VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: Hello Florida! It's great to be back in the Sunshine State! To Governor Desantis, Senator Rubio, Senator Scott, members of Congress, members of the amazing Trump family, [Cheering.] and my fellow Americans here in Orlando and all across this country, Karen and I are thrilled to be with you tonight. But, we're here for one reason, and one reason only. America needs four more years of President Donald Trump. [Cheering.] I
It's on, everybody. Time for round two. The 503 day campaign for America's future starts tonight. [Cheering.] It's amazing to think about it, what began four years ago this week, it's grown into a movement, a movement of everyday Americans from every walk of life. You believed we could be strong again. You believed we could be prosperous again.
And in President Donald Trump you found a leader who believed in you. [Cheering.] I don't have to tell any of you gathered here, President Donald Trump is the real deal. [Cheering.] He's a man who says what he means, and means what he says. And he gets up every day and fights to keep the promises we made to the American people. He said we'd make America great again, and that is exactly what we've done in just two and a half short years. [Cheering.]
I mean, think about it. He promised to rebuild our military, and President Trump signed the largest investment in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan. [Cheering.] He promised to stand up to our enemies and stand with our allies, and under this commander-in-chief, our armed forces captured every last inch of ISIS territory.
And, this President kept the promise made by four of his predecessors when he moved our embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel. [Cheering.] He promised our veterans, the real-time world-class health care that you earned in the uniform of the United States, and President Donald Trump delivered. We reformed the VA and Veteran's Choice is now the law. And this President has given the men and women of law enforcement the resources and the respect that they deserve every day. [Cheering.] Violent crime is down, and under the President's leadership we're waging an unprecedented fight against opioid abuse and addiction, all across America. And, of course, under President Trump's leadership we made historic investments to secure our southern border. [Cheering.]
CROWD: Build that wall! Build that wall!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: We've supported customs and border protection. We've stood by the courageous men and women of ICE. And thanks to the President's stance, Mexico has done more to secure our border in the last 10 days then the Democrats in Congress have done in the last 10 years. [Cheering.] And with President Trump's national emergency declaration, we've already started to build that wall. [Cheering.]
And President Trump kept his word, when he's appointed more principled conservatives to our federal courts in the last two years than any President in American history. [Cheering.] And they are all men and women who will uphold all of the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution, like the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, and the second amendment right to keep and bear arms. [Cheering.] And while leading voices in the Democratic Party advocate late term abortion and eveb defend infanticide. . . [Booing.]. . .I couldn't be more proud to serve alongside a President who stands without apology for the sanctity of human life. [Cheering.]
And beyond all that, President Trump promised to revive the American economy by rollin' back red tape, unleashin' American energy, fightin' for fair trade deals and cuttin' taxes. And, President Trump delivered: 5.8 million new jobs since Election Day, and the unemployment rate has hit a 50 year low. [Cheering.] More Americans are workin' today than ever before. And the truth is that jobs are back. Confidence is back. And thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump, America is back. And we're just getting' started. [Cheering.] That's what we call promises made, and promises kept. But, to keep America great, we've to reelect the President who has been fighting for you every day. We've done so much, but there's much more to do. That's why we need four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House. [Cheering.]
CROWD: Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Four more years means more jobs. More judges. Mmore support for our troops. [Cheering.] And it's gonna take at least four more years to drain that swamp. [Cheering.] You know, the choice in this election couldn't be clearer, and the stakes couldn't be higher. Today we've a President who loves this country, who never quits, who never backs down, who believes in you and fights for you. And President Donald Trump believes in freedom. [Cheering.]
In the other party, their candidates believe in more taxes, more regulation, and less freedom. Today, Democrats openly advocate socialism. [Booing.] An economic system that has impoverished millions of people around the world and stole the liberties of generations. It was freedom, not socialism that gave us the most prosperous economy in the history of the world. It was freedom, not socialism, that ended slavery, won two World Wars and stands today as the beacon of hope for all the world. The moment America becomes a socialist country is the moment America ceases to be America. So, as the President said in his State of the Union address, so we must say with one voice, America will never be a socialist country. [Cheers and applause.]
The choice in this election will not just be between two candidates. It'll be a choice between two futures. A future of more freedom or a future of more government. You know, on election night 2016, then President-elect Donald Trump promised in his words to be a President for all Americans. And I know he meant it from the bottom of his heart. So tonight, we appeal to all Americans. If you are doing better than you were three years ago, if your values are being better defended, if you are proud to have a President who fights for you and always puts America first, join us. Reelect President Donald Trump and we will keep America great. [Cheers and applause]
Now the pollsters and pundits say our task won't be easy, just like they said before. But you all know better. We made history in 2016, and we're going to make history again in 2020 when we reelect the 45th President of the United States for four more years. So as the campaign begins, I encourage you, bring all of your enthusiasm. And have faith. Faith that when our fellow Americans are given a choice between freedom, more freedom, and more government, they choose freedom every time.
Have faith in this President, whose drive and vision are making America great again even as we speak. And have faith, have faith that he who blessed this one nation under God will yet bless America. [Cheers and applause.] And I know that with your ongoing support and energy in the next 503 days, we will reelect this President. And with President Donald Trump in the White House for four more years, and with God's help, we will make America safe again, we'll make America prosperous again, and this President will make America greater than ever before. [Cheers and applause.]
