[applause]
-I am thrilled to report to you tonight
that our economy is the best it has ever been.
Our military is completely rebuilt,
with its power being unmatched anywhere in the world,
and it's not even close.
Our borders are secure.
Our families are flourishing.
Our values are renewed.
Our pride is restored.
And for all of these reasons,
I say to the people of our great country
and to the members of Congress,
the state of our Union is stronger than ever before.
[applause]
The vision I will lay out this evening
demonstrates how we are building the world's most prosperous
and inclusive society, one where every citizen can join
in America's unparalleled success
and where every community can take part
in America's extraordinary rise.
From the instant I took office,
I moved rapidly to revive the U.S. economy,
slashing a record number of job-killing regulations,
enacting historic and record-setting tax cuts,
and fighting for fair and reciprocal trade agreements.
[applause]
Our agenda is relentlessly pro-worker, pro-family,
pro-growth, and, most of all, pro-American.
[applause]
Thank you.
[applause continues]
Thank you.
We are advancing with unbridled optimism
and lifting our citizens of every race, color,
religion, and creed very, very high.
Since my election, we have created 7 million new jobs --
five million more than government experts projected
during the previous administration.
[applause]
The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century.
[applause]
And very incredibly, the average unemployment rate
under my administration is lower
than any administration in the history of our country.
True.
[applause]
If we hadn't reversed the failed economic policies
of the previous administration, the world would not now be
witnessing this great economic success.
[applause and boos]
The unemployment rate for African-Americans,
Hispanic Americans, and Asian-Americans
has reached the lowest levels in history.
[applause]
African-American youth unemployment
has reached an all-time low.
[applause]
African-American poverty has declined
to the lowest rate ever recorded.
[applause]
The unemployment rate for women reached the lowest level
in almost 70 years.
And, last year, women filled 72% of all new jobs added.
[applause]
The veterans unemployment rate dropped to a record low.
[applause]
The unemployment rate for disabled Americans
has reached an all-time low.
[applause]
Workers without a high school diploma have achieved
the lowest unemployment rate recorded in U.S. history.
[applause]
A record number of young Americans are now employed.
[applause]
Under the last administration,
more than 10 million people were added to the food stamp rolls.
Under my administration,
7 million Americans have come off food stamps,
and 10 million people have been lifted off of welfare.
[applause]
In eight years under the last administration, over 300,000
working-age people dropped out of the workforce.
In just three years of my administration,
3.5 million people -- working-age people --
have joined the workforce.
[applause]
Since my election, the net worth
of the bottom half of wage earners has increased by 47% --
three times faster than the increase for the top 1%.
[applause]
After decades of flat and falling incomes,
wages are rising fast --
and, wonderfully, they are rising fastest
for low-income workers,
who have seen a 16% pay increase since my election.
[applause]
This is a blue-collar boom.
[applause]
Real median household income
is now at the highest level ever recorded.
[applause]
Since my election, U.S. stock markets have soared 70%,
adding more than $12 trillion to our nation's wealth,
transcending anything anyone believed was possible.
This is a record.
It is something that every country in the world
is looking up to, they admire.
[applause]
Consumer confidence has just reached amazing new highs.
All of those millions of people with 401(k)s and pensions
are doing far better than they have ever done before,
with increases of 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100%, and even more.
Jobs and investments are pouring into 9,000 previously neglected
neighborhoods thanks to Opportunity Zones,
a plan spearheaded by Senator Tim Scott
as part of our great Republican tax cuts.
[applause]
In other words, wealthy people and companies are pouring money
into poor neighborhoods or areas that haven't seen investment
in many decades, creating jobs, energy, and excitement.
[applause]
This is the first time that these deserving communities
have seen anything like this.
It's all working.
Opportunity Zones are helping Americans
like Army veteran Tony Rankins from Cincinnati, Ohio.
After struggling with drug addiction,
Tony lost his job, his house, and his family.
