Read
the full text of President Trump's first State of the Union address
USA
TODAYPublished 6:45 p.m. ET Jan. 30,
2018 | Updated 10:46 p.m. ET Jan. 30, 2018
Striking an optimistic tone in his first State
of the Union address, President Donald Trump declared the state of the union
strong "because our people are strong." Trump touted the economy and
his tax cuts and declared a "new American moment." (Jan. 30) AP
Here is the full text of President Trump's first official State of the Union address on Jan. 30, 2018, as prepared for
delivery:
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, the First
Lady of the United States, and my fellow Americans:
Less than 1 year has passed since I first stood at this podium,
in this majestic chamber, to speak on behalf of the American People -- and to
address their concerns, their hopes, and their dreams. That night, our
new Administration had already taken swift action. A new tide of optimism
was already sweeping across our land.
Each day since, we have gone forward with a clear vision and a
righteous mission -- to make America great again for all Americans.
Over the last year, we have made incredible progress and
achieved extraordinary success. We have faced challenges we expected, and
others we could never have imagined. We have shared in the heights of
victory and the pains of hardship. We endured floods and fires and
storms. But through it all, we have seen the beauty of America's soul,
and the steel in America's spine.
Each test has forged new American heroes to remind us who we
are, and show us what we can be.
We saw the volunteers of the "Cajun Navy," racing to
the rescue with their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a
devastating hurricane.
We saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire on
the Las Vegas strip.
We heard tales of Americans like Coast Guard Petty Officer
Ashlee Leppert, who is here tonight in the gallery with Melania. Ashlee
was aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in Houston during
Hurricane Harvey. Through 18 hours of wind and rain, Ashlee braved live
power lines and deep water, to help save more than 40 lives. Thank you,
Ashlee.
We heard about Americans like firefighter David Dahlberg.
He is here with us too. David faced down walls of flame to rescue almost
60 children trapped at a California summer camp threatened by wildfires.
To everyone still recovering in Texas, Florida, Louisiana,
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, California, and everywhere else -- we are
with you, we love you, and we will pull through together.
Some trials over the past year touched this chamber very
personally. With us tonight is one of the toughest people ever to serve
in this House -- a guy who took a bullet, almost died, and was back to work
three and a half months later: the legend from Louisiana, Congressman
Steve Scalise.
We are incredibly grateful for the heroic efforts of the Capitol
Police Officers, the Alexandria Police, and the doctors, nurses, and paramedics
who saved his life, and the lives of many others in this room.
In the aftermath of that terrible shooting, we came together,
not as Republicans or Democrats, but as representatives of the people.
But it is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. Tonight,
I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground,
and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to
serve.
Over the last year, the world has seen what we always
knew: that no people on Earth are so fearless, or daring, or determined
as Americans. If there is a mountain, we climb it. If there is a
frontier, we cross it. If there is a challenge, we tame it. If
there is an opportunity, we seize it.
So let us begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our
Union is strong because our people are strong.
And together, we are building a safe, strong, and proud America.
Since the election, we have created 2.4 million new jobs,
including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. After years of wage
stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.
Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. African-American
unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, and Hispanic American
unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history.
Small business confidence is at an all-time high. The
stock market has smashed one record after another, gaining $8 trillion in
value. That is great news for Americans' 401k, retirement, pension, and
college savings accounts.
And just as I promised the American people from this podium 11
months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history.
Our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle
class and small businesses.
To lower tax rates for hardworking Americans, we nearly doubled
the standard deduction for everyone. Now, the first $24,000 earned by a
married couple is completely tax-free. We also doubled the child tax
credit.
A typical family of four making $75,000 will see their tax bill
reduced by $2,000 -- slashing their tax bill in half.
This April will be the last time you ever file under the old
broken system -- and millions of Americans will have more take-home pay
starting next month.
We eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on
Americans making less than $50,000 a year -- forcing them to pay tremendous
penalties simply because they could not afford government-ordered health
plans. We repealed the core of disastrous Obamacare -- the individual
mandate is now gone.
We slashed the business tax rate from 35 percent all the way
down to 21 percent, so American companies can compete and win against anyone in
the world. These changes alone are estimated to increase average family
income by more than $4,000.
Small businesses have also received a massive tax cut, and can
now deduct 20 percent of their business income.
