"Chief
Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President
Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank you.
We, the
citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our
country and restore its promise for all of our people. Together, we will
determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come. We
will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done.
Every four
years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer
of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent.
Thank you.
Today’s
ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we are not merely
transferring power from one Administration to another, or from one party to
another – but we are transferring power from Washington DC and giving it back
to you, the people.
For too
long, a small group in our nation’s Capital has reaped the rewards of
government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished – but
the people did not share in its wealth.
Politicians
prospered – but the jobs left, and the factories closed.
The establishment
protected itself, but not the citizens of our country. Their victories have not
been your victories; their triumphs have not been your triumphs; and while they
celebrated in our nation’s capital, there was little to celebrate for
struggling families all across our land.
That all
changes – starting right here, and right now, because this moment is your
moment: it belongs to you. It belongs to everyone gathered here today and
everyone watching all across America.
This is your
day. This is your celebration. And this, the United States of America, is your
country. What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but
whether our government is controlled by the people.
January 20,
2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation
again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.
Everyone is listening to you now. You came by the tens of millions to become
part of a historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before.
At the
center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation exists to serve
its citizens.
Americans
want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families,
and good jobs for themselves. These are just and reasonable demands of
righteous people and a righteous public.
But for too
many of our citizens, a different reality exists: mothers and children trapped
in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones
across the landscape of our nation; an education system, flush with cash, but
which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and
the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and
robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.
This
American carnage stops right here and stops right now. We are one
nation – and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our dreams; and their
success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one glorious
destiny.
The oath of
office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.
For many
decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry;
subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad
depletion of our military; we’ve defended other nations’ borders while refusing
to defend our own; and spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while
America’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.
We’ve made
other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country
has dissipated over the horizon. One by one, the factories shuttered and left
our shores, with not even a thought about the millions and millions of American
workers that were left behind. The wealth of our middle class has been ripped
from their homes and then redistributed all across the world.
But that is
the past. And now we are looking only to the future.
We assembled
here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign
capital, and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision will
govern our land. From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first,
America first. Every
decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made
to benefit American workers and American families.
We must
protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products,
stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great
prosperity and strength.
I will fight
for you with every breath in my body – and I will never, ever let you down. America
will start winning again, winning like never before.
We will
bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our
wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.
We will
build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and tunnels, and
railways all across our wonderful nation. We will get
our people off of welfare and back to work – rebuilding our country with
American hands and American labor.
We will
follow two simple rules: buy American and hire American.
We will seek
friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world – but we do so with the
understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests
first.
We do not
seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an
example for everyone to follow.
We will
reinforce old alliances and form new ones – and unite the civilized world
against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate from the face of the
Earth.
At the
bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United States of
America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will rediscover our loyalty
to each other. When you
open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.
The Bible
tells us: “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in
unity.”
We must
speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue
solidarity.
When America
is united, America is totally unstoppable.
There should
be no fear – we are protected, and we will always be protected. We will be
protected by the great men and women of our military and law enforcement and,
most importantly, we are protected by God.
Finally, we
must think big and dream even bigger. In America, we understand that a nation
is only living as long as it is striving.
We will no
longer accept politicians who are all talk and no action – constantly
complaining but never doing anything about it. The time for empty talk is over.
Now arrives the hour of action. Do not let
anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and fight
and spirit of America. We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper
again.
We stand at
the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space, to free
the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies, industries
and technologies of tomorrow.
A new
national pride will stir ourselves, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.
It is time
to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget: that whether we are
black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots, we all
enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all salute the same great American
Flag.
And whether
a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of
Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the
same dreams, and they are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty
Creator.
So to all
Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to
mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words:
You will
never be ignored again. Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define
our American destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide
us along the way.
Together, we
will make America strong again. We will make America wealthy again. We will
make America proud again. We will make America safe again. And, yes, together,
we will make America great again.
Thank you,
God bless you, and God bless America.
