President Trump on Tuesday delivered a state of the Union address during his second term at a joint session of Congress. Below is a transcript of his speeches recorded by The New York Times.
Thanks a lot to everyone. It's really an honor for me. Speaker Johnson. Vice President Vance. First Lady of the United States. Second Lady of the United States.
Members of Congress and my compatriots, our country is back — bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever.
In less than five months, our country will celebrate a grand milestone in American history: the 250th anniversary of our glorious American independence. On July 4th, we celebrate two and a half centuries of freedom and triumph, progress and independence in the most incredible and exceptional country that has ever existed on Earth.
And you haven't seen anything yet. It's going to get better and better. This is the golden age of America.
When I last spoke in this Hall 12 months ago, I had just inherited a country in crisis: with a stagnant economy, record inflation, open borders, terrible military and police, rampant crime, as well as wars and chaos around the world. But tonight, after just one year, I can say with dignity and pride that we have achieved successes that no one has seen before. It's really a huge success.
And we'll never go back to where we were just recently. We're not going back. Our border is safe today.
Thank you. Today, our border is safe, our spirit has been restored, inflation is falling rapidly, and incomes are rising rapidly. The economy is booming like never before, our enemies are in fear, the military and police have been rebooted, and America is being respected again, perhaps more than ever before.
After four years when millions and millions of illegal immigrants crossed our borders in completely untested and uncontrolled ways, we now have the strongest and safest border in American history. Over the past nine months, not a single illegal immigrant has been allowed into the United States.
But we will always allow people to enter legally. People who will love our country and work hard to preserve it.
The flow of deadly fentanyl across our border has decreased by a record 56 percent in one year.
And last year, the homicide rate experienced the largest decline in history. This is the largest decline, if you think about it, in history. The lowest rate in more than 125 years has been since 1900. In fact, the crime rate was much lower before my wonderful father—I had a wonderful father, Fred—before he was born, much before he was born. It was a long time ago. He wouldn't want me to say it, but it was a long time ago.
The Biden administration and its allies in Congress have caused the worst inflation in our country's history. But in 12 months, my administration has lowered core inflation to its lowest level in more than five years. And in the last three months of 2025, it dropped to 1.7 percent.
Gasoline, which peaked at over $6 per gallon in some states under my predecessor—to be honest, it was a disaster — now costs below $2.3 per gallon in most states. And in some places, it's $1.99 per gallon. And when I visited the great state of Iowa a few weeks ago, I even saw $1.85 per gallon of gasoline.
Mortgage rates are the lowest in the last four years and are falling rapidly, and the annual cost of a mortgage has dropped by almost $5,000 since I took office. One year has passed.
Low interest rates will solve the housing problem created by Biden, while protecting the value of real estate for those people who already own a home and feel truly rich for the first time in their lives. We want to protect them, we want to keep prices high. We will do both. And we will support this state of affairs.
The stock market is at 53, a historic high since the election. Just think about it. In one year. Increasing the pensions, retirement savings (401(k)) and other retirement accounts of millions of Americans. They all make a profit. Everything is a plus, a huge plus.
In four long years, the previous administration attracted less than $1 trillion in new investments to the United States. And when I say "less", I mean significantly less. In 12 months, I have secured over $18 trillion in commitments coming from all over the world. Just think about it. Much less than $1 trillion in four years versus much more than $18 trillion in one year. What a huge difference there is between the two presidents! Until recently, we were a dead country. Now we are the hottest country in the world. The "hottest" one.
As thousands of new businesses are being created, factories, and laboratories are being built, we have created 70,000 new jobs in the construction industry in a very short period of time. No one can believe their eyes. Oil production in America has increased by more than 600,000 barrels per day, and we have just received more than 80 million barrels of oil from our new friend and partner Venezuela. Natural gas production in America is at an all-time high because I kept my promise to drill, baby, drill.
There are more Americans working in America today than at any time in our country's history. And 100 percent of all jobs created under my administration are in the private sector. We have done away with the principles of diversity, equality, and inclusivity in America.
We have abolished a record number of regulations that are detrimental to jobs. And in one year, we saved 2.4 million Americans, which is a record, from having to receive food stamps. And for all these reasons, I say tonight, members of Congress, that our state 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 win too often, we can't take it anymore. We are not used to winning in our country. Before you came, we always lost, but now we win too often."
And I say, "No, no, no, you're going to win again. You will win big. You will win more than ever."
And to prove it, to prove it, we have a group of winners with us who have just made the whole country proud. The Olympic men's hockey team that won the gold medal, come on in. Forward. They deserve it. They deserve it.
This is the first time I've seen them rise. And, to be honest, not all of them have risen. But they beat a fantastic Canadian team in overtime, everyone saw it. So is the American women's team, which is coming to the White House soon.
They used to be in the Oval Office.
Imagine: 46 shots on goal. I asked the goalkeeper about the very episode when I used the stick and hit the puck — did you practice it or were you a little lucky?
