The
United States together with the State of Israel have begun major military
combat operations against Iran. Early reports indicate several top
Iranian military leaders have been killed. President Trump made the
announcement moments ago (video below):
President Donald J. Trump on the United States
Military Major Combat Operations in Iran
According to the Associated Press (AP) “The U.S. strikes took place from
both air and sea, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of
anonymity to discuss ongoing military operations.”
The United States and Israel launched an attack Saturday on Iran, with
the first apparent strike happening near the offices of Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iranian media reported strikes nationwide, and smoke could be seen
rising from the capital.
President Donald Trump said in a video posted on social media that the
U.S. had begun “major combat operations in Iran.” He claimed Iran has continued
to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach U.S. (Live Reports)
Israeli
media claims Amir Hatami, Commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army, has been
killed.
BREAKING FROM INSIDE ISRAEL: I’ve
just been told by a very reliable source. The Judicial Head in Iran has been
eliminated. So has the Minister of Defense. They are calling this a
decapitation mission to allow the people of Iran to rise up.
The aid that the President of the United States promised to the brave people
of Iran has now arrived. This is a humanitarian intervention; and its target is
the Islamic… pic.twitter.com/ywXdY1qKeu
#BREAKING
Thousands of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been killed
or wounded following attacks on several military centers and positions, the
semi-official ISNA reported. pic.twitter.com/8aQ9HE9dk4
Many Americans are waking up this
morning to discover the United States and Israel have launched joint military
operations against Iran. The news can be unsettling, unnerving and yes,
admittedly, frustrating for many.
President Trump has made the
decision and called for the people of Iran to stand now against the Iranian
regime that has been a thorn in the side of many regional partners for
decades. A direct and kinetic U.S. war against Iran is underway.
This decision has weighed heavily on President Trump throughout the first
fourteen months of his presidency. Regardless of our personal opinions therein,
the decision has been made. Knowing the stakes at hand both here and
abroad, we carry the assurance that President Trump knows what the
ramifications entail.
Accepting the stakes; knowing this is an all or nothing proposition; the
conflict is likely to be a long duration event for several days, even
weeks. For the leadership in Iran this is a zero-sum moment. For
those who have long tried to find an alternative to war, this is also a no
retreat moment. Either the regime in Iran is toppled, or the operation
will have failed. Given all the expanded energy, this is the reality of the
matter.
(AP) – A person briefed on the military plans says Saturday’s operation
was planned by the U.S. and Israel for months and closely coordinated. The
person says the attacks are expected to continue for several days. {SOURCE}
That said, there will be time for talking about the domestic political
consequences for this action; however, this is not that time. Right now, our
thoughts and prayers are with American military carrying out their mission, and
with those who are in the expanded region of conflict. We pray for their
protection, safety and strength.
Within hours the Iranian regime responded with counter attacks launched
against U.S. military bases and regional allies in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain,
Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE. U.S. and allied defensive missile
systems are intercepting Iranian missiles in multiple operational areas while
the U.S. joint military operations against Iran continue into what is
presumably multiple pre-planned stages.
Multiple airspaces throughout the middle east are now closed to airline
travel. Multiple airlines have cancelled flights that cross through or
near the conflict zone, which is now essentially almost the entire middle
east. Tens-of-thousands of travelers are now scrambling to make alternate
arrangements. {Source} and {Source}
This is a massive area now with restricted airline travel that will impact
flights from Europe and SE Asia in both directions.
The various Islamic extremist groups sympathetic to the Iranian regime, who
have long held a position against the United States and our various allies, are
likely to activate against all defined enemy interests. A heightened
state of alert will remain in place for a long time.
Here is a transcript of President Donald Trump’s prepared remarks as
delivered shortly after the campaign began:
“A short time ago, the United States military began major combat
operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by
eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very
hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United
States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.
For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged
an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States,
our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries. Among the regime’s
very first acts was to back a violent takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran,
holding dozens of American hostages for 444 days. In 1983, Iran’s proxies
carried out the marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American
military personnel.
In 2000, they knew and were probably involved with the attack on the USS
Cole. Many died. Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service
members in Iraq. The regime’s proxies have continued to launch countless
attacks against American forces stationed in the Middle East in recent years,
as well as U.S. naval and commercial vessels and international shipping lines.
It’s been mass terror, and we’re not going to put up with it any longer.
From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained
and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts.
And it was Iran’s proxy, Hamas, that launched the monstrous Oct. 7 attacks on
Israel, slaughtering more than 1,000 innocent people, including 46 Americans,
while taking 12 of our citizens hostage. It was brutal, something like the
world has never seen before.
Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, and just
recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they
protested. It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my
administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon.
I’ll say it again, they can never have a nuclear weapon. That is why in
Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear
program at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
After that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious
pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried.
They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. Again they wanted to do it.
They didn’t want to do it. They didn’t know what was happening. They just
wanted to practice evil. But Iran refused, just as it has for decades and
decades.
They’ve rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions,
and we can’t take it anymore. Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear
program and to continue developing the long range missiles that can now
threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed
overseas, and could soon reach the American homeland. Just imagine how
emboldened this regime would be if they ever had, and actually were armed with
nuclear weapons as a means to deliver their message.
For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive
and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from
threatening America and our core national security interests. We’re going to
destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will
be totally again obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy. We’re going
to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the
region or the world and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs, or
roadside bombs as they are sometimes called, to so gravely wound and kill
thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans. And we will ensure
that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple message. They will
never have a nuclear weapon.
This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength
and might of the United States Armed Forces. I built and rebuilt our military
in my first administration and there is no military on earth even close to its
power, strength or sophistication. My administration is taking every possible
step to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel in the region. Even so, and I do
not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill.
The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have
casualties. That often happens in war. But we’re doing this not for now. We’re
doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission. We pray for every service
member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our
children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. We ask God to
protect all of our heroes in harm’s way. And we trust that with his help, the
men and women of the armed forces will prevail. We have the greatest in the
world, and they will prevail.
To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and
all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have
complete immunity. Or in the alternative, face certain death. So, lay down your
arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain
death. Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour
of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very
dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished,
take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your
only chance for generations.
For many years, you have asked for America’s help. But you never got it.
No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a
president who is giving you what you want. So let’s see how you respond.
America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is
the time to seize control of your destiny, and to unleash the prosperous and
glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action.
Do not let it pass.
May God bless the brave men and women of America’s armed forces. May God
bless the United States of America. May God bless you all. Thank you.” ~
U.S. President Donald J Trump
Many people were befuddled when I
shared the statement that FBI Director Kash Patel really needs to get his arms
around his FBI agency quickly, because operatives inside the FBI are currently
working to attack other cabinet level national security and intelligence
officials. One of those examples is outlined in this interview by Kristi Noem.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem notes how
officials within the government (I’m specifically citing the FBI as the origin)
have worked to conduct surveillance on her team, planted spyware on her devices
and monitor the activity within the Dept of Homeland Security.