But you don't have to take my word for it. Because now it's our high honor and distinct privilege to introduce to you our friends the First Lady and the 45th President of the United States of America, First Lady Melania and President Donald Trump. [Cheers and applause.]
[Lee Greenwood singing "Born in the USA."]
CROWD: USA! USA!
FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP: Good evening Orlando. It has been my honor to serve as First Lady of this incredible country for the past two years. [Cheers and applause.]
And I'm excited to do it for six more. I am proud of all that my husband, this Administration, and our entire family have done on behalf of the American people in such a short time. [Cheers and applause.] He truly loves this country and will continue to work on your behalf as long as he can. All of us will. Thank you all again for being here tonight. Now, I want to introduce my husband, the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. [Cheers and applause.]
CROWD: USA! USA!
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Ahh, we had such luck in Orlando. We love being in Orlando. Thank you, thank you, Orlando! What a turnout. What a turnout. You know, I said, this is a very big arena. For a Tuesday night. I said, you know, if we've about three or four empty seats, the fake news will say headlines: he did not fill up the arena. So, I said, maybe we should not take the chance. Maybe we shouldn't go to Orlando, we should go somewhere else. But I said no, I think we will go to Orlando. [Applause.]
And. . . and not only did we fill it up, but we had 120,000 requests. [Applause.] That means you folks have come out very, very good. Congratulations.
I want to thank our great Vice President Mike Pence and his wonderful wife Karen Pence and our magnificent First Lady, Melania. Thank you. [Applause.] I am thrilled to be back in my second home. That's what it's, it's my second home. In many cases I think I can say it's my first home, you want to know the truth. It's the great state of Florida.
Very historic because exactly four years ago this week I announced my campaign for President of the United States. And it turned out to be more than just a political campaign. It turned out to be a great political movement. Because of you. A great movement. It's a movement made up of hard-working patriots who love their country, love their flag, love their children, and who believe that a nation must care for its own citizens first. [Cheers and applause.]
Together we stared down a corrupt and broken political establishment, and we restored government of, by, and for the people. Our country is now thriving, prospering, and booming, and frankly, it's soaring to incredible new heights. [Cheers and applause.]
Our economy is the envy of the world, perhaps the greatest economy we've had in the history of our country. [Cheers and applause.] And, as long as you keep this team in place, we've a tremendous way to go. Our future has never ever looked brighter or sharper. The fact is, the American dream is back, it's bigger and better and stronger than ever before. [Applause.]
2016 was not merely another four-year election. This was a defining moment in American history. Ask them right there. [Points to media.] [Laughter.] [Booing.]
CROWD: CNN Sucks! CNN Sucks! CNN Sucks!
By the way, that is a lot of fake news back there. [Cheers, applause, booing.] That's, that's a lot.
You know what I say? The amount of press we've tonight reminds me of the Academy Awards before it went political and their ratings went down the tubes. [Applause.]
This was our chance to reclaim our government from a permanent political class that enriched itself at your expense. As I said on a wonderful beautiful day at my inauguration, we did not merely transfer power from one party to another. But, we transferred power back to you, the proud citizens of the United States of America. [Cheers and applause.]
CROWD: USA! USA!
We stared down the unholy alliance of lobbyists, and donors, and special interests who made a living bleeding our country dry, that's what we've done. We broke down the doors of Washington back rooms where deals were cut to close our companies, give away your jobs, shut down our factories, and surrender your sovereignty and your very way of life. And we've ended it. We took on a political machine that tried to take away your voice and your vote. They tried to take away your dignity and your destiny. But we will never let them do that, will we? Many times I said we would drain the swamp. That is exactly what we're doing right now. We're draining the swamp. [Applause.]
CROWD: Drain the swamp! Drain the swamp!
THE PRESIDENT: And that's why the swamp is fighting back so viciously and violently. For the last two and a half years, we have been under siege. And with the Mueller Report, we won, and now they want a do-over. They want a do-over. Let's do it again. Didn't work out too well. Let's do it again. They want a do-over. No President should ever have to go through this again. It is so bad for our great country. A hoax. A great hoax. Our patriotic movement has been under assault from the very first day. We accomplished more than any other President has in the first two and a half years of a presidency and under circumstances that no President has had to deal with before, because we did in the middle of a great and illegal witch-hunt, things that nobody has been able to accomplish. Not even close. Nobody's done what we've done in two and a half years. [Cheers and applause.]
We went through the greatest witch-hunt in political history. The only collusion was committed by the Democrats, the fake news media, and their operatives, and the people who funded the phony dossier--crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC. It was all an illegal attempt to overturn the results of the election, spy on our campaign, which is what they did, and subvert our democracy. Remember, the insurance policy, just in case Hillary Clinton lost. Remember the insurance policy.
CROWD: Lock her up! Lock her up!
THE PRESIDENT: They appointed 18 very angry Democrats to try to take down our incredible movement. After two years, 1.4 million pages of documents, 500 search warrants, 500 witnesses, 2800 subpoenas, and 40 FBI Agents working round the clock, what did they come up with? No collusion. And the fact that led our great Attorney General to determine no obstruction. No collusion, no obstruction. And they spent $40 million on this witch-hunt. $40 million. [Booing.]
That's right. They spent $40 million, probably a hell of a lot more than that. And think about it. Nobody's been tougher on Russia than Donald Trump. Nobody. [Applause.]