He was homeless.
But then Tony found a construction company
that invests in Opportunity Zones.
He is now a top tradesman, drug-free,
reunited with his family, and he is here tonight.
Tony, keep up the great work.
Tony.
[applause]
Thank you, Tony.
Our roaring economy has, for the first time ever,
given many former prisoners the ability to get a great job
and a fresh start.
This second chance at life is made possible because we passed
landmark criminal justice reform into law.
Everybody said that criminal justice reform couldn't be done,
but I got it done, and the people in this room got it done.
[applause]
Thanks to our bold regulatory reduction campaign,
the United States has become the number one producer of oil
and natural gas anywhere in the world, by far.
[applause]
With the tremendous progress we have made
over the past three years,
America is now energy independent, and energy jobs,
like so many other elements of our country,
are at a record high.
[applause]
We are doing numbers that no one would have thought possible
just three years ago.
Likewise, we are restoring our nation's manufacturing might,
even though predictions were, as you all know,
that this could never, ever be done.
After losing 60,000 factories
under the previous two administrations,
America has now gained 12,000 new factories
under my administration, with thousands upon thousands
of plants and factories being planned or being built.
[applause]
Companies are not leaving -- they are coming back to the USA.
[applause]
The fact is that everybody wants to be where the action is,
and the United States of America is indeed the place
where the action is.
[applause]
One of the biggest promises I made to the American people
was to replace the disastrous NAFTA trade deal.
[applause]
In fact, unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason
that I decided to run for President.
Following NAFTA's adoption,
our nation lost one in four manufacturing jobs.
Many politicians came and went,
pledging to change or replace NAFTA,
only to do so, and then absolutely nothing happened.
But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises.
We did our job.
[applause]
Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand-new
U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement into law.
The USMCA will create nearly 100,000
new, high-paying American auto jobs
and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers,
and factory workers.
[applause]
It will also bring trade with Mexico and Canada
to a much higher level, but also
to be a much greater degree of fairness and reciprocity.
We will have that -- fairness and reciprocity.
And I say that, finally, because it's been many, many years
that we were treated fairly on trade.
[applause]
This is the first major trade deal in many years
to earn the strong backing of America's labor unions.
[applause]
I also promised our citizens that I would impose tariffs
to confront China's massive theft of America's jobs.
Our strategy has worked.
Days ago, we signed the groundbreaking new agreement
with China that will defend our workers,
protect our intellectual property,
bring billions and billions of dollars into our treasury,
and open vast new markets for products
made and grown right here in the USA.
[applause]
For decades, China has taken advantage of the United States.
Now we have changed that, but, at the same time,
we have perhaps the best relationship
we've ever had with China, including with President Xi.
They respect what we've done because, quite frankly,
they could never really believe that they were able
to get away with what they were doing
year after year, decade after decade,
without someone in our country stepping up and saying,
"That's enough."
[applause]
Now we want to rebuild our country,
and that's exactly what we're doing.
We are rebuilding our country.
As we restore American leadership
throughout the world,
we are once again standing up for freedom in our hemisphere.
[applause]
That's why my administration reversed the failing policies
of the previous administration on Cuba.
[applause]
We are supporting the hopes of Cubans, Nicaraguans,
and Venezuelans to restore democracy.
The United States is leading a 59-nation diplomatic coalition
against the socialist dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.
[applause]
Maduro is an illegitimate ruler,
a tyrant who brutalizes his people.
But Maduro's grip on tyranny will be smashed and broken.
Here this evening is a very brave man who carries with him
the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of all Venezuelans.
Joining us in the gallery is
the true and legitimate president of Venezuela,
Juan Guaidó. [applause]
Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland.
[applause]
Thank you, Mr. President.
Great honor. Thank you very much.
Please take this message back, that all Americans are united
with the Venezuelan people
in their righteous struggle for freedom.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
[applause]
Thank you very much.