He didn't answer that question. But I just want to tell you that the members of this great hockey team will be very happy to know, based on their voices and my voice — and in this case, my voice was more important — that I will soon give Connor our highest civilian award, which has been awarded to many athletes over the years.
But when I say "a lot", it's not too much, for example, 12. This is called the highest civilian award in our country — the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Great athletes have received it — very good, the best. And I thought he deserved it. And I really voted yes. I said: "I won't let anyone say no," and each of them quickly raised his hand. That's why I want to thank you all. What a special job you've done. What special champions you are. Thank you very much.
I am also pleased to announce that the next time the Olympic torch is lit, it will be here in America at the 2028 Olympic Games, which are the Summer Games right in Los Angeles. We'll do well in Los Angeles.
And Los Angeles will be safe, just as Washington, D.C. has become - now one of the safest cities in the country.
But the World Cup and the Olympic Games are coming soon, and that's exciting news. So this year will be a year of celebration for our country and the heroes who kept it free.
Men like Buddy Taggart. At the age of 17, Buddy volunteered to defend America in World War II. Serving in the Pacific Ocean under the command of the great General Douglas MacArthur, he fought bravely in the famous Battle of Manila. He's done so much. He was severely 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 in the world.
He has received numerous awards, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, returned home, started a family, and tonight he is at 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 trials, failures, and great mental pain, the spirit of 1776 has always been vividly manifested. It was July 4th last year when a flood destroyed a summer camp for girls in central Texas—one of the worst things I've ever seen. I was there.
Soaring 26 feet in a matter of minutes and tragically claiming many lives — you all remember that. When the water threatened to wash her away, 11-year-old Millie Kate mcclymond closed her eyes and prayed to God. She thought she was going to die.
Those prayers were answered when Coast Guard lifeguard Scott Ruskan descended from a helicopter above her. No one knew where he was from. This was Scott's first rescue mission. A young guy. Very brave. Very, very good. Always the best in the class. And he saved not only Millie Kate, but also 164 other people. People watched Scott from afar and couldn't believe their eyes.
The wind was blowing. It was raining like a bucket. This stormy water — no one has ever seen anything like it. They said: "Wow, that's something!" Scott and Millie Kate are here together tonight, reunited for the first time. Thank you, Scott, Millie Kate.
And, Sergeant Ruskan, I am pleased to inform you that I am awarding you the Legion of Merit for outstanding heroism. Exceptional heroism. Thanks!
And I would like a military assistant to come and take care of this service. Military assistant, thank you. Take care of this very important service. Thank you very much.
From 1776 to the present day, every generation of Americans has stood up for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—and is doing so for the sake of the next generation. But now it's our turn. Together, we are building a nation where every child has a chance to achieve more and move on, where the government is subordinate to the people, not the elites, and where the interests of hardworking American citizens are always our main and highest concern.
It's a debt we owe to the heroes who came before us, and it's a promise we must keep to America throughout our 250th anniversary.
Last year, I called on Congress to begin its mission by passing the largest tax cuts in American history, and our Republican majority handled it brilliantly. Thank you, Republicans!
All Democrats — every one of them — voted against these really important and much-needed large-scale tax cuts. They wanted a massive tax increase to harm the people.
But we held on tight, and we didn't impose a tip tax, an overtime tax, and a social security tax on our wonderful seniors. We've also made car loan interest tax deductible — for the first time, but only if the car is made in America.
Recently, in Pennsylvania, I met Megan Hemhauser, a devoted mom who educates her children at home. Fine. Two children.
She works as a waitress while her husband works overtime driving heavy machinery. Megan is here tonight, and she is happy to announce that she has become much richer: without the tip tax, without the overtime tax, and with the expanded child tax credit, Megan and her husband will receive more than $5,000 a year in additional income, reducing her tax bill by 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.
Millions will be pre-funded by the U.S. Treasury Department and individuals such as Michael and Susan Dell, who donated $6,250,000,000 to fund Trump's accounts for 25 million American children. They are wonderful people.
You know, I asked Michael, "How do you make so much money?" He said: "I just sat in the dorm at school, made computers and sold them to people. And I just kept selling and selling." It's a pretty amazing story. It's called the American Dream. He sold a lot of computers, a lot of these laptops.
So I congratulate him on that, but I really thank him and Susan, as well as others like Brad Gerstner, who is an amazing person. He was behind this from the very beginning. Brad Gerstner. Thanks, Brad. Thus, with small additional contributions, the accounts of these young people can grow to $100,000 or more by the age of 18.
Think about it. How much money is that for a man who started with nothing? More than a hundred thousand, maybe much more. To invest in the future of our children, go to trumpaccounts.gov, trumpaccounts.gov . And many people do that. It's popular. I'm proud of them. I am very proud of those who launched all this.
One of the main reasons for the stunning economic turnaround in our country — the largest in history, when the Dow Jones index broke $50,000 four years ahead of schedule, and the S&P index reached 7,000, which should not have happened for many years — is tariffs. I am using these tariffs, I have invested hundreds of billions of dollars to make profitable deals for our country.