We call it the Russian hoax. Remember President Obama's famous lines caught on the open mic secretly telling the Russian president to, quote, inform Vladimir that after my election, I will have more flexibility, ok? Remember that? Remember that? A lot of people remember that. I remembered it. I saw it happen. I didn't like it. They don't bring it up. The fake news will never bring it up. [Booing.]
And in September, just before the election, the FBI told President Obama about possible Russian interference and he did nothing because he thought that Hillary Clinton, crooked Hillary, was going to win. That's why he did nothing. [Booing.]
He did nothing. I built up the military, imposed sanctions on Russia, and provided alternative energy sources for all over Europe that competed very, very strongly with Russia. We are, by the way, the number one producer of energy in the world because of what we've done right now. [Applause.]
CROWD: USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: The Democrats don't care about Russia. They only care about their own political power. They went after my family, my business, my finances, my employees, almost everyone that I've ever known or worked with, but they are really going after you. That's what it's all about. It's not about us. It's about you. They tried to erase your votes, erase your legacy of the greatest campaign and the greatest election probably in the history of our country. [Cheers and applause.]
And they wanted to deny you the future that you demanded, and the future that America deserves, and that now, America is getting. [Applause.]
Our radical Democrat opponents are driven by hatred, prejudice, and rage. They want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it. Not acceptable. It's not going to happen. [Applause.] Not gonna happen.
To understand Democrats' ruthless tactics, look no further than the United States Supreme Court and our court system nationwide. I will soon have appointed my 145th judge. [Cheers and applause.]
President Obama was very nice to us. He didn't fill the positions. I get there the first day. How many judges do I have to appoint? They said, "Sir, 139." now, it's 145. And we just finished number 107, already approved, sitting on the bench. How about that? [Applause.]
And by the time we're finished with the rest, we will have a record percentages. Our percentage will be a record, except for one person. One person has a higher percentage than your favorite President, Donald Trump. Do you know who that President is? He's got a higher percentage than me, and it's devastating. His name is George Washington. [Cheers and applause.]
George is at 100% and there is no way I'm going to get there no matter what. I tell you. 100%. Well, he was first, so he just appointed them all and that is it. That's going to be a hard record to beat. They want to take away your judges. They went to pack the Court with hard left ideologues. And they want to radicalize our judiciary. You know that. We already have a lot of that. [Booing.]
Look at what they did to a great gentleman, Justice Kavanagh. Highly respected. [Booing.] They didn't just try to win. They tried to destroy him with false and malicious accusations. [Booing.]
And thank you, Marco, and thank you Lindsay, wherever you may be. Thank you. Great job. Thank you. Stand up. [Cheers and applause.] Yean, Lindsey Graham was doing Ok in South Carolina, not great. Now he's through the roof. Great. Thank you. Great job. Great people. Great people, all of them. They tried to ruin the family of now-Justice Kavanagh. They tried to ruin his career, they tried to ruin his life. They even wanted to impeach him on fraudulent charges. [Booing.]
Those charges were a fraud. He did nothing wrong. All in pursuit of political domination and control. Just imagine what this angry left-wing mob would do if they were in charge of this country. [Booing.]
Imagine if we had a Democrat President and a Democrat Congress in 2020. [Booing.] They would shut down your free speech, use the power of the law to punish their opponents which they are trying to do now anyway. They'll always be trying to shield themselves. They would strip Americans of their constitutional rights while flooding the country with illegal immigrants in the hopes it will expand their political base, and they'll get votes someplace down the future. That's what it's about. [Booing.]
CROWD: Build that wall! Build that wall!
THE PRESIDENT: And we are building the wall. We're going to have over 400 miles of wall built by the end of next year. It's moving rapidly. It's moving very rapidly. And you know, we couldn't get the wall approved by the Democrats, even though they voted for it four years ago, and six years ago, and it didn't get built. But they voted for it. All of a sudden, Trump is President, we don't want a wall. Could you imagine, can you imagine those caravans without having the barriers and walls that we've already put up and that are up? This country would be a mess like you wouldn't believe.
So the wall is moving along. It's moving along rapidly. It's beautiful. I changed the design. It's stronger, bigger, better, and cheaper. Cheaper. A lot cheaper. You know, sometimes when they don't give you the money, you have to make it cheaper. Not gonna happen. But it's going well.
Instead of bringing us together as one America, Democrats want to splinter us into factions and tribes. They want us divided. Not gonna happen to the Republicans anymore. It's not gonna to happen. [Cheers and applause.]
This election is not merely a verdict on the amazing progress we've made. It's a verdict on the un-American conduct of those who tried to undermine our great democracy and undermine you. [Cheers and applause.]
And by the way, on July 4th in Washington, D.C., come on down, we're gonna have a big day. Bring your flags. Bring those flags. Bring those American flags. July 4th. We're going to have hundreds of thousands of people. We're going to celebrate America. Sounds good, right? July 4. Celebrate America.
This election is a verdict on whether we want to live in a country where the people who lose an election refused to concede and spend the next two years trying to shred our Constitution and rip your country apart. [Booing.]
You remember, during one of the debates when crooked Hillary said, "if I win, are you going to support me?" But I must be honest. I didn't give her a great answer. That was a very. . . that might have been my hardest question during the debates. Isn't it amazing that it worked the other way around? Isn't it amazing? [Applause.]