Here tonight are Steve Staub and Sandy Keplinger of Staub
Manufacturing -- a small business in Ohio. They have just finished the
best year in their 20-year history. Because of tax reform, they are
handing out raises, hiring an additional 14 people, and expanding into the
building next door.
One of Staub's employees, Corey Adams, is also with us
tonight. Corey is an all-American worker. He supported himself
through high school, lost his job during the 2008 recession, and was later
hired by Staub, where he trained to become a welder. Like many hardworking
Americans, Corey plans to invest his tax‑cut raise into his new home and his
two daughters' education. Please join me in congratulating Corey.
Since we passed tax cuts, roughly 3 million workers have already
gotten tax cut bonuses -- many of them thousands of dollars per worker.
Apple has just announced it plans to invest a total of $350 billion in America,
and hire another 20,000 workers.
This is our new American moment. There has never been a
better time to start living the American Dream.
So to every citizen watching at home tonight -- no matter where
you have been, or where you come from, this is your time. If you work
hard, if you believe in yourself, if you believe in America, then you can dream
anything, you can be anything, and together, we can achieve anything.
Tonight, I want to talk about what kind of future we are going
to have, and what kind of Nation we are going to be. All of us, together,
as one team, one people, and one American family.
We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny,
and the same great American flag.
Together, we are rediscovering the American way.
In America, we know that faith and family, not government and
bureaucracy, are the center of the American life. Our motto is "in
God we trust."
And we celebrate our police, our military, and our amazing
veterans as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support.
Here tonight is Preston Sharp, a 12-year-old boy from Redding,
California, who noticed that veterans' graves were not marked with flags on
Veterans Day. He decided to change that, and started a movement that has
now placed 40,000 flags at the graves of our great heroes. Preston:
a job well done.
Young patriots like Preston teach all of us about our civic duty
as Americans. Preston's reverence for those who have served our Nation
reminds us why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the
pledge of allegiance, and why we proudly stand for the national anthem.
Americans love their country. And they deserve a
Government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return.
For the last year we have sought to restore the bonds of trust
between our citizens and their Government.
Working with the Senate, we are appointing judges who will
interpret the Constitution as written, including a great new Supreme Court
Justice, and more circuit court judges than any new administration in the
history of our country.
We are defending our Second Amendment, and have taken historic
actions to protect religious liberty.
And we are serving our brave veterans, including giving our
veterans choice in their healthcare decisions. Last year, the Congress
passed, and I signed, the landmark VA Accountability Act. Since its
passage, my Administration has already removed more than 1,500 VA employees who
failed to give our veterans the care they deserve -- and we are hiring talented
people who love our vets as much as we do.
I will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of,
which has been my promise to them from the very beginning of this great journey.
All Americans deserve accountability and respect -- and that is
what we are giving them. So tonight, I call on the Congress to empower
every Cabinet Secretary with the authority to reward good workers -- and to
remove Federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the American
people.
In our drive to make Washington accountable, we have eliminated
more regulations in our first year than any administration in history.
We have ended the war on American Energy -- and we have ended
the war on clean coal. We are now an exporter of energy to the world.
In Detroit, I halted Government mandates that crippled America's
autoworkers -- so we can get the Motor City revving its engines once again.
Many car companies are now building and expanding plants in the
United States -- something we have not seen for decades. Chrysler is
moving a major plant from Mexico to Michigan; Toyota and Mazda are opening up a
plant in Alabama. Soon, plants will be opening up all over the
country. This is all news Americans are unaccustomed to hearing -- for
many years, companies and jobs were only leaving us. But now they are
coming back.
Exciting progress is happening every day.
To speed access to breakthrough cures and affordable generic
drugs, last year the FDA approved more new and generic drugs and medical
devices than ever before in our history.
We also believe that patients with terminal conditions should
have access to experimental treatments that could potentially save their lives.
People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country
to country to seek a cure -- I want to give them a chance right here at
home. It is time for the Congress to give these wonderful Americans the
"right to try."
One of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription
drugs. In many other countries, these drugs cost far less than what we
pay in the United States. That is why I have directed my
Administration to make fixing the injustice of high drug prices one of our top
priorities. Prices will come down.
America has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair
trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our
jobs, and our Nation's wealth.
The era of economic surrender is over.
From now on, we expect trading relationships to be fair and to
be reciprocal.
We will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones.