Watch this interview with DHS
Secretary Noem and you will get a more comprehensive understanding of what her
and all the other National Security officials (DNI, NCTC, DHS, ICE, FEMA, etc.)
are having to deal with. WATCH:
They Spied On Me” - Sec. Kristi Noem: Secret DHS File
Room, El Mencho Fallout & Deep State Purge
The Supreme Court tariff ruling has
created the need for U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Commerce
Secretary Howard Lutnick to modify the baseline tariff approach with the
approvals of President Trump.
The baseline tariffs are being reset
to 10% with upward adjustment to 15% as planned. The reciprocal tariffs
will not require any substantive modifications as most of the Free Trade
Agreements have been cemented with reciprocity tariffs as part of the
negotiated deals.
USTR Greer appears on Bloomberg to
clarify the current situation and provide some information as to the
transitional baseline tariffs as now modified. Additionally, and importantly,
Greer begins discussing the USMCA review and his acceptance that President
Trump is openly questioning the value for us. Greer notes Mexico and Canada
being used as import hubs to avoid tariffs is a big issue. WATCH:
US Trade Representative Greer on 15% Tariff, USMCA, EU
Trade Deal
Section 232 [Steel and Aluminum examples] of the Trade
Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. §1862, as amended) authorizes the President to
impose trade restrictions—such as a tariff or quota—if the Secretary of
Commerce determines, following an investigation, that imports of a good
“threaten to impair” U.S. national security. {SOURCE}
Section 301 tariffs are a trade enforcement mechanism
established under the Trade Act of 1974. They allow the U.S. government to
impose tariffs on imports from countries that are found to be engaging in
unfair trade practices. The Office of the United States Trade Representative
(USTR) conducts investigations to determine if a country is violating trade
agreements, and if so, it can impose tariffs as a corrective measure {SOURCE}
Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows the U.S.
president to impose tariffs of up to 15% to address “large and serious” balance-of-payments
deficits. This authority can be exercised without prior congressional approval
for a limited duration of 150 days. After this period, any tariffs must be
extended by Congress. {SOURCE}
Tonight at 9:00pm ET, President
Donald Trump will be delivering the first State of the Union speech of his
second term in office. RSBN begins coverage at 7:00pm, with the speech
scheduled to broadcast live on all broadcast and cable channels.
UPDATE: VIDEO &
Transcript ADDED
President Donald J. Trump’s 2026 State of the Union
Address
[Transcript] – “Well, thank you very much, everybody. It’s
really an honor. Speaker Johnson. Vice President Vance. First lady of the
United States. Second lady of the United States.
Members of Congress and my fellow Americans, our nation is
back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before.
Less than five months from now, our country will celebrate
an epic milestone of American history: the 250th anniversary of our glorious
American independence. This July 4, we will mark two-and-a-half centuries of
liberty and triumph, progress and freedom in the most incredible and
exceptional nation ever to exist on the face of the Earth.”
And you’ve seen nothing yet. We are going to do better and
better and better. This is the golden age of America.
When I last spoke in this chamber 12 months ago, I had just
inherited a nation in crisis with a stagnant economy, inflation at record
levels, a wide open border, horrendous recruitment for military and police,
rampant crime at home, and wars and chaos all over the world. But tonight,
after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved a
transformation like no one has ever seen before and a turnaround for the ages.
It is indeed a turnaround for the ages.
And we will never go back to where we were just a very
short time ago. We are not going back. Today, our border is secure.
Thank you. Today, our border is secure, our spirit is
restored, inflation is plummeting, incomes are rising fast. The roaring economy
is roaring like never before, and our enemies are scared, our military and
police are stacked, and America is respected again, perhaps, like never before.
After four years, in which millions and millions of illegal
aliens poured across our borders totally unvetted and unchecked, we now have
the strongest and most secure border in American history by far. In the past
nine months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.
But we will always allow people to come in legally. People
that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country.
The flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a
record 56 percent, in one year.
And last year, the murder rate saw its single largest
decline in recorded history. This is the biggest decline, think of it, in recorded
history. The lowest number in over 125 years — year 1900. In fact,
substantially before my wonderful father — I had a wonderful father, Fred —
before he was born, substantially before he was born. That’s a long time ago.
He wouldn’t like me to say that, but that’s a long time ago.
The Biden administration and its allies in Congress gave us
the worst inflation in the history of our country. But in 12 months, my
administration has driven core inflation down to the lowest level in more than
five years. And in the last three months of 2025, it was down to 1.7 percent.
Gasoline, which reached a peak of over $6 a gallon in some
states under my predecessor — it was quite honestly a disaster — is now below
$2.30 a gallon in most states. And in some places, $1.99 a gallon. And when I
visited the great state of Iowa just a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 a gallon
for gasoline.
Mortgage rates are the lowest in four years and falling
fast, and the annual cost of a typical new mortgage is down almost $5,000 just since
I took office. One year.
And low interest rates will solve the Biden-created housing
problem while at the same time protecting the values of those people who
already own a house that really feel rich for the first time in their lives. We
want to protect those values; we want to keep those values up. We are going to
do both. And we are going to keep it that way.
The stock market is at 53 — all-time record highs since the
election. Think of that. One year. Boosting pensions, 401(k)s and retirement
accounts with millions and millions of Americans. They’re all gaining.
Everybody’s up, way up. In four long years, the last administration got less
than $1 trillion in new investment in the United States. And when I say less,
substantially less.
In 12 months, I secured commitments for more than $18
trillion, pouring in from all over the globe.
Think of it. Much less than $1 trillion for four years
versus much more than $18 trillion for one year. What a difference a president
makes.
A short time ago, we were a dead country. Now we are the
hottest country anywhere in the world. The hottest.
As thousands of new businesses are forming, and factories,
plants and laboratories are being built, we’ve added 70,000 new construction
jobs in just a very short period of time.
It’s getting bigger and bigger and stronger. Nobody can
believe what they’re watching. American oil production is up by more than
600,000 barrels a day, and we just received from our new friend and partner
Venezuela more than 80 million barrels of oil.
American natural gas production is at an all-time high
because I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill.
More Americans are working today than at any time in the
history of our country. Think about that: any time in the history of our
country, more working today. And 100 percent of all jobs created under my
administration have been in the private sector.
We ended D.E.I. in America.
We cut a record number of job-killing regulations. And in
one year, we have lifted 2.4 million Americans, a record, off of food stamps.
And for all of these reasons I say tonight, members of
Congress, the state of our union is strong.
Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so
much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me:
“Please, please, please, Mr. President, we’re winning too much; we can’t take
it anymore. We’re not used to winning in our county. Until you came along, we
were just always losing, but now we are winning too much.”
And I say, “No, no, no, you’re going to win again. You are going to win big.
You are going to win bigger than ever.” And to prove that point, to prove that
point, here with us is a group of winners who just made the entire nation
proud.
The men’s gold medal Olympic hockey team, come on in.
Go ahead. They deserve it. They deserve it.
That’s the first time I’ve ever seen them get up. And actually not all of
them did get up. But they beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime, as
everybody saw. As did the American women, who will soon be coming to the White
House.
They were in the Oval Office before.