If you want to know how the system is rigged, just compare how they came after us for three years with everything they had versus the free pass they gave to Hillary and her aides after they set up an illegal server, destroyed evidence, deleted and acid washed 33,000 emails, exposed classified information, and turned the State Department into a pay-for-play cash machine. [Booing.]
CROWD: Lock her up! Lock her up!
THE PRESIDENT: 33,000 emails deleted! Think of it. I keep mentioning, you know, there was a lot of corruption on the other side. But, you know, the simplest thing. They get a subpoena from the United States Congress, and they decide that they are not gonna give it. So, Lindsey Graham, they delete and they acid wash, which is very expensive, nobody does it, they acid wash those emails. Never to be seen again. But we may find them somewhere deep in the State Department. We may. [Applause.]
But can you imagine if I got a subpoena--think of this. If I got a subpoena for emails, if I deleted one email like a love note to Melania, it's the electric chair for Trump. [Laughter.] 33,000 emails. But let's see what happens. We now have a great Attorney General. Let's see what happens. [Cheers and applause.]
So, if you want to shut down this rigged system once and for all, the show up November 3. That's your day, big day. And vote, vote, vote. We're gonna have a big, big day.
CROWD: Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Remember, the only thing these corrupt politicians will understand is an earthquake at the ballot box. That's what they will understand. And they're gonna see it.
We did it once, and now we will do it again. And this time, we're going to finish the job. This time should be a lot easier because we've done so much with our military, with our vets, with the Second Amendment, with our regulations, with the biggest tax cut in history, with getting rid of so many different problems, so many different things, including, by the way, the individual mandate of Obamacare. One of the worst things anybody's ever had to live through. We got rid of the individual mandate. Right? [Applause.] How many people are happy they no longer have to pay for the privilege of not paying for bad health insurance? How many people are happy? Bad health care! [Applause.]
So, every time you don't have to make out a check in order not to have health care, think of that. Think of that. This is the only country, you pay for the very distinct privilege of not having to pay. But you hadda pay a lot. Now you don't have to pay any more. You don't want it, you don't have to take it. The individual mandate, Mike, we got rid of it. That was a big deal.
The people trying to stop our movement are the same Washington insiders who spent their careers rigging the system so your losses will be their gains. You know that. These are the same career politicians who presided over decades of flat wages, the loss of our manufacturing jobs 60, 000--can you believe that? 60,000. Who would believe that number? And you know how I know it's true? Because, if it wasn't--I have been using it a lot--the fake news would have headlines: "Trump used a phony number." They'd have headlines. It'd be the biggest story. Trump used. . well. . . they never corrected it, so I assume, fellas, those 60,000 shuttered factories, we closed up 60,000 factories.
It didn't seem right. It didn't seem like it would be possible. An avalanche of job-killing regulations. A growing wealth gap. And one ruinous trade deal after another. By the way, those trade deals are getting very good, folks. You'll see. We just completed a deal with South Korea. Great deal. We're working with Mexico and Canada. We've to get the Democrats to approve it. We want it to be bipartisan.
As you know, you may have read a couple of things about China. I spoke to President Xi, terrific President, a great leader of China. I spoke to him this morning at length, and we'll see what happens. But we're either goin' ta have a good deal, a fair deal, we're not going to have a deal at all, and that is ok too. [Applause.] Because we are taking in billions and billions of dollars into our Treasury and companies are leaving China because they want to avoid paying these large tariffs. And by the way, when the fake news tells you that you're paying, in the case of China, they've devalued their currency. That helps them. And you know what else they are doing? They are subsidizing those companies. And you're not paying very much if you're paying anything at all, in the case of China. And we're taking billions and billions of dollars in. And remember this, and you know it I as well as I do, we've never taken in $.10 from China. We would lose $500 billion a year with China. We rebuilt China. They have done a great job, but they took us for suckers and that includes Obama and Biden. We took, they took us for suckers. [Booing.]
500 billion! 500 billion. Somebody said, you mean 500 million? That is a lot too. No, $500 billion. It's actually more than that. I don't want to be too specific, 507.
We're fighting against the same far-left politicians that ravaged our great cities and crushed the dreams of African-American middle class.
The same people who threw open our borders and allowed drugs, gangs, and illegal labor to devastate our poorest American communities. You know that. Our political opponents looked down with hatred on our values and with utter disdain for the people whose lives they want to run. That's the way they have been doing it. If you take a look at the African-American community, how much progress has been made, the lowest unemployment numbers in the history of our country. [Cheers and applause.]
They called you and I—you remember this? They called us deplorables. That was a mistake. That was a big mistake. I'll never forget. I was making a speech after Hillary used the word "deplorables." And I didn't think it was that bad. You know why? She used another word. You know what the other word was? She said "deplorables and irredeemables." I think that was worse, but it did not get picked up. You never know what's goin' ta get picked up. I think "irredeemables" is worse than "deplorables." But, I'll never forget, I was making a speech the next day. We had a great crowd in a great, great State. And women, in particular, were wearing, "We are deplorables." "The deplorables love you." And there were hundreds and hundreds of people wearing "We are deplorables," and I said, I think Hillary Clinton made a big mistake with that speech. [Cheers and applause.]
And that is the problem with politics. One word, and your career is ruined. You never know, you have to be very careful with the fake news back there.
