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.
Donald J. Trump
45th President of the United States
