Donald J. Trump Forty-Fifth President
(2017 to 2021)
Inaugural Address January 20, 2017 - Washington, D.C.
Video also includes President Donald J. Trump's Oath of Office
(Video courtesy of DoD News with editing by USA Patriotism!)
Text version of President Donald J. Trump's Inaugural Address
THE PRESIDENT: 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 to restore its promise for all of our
people.
Together, we will determine the course of America and
the world for 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.
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,
D.C. and giving it back to you, the American 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
20th 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 the just and reasonable demands of 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 knowledge; and
the crime and gangs and 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 nation's borders while refusing to defend our own;
And spent 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 disappeared over the horizon.
One by one,
the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a thought
about the millions upon millions of American workers left behind.
The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes
and then redistributed across the entire 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 moment on, it's going to be 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 completely 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 our souls, 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.