I have news for Democrats who want to return us to the bitter failures and betrayals of the past. We're not going back. We're going on to victory. Going on to victory. [Applause.]
Because they will all take it away as fast as it came. And as Mike Pence said a little while ago, that's why we want a little more time. It's going to be cemented. It's going to be cemented.
You know, we've a big decision to make. You know what I am going to say. We have to come up with a theme for the new campaign. Right? Is it going to be Make America Great Again?--which is probably and possibly the greatest theme in the history of politics, I think. Make America Great Again. MAGA country, right? MAGA. [Cheers and applause.] MAGA. MAGA country. We're in MAGA country, that I can tell you.
But you know, today, we had a massive day on the stock market. A lot of good things are happening. We had a very big day. We're very close to, I think, our 68th record. You know, we've hit all-time records--this tremendous. It's actually more than that. It's a lot.
So now I say, we've made America great again, but how do you give up the number one, call it theme, logo, statement, in the history of politics for a new one? But you know, there is a new one that really works. And that's called "Keep America Great." Right? [Applause.] Keep America Great. Right?
Keep America Great. In other words, Make America Great Again, well, we've really done it. We've rebuilt our military, still in the process. We've taken care of our vets. We've cut the hell out of regulations. You know, I've cut more regulations than any President in the history of our country, regardless of the length of their term.
So now I say, we need. . .we have a lot of brilliant talent, campaign people. It costs a fortune and they never give me any ideas. I'm only kidding. [Laughter.]
So now I am saying, whadda we use as our theme, as our statement? So, I'm going to ask you to vote on it. I am going to go "Make America Great Again," then, "Keep America Great." Let me just hear by your cheers what you like. So! In all fairness, "Make America Great," the greatest of all time, I really believe that. The greatest of all time. How do you give up the greatest of all time with a new theme?
Because, you know what's going to happen? If I do it with a new theme, I give up the greatest of all time, and if I lose, people are gonna say, "What a mistake that was!" But we're not gonna lose. So it's not gonna matter. We're not gonna lose. Right? We're not gonna lose. [Cheers and applause.]
Are you ready? First we do "Make America Great Again" then we do "Keep America Great." Let me hear it. Ready?
Make America Great Again. [Cheers and applause.]
Not Bad. . . . Not bad. Not bad! If I would've said that three years ago it wouldn't be a contest, right? You ready?
Keep America Great. [Sustained cheers and applause.]
CROWD: USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: Wow. Ahh, I'm sorry MAGA country, but that wasn't too close. I thought you had it won, then I heard this sheer. My eardrums will never be the same. Keep America Great. [Cheers and applause.]
Pretty good. We're going to keep on fighting for every man and woman and child all across this land. With every ounce of heart and might and sweat and soul, we're going to keep making America great again, and then we will indeed keep America great. We will keep it so great. Better than ever before. We're going to keep it better than ever before. And that is why tonight I stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term as President of the United States. [Cheers and applause.]
Thank you. [Cheers and applause.]
I can promise you that I will never, ever let you down. I won't. And I am profoundly thankful to my family. I have a great family. Melania, Don, Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, Baron, Laura, Jared, Robert, Marian, Elizabeth, and my late brother, Fred Jr. Thank you. [Applause.]
We're joined tonight by many great patriots who fight right by our side. Florida's terrific Governor. [Cheers and applause.] Thank you, Ron. Our First Lady, Casey DeSantis, what a job you're doing. Thank you. Thank you Ron, Casey, thank you. What a job. And again, your great Lieutenant Governor, who I hear is fantastic, right? Jeanette Nuñez. Thank you Jeanette. Beautiful job. [Cheers and applause.]
Your Florida CFO Jimmy Petronas. [Cheers and applause.]
Some really brilliant, tough, wonderful friends who have helped me so much. Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marco Rubio of Florida. Rick Scott of Florida. [Cheers and applause.] These are great people. They're tough, they're smart, and they love our country. Thank you very much. Rick, Marco, Lindsey, thank you.
Members of Congress, warriors also, boy, they're up there, you want them protecting you, I tell you. They don't stop. Matt Gaetz, Ted Yoho, and Michael Waltz. [Cheers and applause.]
And also all of our friends and our supporters. You've been incredible. This has been a tremendous night. You've really been incredible. Since the very first day I walked through the doors of the White House, I have never forgotten who sent me there. You did. You did. You did. You did. [Cheers and applause.] You did. You did. You all did. When I get behind my desk in the beautiful Oval Office, I think about only one thing. How the American people are going to win, win, win, today. [Cheers and applause.]
And I'm fighting for you, and I think you see that. Not easy! But I love it, and the reason I love it, because there have been few Presidents that have been able to do what we've been able to do for you, and it is a great great feeling. Thank you. I love it.
Together we're breaking the most sacred rule in Washington politics. We are keeping our promises to the American people. Because my only special interest is you. I don't have a special interest. I don't care. I don't care. [Applause.]
And, by the way. . .By the way, a woman who has been, so good, so talented, so wonderful, and we're sort of going to be losing her. . .I have a feeling she will be running for a certain gubernatorial position, don't worry about it, Ron, it's not going to be in Florida. It won't be in Florida, I promise you, Casey. But, she'd be tough, right? But a woman who is a special woman, and right. . . and her father, he is out there fighting for us all the time. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. [Cheers and applause.]