Everything was working well. Countries that have deceived us for decades are now paying us hundreds of billions of dollars. They scolded us so much. You all know that. Everyone knows that. Even the Democrats know this. They just don't want to say it. And yet these countries are happy now, and so are we. We made deals. All transactions are completed. And they're happy. They don't earn money like they used to, but we earn a lot.
There was no inflation, but a huge increase. The main news was how Donald Trump correctly predicted everything, but 22 Nobel Prize winners in economics did not. They were completely mistaken. They were very wrong. And then, just four days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court made an unpleasant decision.
A very unfortunate decision. But the good news is that almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deal they've already done, right, Scott? Realizing that the legal authority that I have as president to conclude a new deal could punish them much worse. And so they will continue to work along the same successful path that we discussed before the unsuccessful intervention of the Supreme Court.
Congressional action will not be necessary. It has already been time-tested and approved. And over time, I believe that tariffs paid by foreign countries, as in the past, will significantly replace the modern income tax system, removing a large financial burden from the people I love.
Really? In the future, factories, jobs, investments, and trillions and trillions of dollars will continue to flow into the United States of America. Because we finally have a president who puts America first. I put America first. I love America.
It wasn't like that for decades before I came here. From trade to healthcare, from energy to immigration, everything has been stolen and rigged to drain wealth from the productive and hardworking people who make our country great and who force it to rule the world.
Under Biden and his corrupt partners in Congress and beyond, the situation has reached a tipping point with the "Green New Scam" — open borders for everyone. They came in millions from prisons and psychiatric institutions. There were murderers — 11,888 murders. They came to our country. You let this happen. And record inflation, which cost the average family $34,000 in just a blink of time.
Now the same people in this chamber who voted for this disaster are suddenly using the word "accessibility." The word, they just used it. Someone gave them this, knowing full well that it was they who caused and created the increased prices that all our citizens had to endure.
They knew that their statements were lies. They knew it. They knew that their statements were dirty, rotten lies. Their policies have created high prices. Our politicians quickly cancel them. We're doing very well. Prices are falling rapidly.
The price of eggs has decreased by 60 percent. Madam Secretary, thank you. The cost of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, cars, and rent is significantly lower today than when I took office.
And even beef, which was very expensive, is starting to get significantly cheaper. Just wait a bit. And soon you will see numbers that few people could have achieved quite recently. No one can believe it when they see such figures, especially for energy. When they see that the energy drops to such numbers. They can't believe it. It's like another big tax cut.
I'm also facing one of the biggest scams of our time: crushing healthcare costs. Since the passage of the "Affordable Care Act," sometimes called Obamacare, major insurance companies have become rich. It was intended for insurance companies, not people. Our government allocated hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars to them every year, and their stock prices soared by 1,000, 1,200, 1,400, and even 1,700 percent like nothing else.
That's why I introduced the Great Health Plan. I want to stop all payments to large insurance companies and instead give this money directly to people so they can buy their own medical care, which will be at a much lower price.
In addition, my plan requires maximum price transparency. This is serious. It sounds so simple, so big. I did it in my first term, and the Democrats immediately canceled it, realizing that they were doing a very bad thing for the people. Expenses were supposed to go up a lot, and that's exactly what happened, and now I'm reducing them a lot in the healthcare sector and everything else.
I'm also reducing dramatically inflated prescription drug prices, which has never happened before.
Other presidents have tried to do this, but have failed. They tried. In fact, most didn't try. They said they tried. They couldn't do it. They didn't even get close. It was just talk, not action. But it worked out for me. According to my recently adopted, most favorable nation agreements, Americans who have been paying the highest prices for prescription drugs in the world for decades will now pay the lowest price for medicines in the world. The lowest price.
So, in the first year of my second term, it was supposed to be my third term, but strange things happened. I've taken prescription drugs — a very important part of healthcare — from the highest prices worldwide to the lowest. This is a great achievement. As a result, the price difference is 300, 400, 500, 600 percent or more — all this is already available on a new website called trumprx.gov . And, by the way, I didn't name him either.
And tonight, the first customer to receive such a big discount. Catherine Rayner. For five years, she and her husband struggled with infertility and turned to IVF. One drug cost Catherine $4,000.
But a few weeks ago, she went to the Trumpprx website and bought the same drug worth $4,000 — in fact, the reduction is much more than $3,500. Catherine, we are all praying for you, and you will be a great mom.
Now I'm calling on Congress to put my program into law.
But one thing is, I'm not sure if this is important, because it will be very difficult for the person who comes after me to say, "Let's raise drug prices by 700 or 800 percent." But John and Mike, if you don't mind, fix it anyway. Maybe they will. Codify it anyway. Thank you.
Many Americans are also concerned that the demand for energy from AI data centers may unfairly increase their energy bills. Tonight, I am pleased to announce that I have negotiated a new commitment to protect taxpayers. You know what it is. We tell large technology companies that they must provide for their own electricity needs.
They can build their own power plants within the plant so that prices do not rise, and in many cases, electricity prices will decrease for the community, and very significantly. This is a unique strategy that has not been used before in our country.