And I just want to say a second, very big congratulations to Team U.S.A. But
I have to say that, and I told them this, we took a vote of the team. I said,
“Anybody votes no, I’m not doing it.” They stood there. They weren’t about to
say no. Because I’ve never seen a goaltender play as well as goalie Connor
Hellebuyck.
Think of it, 46 shots on goal. And I asked him, the one shot, the one where
you put your stick in the back, and it hit the neck of your stick and bounced
off. You practiced that, or was it a little lucky?
He refused to answer that question. But I just want to tell you that the
members of this great hockey squad will be very happy to hear based on their
vote and my vote — and in this case, my vote was more important — that I will
soon be presenting Connor with our highest civilian honor, which we will be
giving, and which has been given to many athletes over the years.
But when I say many, not too many, like 12. It’s called the highest civilian
honor in our country, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Great athletes have gotten that, very great, the best. And I thought he
deserved it. And I did take a vote, every single one of them. I said, “I’m not
giving it if anybody goes no,” and every single one of them rapidly put up
their hand. So I want to thank you all. What a special job you did. What
special champions you are. Thank you very much.
I’m also pleased to say that the next time the Olympic torch is lit, it will
be here in America for the 2028 Olympics, and it is the summer version right in
Los Angeles. We’re going to do a good job in Los Angeles.
And Los Angeles is going to be safe, just like Washington, D.C., is now one
of the safest cities in the country.
And this year — and I must say I got them both, I got them in the first term
— I was disappointed because I didn’t think I’d be the president when this
happened. But strange things took place, and now I got them, because I got the
Olympics, and I got the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and I wanted to claim the 250th,
but I didn’t get away with that one. I couldn’t claim that one for myself.
But we’re getting the World Cup, so we have the World Cup and the Olympics
coming, and that is exciting news. So this will be a year to celebrate our
country and the heroes who have kept it free.
Men like Buddy Taggart. At age 17, Buddy volunteered to defend America in
World War II. Serving in the Pacific under the great Gen. Douglas MacArthur, he
fought bravely in the famous Battle of Manila. Worked so hard. He was badly
wounded and almost killed by enemy machine guns in Luzon. And 81 years ago this
month, he liberated the largest internment camp in the Philippines. One of the
largest anywhere in the world.
But he earned many honors, including a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, came
home, started a family, and tonight he is in the gallery looking forward to
July 4, 2026, his 100th birthday.
So, Buddy, you’re a brave man, and we salute you.
Even in times of challenge, setback and immense heartache, the spirit of
1776 has always shown through very brightly. It was July 4 of last year when
floodwaters tore through a girls’ summer camp in central Texas. One of the
worst things I’ve ever seen. I was there.
Rising 26 feet in the matter of minutes, tragically claiming many, many
lives. You all remember that one. As the waters threatened to sweep her away,
11-year-old Milly Cate McClymond closed her eyes and prayed to God. She thought
she was going to die.
Those prayers were answered when Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan
descended from a helicopter above. Nobody knew where he came from. It was
Scott’s first-ever rescue mission. Young guy. Very brave. Very, very top.
Always top of his class. And he lifted not just Milly Cate, but 164 others to
safety. People watched Scott from a distance, and they couldn’t believe what
they were seeing.
The winds were blowing. The rain was pouring. Everything was going, and that
rapid water, nobody had ever seen anything like it. They said, “Wow, that’s
something!” Tonight, Scott and Milly Cate are here together, reunited for the
very first time. Thank you, Scott, Milly Cate.
And Petty Officer Ruskan, I am pleased to inform you that I’m now awarding
you the Legion of Merit for extraordinary heroism, which is what it was.
Extraordinary heroism. Thank you!
And I’d like to have the military aide to please come down and take care of
this service. Military aide. Thank you. Take care of that very important
service. Thank you very much.
From 1776 to today, every generation of Americans who step forward to defend
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and they’re really doing it for the
next generation. But now it’s our turn. Together, we’re building a nation where
every child has the chance to reach higher and go further. Where government
answers to the people, not the powerful, and where the interests of
hard-working American citizens are always our first and ultimate concern.
That is the debt we owe to the heroes who came before us, and that is the
promise we must keep to America for our 250th year.
Last year, I urged this Congress to begin the mission by passing the largest
tax cuts in American history, and our Republican majorities delivered so
beautifully. Thank you, Republicans!
All Democrats, every single one of them, voted against these really
important and very necessary massive tax cuts. They wanted large-scale tax
increases to hurt the people instead.
But we held strong, and with the great Big Beautiful Bill, we gave you no
tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security for our great
seniors. And we also made interest on auto loans tax-deductible. The first
time. But only if the car is made in America. Recently in Pennsylvania, I met
Megan Hemhauser, a devoted mom who’s — home-schools her children. Beautiful.
Two children.
During the day, while waiting tables at night, as her husband works overtime
operating very heavy equipment — Megan is here this evening, and she’s happy to
tell you that she is so, so much richer, because with no tax on tips, no tax on
overtime and her expanded child tax credit done again by Republicans, Megan and
her husband will take home more than $5,000 extra just for the year, cutting
her tax bill in more than half.
Megan, please stand up! We’re fighting for you, Megan! Thank you, Megan.
Thank you, Megan. We’re fighting for you, Megan. Under our bill, parents like
Megan can also activate their children’s brand-new Trump accounts.
And I didn’t name it. I didn’t name it. I did not name that. Nobody believes
me, but I did not name it. It was named by a very tall man sitting right there
in the third row. Nice man, a good man. Tax-free investment accounts for every
American child. This is something that’s so special. It has taken off and gone
through the roof. Millions will be prefunded courtesy of the U.S. Treasury, and
private individuals like Michael and Susan Dell, who have donated
$6,250,000,000 to fund the Trump accounts for 25 million American children.
They’re great people.
You know, I asked Michael, “How do you make all that money?” He said, “Well,
I just sat in my dorm in school, and I made computers, and I’d sell them to
people. And I just kept selling and selling and selling.” And, pretty amazing
story. That’s called the American dream. He sold a lot of computers, a lot of
those laptops.
So I congratulate him on that, but I really thank him and Susan, as well as
others like Brad Gerstner, a very tremendous guy. He was behind it right from
the beginning. Brad Gerstner. Thank you, Brad. So with modest, additional
contributions, these young people’s accounts could grow to over $100,000 or
more by the time they turn 18.
Think of it. How much money is that for somebody that started with nothing?
Over a hundred thousand, could be much more than that. To make this investment
in our children’s future, go to trumpaccounts.gov, trumpaccounts.gov. And a lot
of people are doing it. That’s setting every record in the book. It’s popular.
They knew what was going to — what it was going to take. So proud of them. I’m
so proud of the people that got it started. Now it’s just taken off.
One of the primary reasons for our country’s stunning economic turnaround —
the biggest in history, where the Dow Jones broke 50,000, four years ahead of
schedule, and the S&P hit 7,000, where it wasn’t supposed to do it for many
years — were tariffs. I use these tariffs, took in hundreds of billions of
dollars to make great deals for our country, both economically and on a
national security basis.