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: Thank you, Mr. President. [Cheers and applause.] Thank you Mr. President. Uh, this has been truly the honor of a lifetime. Uh, one of the most incredible experiences anybody could ever imagine. And that 's because I've had the chance to be on the front row of history and watch you drastically change our country for the better. You've made America great. You are going to continue to make America great. I couldn't be prouder to be part of your team. I am gonna go spend a little time with my kids, but no one will be a stronger voice and a more fierce advocate for this President, because he's fighting for all of the people in this room and all of the people you represent all over the country. And he's going to have an incredible six more years to make our country as strong as it's ever been. Thank you so much, Mr. President! [Cheers and applause.]
THE PRESIDENT: We're gonna miss her. We're gonna miss her. Thank you, Sarah. Incredible. A warrior.
Since the election, we've created six million new jobs. Nobody thought that would be possible. They said it wouldn't be possible. We have lifted more than six million Americans off of food stamps, and we're getting off of welfare and back into the workforce, and they're so happy. They are so happy. The unemployment rate is the lowest rate it's been in over 51 years. Think of that. And as I said before, about African-American, I now say also about Hispanic-American, and Asian-American unemployment, have reached the lowest rates in the history of our country. Unemployment. And African-American poverty has also reached by far, the lowest rate in history. These are incredible numbers. And today, right now, as we speak, almost 160 million people are working. But that's more than ever before. It's the first time ever. The number of people is almost 160 million, and we're going to be breaking that number soon. [Applause.] Women filled 60% of the new jobs created last year, and women's unemployment is now the lowest it's been in 74 years. [Applause.]
Wages are rising at the fastest rate in many decades, and, really what's nice, is that they are rising the fastest for the lowest income Americans. Isn't that nice? Percentagewise. So fast. And our pledge to the American worker through Ivanka Trump. . . she has worked so hard. [Applause.]
She has worked hard. Has secured commitments to provide private sector training opportunities to nearly 10 million Americans. It's been an incredible story. It's been an incredible story. Great job. To get relief to working families, we passed the largest package of tax cuts and reforms in American history, the largest. We doubled the child tax credit ,and the typical family of four earning $75,000 has seen a tax cut of over $2000 a year. And that money goes right back into our economy. [Applause.]
Our record-breaking regulatory reduction campaign has saved every American household an average of $3000 per year, and we've ended the last administration's cruel and heartless war on American energy. What they were doing to our energy should never be forgotten. The United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world. [Applause.]
And something I want to make clear to the media—we have among the cleanest and sharpest--crystal clean, you've heard me say it, I want crystal clean air and water, anywhere on earth. We are creating a future of American energy independence and yet our air and water are the cleanest they've ever been by far. [Applause.]
And importantly, we are reversing decades of calamitous trade policies. When I came into office, we inherited one of the worst trade deals ever negotiated, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Would've put you all out of work. TPP. Would have dealt the death-blow to the US auto industry, which, by the way, is doing great. Many, many plants are now under construction in Michigan and Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida. They hadn't built one in decades, and now, they are all over the place. In my first week, I withdrew the United States from the job-killing catastrophe, that we know what that is, TPP and the Paris Environmental Accord. Not too good. Not too good. I thought I was going to take a lotta heat on that, I took none. Would have cost us trillions and trillions of dollars. [Laughter.]
And we're replacing the NAFTA Disaster with the brand-new USMCA [Applause.] And USMCA, that's Mexico and Canada, will create at least 75,000 new jobs for American auto workers and give a massive boost to our farmers and ranchers and growers all across the Sunshine State, and will hopefully soon have bipartisan support. Because everybody wants it to happen. [Applause.] It replaces one of the worst trade deals ever made. NAFTA. NAFTA was a beauty. It was really good if you want to see everybody leave our country. Thanks to our tariffs, American steel mills are roaring back to life. You know that. [Applause.]
And we've taken historic action to confront China's chronic trading abuses. It should have been done a long time ago, but the days of stealing American jobs and American companies, American ideas and wealth, those days are over. [Applause.]
In the eight years before I took office, on average, we lost 2000 manufacturing jobs a month. Since my inauguration, we've added 16,000 manufacturing jobs a month. That didn't happen by accident. Remember the statement from the previous administration--you'd need a magic wand to bring back manufacturing. Well, we'll tell Sleepy Joe that we found the magic wand. The Sleepy Guy. [Laughter]
And to remedy past injustices, we passed groundbreaking criminal justice reform. [Applause.] We ended the Clinton-era crime policies that unfairly affected the African-American community, so unfair. [Applause.]
We are boldly confronting the opioid and drug addition, and you know what's happening. Drug addiction is the scourge of our country and many other countries, and we have made so much progress. So much progress. Opioid down 17, 18, 19 and 21 percent in some places. And I want to thank our First Lady for having worked so hard on that, thank you. Thank you. [Applause.]
And we're expanding affordable health care, creating plans 60% cheaper than Obamacare.
And we passed something I'm very proud of. They've wanted to pass it for 45 years. All of the gentlemen that are sitting here from Congress, your congressmen, your senators, they helped us. It's called "Right To Try." [Applause.] We have the greatest medical labs in the world. We have incredible things under advisement. And our people, if they were very sick, they were terminally ill, they couldn't get anything because people said "No, it might hurt them." They're terminally ill.