Socialism destroys nations.
But always remember -- freedom unifies the soul.
[applause]
To safeguard American liberty, we have invested
a record-breaking $2.2 trillion in the United States military.
[applause]
We have purchased the finest planes, missiles, rockets,
ships, and every other form of military equipment,
and it's all made right here in the USA.
[applause]
We are also getting our allies, finally,
to help pay their fair share.
[applause]
I have raised contributions from other NATO members
by more than $400 billion,
and the number of Allies meeting their minimum obligations
has more than doubled.
And just weeks ago, for the first time
since President Truman established the Air Force
more than 70 years earlier,
we created a brand-new branch of the United States Armed Forces.
It's called the Space Force.
[applause]
Very important.
In the gallery tonight, we have a young gentleman.
And what he wants so badly -- 13 years old -- Iain Lanphier.
He's an eighth grader from Arizona.
Iain, please stand up.
Iain has always dreamed of going to space.
He was the first in his class
and among the youngest at an aviation academy.
He aspires to go to the Air Force Academy,
and then he has his eye on the Space Force.
As Iain says, "Most people look up at space.
I want to look down on the world."
[Laughter and applause]
But sitting behind Iain tonight
is his greatest hero of them all.
Charles McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio,
one century ago.
Charles is one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen --
the first black fighter pilots --
and he also happens to be Iain's great-grandfather.
[applause]
Incredible story.
After more than 130 combat missions in World War II,
he came back home to a country
still struggling for civil rights
and went on to serve America in Korea and Vietnam.
On December 7th, Charles celebrated his 100th birthday.
[applause]
A few weeks ago, I signed a bill
promoting Charles McGee to Brigadier General.
And earlier today,
I pinned the stars on his shoulders in the Oval Office.
General McGee, our nation salutes you.
Thank you, sir.
[applause]
From the pilgrims to the Founders,
from the soldiers at Valley Forge
to the marchers at Selma,
and from President Lincoln to the Reverend Martin Luther King,
Americans have always rejected limits on our children's future.
Members of Congress, we must never forget
that the only victories that matter in Washington
are victories that deliver for the American people.
[applause]
The people are the heart of our country,
their dreams are the soul of our country,
and their love is what powers and sustains our country.
We must always remember that our job is to put America first.
[applause]
The next step forward in building an inclusive society
is making sure that every young American gets a great education
and the opportunity to achieve the American dream.
Yet, for too long, countless American children
have been trapped in failing government schools.
To rescue these students, 18 states have created
school choice in the form of Opportunity Scholarships.
The programs are so popular that tens of thousands of students
remain on a waiting list.
One of those students is Janiyah Davis,
a fourth grader from Philadelphia.
Janiyah.
[applause]
Janiyah's mom, Stephanie, is a single parent.
She would do anything to give her daughter a better future.
But last year, that future was put further out of reach
when Pennsylvania's governor vetoed legislation
to expand school choice to 50,000 children.
Janiyah and Stephanie are in the gallery.
Stephanie, thank you so much for being here
with your beautiful daughter. Thank you very much.
[applause]
But, Janiyah, I have some good news for you,
because I am pleased to inform you that your long wait is over.
I can proudly announce tonight
that an Opportunity Scholarship has become available,
it's going to you, and you will soon be heading
to the school of your choice.
[applause]
Now I call on Congress to give one million American children
the same opportunity Janiyah has just received.
Pass the Education Freedom Scholarships
and Opportunities Act, because no parent should be forced
to send their child to a failing government school.
[applause]
Every young person should have a safe and secure environment
in which to learn and to grow.
For this reason, our magnificent first lady has launched
the Be Best initiative to advance a safe, healthy,
supportive, and drug-free life for the next generation,
online, in school, and in our communities.
Thank you, Melania, for your extraordinary love
and profound care for America's children.
Thank you very much.
[applause]
My administration is determined to give our citizens
the opportunities they need regardless of age or background.