Everything was working well. Countries that were ripping us off for decades
are now paying us hundreds of billions of dollars. They were ripping us so
badly. You all know that. Everybody knows it. Even Democrats know it. They just
don’t want to say it. And yet these countries are now happy, and so are we. We
made deals. The deals are all done. And they’re happy. They’re not making money
like they used to, but we’re making a lot of money.
There was no inflation, tremendous growth. And the big story was how Donald
Trump called the economy correctly, and 22 Nobel Prize winners in economics
didn’t. They got it totally wrong. They got it really wrong. And then just four
days ago an unfortunate ruling from the United States Supreme Court, it just
came down, came down.
Very unfortunate ruling. But the good news is that almost all countries and
corporations want to keep the deal that they already made, right, Scott?
Knowing that the legal power that I as president have to make a new deal could
be far worse for them. And therefore they will continue to work along the same
successful path that we had negotiated before the Supreme Court’s unfortunate
involvement.
So despite the disappointing ruling, these powerful, country-saving — it’s
saving our country, the kind of money we’re taking in — peace protecting — many
of the wars I settled was because of the threat of tariffs. I wouldn’t have
been able to settle them without — will remain in place under fully approved
and tested alternative legal statutes, and they’ve been tested for a long time.
They’re a little more complex, but they’re actually probably better. Leading to
a solution that will be even stronger than before.
Congressional action will not be necessary. It’s already time-tested and
approved. And as time goes by, I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign
countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system
of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love.
Right? Moving forward, factories, jobs, investment and trillions and
trillions of dollars will continue pouring into the United States of America.
Because we finally have a president who puts America first. I put America
first. I love America.
For decades, before I came along, we had the exact opposite. From trade to
health care, from energy to immigration, everything was stolen and rigged in
order to drain the wealth out of the productive and hard-working people who
make our country great, who make our country run.
Under Biden and his corrupt partners in Congress and beyond, it reached a
breaking point with the “Green New Scam,” open borders for everyone. They
poured in by the millions and millions from prisons, from mental institutions.
There were murderers, 11,888 murders. They came into our country. You allowed
that to happen. And record-setting inflation that cost the typical family
$34,000 in just a speck of time.
Now the same people in this chamber who voted for those disasters suddenly
use the word “affordability.” A word, they just used it. Somebody gave it to
them, knowing full well that they caused and created the increased prices that
all of our citizens had to endure. You caused that problem. You caused that
problem.
They knew their statements were a lie. They knew it. They knew their
statements were a dirty, rotten lie. Their policies created the high prices.
Our policies are rapidly ending them. We are doing really well. Those prices
are plummeting downward.
The price of eggs is down 60 percent. Madam Secretary, thank you. The cost
of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, automobiles, rent is lower today than when I
took office, by a lot.
And even beef, which was very high, is starting to come down significantly.
Just hold on a little while. We’re getting it down. And soon you will see
numbers that few people would think were possible to achieve just a short time
ago. Nobody can believe when they see the kind of numbers, especially energy.
When they see energy going down to numbers like that. They cannot believe it.
It’s like another big tax cut.
I’m also confronting one of the biggest rip-offs of our times: the crushing
costs of health care, caused by you. Since the passage of the “Unaffordable
Care Act,” sometimes referred to as Obamacare, big insurance companies have
gotten rich. It was meant for the insurance companies, not for the people. With
our government giving them hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars a year
as their stock prices soared 1,000, 1,200, 1,400 and even 1,700 percent, like
nothing else.
That’s why I introduced the “Great Health Care Plan.” I want to stop all
payments to big insurance companies and instead, give that money directly to
the people so they can buy their own health care, which will be better health
care at a much lower cost.
In addition, my plan requires maximum price transparency. That’s a big deal.
Sounds so simple, so big. And I did that in my first term, and the Democrats
immediately terminated it with full knowledge that they were doing a very bad
thing for the people. Costs were going to go way up, and that’s what happened,
and now I’m bringing them way down on health care and everything else.
I’m also ending the wildly inflated costs of prescription drugs like has
never happened before.
Other presidents tried to do it, but they never could. They tried. Most
didn’t try, actually. But they tried. They said they tried. They couldn’t do
it. They didn’t even come close. They were all talk and no action. But I got it
done. Under my just-enacted, most favored nation agreements, Americans who have
for decades paid by far the highest prices of any nation anywhere in the world
for prescription drugs will now pay the lowest price anywhere in the world for
drugs, anywhere. The lowest price.
So, in my first year of the second term — it should be my third term, but
strange things happened. I took prescription drugs, a very big part of health
care, from the highest price in the entire world to the lowest. That’s a big
achievement. The result is price differences of 300, 400, 500, 600 percent and
more — all available right now at a new website called trumprx.gov. And I
didn’t name that one either, by the way.
And here tonight is the very first customer ever to get that big discount.
And it is big. Catherine Rayner. For five years, she and her husband have
struggled with infertility, and they turned to IVF. One drug has been costing
Catherine $4,000 to purchase.
But a few weeks ago, she logged onto the TrumpRx website and got that same
drug that cost $4,000, got it for under $500 — a reduction of much more,
actually, than $3,500. Catherine, we are all praying for you, and you are going
to be a great mom.
So now I’m calling on Congress to codify my most favored nation program into
law.
Now the one thing, I’m not sure it matters, because it’s going to be very
hard for somebody that comes along after me to say, “Let’s raise drug prices by
700 or 800 percent.” But John and Mike, if you don’t mind, codify it anyway.
They may do it. Codify it anyway. Thank you.
Many Americans are also concerned that energy demand from AI data centers
could unfairly drive up their electric utility bills. Tonight I’m pleased to
announce that I have negotiated the new ratepayer protection pledge. You know
what that is. We’re telling the major tech companies that they have the
obligation to provide for their own power needs.
They can build their own power plants as part of their factory, so that no
one’s prices will go up, and in many cases prices of electricity will go down
for the community, and very substantially down. This is a unique strategy never
used in this country before.
We have an old grid. It could never handle the kind of numbers, the amount
of electricity that’s needed. So I’m telling them they can build their own
plant. They’re going to produce their own electricity. It will ensure the
company’s ability to get electricity while at the same time lowering prices of
electricity for you, and could be very substantial, for all of your cities and
towns. You are going to see good things happen over the next number of years.
Another pillar of the American dream that has been under attack is
homeownership.
With us tonight is Raysall Wiggins, a mom of two from Houston. She placed
bids on 20 homes and lost all of those bids to gigantic investment firms that
bypassed inspection. Paid all cash and turned those houses into rentals,
stealing away her American dream. She was devastated. Stories like this are why
last month I signed executive order to ban large Wall Street investment firms
from buying up, in the thousands, single family homes.
And now I’m asking Congress to make that ban permanent, because homes for
people — really, that’s what we want. We want homes for people, not for
corporations. Corporations are doing just fine. Raysall, thank you very much.
Good luck with your home. You’ll get one soon.
We’re also making it easier for Americans to save for retirement, and under
this administration, we will always protect Social Security and Medicare. They
are not protecting it for our seniors. We will always protect Social Security,
Medicare — Medicare.