We have an old network. She will never be able to cope with such numbers, the necessary amount of electricity. So I tell them that they can build their own factory. They will produce their own electricity. This will provide the company with the opportunity to receive electricity, while reducing electricity prices for you, and can be very significant for all your cities and towns. You will see good things in the coming years.
Another pillar of the American dream that is under attack is home ownership.
Today, Raysall Wiggins, a mother of two from Houston, is with us. She applied for 20 houses and lost all these offers to giant investment companies that bypassed the inspection. They paid in cash and are renting out these houses, stealing the American dream. She was devastated. That's why last month I signed an executive order banning large Wall Street investment companies from buying up thousands of individual family homes.
And now I'm asking Congress to make this ban permanent, because homes are for people — in fact, that's exactly what we want. We want homes for people, not corporations. Corporations are doing great. Raysall, thank you very much. Good luck with your house. You'll have one soon.
We are also making it easier for Americans to save for retirement, and under this administration, we will always protect Social Security and Medicare. They don't protect it for our seniors. We will always protect Social Security, Medicare — Medicare.
Let's also make sure that members of Congress cannot corruptly profit from using insider information.
They stood for it. I can't believe it. I can't believe it. Did Nancy Pelosi speak if she's here? I doubt. Immediately adopt a law on the cessation of insider trading. I wasn't sure if anyone on this side would applaud it at all. I am very impressed. Thank you. I am very impressed.
But when it comes to corruption that robs — in fact, it robs America — there has been no more impressive example than Minnesota, where members of the Somali community plundered an estimated $19 billion from American taxpayers. Oh, we have all the information.
In fact, this number is much higher, and California, Massachusetts, Maine and many other states are even worse. This is the kind of corruption that tears apart the fabric of the nation, and we are working on it. So tonight, although it began four months ago, I am officially declaring a war on fraud, which will be led by our great Vice President, J. D. Vance.
He can handle it. And we'll be able to find enough of these scams— in fact, we'll have a balanced budget overnight. Everything will pass very quickly. That's the kind of money you're talking about. We will balance the budget. The Somali pirates who plundered Minnesota remind us that in many parts of the world, bribery, corruption, and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception.
Importing these crops through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings these problems right here to the United States. And it's Americans who are paying for it—higher medical bills, car insurance rates, rent, taxes, and, perhaps most importantly, crime.
We will deal with this problem. We will deal with this problem. We don't play games. Dalayla Coleman was just 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer crashed into her car traveling at 60 miles per hour. The driver was an illegal immigrant who had been let in by Joe Biden and who had obtained a commercial driver's license from California. The doctors said Delilah would never be able to walk, talk, or lead a good life.
She won't even be able to eat again. But despite everything, she's in first grade now, learning to walk, and she's here tonight with her father, Marcus, an amazing man. Delilah, please, you are a great inspiration. Please stand up. Thank you, Delilah. Many, if not most, illegal immigrants do not speak English and cannot read even the simplest traffic signs for directions, speed, danger, or location.
That's why tonight I'm calling on Congress to pass what we'll call the Delilah Act, which prohibits any state from granting commercial licenses to illegal immigrants.
And yesterday, as you probably saw at the White House, I held a ceremony with Americans who have lost their loved ones due to the scourge of illegal immigration. People came to our country, how did we allow this to happen with open borders. These are the angel moms and families that our government has been betraying for decades, and our media has completely ignored — completely ignored, it was terrible. It's hard to believe, to be honest.
In 2023, a 16-year-old high school cheerleader named Lisbeth Medina was scheduled to perform at her city's Christmas parade. But she never came. Her mother, Jacqueline, went home to look for her and found her dead in the bathtub, bleeding profusely after being stabbed 25 times.
Lisbeth's killer was a previously convicted illegal immigrant who broke in and brutally extinguished the brightest light in her family's life. Cruel. Her heartbroken mother is in the gallery to remind everyone in this room why we are deporting illegal immigrants from our country in record numbers and moving them out of here quickly. We don't want them.
Thank you very much, Jacqueline. Thank you. We must never forget that many in this room not only allowed the invasion of the border before my intervention, but would do it again if they had the opportunity.
If they are ever elected, they will open these borders to some of the worst criminals in the world. The only thing standing between Americans and a wide—open border right now is President Donald J. Trump. Trump and our great Republican patriots in Congress. Thank you. Thank you.
As we speak, the Democrats in this House have stopped all funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Everything is cut off — everything is cut off. They introduced another shutdown of the Democrats, the first one cost us two points of GDP — two points of GDP, which probably made them very happy.
Now they have shut down the agency responsible for protecting Americans from terrorists and murderers.
Tonight, I demand the full and immediate restoration of all funding for border security, U.S. Homeland security, and assistance with snow removal.
We don't have any money because of the Democrats, and it would be great if we could help you clean up everything, but you didn't give us the money. Nobody gets paid. Sorry. So you need to think about it. In case you didn't know, there's a pretty big snowstorm there.