And we will protect American workers and American intellectual
property, through strong 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. We built the Empire State
Building in just 1 year -- is it not a disgrace that it can now take 10 years
just to get a permit approved for a simple road?
I am asking both parties to come together to give us the safe,
fast, reliable, and modern infrastructure our economy needs and our people
deserve.
Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to produce a bill that
generates at least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructure investment we need.
Every Federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with
State and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private sector
investment -- to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit.
Any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval
process -- getting it down to no more than two years, and perhaps even one.
Together, we can reclaim our building heritage. We will
build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways, and waterways across our
land. And we will do it with American heart, American hands, and American
grit.
We want every American to know the dignity of a hard day's
work. We want every child to be safe in their home at night. And we
want every citizen to be proud of this land that we love.
We can lift our citizens from welfare to work, from dependence
to independence, and from poverty to prosperity.
As tax cuts create new jobs, let us invest in workforce
development and job training. Let us open great vocational schools so our
future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential. And
let us support working families by supporting paid family leave.
As America regains its strength, this opportunity must be
extended to all citizens. That is why this year we will embark on
reforming our prisons to help former inmates who have served their time get a
second chance.
Struggling communities, especially immigrant communities, will
also be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interests of
American workers and American families.
For decades, open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour
into our most vulnerable communities. They have allowed millions of
low-wage workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest
Americans. Most tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives.
Here tonight are two fathers and two mothers: Evelyn
Rodriguez, Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado, and Robert Mickens. Their
two teenage daughters -- Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens -- were close friends on
Long Island. But in September 2016, on the eve of Nisa's 16th Birthday,
neither of them came home. These two precious girls were brutally
murdered while walking together in their hometown. Six members of the
savage gang MS-13 have been charged with Kayla and Nisa's murders. Many
of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter
the country as unaccompanied alien minors ‑- and wound up in Kayla and Nisa's
high school.
Evelyn, Elizabeth, Freddy, and Robert: Tonight, everyone
in this chamber is praying for you. Everyone in America is grieving for
you. And 320 million hearts are breaking for you. We cannot imagine
the depth of your sorrow, but we can make sure that other families never have
to endure this pain.
Tonight, I am calling on the Congress to finally close the
deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13, and other criminals, to break into
our country. We have proposed new legislation that will fix our
immigration laws, and support our ICE and Border Patrol Agents, so that this
cannot ever happen again.
The United States is a compassionate nation. We are proud
that we do more than any other country to help the needy, the struggling, and
the underprivileged all over the world. But as President of the United
States, my highest loyalty, my greatest compassion, and my constant concern is
for America's children, America's struggling workers, and America's forgotten
communities. I want our youth to grow up to achieve great things. I
want our poor to have their chance to rise.
So tonight, I am extending an open hand to work with members of
both parties -- Democrats and Republicans -- to protect our citizens of every
background, color, religion, and creed. My duty, and the sacred duty of
every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans -- to protect
their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the
American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too.
Here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our
country: Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Celestino
Martinez -- he goes by CJ. CJ served 15 years in the Air Force before
becoming an ICE agent and spending the last 15 years fighting gang
violence and getting dangerous criminals off our streets. At one point,
MS-13 leaders ordered CJ's murder. But he did not cave to threats or
fear. Last May, he commanded an operation to track down gang members on
Long Island. His team has arrested nearly 400, including more than 220
from MS-13.
CJ: Great work. Now let us get the Congress to
send you some reinforcements.
Over the next few weeks, the House and Senate will be voting on
an immigration reform package.
In recent months, my Administration has met extensively with
both Democrats and Republicans to craft a bipartisan approach to immigration
reform. Based on these discussions, we presented the Congress with a
detailed proposal that should be supported by both parties as a fair compromise
-- one where nobody gets everything they want, but where our country gets the
critical reforms it needs.
Here are the four pillars of our plan:
The first pillar of our framework generously offers a path to
citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought here by their
parents at a young age -- that covers almost three times more people than the
previous administration. Under our plan, those who meet education and
work requirements, and show good moral character, will be able to become full
citizens of the United States.
The second pillar fully secures the border. That means
building a wall on the Southern border, and it means hiring more heroes like CJ
to keep our communities safe. Crucially, our plan closes the terrible
loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorists to enter our country -- and it
finally ends the dangerous practice of "catch and release."