Since I took office, the typical 401(k) balance is up by at least $30,000.
That’s a lot of money. We have millions and millions of people, because the
stock market has done so well, setting all those records — your 401(k)s are way
up. Yet half of all of working Americans still do not have access to a
retirement plan with matching contributions from an employer.
To remedy this gross disparity, I’m announcing that next year, my
administration will give these often forgotten American workers — great people,
the people that built our country — access to the same type of retirement plan
offered to every federal worker. We will match your contribution with up to
$1,000 each year, as we ensure that all Americans can profit from a rising
stock market.
Let’s also ensure that members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from
using insider information.
They stood up for that. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Did Nancy
Pelosi stand up, if she’s here? Doubt it. Pass the Stop Insider Trading Act
without delay. I wasn’t sure if anybody even on this side was even going to
applaud for that. I’m very impressed. Thank you. I’m very impressed.
But when it comes to the corruption that is plundering — it really, it’s
plundering America — there’s been no more stunning example than Minnesota,
where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion
from the American taxpayer. Oh, we have all the information.
And in actuality the number is much higher than that, and California,
Massachusetts, Maine and many other states are even worse. This is the kind of
corruption that shreds the fabric of a nation, and we are working on it like
you wouldn’t believe. So tonight, although started four months ago, I am
officially announcing the war on fraud to be led by our great vice president,
JD Vance.
He’ll get it done. And we’re able to find enough of that fraud — we will
actually have a balanced budget overnight. It’ll go very quickly. That’s the
kind of money you’re talking about. We’ll balance our budget. The Somali
pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the
world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the
exception.
Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders
brings those problems right here to the U.S.A. And it is the American people
who pay the price in higher medical bills, car insurance rates, rent, taxes
and, perhaps most importantly, crime.
We will take care of this problem. We’re going to take care of this problem.
We are not playing games. Dalilah — Dalilah Coleman was only 5 years old in
June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car
traveling at 60 miles an hour or more. The driver was an illegal alien let in
by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders,
politicians and California. Doctors said Dalilah would never be able to walk or
talk, have a good life.
She wouldn’t even be able to eat again. But against all odds, she is now in
the first grade, learning to walk, and she is here this evening with her dad,
Marcus, a fantastic man. Dalilah, please, you are a great inspiration. Please
stand up. Thank you, Dalilah. Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak
English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed,
danger or location.
That’s why tonight I’m calling on Congress to pass what we will call the
Dalilah law, barring any state from granting commercial licenses to illegal
alien.
And yesterday, as you probably saw at the White House, I hosted a ceremony
with Americans who lost their treasured loved ones to the scourge of illegal
immigration. People came into our country, how we allowed this to happen with
our open borders. These are the angel moms and families that for decades our
government betrayed and our media totally ignored — totally ignored, it was
terrible. Hard to believe, actually.
In 2023, a 16-year-old high school cheerleader named Lizbeth Medina was
supposed to perform in her town’s Christmas parade. But she never arrived. Her
mother, Jacqueline, went home to look for her and she found her lying dead in a
bathtub bleeding profusely after being stabbed 25 time.
Lizbeth’s killer was a previously arrested illegal alien who had broken in
and bruta — just brutally extinguished the brightest light in her family’s
life. Violently and viciously. Her heartbroken mother is in the gallery to
remind everyone in this chamber exactly why we are deporting illegal alien
criminals from our country at record numbers and we’re getting them the hell
out of here fast. We don’t want ‘em.
Thank you very much, Jacqueline. Thank you. We can never forget that many in
this room not only allowed the border invasion to happen before I got involved
but, indeed, they would do it all over again if they ever had the chance.
If they ever got elected, they would open up those borders to some of the
worst criminals anywhere in the world. The only thing standing between
Americans and a wide-open border right now is President Donald J. Trump and our
great Republican patriots in Congress. Thank you. Thank you.
As we speak, Democrats in this chamber have cut off all funding for the
Department of Homeland Security. It’s all cut off — it’s all cut off. They have
instituted another Democrat shutdown, the first one costing us two points on
G.D.P. — two points we lost on G.D.P., which probably made them quite happy,
actually.
Now they have closed the agency responsible for protecting Americans from
terrorists and murderers.
Tonight I’m demanding the full and immediate restoration of all funding for
the border security, homeland security of the United States and also for
helping people clean up their snow.
We have no money because of the Democrats and it would be nice — we’d love
to give you a hand at cleaning it up, but you gave no money. Nobody’s getting
paid. It’s a shame. So you have to think about it. We have, in case you didn’t
know, pretty large snowstorm out there.
One of the great things about the State of the Union is how it gives
Americans the chance to see clearly what their representatives really believe.
So tonight I’m inviting every legislator to join with my administration in
reaffirming a fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then
stand up and show your support. The first duty of the American government is to
protect American citizens. Not illegal aliens.
Isn’t that a shame? You should be ashamed of yourself, not standing up. You
should be ashamed of yourself.
That is why I’m also asking you to end deadly sanctuary cities that protect
the criminals and enact serious penalties for public officials who block the
removal of criminal aliens, in many cases drug lords, murderers all over our
country. They’re blocking the removal of these people out of our country and
you should be ashamed of yourselves.
And perhaps most importantly, I’m asking you to approve the Save America
Act. To stop illegal aliens and others, who are unpermitted persons, from voting
in our sacred American elections. The cheating is rampant in our elections.
It’s rampant. It’s very simple. All voters must show voter ID.
All voters must show proof of citizenship in order to vote. And no more
crooked mail-in ballots except for illness, disability, military or travel.
None. And this should be an easy one and by the way it’s polling at 89 percent
including Democrats, 89 percent.
And even the new communist mayor of New York City — I think he’s a nice guy,
actually. Speak to him a lot. Bad policy but nice guy — just said they want
people to shovel snow. They got hit hard. Wants them to shovel snow. But if you
apply for that job, you need to show two original forms of ID and a Social
Security card. Yet they don’t want identification for the greatest privilege of
them all: Voting in America.
No, it’s no good. No good. Both Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly
agree on the policy that we just enunciated, and Congress should unite and
enact this common-sense, country-saving legislation right now and it should be
before anything else happens.
And the reason they don’t want to do it — why would anybody not want voter
ID? One reason: because they want to cheat. There’s only one reason. They make
up all excuses. They say it’s racist, they come up with things — you almost
say, “What imagination they have.” They want to cheat. They have cheated.
And their policy is so bad that the only way they can get elected is to
cheat and we’re going to stop it. We have to stop it, John. We have to stop it.
And here is one more opportunity to show common sense in government. In the
gallery tonight are Sage Blair and her mother, Michelle. In 2021, Sage was 14
when school officials in Virginia sought to socially transition her to a new
gender, treating her as a boy and hiding it from her parents. Hard to believe,
isn’t it? Before long, a confused Sage ran away from home.
After she was found in a horrific situation in Maryland, a left-wing judge
refused to return Sage to her parents because they did not immediately state
that their daughter was their son. Sage was thrown into an all-boys state home
and suffered terribly for a long time. But today all of that is behind them
because Sage is a proud and wonderful young woman with a full-ride scholarship
to Liberty University. Sage and Michelle, please stand up.