Through our Pledge to American Workers, over 400 companies
will also provide new jobs and education opportunities
to almost 15 million Americans.
My budget also contains an exciting vision
for our nation's high schools.
Tonight, I ask Congress to support our students
and back my plan to offer vocational
and technical education in every single high school in America.
[applause]
To expand equal opportunity, I am also proud
that we achieved record and permanent funding
for our nation's historically black colleges and universities.
[applause]
A good life for American families also requires
the most affordable, innovative,
and high-quality healthcare system on Earth.
Before I took office, health insurance premiums
had more than doubled in just five years.
I moved quickly to provide affordable alternatives.
Our new plans are up to 60% less expensive -- and better.
[applause]
I've also made an ironclad pledge to American families --
We will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions.
[applause]
And we will always protect your Medicare,
and we will always protect your Social Security.
Always.
[applause]
The American patient should never be blindsided
by medical bills.
That is why I signed an executive order
requiring price transparency.
[applause]
Many experts believe that transparency,
which will go into full effect at the beginning of next year,
will be even bigger than healthcare reform.
[applause]
It will save families massive amounts of money
for substantially better care.
But as we work to improve Americans' healthcare,
there are those who want to take away your healthcare,
take away your doctor,
and abolish private insurance entirely.
[crowd booing]
132 lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation
to impose a socialist takeover of our healthcare system,
wiping out the private health insurance plans
of 180 million very happy Americans.
To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know,
we will never let socialism destroy American healthcare.
[applause]
Over 130 legislators in this chamber
have endorsed legislation that would bankrupt our nation
by providing free taxpayer-funded healthcare
to millions of illegal aliens,
forcing taxpayers to subsidize free care
for anyone in the world who unlawfully crosses our borders.
These proposals would raid the Medicare benefits of our seniors
and that our seniors depend on,
while acting as a powerful lure for illegal immigration.
That is what is happening in California and other states.
Their systems are totally out of control,
costing taxpayers vast and unaffordable amounts of money.
If forcing American taxpayers to provide
unlimited free healthcare to illegal aliens
sounds fair to you, then stand with the radical left.
But if you believe that we should defend American patients
and American seniors, then stand with me and pass legislation
to prohibit free government healthcare for illegal aliens.
[applause]
This will be a tremendous boon
to our already very strongly guarded southern border,
where, as we speak, a long, tall, and very powerful wall
is being built.
[applause]
We have now completed over 100 miles
and have over 500 miles fully completed
in a very short period of time.
Early next year, we will have
substantially more than 500 miles completed.
My administration is also taking on
the big pharmaceutical companies.
We have approved a record number of affordable generic drugs,
and medicines are being approved by the FDA
at a faster clip than ever before.
[applause]
And I was pleased to announce last year
that, for the first time in 51 years,
the cost of prescription drugs actually went down.
[applause]
And working together, Congress can reduce drug prices
substantially from current levels.
I've been speaking to Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
and others in Congress
in order to get something on drug pricing done,
and done quickly and properly.
I'm calling for bipartisan legislation
that achieves the goal of dramatically lowering
prescription drug prices.
Get a bill on my desk,
and I will sign it into law immediately.
[applause]
[crowd chanting "H.R.3"]
With unyielding commitment... [Chanting continues]
...we are curbing the opioid epidemic.
Drug overdose deaths declined
for the first time in nearly 30 years.
[applause]
Among the states hardest hit, Ohio is down 22%,
Pennsylvania is down 18%, Wisconsin is down 10%,
and we will not quit until we have beaten the opioid epidemic
once and for all.
[applause]
Protecting Americans' health
also means fighting infectious diseases.
We are coordinating with the Chinese government
and working closely together
on the coronavirus outbreak in China.
My administration will take all necessary steps
to safeguard our citizens from this threat.