One of the great advantages of this speech is that it gives Americans the opportunity to clearly see what their representatives really believe. Therefore, tonight I invite every legislator to join my administration in affirming one fundamental principle. If you agree with this statement, then support it. The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens. Not illegal immigrants.
That is why I also ask you to put an end to the deadly sanctuary cities that protect criminals, and to impose severe penalties on government officials who prevent the expulsion of criminal foreigners, in many cases drug lords, murderers across the country. They are blocking the eviction of these people from our country, and you should be ashamed of yourself.
And perhaps most importantly, I ask you to approve the Save America act. To stop illegal immigrants and others who are unauthorized persons from voting in our sacred American elections. Fraud is widespread in our elections. It's ubiquitous. Everything is very simple. All voters must present their identification card.
All voters must provide proof of citizenship in order to vote. And no more corrupt mail-in ballots, except in cases of illness, disability, military, or travel. Not a single one. And this question should be easy, and by the way, my rating is 89 percent, including the Democrats, 89 percent.
And even the new communist mayor of New York- I think he's a good man, actually. I talk to him often. Bad policy, but a good guy — he just said he wants people to clean the snow. They were badly hurt. He wants them to remove the snow. However, if you are applying for this job, you will need to present the original documents and a social security card. Nevertheless, they do not want to identify themselves for the sake of the greatest privilege — voting in America.
Both Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly agree with the policy that we just announced, and Congress needs to come together and pass this common-sense, country-saving law, and that needs to happen before anything else happens.
And the reason they don't want to do that is why someone doesn't want a voter ID? One of the reasons is because they want to cheat. There's only one reason. They come up with all the excuses. They say it's racist, they come up with something, and you say, "What an imagination they have." They want to cheat.
And their politics are so bad that the only way to get elected is to cheat, and we're going to stop that. We have to stop this, John. We have to stop this.
And here is another opportunity to show common sense in the government. Sage Blair and her mother Michelle are at the gallery tonight. In 2021, Sage was 14 years old when school officials in Virginia tried to convert her to a new gender, treating her like a boy and hiding it from her parents. It's hard to believe, isn't it? Soon, a confused Sage ran away from home.
After she was found in a terrible situation in Maryland, the left—wing judge refused to return Sage to her parents, as they did not immediately declare that their daughter was their son. Sage was placed in a men's state home and suffered greatly for a long time. But today it's all over, because Sage is a proud and wonderful young woman with a full scholarship to Liberty University. Sage and Michelle, please stand up.
And thank you for your courage, and who would believe that we're even talking about such things? Fifteen years ago, if someone was saying this here, they would have said: "What's wrong with him?" But now we have to say it because it's happening everywhere, in many states.
But, of course, we all agree that no state can take children out of their parents' hands and transfer them to a new gender against their will. Who's going to believe we're even talking about this? We must ban this, and immediately.
Oh, that's right. We are lucky to have a country. With people like that, the Democrats are destroying our country, but we stopped it just in time, didn't we, right?
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 have believed it? Over the past year, she has made an incredible impact by advancing artificial intelligence legislation, promoting a landmark executive order on foster care, and helping raise $30 million to launch the Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence initiative.
This is a truly amazing event that has received great support from both parties. She gets much better bipartisan support than I do. I don't get anything. She gets a lot. Someday you'll have to tell me how you do it.
Students and educators in every state joined the First Lady's efforts, preserving America's next generation for success in the future. Tonight, we welcome two young people whose lives reflect the influence of the First Lady — Sierra Burns and Everest Nevremont. Thank you both, and Melania, thank you, I know how hard you've been working on this. Thank you very much.
I am very proud that during my tenure, both in the first four years and especially last year, there has been a huge renewal in religion, faith, Christianity and faith in God. A huge update.
This is especially true among young people, and it has a lot to do with my wonderful friend Charlie Kirk. Great guy, great man.
So, last year, Charlie was brutally murdered—actually, a martyr—for his beliefs. His wonderful wife Erica is with us today. Erica, please stand up.
Thank you, Erica. I've been through a lot. In memory of Charlie, we must all unite to affirm that America is one nation under God, and we must completely reject any political violence.
First of all, we need to ensure the safety of our society. We have achieved incredible success, but dangerous repeat offenders continue to be released by pro-crime Democratic politicians over and over again. A great honor: Tonight we have with us a woman who has been through hell: Anya Zarutska. In 2022, she and her beautiful daughter—such a beautiful, such a beautiful young woman—Irina fled Ukraine, torn apart by fighting, to live near Charlotte, North Carolina—and by the way, what's going on with Charlotte?
Last summer, 23-year-old Irina was traveling home by train when a mad monster, who had been arrested more than a dozen times and released on bail without cash, stood up and brutally cut her neck and body with a knife. No one will ever forget — there were people on that train — no one will forget the look of horror on Irina's face when she looked at the attacker in the last seconds of her life. She died instantly. She escaped a brutal war, but was killed by a hardened criminal released to murder in America. Entered through open borders.