And thank you for your great bravery, and who can believe we’re even
speaking about things like this? Fifteen years ago, if someone was up here and
said that, they’d say: “What’s wrong with him?” But now we have to say it,
because it’s going on all over, numerous states, without even telling the
parents.
But surely we can all agree no state can be allowed to rip children from
their parents’ arms and transition them to a new gender against the parents’
will. Who would believe that we’re even talking about that? We must ban it, and
we must ban it immediately.
Look, nobody stands up. These people are crazy, I’m telling you. They’re
crazy.
Amazing. Terrible. Boy, oh boy. We’re lucky we have a country. With people
like this — Democrats are destroying our country, but we’ve stopped it just in
the nick of time, didn’t we, huh?
No one cares more about protecting America’s youth than our wonderful first
lady. Now a movie star; she’s a movie star. Can you believe it? Who would’ve
believed that? Over the past year, she has had an incredible impact championing
A.I. legislation, advancing a landmark executive order on foster care and
helping secure 30 million dollars to launch the Melania Trump Foster Youth to
Independence Initiative.
It’s a tremendous — really a tremendous thing that happened and had a lot of
bipartisan support. She gets much better bipartisan support than I do. I get
none. She gets a lot. Someday you’re going to have to tell me how you did that.
And students and educators in every state have joined the first lady’s
efforts in the presidential A.I. challenge, keeping America’s next generation
positioned to succeed and strongly succeed in the future. Tonight we welcome
two young people whose lives reflect the first lady’s impact, Sierra Burns and
Everest Nevraumont. Thank you both, and Melania, thank you, I know how hard you
worked on it. Thank you very much.
I’m very proud to say that during my time in office, both the first four
years and in particular this last year, there has been a tremendous renewal in
religion, faith, Christianity and belief in God. Tremendous renewal.
This is especially true among young people and a big part of that had to do
with my great friend, Charlie Kirk. A great guy, great man.
So last year Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin and martyred —
really, martyred — for his beliefs. His wonderful wife Erika is with us
tonight. Erika, please stand.
Thank you, Erika. Been through a lot. In Charlie’s memory, we must all come
together to reaffirm that America is one nation under God, and we must totally
reject political violence of any kind.
We love religion, and we love bringing it back, and it’s coming back at
levels nobody actually thought possible. It’s really a beautiful thing to see.
Above all, unleashing America’s promise requires keeping our community safe.
We have made incredible strides, yet dangerous repeat offenders continue to be
released by pro-crime Democrat politicians again and again. We are honored to
be joined tonight by a woman who has been through hell: Anya Zarutska. In 2022,
she and her beautiful daughter — so beautiful, what a beautiful young woman —
Iryna fled war-turned, war-torn Ukraine to live with relatives near Charlotte,
N.C. — and by the way, what’s going on with Charlotte?
Last summer, 23-year-old Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged
monster who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through
no-cash bail stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body.
No one will ever forget — there were people on that train — no one will ever
forget the expression of terror on Iryna’s face as she looked up at her
attacker in the last seconds of her life. She died instantly. She had escaped a
brutal war only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free to kill in America.
Came in through open borders.
Mrs. Zarutska, tonight I promise you we will ensure justice for your
magnificent daughter Iryna.
How do you not stand? How do you not stand? I’m asking this Congress to pass
tough legislation to make sure violent and dangerous repeat offenders are put
behind bars, and importantly, that they stay there.
Starting last summer, I deployed our National Guard and federal law
enforcement to restore law and order to our most dangerous cities, including
Memphis, Tennessee — big success — New Orleans, Louisiana — big success — and
our nation’s capital itself, Washington, D.C., where we have almost no crime
anymore in Washington, D.C. How did that happen?
In fact, crime in Washington is now at the lowest level ever recorded and
murders in D.C. this January were down close to 100 percent from a year ago.
They don’t like to hear that. One of the — sick people. One of the brave
service members who helped achieve the stunning turnaround was 20-year-old West
Virginia Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom.
After a four-month deployment, she voluntarily extended her service and her
rank was going to be lifted. She was doing so well. They were so proud of her.
But the very next day she was on patrol near the White House when she was
ambushed and shot in the head by a terrorist monster from Afghanistan.
Shouldn’t have been in our country. And all because she wore the uniform of our
nation, she was shot. He traveled here because he didn’t like people wearing
our uniform. He was sick and deranged. Shouldn’t have been in our country.
Sarah Beckstrom died in order to defend our capital and we are honored to be
joined by her wonderful parents, Gary and Evalea. Your daughter was a true
American patriot and she will be greatly missed. She was a great person. I saw
reports on her. They’d never seen anything like that.
So sorry. Thank you very much. A great young lady. I saw reports. They were
like, “She was perfect, perfect.”
Serving alongside Sarah that day was Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. The terrorist
shot Andrew in the head, and no one thought he could possibly make it. Two of
them, Sarah and Andrew, both shot violently in the head. Neither was expected
to make it. They weren’t even given a chance, except his wonderful mother named
Melody, who I spoke to the same night and she was so positive.
The doctors thought that Andrew was gone. But his mother said, “No, no, Mr.
President! Andrew will be fine, he is going to make it.” I’ve never seen
anything like it. I mean, he was given almost no chance. She said, “I have no
doubt, sir! He’s going to be OK.” This is a conversation I had with her that
night with her son laying helplessly in bed, blood all over.
“Everybody’s praying,” she said. “Sir, he will be OK.” The doctors didn’t
understand what she was saying. And after looking at the results of the damage
done, neither did I. She was so strong and conclusive that even Andrew’s great
father felt she didn’t really understand the gravity of the situation. But she
turned out to be right. Right, Melody? She turned out to be right!
Amazing, actually. I said, “Where does this woman come from?” She was the
most positive person I’ve ever met. With God’s help, Andrew has battled back
from the edge of death, and we’re talking about the edge of death. On his way
to a miraculous recovery. He’s got a little work to do, but he’s doing great!
Nice to see. He’s a good-looking guy. Nice to see you. Thanks, Andrew. Thank
you very much.
So Andrew, while you’re up, now I’m going to ask a highly respected general,
James Seward, to present Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and the great family of Sarah
Beckstrom with the award created by our late great president, George Washington
himself. It’s called the Purple Heart.
We love you all! Love you. We’re proudly restoring safety for Americans at
home, and we are also restoring security for Americans abroad.
Our country has never been stronger. My first 10 months I ended eight wars,
including Cambodia. Isn’t it funny? Sick people. Cambodia and Thailand. Pakistan
and India. Would have been a nuclear war. 35 million people said the prime
minister of Pakistan would have died if it were not for my involvement. Kosovo
and Serbia. Israel and Iran. Egypt and Ethiopia. Armenia and Azerbaijan. The
Congo and Rwanda. And, of course, the war in Gaza, which proceeds at a very low
level, it’s just about there. I want to thank Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner
for your help. Thank you, Steve. Thank you, Jared.