We have launched ambitious new initiatives
to substantially improve care for Americans
with kidney disease, Alzheimer's,
and those struggling with mental health.
And because Congress was so good as to fund my request,
new cures for childhood cancer,
and we will eradicate the AIDS epidemic in America
by the end of this decade.
[applause]
Almost every American family knows the pain
when a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness.
Here tonight is a special man,
beloved by millions of Americans,
who just received a Stage 4 advanced cancer diagnosis.
This is not good news, but what is good news
is that he is the greatest fighter and winner
that you will ever meet.
Rush Limbaugh, thank you
for your decades of tireless devotion to our country.
[applause]
And, Rush, in recognition of all that you have done
for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to
and that you inspire,
and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity,
I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving
our country's highest civilian honor,
the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
[applause]
I will now ask the first lady of the United States
to present you with the honor. Please.
[groans and applause]
-Thank you, Rush!
[applause]
Rush and Kathryn, congratulations.
Thank you, Kathryn.
As we pray for all who are sick,
we know that America is constantly achieving
new medical breakthroughs.
In 2017, doctors at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City
delivered one of the earliest premature babies
ever to survive.
Born at just 21 weeks and 6 days,
and weighing less than a pound,
Ellie Schneider was a born fighter.
Through the skill of her doctors and the prayers of her parents,
little Ellie kept on winning the battle of life.
Today, Ellie is a strong, healthy two-year-old girl
sitting with her amazing mother, Robin, in the gallery.
Ellie and Robin, we are glad to have you with us tonight.
[applause]
Ellie reminds us that every child is a miracle of life.
And thanks to modern medical wonders,
50% of very premature babies
delivered at the hospital where Ellie was born
now survive.
It's an incredible thing. Thank you very much.
[applause]
Our goal should be to ensure that every baby
has the best chance to thrive and grow, just like Ellie.
That is why I'm asking Congress to provide
an additional $50 million to fund neonatal research
for America's youngest patients.
[applause]
That is why I'm also calling upon members of Congress
here tonight to pass legislation
finally banning the late-term abortion of babies.
[applause]
Whether we are Republican, Democrat, or independent,
surely we must all agree that every human life
is a sacred gift from God.
As we support America's moms and dads, I was recently proud
to sign the law providing new parents in the federal workforce
paid family leave, serving as a model
for the rest of the country.
[applause]
Now I call on the Congress to pass the bipartisan
Advancing Support for Working Families Act,
extending family leave to mothers and fathers
all across our nation.
[applause]
40 million American families have an average $2,200 extra
thanks to our Child Tax Credit.
[applause]
I've also overseen historic funding increases
for high-quality childcare,
enabling 17 states to help more children, many of which
have reduced or eliminated their waitlists altogether.
[applause]
And I sent Congress a plan with a vision to further expand
access to high-quality childcare,
and urge you to act immediately.
[applause]
To protect the environment, days ago I announced
that the United States will join
the One Trillion Trees Initiative,
an ambitious effort to bring together government
and private sector to plant new trees in America
and all around the world.
[applause]
We must also rebuild America's infrastructure.
[applause]
I ask you to pass Senator John Barrasso's highway bill
to invest in new roads, bridges, and tunnels all across our land.
I'm also committed to ensuring that every citizen can have
access to high-speed Internet,
including and especially in rural America.
[applause]
A better tomorrow for all Americans
also requires us to keep America safe.
That means supporting the men and women of law enforcement
at every level, including our nation's heroic ICE officers.
[applause]
Last year, our brave ICE officers arrested
more than 120,000 criminal aliens
charged with nearly 10,000 burglaries,
5,000 sexual assaults, 45,000 violent assaults,
and 2,000 murders.
Tragically, there are many cities in America
where radical politicians have chosen to provide sanctuary
for these criminal illegal aliens.
[crowd booing]
In sanctuary cities, local officials order police
to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public,
instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed.