Ms. Zarutska, tonight I promise that we will ensure justice for your daughter Irina.
I'm asking this Congress to pass tough laws to make sure that violent and dangerous repeat offenders end up behind bars, and most importantly, that they stay there.
Since last summer, I have deployed our National Guard and federal law enforcement agencies to restore order in the most dangerous cities, including Memphis, Tennessee — a great success — New Orleans, Louisiana — a great success — and the very capital of our country, Washington, DC, where there is almost no crime. How did it happen?
In fact, the crime rate in Washington is now at its lowest level ever recorded, and homicides in Washington this January were down almost 100 percent from a year ago.
One of the brave soldiers who helped achieve the spectacular coup was Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old specialist from the West Virginia Army National Guard.
After a four-month deployment, she voluntarily extended her service and her rank had to be upgraded. She was doing so well. But the very next day, she was patrolling near the White House when she was attacked by a terrorist monster from Afghanistan and shot in the head. And all because she was wearing the uniform of our nation, she was shot. He came here because he didn't like it when people wore our uniforms. He was sick and not himself. You shouldn't have been in our country. Sarah Beckstrom died to protect our capital. Your daughter was a true American patriot, and she will be greatly missed. She was a wonderful person. I've seen the reports on her. They had never seen anything like it.
Thank you very much. A wonderful young lady. I've seen the reports. They said, "She was perfect, perfect."
Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe served with Sarah that day. The terrorist shot Andrew in the head, and no one thought he would be able to get out. Two of them, Sarah and Andrew, both received heavy shots to the head. None of them expected to survive. They weren't even given a chance, except for his wonderful mother named Melody, whom I talked to that evening and she was very positive.
The doctors thought Andrew was gone. But his mother said, "No, no, Mr. President! Andrew's going to be fine, he's going to be fine." I've never seen anything like it. That is, he was given almost no chance. She said: "I have no doubt, sir! He's going to be fine." This is the conversation I had with her that night when her son was lying helplessly in bed.
"Everyone is praying," she said. "Sir, he's going to be fine." The doctors didn't understand what she was saying. And after I looked at the effects of the damage, I didn't notice either. She was so strong and convincing that even Andrew's great father thought she didn't realize the gravity of the situation. But she was right. Isn't that right, Melody? It turned out that she was right!
Amazing, actually. I asked: "Where is this woman from?" She was the most positive person I've ever met. With God's help, Andrew fought at the edge of death. He doesn't have much work to do on his way to a miraculous recovery, but he's doing a great job!
Nice to see you. He's a good-looking guy. It's good to see you. Thank you, Andrew. Thank you very much.
So, Andrew, while you're at your post, I'd like to ask the honorable General James Seward to present Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe and the great family of Sarah Beckstrom with the award established by our late, great President George Washington. It's called the Purple Heart.
We love you all! Love you. We are proud to restore security to Americans at home, as well as restoring security to Americans abroad.
Our country has never been stronger. In the first 10 months, I completed eight wars, including Cambodia. Isn't that funny? Sick people. Cambodia and Thailand. Pakistan and India. It would be a nuclear war. 35 million people said that the Prime Minister of Pakistan would have died if not for my participation. Kosovo and Serbia. Israel and Iran. Egypt and Ethiopia. Armenia and Azerbaijan. Congo and Rwanda. And, of course, the war in Gaza. I want to thank Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for their help. Thanks, Steve. Thanks, Jared.
And I also want to thank the person they report to, Secretary of State Marco Rubio! Thanks, Marco. You know, Marco got 100 percent of the votes when he was in "confirmation" — I think the next choice was about 54 percent. And some Democrats are now saying: "I can't believe we approved of this guy!"
And he said, "I'm honored that they feel that way." Isn't that right, Marco? You did a great job. The great Secretary of State. I think he will remain the best of all.
As part of the truce that I negotiated, every hostage, alive and dead, was returned home. Can you believe it? No one thought it was possible. No one thought it was possible. Both alive and dead. And those parents who had a dead son. Their boy.
We returned them all, so thank you very much. And we are working very hard to put an end to the ninth conflict, between Russia and Ukraine, where 25,000 soldiers are killed every month. Imagine 25,000 soldiers dying a month. A war that would never have happened if I had been president would never have happened.
As president, I will make peace where I can, but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America where necessary. That is why, in a breakthrough operation last June, the US military destroyed Iran's nuclear program with an attack on Iranian territory known as Operation Midnight Hammer. For decades, the United States has prevented Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, for many decades.
Since they seized control of this proud country 47 years ago, the regime and its murderous proxies have spread only terrorism, death and hatred. They killed and maimed thousands of American troops and even millions of people with so-called roadside bombs, they were the kings of roadside bombs. And we removed Soleimani, I did it in my first term, it had a huge impact. He was the father of the roadside bomb.
And in just the last couple of months, protests have killed at least 32,000 protesters, 32,000 protesters in their own country. They were shot and hanged. We stopped them from hanging many under threat of serious violence, but these are terrible people.
