Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton,
President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans and people of the
world, thank you.
We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national
effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of
our people.
Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for
many, many years to come. We will face challenges, we will confront
hardships, but we will get the job done.
Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly
and peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President
Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid
throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. Thank
you.
Today's ceremony, however, has very special meaning because today,
we are not merely transferring power from one administration to
another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power
from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the people.
For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the
rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.
Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth.
Politicians prospered, but the jobs left and the factories closed.
The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our
country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their
triumphs have not been your triumphs. And while they celebrated in
our nation's capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling
families all across our land.
That all changes starting right here and right now because this
moment is your moment, it belongs to you.
It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching
all across America. This is your day. This is your celebration. And
this, the United States of America, is your country.
What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but
whether our government is controlled by the people.
January 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 just and reasonable demands of
righteous people and a righteous public.
But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists:
mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted
out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our
nation; an education system flush with cash, but which leaves our
young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge; and the
crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives
and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.
This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
We are one nation and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our
dreams. And their success will be our success. We share one heart,
one home, and one glorious destiny. The oath of office I take today
is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.
For many decades, we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of
American industry; subsidized the armies of other countries, while
allowing for the very sad depletion of our military. We've defended
other nations' borders while refusing to defend our own.
And spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while
America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay. We've
made other countries rich, while the wealth, strength and
confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon.
One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not
even a thought about the millions and millions of American workers
that were left behind. The wealth of our middle class has been
ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the
world.
But that is the past. And now, we are looking only to the
future.
We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in
every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.
From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this
day forward, it's going to be only America first, America
first.
Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign
affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American
families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other
countries making our products, stealing our companies and
destroying our jobs.
Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength. I will fight
for you with every breath in my body and I will never ever let you
down.
America will start winning again, winning like never before.
We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We
will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.
We will build new roads and highways and bridges and airports and
tunnels and railways all across our wonderful nation. We will get
our people off of welfare and back to work, rebuilding our country
with American hands and American labor.
We will follow two simple rules; buy American and hire
American.
We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world,
but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all
nations to put their own interests first. We do not seek to impose
our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an
example. We will shine for everyone to follow.
We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones and unite the
civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will
eradicate from the face of the Earth.
At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the
United States of America, and through our loyalty to our country,
we will rediscover our loyalty to each other. When you open your
heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.
The Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is when God's people
live together in unity. We must speak our minds openly, debate our
disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity. When America
is united, America is totally unstoppable.
There should be no fear. We are protected and we will always be
protected. We will be protected by the great men and women of our
military and law enforcement. And most importantly, we will be
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 allow anyone to tell you that it cannot be done. No
challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America. We
will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.
We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the
mysteries of space, to free the earth from the miseries of disease,
and to harness the energies, industries and technologies of
tomorrow. A new national pride will stir ourselves, lift our sights
and heal our divisions.
It's 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
wind-swept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky,
they will 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, 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.