Produced by an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer.




The Inaugural Address

Issued on: January 20, 2017

REMARKS OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP--AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
INAUGURAL ADDRESS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C.

_As Prepared for Delivery-_

Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President
Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world: thank
you.

We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort
to rebuild our country and to restore its promise for all of our people.

Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for
years to come.

We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the
job done.

Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and
peaceful transfer of power, and we are grateful to President Obama and
First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this
transition. They have been magnificent.

Today's ceremony, however, has very special meaning. Because today we
are not merely transferring power from one Administration to another, or
from one party to another--but we are transferring power from
Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People.

For too long, a small group in our nation's Capital has reaped the
rewards of government while the people have borne the cost.

Washington flourished--but the people did not share in its wealth.

Politicians prospered--but the jobs left, and the factories closed.

The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.

Their victories have not been your victories; their triumphs have not
been your triumphs; and while they celebrated in our nation's Capital,
there was little to celebrate for struggling families all across our
land.

That all changes--starting right here, and right now, because this
moment is your moment: it belongs to you.

It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all
across America.

This is your day. This is your celebration.

And this, the United States of America, is your country.

What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but
whether our government is controlled by the people.

January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the
rulers of this nation again.

The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

Everyone is listening to you now.

You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement
the likes of which the world has never seen before.

At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction: that a nation
exists to serve its citizens.

Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for
their families, and good jobs for themselves.

These are the just and reasonable demands of a righteous public.

But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists: Mothers
and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out
factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation;
an education system, flush with cash, but which leaves our young and
beautiful students deprived of knowledge; and the crime and gangs and
drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much
unrealized potential.

This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.

We are one nation--and their pain is our pain. Their dreams are our
dreams; and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one
home, and one glorious destiny.

The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all
Americans.

For many decades, we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of
American industry;

Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad
depletion of our military;

We've defended other nation's borders while refusing to defend our own;

And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure
has fallen into disrepair and decay.

We've made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and
confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon.

One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores, with not even a
thought about the millions upon millions of American workers left
behind.

The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then
redistributed across the entire world.

But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future.

We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every
city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power.

From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.

From this moment on, it's going to be America First.

Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs,
will be made to benefit American workers and American families.

We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making
our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs.
Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.

I will fight for you with every breath in my body--and I will never,
ever let you down.

America will start winning again, winning like never before.

We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will
bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.

We will build new roads, and highways, and bridges, and airports, and
tunnels, and railways all across our wonderful nation.

We will get our people off of welfare and back to work--rebuilding our
country with American hands and American labor.

We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American.

We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world--but
we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to
put their own interests first.

We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it
shine as an example for everyone to follow.

We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones--and unite the
civilized world against Radical Islamic Terrorism, which we will
eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.

At the bedrock of our politics will be a total allegiance to the United
States of America, and through our loyalty to our country, we will
rediscover our loyalty to each other.

When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.

The Bible tells us, "how good and pleasant it is when God's people live
together in unity."

We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but
always pursue solidarity.

When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.

There should be no fear--we are protected, and we will always be
protected.

We will be protected by the great men and women of our military and law
enforcement and, most importantly, we are protected by God.

Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger.

In America, we understand that a nation is only living as long as it is
striving.

We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk and no
action--constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.

The time for empty talk is over.

Now arrives the hour of action.

Do not let anyone tell you it cannot be done. No challenge can match the
heart and fight and spirit of America.

We will not fail. Our country will thrive and prosper again.

We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries
of space, to free the Earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness
the energies, industries and technologies of tomorrow.

A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our
divisions.

It is time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget:
that whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red
blood of patriots, we all enjoy the same glorious freedoms, and we all
salute the same great American Flag.

And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the
windswept plains of Nebraska, they look up at the same night sky, they
fill their heart with the same dreams, and they are infused with the
breath of life by the same almighty Creator.

So to all Americans, in every city near and far, small and large, from
mountain to mountain, and from ocean to ocean, hear these words:

You will never be ignored again.

Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams, will define our American
destiny. And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us
along the way.

Together, We Will Make America Strong Again.

We Will Make America Wealthy Again.

We Will Make America Proud Again.

We Will Make America Safe Again.

And, Yes, Together, We Will Make America Great Again. Thank you, God
Bless You, And God Bless America.






End of Project Gutenberg's Inaugural Presidential Address, by Donald Trump