And I also want to thank the man they report to, Secretary of State Marco
Rubio! Thank you, Marco. People like you! You know, Marco got 100 percent of
the votes when he was in confirm — I think our next one was about 54 percent.
And some of the Democrats are now saying, “I can’t believe we approved that
guy!”
And he said, “It’s an honor that they feel that way.” Right, Marco? You have
done a great job. Great secretary of state. I think he’ll go down as the best
ever.
Under the cease-fire I negotiated, every single hostage, both living and
dead, has been returned home. Can you believe this? Nobody thought it was
possible. Nobody thought that was possible. Both living and dead. And those
parents who had a dead son. Their boy. They’d always tell me, their boy. They
wanted him as much as though he were living. That was an amazing period of
time.
They came back, and when we got all the living hostages back. And many, many
before them. But I always said those last 20 are going to be very tough. But we
got many, many more. Hundreds. But I said those last 20 are going to be tough. We
got them back, but we only got back 14 or 15 of the dead, of the 28, and
believe it or not, Hamas worked along with Israel, and they dug and they dug
and they dug.
It’s a tough, it’s a tough thing to do, going through bodies all over.
Passing up 100 bodies sometimes for each one they found, a tough job. They
finally got it back to 27 and then, Steve and Jared, they got it back to 28,
they found all 28, nobody thought that was possible but we did it. I remember
the family of the 28th, they were so grieved but they were so happy, as happy
as it was possible to be. They had their boy back. The mother said, “Sir, we
have our boy back.”
We got them all back, so thank you very much. And we’re working very hard to
end the ninth war, the killing and slaughter between Russia and Ukraine, where
25,000 soldiers are dying each and every month. Think of that, 25,000 soldiers
dying a month. A war which would never have happened if I were president, would
never have happened.
As president, I will make peace wherever I can, but I will never hesitate to
confront threats to America wherever we must. That’s why in a breakthrough
operation last June, the United States military obliterated Iran’s nuclear
weapons program with an attack on Iranian soil known as Operation Midnight
Hammer. For decades, it had been the policy of the United States never to allow
Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, many decades.
Since they seized control of that proud nation 47 years ago, the regime and
its murderous proxies have spread nothing but terrorism and death and hate.
They’ve killed and maimed thousands of American service members and even
millions of people with what’s called roadside bombs, they were the kings of
the roadside bomb. And we took out Suleimani, I did that during my first term,
it had a huge impact. He was the father of the roadside bomb.
And just over the last couple of months with the protests, they’ve killed at
least, it looks like 32,000 protesters, 32,000 protesters in their own country.
They shot them and hung them. We stopped them from hanging a lot of them with
the threat of serious violence, but this is some terrible people.
They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases
overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United
States of America. After Midnight Hammer, they were warned to make no future
attempts to rebuild their weapons program, in particular nuclear weapons, yet
they continue. They’re starting it all over.
We wiped it out, and they want to start over again, and are at this moment
again pursuing their sinister ambitions. We are in negotiations with them; they
want to make a deal but we haven’t heard those secret words: “We will never
have a nuclear weapon.”
My preference — my preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy.
But one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of
terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon, can’t let that happen.
And no nation should ever doubt America’s resolve. We have the most powerful
military on Earth. I rebuilt the military in my first term. We are going to
continue to do so. I also, we just approved a trillion-dollar budget, we have
no choice, we have to be strong because hopefully we will seldom have to use
this great power that we’ve built together. It’s really called peace through
strength, and it’s been very, very effective.
Thanks to Republicans in Congress we are investing a record number of
dollars — have no choice — in the United States armed forces, also creating a
lot of jobs, but we are not even doing it for that reason because as I said, we
have more jobs, more people working today than ever before in the history of
our country.
And NATO countries, our friends and allies, they are, they are friends and
they are allies, they just agreed at my strong request to pay 5 percent of
G.D.P. for military defense rather than the 2 percent, which they weren’t
paying, we were paying for almost all of NATO. Now they are paying five as
opposed to not paying three.
And getting that 5 percent was something which everyone said would never be
done, could not happen, we got it really easily in one meeting, and a big
difference between 2 percent that’s not paid, we were paying [inaudible] many
of them, very few were paid up, now 5 percent then they’re paid, and everything
we send over to Ukraine is sent through NATO, and they pay us in full. They pay
us totally in full, every branch of our armed forces is setting records for
recruitment. This is so exciting, and every service member recently —
And every service member recently received a warrior dividend of $1,776. You
know they put it on my desk, we got the money from tariffs and other things, a
lot of money.
We have, we have much more money than people understand, have to rebuild
that program a little bit, but it won’t take long. But we got the money, $1,775
and I — they wanted my approval, and I said, “What’s the number?” $1,775.
Well, I said, “Wait a minute, for one more dollar we can have $1,776.” I
said we were going to figure that out. I never asked anybody if we could afford
it, one more dollar, I said, “1,776.” And I said, that’s good. I’ll tell you
what, our military, that was four months ago, our military, I’ve never see a
person in the military that doesn’t thank me for it, so we’re honored to do it,
they deserve it, and 1776, that was great and we love our military, we love our
law enforcement, we love our firemen. You know the firemen don’t get mentioned
enough, we love our firemen. We’re also —
We are also restoring American security and dominance in the Western
Hemisphere, acting to secure our national interest and defend our country from
violence, drugs, terrorism and foreign interference. For years, large swaths of
territory in our region, including large parts of Mexico, really large parts of
Mexico, have been controlled by murderous drug cartels. That’s why I designated
these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and I declared illicit
fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
With our new military campaign we have stopped record amounts of drugs
coming into our country and virtually stopped it completely coming in by water
or sea, you probably noticed that.
We very seriously damaged their fishing industry also — nobody wants to go
fishing anymore. We’ve also taken down one of the most sinister cartel kingpins
of all — you saw that yesterday. In January, in January, elite American
warriors carried out one of the most complex spectacular feats of military
competence and power in world history. No one’s seen anything like it. Foreign
leaders — I won’t tell you — called me and they said, “Very impressive.” They
couldn’t bel — they all watched, they saw what happened.
This is a different fighting force than we had years ago when we fought to
tie. It’s a great fighting force. I’m so proud of it.
Look at Space Force. Space Force is my baby, we did that, my baby, it’s
becoming so important.
And America’s armed forces overwhelmed all defenses and not only defeated an
enemy — good fighters — to end the reign of outlaw dictator Nicolás Maduro and bring
him to face American justice. And this was an absolutely colossal victory for
the security of the United States, and it also opens up a bright new beginning
for the people of Venezuela.
We’re working closely with the new president of Venezuela, Delcy RodrÃguez,
to unleash extraordinary economic gains for both of our countries and to bring
new hope to those who have suffered so terribly. They really did suffer.
With us tonight is Alejandro Gonzalez, she grew up in a tight-knit
Venezuelan family and was especially close to her beloved Uncle Enrique. But
after Enrique ran for office and opposed Maduro, he was captured by Maduro’s
security forces and thrown into the regime’s really infamous prison in Caracas.
Alejandro feared she would never see her uncle again. She feared for her own
life also. But since the raid, we have worked with the new leadership and they
have ordered the closure of that vile prison and released hundreds of political
prisoners already, with more to come.