Just 29 days ago, a criminal alien
freed by the sanctuary city of New York
was charged with the brutal rape and murder
of a 92-year-old woman.
The killer had been previously arrested for assault,
but under New York's sanctuary policies, he was set free.
If the city had honored ICE's detainer request,
his victim would still be alive today.
The state of California passed an outrageous law declaring
their whole state to be a sanctuary
for criminal illegal immigrants --
a very terrible sanctuary -- with catastrophic results.
Here is just one tragic example.
In December 2018, California police detained an illegal alien
with five prior arrests, including convictions
for robbery and assault.
But as required by California's Sanctuary Law,
local authorities released him.
Days later, the criminal alien
went on a gruesome spree of deadly violence.
He viciously shot one man going about his daily work.
He approached a woman sitting in her car
and shot her in the arm and in the chest.
He walked into a convenience store
and wildly fired his weapon.
He hijacked a truck and smashed into vehicles,
critically injuring innocent victims.
One of the victims is --
a terrible, terrible situation --
died -- 51-year-old American named Rocky Jones.
Rocky was at a gas station
when this vile criminal fired eight bullets at him
from close range, murdering him in cold blood.
Rocky left behind a devoted family, including his brothers,
who loved him more than anything else in the world.
One of his grieving brothers is here with us tonight.
Jody, would you please stand? Jody, thank you.
[applause]
Jody, our hearts weep for your loss,
and we will not rest until you have justice.
Senator Thom Tillis has introduced legislation
to allow Americans like Jody to sue sanctuary cities and states
when a loved one is hurt or killed
as a result of these deadly practices.
[applause]
I ask Congress to pass
the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act
immediately.
The United States of America should be a sanctuary
for law-abiding Americans, not criminal aliens.
[applause]
In the last three years, ICE has arrested
over 5,000 wicked human traffickers.
And I have signed nine pieces of legislation
to stamp out the menace of human trafficking,
domestically and all around the globe.
My administration has undertaken an unprecedented effort
to secure the southern border of the United States.
[applause]
Before I came into office, if you showed up illegally
on our southern border and were arrested,
you were simply released and allowed into our country,
never to be seen again.
My administration has ended Catch and Release.
[applause]
If you come illegally,
you will now be promptly removed from our country.
[applause]
Very importantly, we entered into
historic cooperation agreements with the governments of Mexico,
Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
As a result of our unprecedented efforts,
illegal crossings are down 75% since May,
dropping eight straight months in a row.
[applause]
And as the wall rapidly goes up, drug seizures rise
and the border crossings are going down,
and going down very rapidly.
Last year, I traveled to the border in Texas
and met Chief Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz.
Over the last 24 months, Agent Ortiz and his team
have seized more than 200,000 pounds of poisonous narcotics,
arrested more than 3,000 human smugglers,
and rescued more than 2,000 migrants.
Days ago, Agent Ortiz was promoted
to Deputy Chief of Border Patrol,
and he joins us tonight.
Chief Ortiz, please stand.
[applause]
A grateful nation thanks you
and all of the heroes of Border Patrol and ICE.
Thank you very much.
Thank you. [applause]
To build on these historic gains, we are working
on legislation to replace our outdated and randomized
immigration system with one based on merit,
welcoming those who follow the rules,
contribute to our economy, support themselves financially,
and uphold our values.
[applause]
With every action, my administration is restoring
the rule of law and reasserting the culture of American freedom.
[applause]
Working with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell --
thank you, Mitch -- [applause]
...and his colleagues in the Senate,
we have confirmed a record number of 187 new federal judges
to uphold our Constitution as written.
This includes two brilliant new Supreme Court justices,
Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
Thank you.
[applause]
And we have many in the pipeline.
[Laughter and applause]
My administration is also defending religious liberty,
and that includes the constitutional right
to pray in public schools.
[applause]
In America, we don't punish prayer.
We don't tear down crosses.
We don't ban symbols of faith.