So I said, that doesn't make sense. And these people, if they were rich or had money they'd go to Asia, they'd go to Europe, they'd go all over the world looking for a cure. Because the FDA Would not approve what we call "Right To Try," what a beautiful name, "Right To Try." and I got it approved after 44 years, I got it approved. [Applause.]
And I saw a beautiful young woman the other day on television, Miss [Natalie] Harp, incredible woman. Did anyone see her? She was incredible. And she was so thankful. And she's doing so well. And they were giving her instructions on what you do when you're dying. And then all of a sudden, this happened. And now it looks like she's going to be around for a long time. And there are many, many cases like that. "Right to Try." And I hope nobody in this room ever needs it, but we now have it. For the first time in half a century, we've reduced the price of prescription drugs and our amazing veterans are no longer left to languish and die on endless waiting lists, standing on line waiting for a doctor. [Applause.]
We passed VA Choice, so they can see their doctor. Our veterans were waiting on line for two days. Seven days, three weeks, five weeks. You had veterans waiting on line that could have easily been taken care of, they waited so long they became terminally ill, in many cases. The stories are horrible. We passed VA Choice. You go out now, you get a doctor, you fix yourself up. The doctor sends us the bill, we pay for it. And you know what, it doesn't matter, because the life and the veteran is more important, but we also happen to save a lot of money doing that. Can you believe it? [Applause.]
VA Choice for the veteran. They've been trying to get that passed also for about 44 years. And we also passed VA Accountability. So that when somebody does bad things or mistreats our wonderful veterans, we couldn't do anything with them, they were protected. Between civil service and unions and all of the problems, it didn't matter. You could't do anything. Now, you can just say, "You're fired, get out, get out, get out!" [Applause.]
And as we fight to make life better for all Americans, the Democrat Party has become more radical, more dangerous, and more unhinged than at any point in the modern history of our country. [Booing.]
On no issue are Democrats more extreme and more depraved than when it comes to border security. The Democrat agenda of open borders is morally reprehensible. It's the greatest betrayal of the American middle class and, frankly, American life, our country has as a whole. Nobody sees anything like it. People are pouring in, but we've stopped 'em. And now, as I said, we have other people helping us, including the country of Mexico. Let's see how it works out. But we need you to call your Democrat congressman and your Democrat senator and get them to pass legislation working with these great men over here to close up the loopholes and to solve the asylum problem which can be done in 15 minutes. [Applause.] Illegal mass migration brings in millions of low wage workers to compete for jobs, wages, and opportunities against the most vulnerable Americans cutting off their path to the American dream. Thanks to Democrat policies, schoolchildren across the country are being threatened by the vicious gang, MS-13. That ICE, by the way, is taking out of our country and dropping 'em back home by the thousands, by the thousands. [Applause.]
Mass illegal migration reduces living standards and strains public resources. If Democrat officials had to send their children to those overcrowded, overburdened schools, they would not tolerate it for one minute. What's happening with their policies are horrible. Our immigration laws are a disgrace, and the Democrats can get together with the Republicans and solve the problem quickly. One meeting. [Applause.]
Democrats in California even voted to give free health care to illegal aliens instead of helping homeless Americans in Democrat-run cities. [Booing.]
Democrats support sanctuary cities. Thank you, Governor Ron, for ending that whole disaster. [Applause.] They release dangerous criminal aliens into our communities. Ron Desantis, great job. Great, really great. Thank you. So smart. It's common sense. It's common sense. Sanctuary cities are an open attack on American law enforcement, and American families, sacrificing American lives in pursuit of a callous political agenda. That is all it is. No one who supports sanctuary cities should be allowed to run for President of the United States. [Applause.] Republicans believe welfare, schools, hospitals, and public resources should be protected for all Americans. And yes, yes, we are doing things that few others have even tried to do. We are making progress like nobody would believe. Wait'll you see some of the things you're going to be hearing about over the next few months. We believe our country should be a sanctuary for law abiding citizens, not for criminal aliens. [Applause.]
And we will always support and protect the heroes of ICE, border patrol, and law enforcement generally throughout our country. Thank you. [Applause.]
And in the ultimate act of moral cowardice, not one Democrat candidate for President, not a single one, has stood up to defend the incredible men and women of ICE and border patrol. The job they do is incredible. Against all odds with the bad laws. They don't have the character, the virtue, the spine to do it. We've to thank 'em and we have to thank, boy!, law enforcement. What a job they do. [Applause.]
it's time to pass Kate's law, end sanctuary cities, end catch-and-release, deport vicious gang members, which we're doing, stop human trafficking, stop illegal immigration, and establish a modern immigration system based on skills, contributions, and based on merit. We want people to come into our country based on merit. [Applause.]
More than 120 Democrats in Congress have also signed up to support crazy Bernie Sanders' socialist government takeover of healthcare. [Booing.]
He seems not to be doing too well lately. They want to end Medicare as we know it and terminate the private health insurance of 180 million Americans who love their health insurance. America will never be a socialist country. Ever. [Applause.]
CROWD: USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: Republicans do not believe in socialism, we believe in freedom, and so do you. [Applause.] We will defend Medicare and Social Security for our great seniors. We will defend it like nobody else. And we will always protect patients with pre-existing conditions, always. Always. Virtually every top Democrat also now supports taxpayer-funded abortion right up to the moment of birth, ripping babies straight from the mother's womb. Leading Democrats have even opposed measures to prevent the execution of children after birth. You saw that. . . in Virginia. [Booing.]