The third pillar ends the visa lottery -- a program that
randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the
safety of our people. It is time to begin moving towards a merit-based
immigration system -- one that admits people who are skilled, who want to work,
who will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect our country.
The fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear family by
ending chain migration. Under the current broken system, a single
immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives.
Under our plan, we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to
spouses and minor children. This vital reform is necessary, not just for
our economy, but for our security, and our future.
In recent weeks, two terrorist attacks in New York were made
possible by the visa lottery and chain migration. In the age of
terrorism, these programs present risks we can no longer afford.
It is time to reform these outdated immigration rules, and
finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century.
These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise, and
one that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system.
For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this
problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen.
Most importantly, these four pillars will produce legislation
that fulfills my ironclad pledge to only sign a bill that puts America
first. So let us come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job
done.
These reforms will also support our response to the terrible
crisis of opioid and drug addiction.
In 2016, we lost 64,000 Americans to drug overdoses: 174
deaths per day. Seven per hour. We must get much tougher on drug
dealers and pushers if we are going to succeed in stopping this scourge.
My Administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and
helping get treatment for those in need. The struggle will be long and
difficult -- but, as Americans always do, we will prevail.
As we have seen tonight, the most difficult challenges bring out
the best in America.
We see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the
Holets family of New Mexico. Ryan Holets is 27 years old, and an officer
with the Albuquerque Police Department. He is here tonight with his wife
Rebecca. Last year, Ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant, homeless
woman preparing to inject heroin. When Ryan told her she was going to
harm her unborn child, she began to weep. She told him she did not know
where to turn, but badly wanted a safe home for her baby.
In that moment, Ryan said he felt God speak to him:
"You will do it -- because you can." He took out a picture of
his wife and their four kids. Then, he went home to tell his wife
Rebecca. In an instant, she agreed to adopt. The Holets named their
new daughter Hope.
Ryan and Rebecca: You embody the goodness of our
Nation. Thank you, and congratulations.
As we rebuild America's strength and confidence at home, we are
also restoring our strength and standing abroad.
Around the world, we face rogue regimes, terrorist groups, and
rivals like China and Russia that challenge our interests, our economy, and our
values. In confronting these dangers, we know that weakness is the surest
path to conflict, and unmatched power is the surest means of our defense.
For this reason, I am asking the Congress to end the dangerous
defense sequester and fully fund our great military.
As part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our
nuclear arsenal, hopefully never having to use it, but making it so strong and
powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression. Perhaps someday in
the future there will be a magical moment when the countries of the world will
get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, we are
not there yet.
Last year, I also pledged that we would work with our allies to
extinguish ISIS from the face of the Earth. One year later, I am proud to
report that the coalition to defeat ISIS has liberated almost 100 percent of
the territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria. But there is
much more work to be done. We will continue our fight until ISIS is
defeated.
Army Staff Sergeant Justin Peck is here tonight. Near
Raqqa last November, Justin and his comrade, Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy,
were on a mission to clear buildings that ISIS had rigged with explosives so
that civilians could return to the city.
Clearing the second floor of a vital hospital, Kenton Stacy was
severely wounded by an explosion. Immediately, Justin bounded into the
booby-trapped building and found Kenton in bad shape. He applied pressure
to the wound and inserted a tube to reopen an airway. He then performed
CPR for 20 straight minutes during the ground transport and maintained artificial
respiration through 2 hours of emergency surgery.
Kenton Stacy would have died if not for Justin's selfless love
for a fellow warrior. Tonight, Kenton is recovering in Texas. Raqqa
is liberated. And Justin is wearing his new Bronze Star, with a
"V" for "Valor." Staff Sergeant Peck:
All of America salutes you.
Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals
are evil. When possible, we annihilate them. When necessary, we
must be able to detain and question them. But we must be clear:
Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are unlawful enemy
combatants. And when captured overseas, they should be treated like the
terrorists they are.
In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds of dangerous
terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield -- including the ISIS
leader, al-Baghdadi.
So today, I am keeping another promise. I just signed an
order directing Secretary Mattis to reexamine our military detention policy and
to keep open the detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay.
I am also asking the Congress to ensure that, in the fight
against ISIS and al-Qa'ida, we continue to have all necessary power to detain
terrorists -- wherever we chase them down.