We don't muzzle preachers and pastors.
In America, we celebrate faith, we cherish religion,
we lift our voices in prayer,
and we raise our sights to the glory of God.
Just as we believe in the First Amendment,
we also believe in another constitutional right
that is under siege all across our country.
So long as I am president, I will always protect
your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
[applause]
[man shouting indistinctly]
In reaffirming our heritage as a free nation,
we must remember that America has always been
a frontier nation.
Now we must embrace the next frontier --
America's manifest destiny in the stars.
I am asking Congress to fully fund the Artemis program
to ensure that the next man and the first woman on the Moon
will be American astronauts, using this as a launching pad
to ensure that America is the first nation
to plant its flag on Mars.
[applause]
My administration is also strongly defending
our national security
and combating radical Islamic terrorism.
[applause]
Last week, I announced a groundbreaking plan for peace
between Israel and the Palestinians.
Recognizing that all past attempts have failed,
we must be determined and creative
in order to stabilize the region
and give millions of young people the chance
to realize a better future.
Three years ago, the barbarians of ISIS
held over 20,000 square miles of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Today, the ISIS territorial caliphate
has been 100% destroyed,
and the founder and leader of ISIS --
the bloodthirsty killer known as al-Baghdadi --
is dead.
[applause]
We are joined this evening by Carl and Marsha Mueller.
After graduating from college, their beautiful daughter Kayla
became a humanitarian aid worker.
She once wrote, "Some people find God in church.
Some people find God in nature.
Some people find God in love.
I find God in suffering.
I've known for some time what my life's work is --
using my hands as tools to relieve suffering."
In 2013, while caring for suffering civilians in Syria,
Kayla was kidnapped, tortured, and enslaved by ISIS,
and kept as a prisoner of al-Baghdadi himself.
After more than 500 horrifying days of captivity,
al-Baghdadi murdered young, beautiful Kayla.
She was just 26 years old.
On the night that U.S. Special Forces Operations
ended al-Baghdadi's miserable life,
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley,
received a call in the Situation Room.
He was told that the brave men of the elite Special Forces team
that so perfectly carried out the operation
had given their mission a name --
Task Force 8-14.
It was a reference to a special day --
August 14th, Kayla's birthday.
Carl and Marsha, America's warriors never forgot Kayla,
and neither will we.
Thank you.
[applause]
Every day, America's men and women in uniform demonstrate
the infinite depth of love that dwells in the human heart.
One of these American heroes
was Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Hake.
On his second deployment to Iraq in 2008,
Sergeant Hake wrote a letter to his 1-year-old son Gage.
"I will be with you again," he wrote to Gage.
"I will teach you to ride your first bike,
build your first sandbox, watch you play sports,
and see you have kids also.
I love you, son. Take care of your mother.
I am always with you. Daddy."
On Easter Sunday of 2008, Chris was out on patrol in Baghdad
when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle was hit
by a roadside bomb.
That night, he made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
Sergeant Hake now rests in eternal glory in Arlington,
and his wife, Kelli, is in the gallery tonight,
joined by their son, who is now a 13-year-old
and doing very, very well.
To Kelli and Gage --
Chris will live in our hearts forever.
He is looking down on you now. Thank you.
[applause]
Thank you very much. Thank you both very much.
The terrorist responsible for killing Sergeant Hake
was Qasem Soleimani, who provided
the deadly roadside bomb that took Chris's life.
Soleimani was the Iranian regime's most ruthless butcher,
a monster who murdered or wounded thousands
of American service members in Iraq.
As the world's top terrorist, Soleimani orchestrated
the deaths of countless men, women, and children.
He directed the December assault
and went on to assault U.S. forces in Iraq,
was actively planning new attacks
when we hit him very hard.
And that's why, last month, at my direction,
the U.S. military executed a flawless precision strike
that killed Soleimani
and terminated his evil reign of terror forever.