Alejandra, I’m pleased to inform you that not only has your uncle been
released but he’s here tonight. We brought him over to celebrate his freedom
with you in person. Enrique, please come down.
Thank you, Enrique. Have a good time. Nice to have you back, Enrique.
There were many heroes on that January raid to capture Maduro, really great
heroes. It was very dangerous, they knew we were coming. They were all set. But
the deeds of one warrior that night will live forever in the eternal chronicles
of military valor.
Chief Warrant Officer Five, Eric Slover, planned the mission and was the
flight lead in the cockpit of the first helicopter, a big, beautiful, powerful
helicopter. It was a massive Chinook, carrying, as you can imagine, many, many
American war fighters. Wearing the dog tags his wife Amy had blessed with holy
water before he left — she knew it was going to be a rough one.
Eric steered the Chinook under the cover of night and descended swiftly upon
Maduro’s heavily protected military fortress — this was a major military
installation protected by thousands of soldiers and guarded by Russian and
Chinese military technology.
How did that work out? Not too good. While preparing to land, enemy machine
guns fired from every angle and Eric was hit very badly in the leg and hip, one
bullet after another. He absorbed four agonizing shots, shredding his leg into
numerous pieces.
And yet despite the fact that the use of his legs was vital to a successful
helicopter flight, like I said, the most important part of flying a helicopter
— to deliver the many commandos who would capture and detain Maduro was the
only thing Eric was thinking about. Then even as he was gushing blood, which
was flowing back down the aisle, the helicopter lands at a steep angle, the
machine guns stood right in front of him — they were right in front of him, two
machine gunners who escaped the wrath of the previous planes.
Eric maneuvered his helicopter with all of those lives and souls to face the
enemy and let his gunners eliminate the threat. Turned the helicopter around so
the gunners could take care of business, saving the lives of his fellow
warriors from what could’ve been a catastrophic crash deep in enemy territory.
Only after safely landing the helicopter with all the warriors aboard in the
exact right spot, which was vital to the mission — probably would have had —
maybe cancel the mission if that didn’t happen — Eric told his co-pilot, also
wounded, but not as gravely, to take over. “I am about ready to pass out.”
The success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors hinge
on Eric’s ability to take searing pain. It was unbelievable, what’s happened to
his legs — of the bullets, and keep on flying and landing. And people knew what
was happening. Everybody in the back of the helicopter knew, because they saw
the blood pouring down the aisle.
Chief Warrant Officer Slover is still recovering from his serious wounds,
but I’m thrilled to say that he is here tonight with his wife, Amy. Eric and
Amy, come on in.
So we have a surprise, Eric and Amy. In recognition of Eric’s actions above
and beyond the call of duty, I would now like to ask General Jonathan Braga to
present Chief Warrant Officer Slover with our nation’s highest military award,
the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Well thank you very much, Eric and Amy. Great to get to know you. I met with
them and with a lot of their fellow warriors at Fort Bragg recently. You notice
the name Fort Bragg? We have it back, we brought it back. We won the first
World War with it, the second World War with it, and then they decided to
change the name. So we changed it back. Everybody wanted it changed back, too.
And 10 of Eric’s fellow warriors from that incredible night of victory will
also be receiving medals at a private ceremony that will soon be held at the
White House.
Thank you, Eric. That’s a big one.
Tonight we’ve celebrated many truly extraordinary American patriots. But
there is one last living legend to honor before we go. He is one more heroic
American aviator, Navy fighter pilot. Royce Williams served in World War II,
Korea, Vietnam — flying more than 220 missions. In the skies over Korea in
1952, Royce was in the dogfight of a lifetime — legendary dogfight.
Flying through blizzard conditions, his squadron was ambushed by seven
Soviet fighter planes. It was his first aerial combat of the war, and despite
being massively outnumbered and outgunned, Royce led the takedown of four enemy
jets, and almost destroyed the others, vanquishing his adversaries while taking
263 bullets to his own plane, and being seriously hurt.
His story was secret for over 50 years. He didn’t even want to tell his
wife. But the legend grew and grew. But tonight, at 100 years old, this brave
Navy captain is finally getting the recognition he deserves. He was a legend
long before this evening. Royce, please stand up, and I will ask the first lady
of the United States to present Capt. Royce Williams with his Congressional
Medal of Honor. Thank you.
I’ve always wanted the Congressional Medal of Honor, but I was informed I’m
not allowed to give it to myself, and I wouldn’t know why I would be taking it.
But if they ever open up that law, I will be there with you someday. That is
our highest honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor. That’s a big thing, and
it’s an honor to be in the same room with you. Thank you both very much. Eric,
thank you. Thank you.
Two hundred fifty years is a long time in the life of a nation, but in
another sense it is a mere moment in the eye of history. Two of the gentlemen
we met in the gallery this evening took their first breaths one century ago.
One hundred years before that, on July 4, 1826, the author of the Declaration
of Independence, brilliant Thomas Jefferson, drew his last breath.
Just a single long human life span separates the giants who declared and won
our independence from the heroes who stand among us tonight. Everything our
nation has done and everything we’ve achieved has been the work of those few
great lifetimes. Those brief chapters Americans built this nation from, 13
humble colonies, into the pinnacle of human civilization and human freedom, the
strongest, wealthiest, most powerful, most successful nation in all of history.
Americans ventured out across the daunting and dangerous continent. We
carved through an unforgiving wilderness, settled a boundless frontier and
tamed the beautiful but very, very dangerous Wild West. From empty marshes and
wide open plains, we raised up the world’s greatest cities. Together, we
mastered the world’s mightiest industries and shattered histories, monstrous
tyrannies, and we liberated millions from the chains of fascism, communism,
oppression and terror.
Americans lifted humanity into the skies on the wings of aluminum and steel,
and then we launched mankind into the stars on rockets powered by sheer
American will and unyielding American pride. We wired the globe with our
ingenuity, we captivated the planet with American culture, and now we are
pioneering the next great American breakthroughs that will change the entire
world.
All of this and so much more is the enduring legacy, unmatched glory, of the
hard-working patriots who built and defended this country and who still carry
the hopes and freedoms on all of humanity’s backs. For years, they were
forgotten, betrayed and cast aside, but that great betrayal is over, and they
will never be forgotten again. Because when the world needs courage, daring,
vision and inspiration, it is still turning to America, and when God needs a
nation to work his miracles, he knows exactly who to ask.
There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome, no frontier too vast for us
to conquer, no dream too bold for us to chase, no horizon too distant for us to
claim. For our destiny is written by the hand of providence, and these first
250 years were just the beginning. From the rugged border towns of Texas to the
heartland villages of Michigan, from the sun-kissed shores of Florida to the
endless fields of the Dakotas, and from the historic streets of Philadelphia to
right here in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., the golden age of America
is upon us.
The revolution that began in 1776 has not ended. It still continues, because
the flame of liberty and independence still burns in the heart of every
American patriot. And our future will be bigger, better, brighter, bolder and
more glorious than ever before.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you.