They have already developed missiles capable of threatening Europe and our overseas bases, and are working on developing missiles that will soon reach the United States of America. After Midnight Hammer, they were warned not to make any attempts to restore the weapons program, especially the nuclear one, but they continue to work. They're starting all over again.
We destroyed it, and they want to start all over again, and now they are pursuing their sinister ambitions again. We are negotiating with them; they want to make a deal, but we have not heard those secret words: "We will never have nuclear weapons."
My preference is that I prefer to solve this problem through diplomacy. But one thing is for sure: I will never allow the main sponsor of terrorism, which they certainly are, to have nuclear weapons.
And no nation should doubt America's resolve. We have the most powerful army on Earth. I rebuilt the army in my first semester. We will continue to do this. I also just approved a trillion dollar budget, we have no choice, we have to be strong, because hopefully we will rarely have to use this great power that we have built together. It's really called peace through strength, and it turned out to be very, very effective.
Thanks to the Republicans in Congress, we are investing a record number of dollars — we have no choice — in the US armed forces, also creating many jobs, but we are doing this because, as I said, we have more jobs and more people today than at any time in the history of our country.
And the NATO countries, our friends and allies, they have just agreed, at my urgent request, to pay 5 percent of GDP for military defense instead of the 2 percent they did not pay, we paid for almost all of NATO. Now they pay five, not three.
And getting that 5 percent is something that everyone said would never work, couldn't happen, we got it very easily in one meeting, and there's a big difference between the 2 percent that isn't paid, and now 5 percent, and everything we send to Ukraine is sent through NATO, and they they pay us in full. They pay us in full, and each branch of the military sets recruitment records. It's so exciting.
And each serviceman recently received a military dividend of $1,776. You know, they put them on my desk, we have money from tariffs and other things, a lot of money.
We have a lot more money than many people think, we need to rebuild this program a little, but it will take a little time. But we got the money, $1,775, and they wanted my approval, and I asked: "What's the number?" $1,775.
I didn't ask anyone if we could afford it, just one more dollar, and I replied, "1,776." You know what, our army, it was four months ago, I've never seen a single person who wouldn't thank me for it, so we're honored to do it, they deserve it, and 1776 was wonderful, and we love our army, we love our police, we love our firefighters. You know, firefighters are rarely mentioned, we love our firefighters.
We are also restoring American security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere by acting to protect our national interests and protect the country from violence, drugs, terrorism, and foreign interference. For many years, vast areas of our region, including large parts of Mexico, in fact large parts of Mexico, have been controlled by murderous drug cartels. That is why I have recognized these cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and declared fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.
In our new military campaign, we have stopped record volumes of drugs entering our country and almost completely stopped their flow by water or sea, as you may have noticed.
We have seriously damaged their fishing industry — no one wants to fish anymore. We also eliminated one of the most sinister cartel leaders — you saw it yesterday. In January, in January, elite American soldiers performed one of the most difficult and impressive feats in world history. No one has ever seen anything like it. Foreign leaders called me and said, "Very impressive." They couldn't believe it — everyone was watching, they saw what happened.
Look at the Cosmic Forces. The Cosmic Forces are my baby, we did it, my baby.
And the American armed forces overcame all the defenses and defeated the enemy, dictator Nicolas Maduro, and brought him to American justice. It was an absolutely colossal victory for the security of the United States, and it also opens a bright new beginning for the people of Venezuela.
We are working closely with the new President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, to bring extraordinary economic achievements to both countries and to give new hope to those who have suffered so much. They were really suffering.
Alejandro Gonzalez is with us today, she grew up in a close-knit Venezuelan family and was especially close to her beloved uncle Enrique. But after Enrique ran and opposed Maduro, he was captured by Maduro's security forces and thrown into the infamous Caracas regime prison.
Alejandro was afraid that she would never see her uncle again. She was also afraid for her life. But after the raid, we worked with the new leadership, and they ordered the closure of this disgusting prison and have already released hundreds of political prisoners, and there are more to come.
Alejandra, I'm glad to inform you that Uncle is here tonight. We brought him here to celebrate freedom with you personally. Enrique, please come down.
Thank you, Enrique. Have a good time. It's good to see you again, Enrique.
There were many heroes, really great ones, in the January raid to capture Maduro. It was very dangerous, they knew we were coming. Everything was ready. But the deeds of one warrior that night will forever remain in the eternal chronicles of military prowess.
Senior Warrant Officer Fifth Class, Eric Slover, planned the mission and was the leader in the cockpit of the first helicopter, a large, beautiful and powerful helicopter. It was a huge Chinook, which, as you can imagine, contained a lot of American fighters. Wearing the tokens that his wife Amy had consecrated with holy water before he left, she knew it would be hard.
Eric drove the Chinook under cover of night and quickly descended on Maduro's heavily defended military fortress — it was a large military base guarded by thousands of soldiers and Russian and Chinese military technology.
How did it end? Not very. During the preparations for landing, enemy machine guns opened fire from all sides, and Eric was severely wounded in the leg and hip. He took four agonizing shots, and his leg was torn into many pieces.