[applause]
Our message to the terrorists is clear --
You will never escape American justice.
If you attack our citizens, you forfeit your life.
[applause]
In recent months, we have seen proud Iranians
raise their voices against their oppressive rulers.
The Iranian regime must abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons;
stop spreading terror, death, and destruction;
and start working for the good of its own people.
Because of our powerful sanctions,
the Iranian economy is doing very, very poorly.
We can help them make a very good and short-time recovery.
It can all go very quickly, but perhaps they are too proud
or too foolish to ask for that help.
We are here.
Let's see which road they choose.
It is totally up to them.
[applause]
As we defend American lives,
we are working to end America's wars in the Middle East.
In Afghanistan, the determination and valor
of our warfighters has allowed us to make tremendous progress,
and peace talks are now under way.
I am not looking to kill hundreds of thousands of people
in Afghanistan, many of them totally innocent.
It is also not our function to serve other nations
as law enforcement agencies.
These are warfighters that we have, the best in the world,
and they either want to fight to win or not fight at all.
We are working to finally end America's longest war
and bring our troops back home.
[applause]
War places a heavy burden
on our nation's extraordinary military families,
especially spouses like Amy Williams
from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and her two children --
6-year-old Elliana and 3-year-old Rowan.
Amy works full time and volunteers countless hours
helping other military families.
For the past seven months, she has done it all
while her husband, Sergeant First Class Townsend Williams,
is in Afghanistan on his fourth deployment in the Middle East.
Amy's kids haven't seen their father's face in many months.
Amy, your family's sacrifice makes it possible
for all of our families to live in safety and in peace,
and we want to thank you. Thank you, Amy.
[applause]
But, Amy, there is one more thing.
Tonight, we have a very special surprise.
I am thrilled to inform you
that your husband is back from deployment.
He is here with us tonight,
and we couldn't keep him waiting any longer.
[cheers and applause]
[crowd chanting "USA," applause continues]
-Welcome home, Sergeant Williams.
Thank you very much.
As the world bears witness tonight,
America is a land of heroes.
This is a place where greatness is born,
where destinies are forged, and where legends come to life.
This is the home of Thomas Edison
and Teddy Roosevelt,
of many great generals including Washington, Pershing,
Patton, and MacArthur.
This is the home of Abraham Lincoln,
Frederick Douglass, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman,
the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong,
and so many more.
This is the country where children learn names
like Wyatt Earp, Davy Crockett, and Annie Oakley.
This is the place where the pilgrims landed at Plymouth
and where Texas patriots made their last stand at the Alamo.
[applause]
The beautiful, beautiful Alamo.
The American nation was carved out of the vast frontier
by the toughest, strongest, fiercest,
and most determined men and women
ever to walk on the face of the Earth.
Our ancestors braved the unknown; tamed the wilderness;
settled the Wild West; lifted millions from poverty, disease,
and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism;
ushered the world to new heights of science and medicine;
laid down the railroads, dug out the canals,
raised up the skyscrapers.
And, ladies and gentlemen, our ancestors built
the most exceptional republic
ever to exist in all of human history,
and we are making it greater than ever before.
[cheers and applause]
This is our glorious and magnificent inheritance.
We are Americans. We are pioneers.
We are the pathfinders.
We settled the New World, we built the modern world,
and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth
that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God.
[applause]
America is the place where anything can happen.
America is the place where anyone can rise.
And here, on this land, on this soil, on this continent,
the most incredible dreams come true.
This nation is our canvas, and this country is our masterpiece.
We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers
just waiting to be explored.
Our brightest discoveries are not yet known.
Our most thrilling stories are not yet told.
Our grandest journeys are not yet made.
The American Age, the American epic,
the American adventure has only just begun.
Our spirit is still young, the sun is still rising,
God's grace is still shining,
and, my fellow Americans,
the best is yet to come.
Thank you. God bless you.
And God bless America.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
[applause]
