.

These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter,
magnet, religious or home school that is right for them.

Joining us tonight in the gallery is a remarkable woman, Denisha
Merriweather. As a young girl, Denisha struggled in school and failed
third grade twice. But then she was able to enroll in a private center
for learning  great learning center  with the help of a tax credit and a
scholarship program. Today, she is the first in her family to graduate,
not just from high school, but from college. Later this year, she will
get her master's degree in social work. We want all children to be able
to break the cycle of poverty just like Denisha.

But to break the cycle of poverty, we must also break the cycle of
violence. The murder rate in 2015 experienced its largest single-year
increase in nearly half a century. In Chicago, more than 4,000 people
were shot last year alone, and the murder rate so far this year has been
even higher. This is not acceptable in our society.

Every American child should be able to grow up in a safe community, to
attend a great school and to have access to a high-paying job.

But to create this future, we must work with  not against  not against 
the men and women of law enforcement.

We must build bridges of cooperation and trust, not drive the wedge of
disunity and it's  really, it's what it is, division. It's pure,
unadulterated division. We have to unify. Police and sheriffs are
members of our community. They're friends and neighbors, they're mothers
and fathers, sons and daughters, and they leave behind loved ones every
day who worry about whether or not they'll come home safe and sound. We
must support the incredible men and women of law enforcement.

And we must support the victims of crime. I have ordered the Department
of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American victims. The
office is called Voice, Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement.

We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media and
silenced by special interests. Joining us ...

Joining us in the audience tonight are four very brave Americans whose
government failed them. Their names are Jamiel Shaw, Susan Oliver, Jenna
Oliver and Jessica Davis. Jamiel's 17-year-old son was viciously
murdered by an illegal immigrant gang member who had just been released
from prison. Jamiel Shaw Jr. was an incredible young man with unlimited
potential who was getting ready to go to college, where he would have
excelled as a great college quarterback.

But he never got the chance. His father, who is in the audience tonight,
has become a very good friend of mine. Jamiel, thank you. Thank you.

Also with us are Susan Oliver and Jessica Davis. Their husbands  Deputy
Sheriff Danny Oliver and Detective Michael Davis  were slain in the line
of duty in California. They were pillars of their community. These brave
men were viciously gunned down by an illegal immigrant with a criminal
record and two prior deportations. Should have never been in our
country.

Sitting with Susan is her daughter, Jenna. Jenna, I want you to know
that your father was a hero and that tonight you have the love of an
entire country supporting you and praying for you.

To Jamiel, Jenna, Susan and Jessica, I want you to know that we will
never stop fighting for justice. Your loved ones will never, ever be
forgotten. We will always honor their memory.

Finally, to keep America safe, we must provide the men and women of the
United States military with the tools they need to prevent war  if they
must  they have to fight and they only have to win.

I am sending Congress a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates
the defense sequester...

... and calls for one of the largest increases in national defense
spending in American history.

My budget will also increase funding for our veterans. Our veterans have
delivered for this nation, and now we must deliver for them.

The challenges we face as a nation are great. But our people are even
greater. And none are greater or braver than those who fight for America
in uniform.

We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of U.S.
Navy special operator, Senior Chief William "Ryan" Owens. Ryan died as
he lived, a warrior and a hero, battling against terrorism and securing
our nation.

I just spoke to our great General [Jim] Mattis just now who reconfirmed
that, and I quote, "Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that
generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many
more victories in the future against our enemy."

Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity. Thank you.

And Ryan is looking down right now. You know that. And he's very happy,
because I think he just broke a record.

For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay
down one's life for one's friends. Ryan laid down his life for his
friends, for his country and for our freedom. And we will never forget
Ryan.

To those allies who wonder what kind of a friend America will be, look
no further than the heroes who wear our uniform. Our foreign policy
calls for a direct, robust and meaningful engagement with the world. It
is American leadership based on vital security interests that we share
with our allies all across the globe.

We strongly support NATO, an alliance forged through the bonds of two
world wars, that dethroned fascism ...

... and a Cold War and defeated communism.

But our partners must meet their financial obligations. And now, based
on our very strong and frank discussions, they are beginning to do just
that. In fact, I can tell you the money is pouring in. Very nice.

We expect our partners, whether in NATO, in the Middle East or in the
Pacific, to take a direct and meaningful role in both strategic and
military operations, and pay their fair share of the cost  have to do
that.

We will respect historic institutions, but we will respect the foreign
rights of all nations. And they have to respect our rights as a nation,
also.

Free nations are the best vehicle for expressing the will of the people,
and America respects the right of all nations to chart their own path.
My job is not to represent the world. My job is to represent the United
States of America.

But we know that America is better off when there is less conflict, not
more. We must learn from the mistakes of the past. We have seen the war
and the destruction that have ravaged and raged throughout the world.
All across the world.

The only long-term solution for these humanitarian disasters, in many
cases, is to create the conditions where displaced persons can safely
return home and begin the long, long process of rebuilding.

America is willing to find new friends, and to forge new partnerships,
where shared interests align. We want harmony and stability, not war and
conflict. We want peace, wherever peace can be found. America is friends
today with former enemies. Some of our closest allies, decades ago,
fought on the opposite side of these terrible, terrible wars. This
history should give us all faith in the possibilities for a better
world.

Hopefully, the 250th year for America will see a world that is more
peaceful, more just, and more free.

On our 100th anniversary in 1876, citizens from across our nation came
to Philadelphia to celebrate America's centennial. At that celebration,
the country's builders and artists and inventors showed off their
wonderful creations. Alexander Graham Bell displayed his telephone for
the first time. Remington unveiled the first typewriter. An early
attempt was made at electric light. Thomas Edison showed an automatic
telegraph and an electric pen. Imagine the wonders our country could
know in America's 250th year.

Think of the marvels we could achieve if we simply set free the dreams
of our people. Cures to the illnesses that have always plagued us are
not too much to hope. American footprints on distant worlds are not too
big a dream. Millions lifted from welfare to work is not too much to
expect. And streets where mothers are safe from fear  schools where
children learn in peace, and jobs where Americans prosper and grow  are
not too much to ask.

When we have all of this, we will have made America greater than ever
before, for all Americans. This is our vision. This is our mission. But
we can only get there together. We are one people, with one destiny.

We all bleed the same blood. We all salute the same great American flag.
And we are all made by the same God.

When we fulfill this vision, when we celebrate our 250 years of glorious
freedom, we will look back on tonight as when this new chapter of
American greatness began. The time for small thinking is over. The time
for trivial fights is behind us. We just need the courage to share the
dreams that fill our hearts, the bravery to express the hopes that stir
our souls, and the confidence to turn those hopes and those dreams into
action.

From now on, America will be empowered by our aspirations, not burdened
by our fears, inspired by the future, not bound by failures of the past,
and guided by a vision, not blinded by our doubts.

I am asking all citizens to embrace this renewal of the American spirit.
I am asking all members of Congress to join me in dreaming big and bold
and daring things for our country. I am asking everyone watching tonight
to seize this moment. Believe in yourselves. Believe in your future. And
believe, once more, in America.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States.