And yet, despite the fact that using his legs was vital for a successful helicopter flight, as I said before, the most important thing was to deliver a lot of commandos who were supposed to capture and detain Maduro, was the only thing Eric thought about. And so, as he gushed blood that flowed back down the aisle, the helicopter landed at a steep angle, the machine guns were right in front of him — they were right in front of him, two machine gunners who had escaped the wrath of the previous planes.
Eric controlled the helicopter, using all these lives and souls to face the enemy and let the shooters destroy the threat. He deployed the helicopter so that the shooters could get busy, saving the lives of their fellow soldiers from a catastrophic crash deep in enemy territory.
Only after the helicopter landed safely in the right place, which was vital for the mission — perhaps the mission would have been canceled if this had not happened — did Eric tell his co-pilot, who was also injured, but not so badly, to take control. "I'm about to lose consciousness."
The success of the entire mission and the lives of his fellow warriors depend on Eric's ability to withstand the searing pain. It was unbelievable what happened to his legs—to the bullets and the fact that they keep flying and landing. And people knew what was going on. Everyone in the back of the helicopter knew because they saw the blood pouring down the aisle.
Chief Warrant Officer Slover is still recovering from serious wounds, but I am pleased to announce 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 that exceeded his duty, I would like to ask General Jonathan Braga to present Chief Warrant Officer Slover with our country's highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Thanks a lot, Eric and Amy. I'm glad to get to know you better. I recently met with them and many of their fellow warriors at Fort Bragg. Did you notice the name Fort Bragg? We got him back, we got him back. We won the First World War and the Second World War with him, and then we decided to change the name. That's why we brought him back. Everyone wanted him back. And ten of Eric's comrades on that incredible night of victory will also receive medals at a private ceremony that will soon take place at the White House.
Thanks, Eric. This is serious.
Tonight we celebrated many truly outstanding American patriots. But there is another living legend that needs to be honored before leaving. He is another heroic American Navy fighter pilot. Royce Williams served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, completing more than 220 missions. In the skies over Korea in 1952, Royce participated in a legendary dogfight.
Flying through a blizzard, his squadron was ambushed by seven Soviet fighter jets. This was his first air battle of the war, and despite his significant numerical and armed superiority, Royce led the destruction of four enemy fighters and almost destroyed the rest, defeating the opponents, receiving 263 bullets at his own aircraft and seriously injured.
His story has remained secret for more than 50 years. He didn't even want to tell his wife. But the legend grew and grew. But today, at the age of one hundred, this brave Navy captain finally gets 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 Captain Royce Williams with his Congressional Medal of Honor. Thank you.
I've always wanted to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, but I was told that I shouldn't give it to myself, and I don't understand why. But if this law is ever discovered, I will be with you someday, Roy. This is our highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor. It's a big event, 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 and fifty years is a long time in the life of a nation, but on the other hand, it is just a moment in the eyes of history. The two gentlemen we met in the gallery tonight took their first breaths a hundred years ago. One hundred years earlier, on July 4, 1826, the author of the Declaration of Independence, the brilliant Thomas Jefferson, took his last breath.
One long human life separates the giants who proclaimed and won our independence from the heroes standing among us tonight. Everything that our country has done and everything that we have achieved is the result of those few great lives. These are the short chapters from which Americans built this nation, from 13 humble colonies to the pinnacle of human civilization and freedom — the strongest, richest, most powerful and most successful nation in all of history.
The Americans went to a frightening and dangerous continent. We have cut through the merciless wilderness, populated the boundless frontier, and tamed the beautiful but very, very dangerous Wild West. We have raised the greatest cities in the world from empty swamps and wide plains. Together, we have taken over the most powerful industries in the world and freed millions from the chains of fascism, communism, oppression and terror.
The Americans lifted humanity into the sky on wings of aluminum and steel, and then we launched humanity to the stars on rockets driven solely by American will and indomitable American pride. We have conquered the planet with our ingenuity, conquered the planet with American culture, and now we are becoming pioneers of the next great American breakthroughs that will change the whole world.
All this and much more is an enduring legacy, the incomparable glory of the hardworking patriots who built and defended this country and who still carry hopes and freedoms on the backs of all mankind. For years they have been forgotten, betrayed and discarded, but this great betrayal is over, and they will never be forgotten again. Because when the world needs courage, audacity, vision, and inspiration, it turns to America anyway, and when God needs a nation for miracles, he knows exactly who to turn to.
There is no challenge that Americans cannot overcome, no border too vast for us, no dream too bold to pursue, no horizon too far away for us. After all, our fate is written by the hand of providence, and these first 250 years were just the beginning. From the harsh border towns of Texas to the villages in the depths of Michigan, from the sun-drenched shores of Florida to the endless fields of the Dakotas, from the historic streets of Philadelphia to the capital of our country, Washington, D.C., the golden age of America has arrived.
The revolution that began in 1776 has not ended. It continues to this day, because the flame of freedom 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.
Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you.