Our warriors in Afghanistan also have new rules of
engagement. Along with their heroic Afghan partners, our military is no
longer undermined by artificial timelines, and we no longer tell our enemies
our plans.
Last month, I also took an action endorsed unanimously by the
Senate just months before: I recognized Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel.
Shortly afterwards, dozens of countries voted in the United
Nations General Assembly against America's sovereign right to make this
recognition. American taxpayers generously send those same countries
billions of dollars in aid every year.
That is why, tonight, I am asking the Congress to pass
legislation to help ensure American foreign-assistance dollars always serve
American interests, and only go to America's friends.
As we strengthen friendships around the world, we are also
restoring clarity about our adversaries.
When the people of Iran rose up against the crimes of their
corrupt dictatorship, I did not stay silent. America stands with the
people of Iran in their courageous struggle for freedom.
I am asking the Congress to address the fundamental flaws in the
terrible Iran nuclear deal.
My Administration has also imposed tough sanctions on the
communist and socialist dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela.
But no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or
brutally than the cruel dictatorship in North Korea.
North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear missiles could very
soon threaten our homeland.
We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that
from happening.
Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only
invite aggression and provocation. I will not repeat the mistakes of past
administrations that got us into this dangerous position.
We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean
regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose to America
and our allies.
Otto Warmbier was a hardworking student at the University of
Virginia. On his way to study abroad in Asia, Otto joined a tour to North
Korea. At its conclusion, this wonderful young man was arrested and
charged with crimes against the state. After a shameful trial, the
dictatorship sentenced Otto to 15 years of hard labor, before returning
him to America last June -- horribly injured and on the verge of death. He
passed away just days after his return.
Otto's Parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, are with us tonight --
along with Otto's brother and sister, Austin and Greta. You are powerful
witnesses to a menace that threatens our world, and your strength inspires us
all. Tonight, we pledge to honor Otto's memory with American resolve.
Finally, we are joined by one more witness to the ominous nature
of this regime. His name is Mr. Ji Seong-ho.
In 1996, Seong-ho was a starving boy in North Korea. One
day, he tried to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of
food. In the process, he passed out on the train tracks, exhausted from
hunger. He woke up as a train ran over his limbs. He then endured
multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain. His brother and
sister gave what little food they had to help him recover and ate dirt
themselves -- permanently stunting their own growth. Later, he was
tortured by North Korean authorities after returning from a brief visit to
China. His tormentors wanted to know if he had met any Christians.
He had -- and he resolved to be free.
Seong-ho traveled thousands of miles on crutches across China
and Southeast Asia to freedom. Most of his family followed. His
father was caught trying to escape, and was tortured to death.
Today he lives in Seoul, where he rescues other defectors, and
broadcasts into North Korea what the regime fears the most ‑- the truth.
Today he has a new leg, but Seong-ho, I understand you still
keep those crutches as a reminder of how far you have come. Your great
sacrifice is an inspiration to us all.
Seong-ho's story is a testament to the yearning of every human
soul to live in freedom.
It was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years ago
gave birth to a special place called America. It was a small cluster of
colonies caught between a great ocean and a vast wilderness. But it was
home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea: that they could
rule themselves. That they could chart their own destiny. And that,
together, they could light up the world.
That is what our country has always been about. That is
what Americans have always stood for, always strived for, and always done.
Atop the dome of this Capitol stands the Statue of
Freedom. She stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our
ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect her.
Monuments to Washington and Jefferson -- to Lincoln and King.
Memorials to the heroes of Yorktown and Saratoga -- to young
Americans who shed their blood on the shores of Normandy, and the fields
beyond. And others, who went down in the waters of the Pacific and the
skies over Asia.
And freedom stands tall over one more monument: this
one. This Capitol. This living monument to the American people.
A people whose heroes live not only in the past, but all around
us -- defending hope, pride, and the American way.
They work in every trade. They sacrifice to raise a
family. They care for our children at home. They defend our flag
abroad. They are strong moms and brave kids. They are firefighters,
police officers, border agents, medics, and Marines.
But above all else, they are Americans. And this Capitol,
this city, and this Nation, belong to them.
Our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve them,
to protect them, and to always be worthy of them.
Americans fill the world with art and music. They push the
bounds of science and discovery. And they forever remind us of what we
should never forget: The people dreamed this country. The people built
this country. And 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 cannot achieve.
As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our
citizens, and trust in our God, we will not 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.
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