Chief
Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President
Obama, fellow Americans and people of the world, thank you.
We,
the citizens of America ,
are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore
its promise for all of our people.
Together,
we will determine the course of America
and the world for many, many years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we
will get the job done.
Every
four years we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful
transfer of power.
And
we are grateful to President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for their
gracious aid throughout this transition.
They
have been magnificent.
Thank
you.
Today’s ceremony,
however, has a very special meaning because today we are not merely
transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to
another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it
back to you, the people.
For
too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of
government while the people have bore 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.
The
forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer. Everyone is listening to you now.
You came by the tens of millions to become
part of a historic movement, the likes of which the world has never seen before.
At
the center of this movement is a crucial conviction that a nation exists to
serve its citizens. Americans
want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families
and good jobs for themselves.
These
are just and reasonable demands of righteous people and a righteous public.
But
for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists.
Mothers
and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities rusted out factories
scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation.
An
education system flush with cash but which leaves our young and beautiful
students deprived of all knowledge.
And
the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and
robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right
here and stops right now.
We
are one nation, and their pain is our pain.
Their
dreams are our dreams, and their success will be our success. We share one heart, one home, and one
glorious destiny.
The
oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.
For
many decades we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American
industry, subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very
sad depletion of our military.
We’ve
defended other nations’ borders while refusing to defend our own. And we’ve spent trillions and
trillions of dollars overseas while America’s infrastructure has fallen into
disrepair and decay.
We’ve
made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our
country has dissipated over the horizon.
One
by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores with not even a thought
about the millions and millions of American workers that were left behind.
The
wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then
redistributed all across the world. But that is the past, and now we are looking only to the
future.
We
assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in
every foreign capital and in every hall of power. From this day forward, a new vision
will govern our land.
From
this day forward, it’s going to be only America
first, America
first. Every decision on
trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit
American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the
ravages of other countries making our product, 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.
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 labour.
We
will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American.
We
will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world, but we do so
with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own
interests first.
We
do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as
an example.
We
will shine for everyone to follow.
We
will re-enforce 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 will be protected by God.
Finally,
we must think big and dream even bigger. In America, we understand that a nation is only living as
long as it is striving. We will no longer accept politicians who are all talk
and no action, constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.
The
time for empty talk is over. Now arrives the hour of action.
Do
not allow anyone to tell you that it cannot be done. No challenge can match the heart and
fight and spirit of America. We will not fail. Our country will thrive and
prosper again.
We
stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space,
to free the earth from the miseries of disease, and to harness the energies,
industries, and technologies of tomorrow.
A
new national pride will stir ourselves, lift our sights and heal our divisions.
It’s time to remember
that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget, that whether we are black or
brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.
We
all enjoy the same glorious freedoms and we all salute the same great American
flag.
And
whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit
or the 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, 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.”