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.
