LIVE: President Trump's first State of the Union address
At 9:00 pm EST Melania Trump is greeted with applause.
At 9:01 pm EST the members of the cabinet are announced.
At 9:06 pm EST the President of the United States of America is announced followed by extended applause that lasts for 4 minutes.
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It was a year ago that I stood here... Even from that night first night we have taken swift action to "make America great again" for all Americans.
We have endured hardship and seen victory...
Each test shows us what we can be.
[gives examples]
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POTUS introduces Steve Scalise
We need to have unity among the people... These are the people we serve.
POTUS praises the American spirit...
"The State of the Union is strong because our people are strong."
Together we are building a SAFE, STRONG and PROUD America...
[gives examples]
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- Millions of Americans will have more take-home pay starting next month - a lot more!
- We repealed Obamacare
- We slashed the business tax from 35% all the way down to 21% so that American companies can compete and win anywhere in the world
- All of this will increase the average family income by $4,000
- 3,000,000 workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses
- Apple have just hired another 20,000 workers
- Exon Mobil have just announced a $50,000,000 investment in the USA
To every citizen watching at home tonight, this is your time... You can dream anything, you can be anything... And together, we can achieve absolutely anything.
Tonight I want to talk about what kind of a future we are going to have...
We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny and the same great American flag.
In America, we know that faith and family are the cornerstones... Our motto: "In God we Trust".
We celebrate our police, military and veterans as heros who deserve our unwavering support.
- We are taking our 2nd Amendment seriously and take strong measures to protect religious freedom.
- We are giving our veterans choice in their healthcare decisions.
- Last year we signed the VA Accountability Act (2017)
- We are hiring people who love our Vets as much as we do
- I will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of
All Americans deserve accountability and respect.
Reward good workers and remove people who fail the American people.
We have eliminated more regulations in our first year than in the entire history of our country.
We have eliminated more regulations in our first year than in the entire history of our country.
We have ended the war on energy... We have ended the war on beautiful clean coal.
We are now an exporter of energy to the world.
[examples]
Detroit - reinvigorating the Detroit motor industry
Alabama - a big plant being opened up in the motor industry
"We haven't seen this in a long time. It's all coming back."
This is all news Americans have become unaccustomed to hearing.
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- Last year, the FDA approved more medicines and devices than ever before in our country's history.
- We also believe that people with terminal illnesses should be able to access medicines that are still in the testing stages. We want to give these Americans the right to try.
- One of my priorities is to reduce the price of prescription drugs. In many other countries these drugs cost far less than what is being paid in other countries. It is very, very unfair. This will become one of my top priorities for the year.
- Prices will come down - Watch !!
Trade deals have stripped our nation of its wealth. The era of total surrender is over. Fair and reciprocal trade.
We will work to fix bad trade deals... We will protect American workers through enforcement of our trade rules.
As we rebuild our industries, it is also time to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. America is a nation of builders.
[examples]
I'm asking for both parties to come together to give us safe infrastructure...
- We need to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit, and we can do it.
- We need to get approval times down to within 2 years, and even down to 1 year.
- We will build gleaming new bridges and roads with American heart, American hands and American grit.
- Dignity, Safety and Pride.
- We can lift our citizens from dependence to independence, from poverty to prosperity...
- As tax cuts create new jobs we will invest in job training, which we need so badly.
- Let's open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential.
- Let's support paid family leave.
- Our prisoners will get a second chance at life.
- For decades, drugs have poured into our communities
- Immigrants have been responsible for the loss of many lives.
- We propose measures that will fix the loopholes of our current immigration policies so that these travesties can never, ever happen again [example]
- The United States is a compassionate nation.
- As POTUS my greatest loyalty is for American children, American workers and struggling American communities.
- We will work with both parties to protect our citizens of every background, color and creed.
Americans are dreamers too!
Example: CJ has been helping to get MS13 off the streets and into prisons.
The House and Senate are creating new legislation around immigration policy - a fair compromise - but where our country gets the reforms it must have.
Here are the 4 pillars of our plan:
- A path to citizenship for 1.8 million people who were brought here illegally by their parents. They will be able to become citizens of the USA over a 12-year period.
- The second pillar fully secures our border - to keep our communities safe. Our plan ends the horrible practice of "catch and release".
- The end of the "Visa Lottery" which totally disregards the safety of the American people. It's time we move toward a merit-based system that invites people in who respect and love our country.
- The fourth pillar will end "chain migration". We will limit sponsorships to spouses and minor children.
It's time to move forward and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century. These 4 pillars represent a compromise. For 30 years Washington has been trying to solve this problem, and failed.
It has always been my pledge to "put America first".
Let's come together, put politics aside and finally, get the job done.
These measures will also solve much of the problem on opioid addiction. We must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers if we are going to stop this scourge.
Our administration is committed to fighting this epidemic. Our struggle will be long and difficult... but in the end, we will succeed, we will prevail.
[example] Police officer Ryan said to the homeless woman: "You will do it because you can."
"Rebecca and Ryan, you embody the goodness of our nation." - POTUS
"Rebecca and Ryan, you embody the goodness of our nation." - POTUS
I promised last year we would extinguish ISIS from the face of the earth. We have now taken back nearly 100% of the territory that they held only 1 year ago in Syria, Iraq, and in other locations as well.
But there is much more to be done. We will continue our fight against ISIS.
[example]
Terrorists who do things like placing bombs in civilian hospitals deserve to be annihilated. They are enemy combatants. In the past we have released 100s of dangerous terrorists who we meet again and again on the battlefield.
I have just signed an order to re-examine our military detention policy, and to keep open our facilities in Guantanamo Bay. In our fight against ISIS and Al Qaeda we need to have places to send them to. We need Guantanamo.
We no longer tell our enemies our plans.
Last month I took an action to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Shortly after, dozens of nations voted against America in the UN. From now on, American assistance dollars must go to friends of America, not enemies.
As we strengthen friendships all around the world, we are also clarifying our adversaries. America stands with the people of Iran in their corageous struggle for freedom.
I am asking Congress to address the fundamental flaws in the deal with Iran.
Also to do with Cuba and Venezuela.
No country has oppressed its people more than the country of North Korea. We are waging a war of maximum pressure to prevent that from happening. I will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this predicament. North Korea poses a threat to America and our allies. This is a menace that threatens the world.
[example]
Sung Ho - escaped North Korea even though he was a young boy on crutches.
Our early pioneers had a revolutionary idea that they could rule themselves and chart their own destiny. This is what our country has always been about. That is what Americans have always stood for, have strived for and have always done.
On top of the dome of this building stands the "Statue of Freedom". "Freedom" stands tall over this living monument - This is the monument to the American people.
This capital, this city, this nation belongs entirely to Americans. Our task is to serve and protect Americans. They remind us what we should never ever forget. The people have dreamed this country, have built this country. It is the people who are making "America great again".
As long as we are proud of who we are and what we are fighting for, there is nothing we can not achieve. As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our citizens and trust in our God, we will never fail. Our families will thrive, our people will prosper, and our nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and free.
Thank you, and God bless America.
Goodnight.
POTUS
At the very end during the meet and greet...
... this inquirer in the blue tie asked: "Are you going to release the memo?"
President DonaldTrump responded: "Don't worry about it. 100 percent."
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This is not a full transcript.
Thank you.
BronnyNZ
Video capture here > Trump on memo release: "100%" #ReleaseTheMemo #StateOfTheUnion