Republicans believe that every life is a sacred gift from God. [Applause.] That is why I have asked Congress to prohibit extreme late term abortion.
Day by day, we are rebuilding our country at home. We are restoring America's standing all around the world. We are respected as a country again. [Applause.] After past leaders slashed military budgets, we are rebuilding the US armed forces with $700 billion last year and $716 billion this year, far more than ever before. [Applause.]
And with the help of vice President Mike Pence, we are creating the Space Force. That's where it's going to be, the Space Force. [Applause.]
We're insisting that our foreign partners and allies pay their fair share and thanks to our brave warriors, the ISIS caliphate that you've been hearing so much about has been totally obliterated. 100%. [Applause.]
We've repaired America's friendship with our cherished ally, the State of Israel, and as I heard Mike saying before, we recognized the true capital of Israel and opened the American embassy in Jerusalem. [Applause.]
And we recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. [Applause.] And I withdrew the United States from the disastrous, just a disaster, a disaster, the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, and imposed the toughest-ever sanctions on the world's number one state sponsor of terrorism. We're charting a path to stability and peace in the Middle East, because great nations do not want to fight endless wars. They've been going on forever. Starting to remove a lot of troops. We're finally putting America first. In Latin America, our country once again stands against corrupt communist and socialist regimes, and we support the people of Cuba and Venezuela in their righteous struggle for freedom. Thank you, Marco. Thank you, Rick, thank you, Lindsay. [Applause.]
Nothing would make us happier than to be able to work with Democrats to rebuild our nation's infrastructure, to bring down drug prices, to compete with other countries, and to dominate the future as one American team. It can happen. It can happen. [Applause.]
It can happen. It's looking like the Democratic Party does not want ta do that, but it can happen, and it very well might. The are so many great things we can do right now in a bipartisan way. But they have been afflicted with an ideological sickness that protects foreign borders but refuses to protect our borders. That promotes jobs overseas but allows our factories to close. That promotes democracy abroad, but shreds our Constitution at home. That declares support for free speech and free thought, but relentlessly suppresses them both. And that constantly savages the heroes of American law enforcement. We don't want that. We don't want that. No matter what label they use, a vote for any Democrat in 2020 is a vote for the rise of radical socialism, and the destruction of the American dream. [Booing.]
So don't ever forget, this election is about you. It's about your family, your future, and the fate of your country. We begin our campaign with the best record, the best results, the best agenda, and the only positive vision for our country's future. [Applause.]
Together, we will continue unleashing the power of American enterprise, so every American can know the dignity of work and the pride of a paycheck. We will elect a Republican Congress to create a safe, modern, and lawful system of immigration. It will be a system of immigration that strengthens our country, upholds our values, and protects our way of life.
We will enact trade deals that ensure more products are promptly stamped with the words "made in the USA." [Applause.]
CROWD: USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: We will create a great health care system based on honesty, transparency, more options, and far lower costs for much better care.
We will give school choice to millions of underserved children who are trapped in failing schools and failing school systems. [Applause.]
We will continue rescuing our inner cities from disastrous reign of Democrats who presided over the decimation of their education systems, the outsourcing of their jobs, and the devastation of their neighborhoods.
We will expand opportunity zones so that no community is ever left behind. Thank you, Tim Scott. Great help.
In the face of new threats, we will defend privacy, free speech, religious liberty and the right to keep and bear arms. [Applause.] We will protect our Second Amendment. [Applause.]
We will push onward with new medical frontiers. We will come up with the cures to many, many problems, to many, many diseases, including cancer and others, and we're getting closer all the time. [Applause.] We will eradicate AIDS in America once and for all, and we're very close.
We will lay the foundation for landing American astronauts on the surface of Mars
And above all, we will never stop fighting for the values that hold us together as one America. We believe in the American constitution and the rule of law. We believe in the dignity of work and the sanctity of life. [Applause.]
We believe that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the true American way. We believe that children should be taught to love our country, honor our history, and always respect our great American flag. [Applause.]
And we will live by the words of our national motto--"In God we trust." [Applause.]
Powered by these values, we won a victory two and a half years ago. We won a victory for every parent worried for their children, and worried about their children. They were concerned that their children wouldn't have the same opportunity as they had. We're going to make that opportunity even better. [Applause.]
We won a victory for every mom and dad who lost a job because our leaders waved the white flag of economic surrender, you've seen that too much. We won a victory for American self-government, self-rule, and self-determination.
We've been blessed by God with the greatest nation on the face of the earth and we're going to keep it that way. We're going to keep it that way. [Applause.]
With your help, with your love and your devotion, and with your drive, we are going to keep on working, we are going to keep on fighting and we are going to keep on winning, winning, winning. [Applause.]
We are one movement, one people, one family, and one glorious nation under God. And together, we will make America wealthy again, we will make America strong again, we will make America safe again, and we will make America great again. Thank you, Orlando. Thank you, Florida. [Cheers and applause]
[Music: The Rolling Stones, "You Can't Always Get What You Want."]
NOTE: The President spoke at the Amway Center, Orlando Florida starting at 8:00pm ET. Also speaking were Vice President Mike Pence; First Lady Melania Trump; Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Donald J. Trump, Remarks Announcing Candidacy for the Republican Presidential Nomination in 2020 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/332477