Thank you very much, it's a great honor to be here this morning.
And so many faith leaders -- very, very important people to me --
from across our magnificent nation, and so many leaders from all
across the globe. Today we continue a tradition begun by President
Eisenhower some 64 years ago.
This gathering is a testament to the power of faith and is one of
the great customs of our nation. And I hope to be here seven more
times with you.
(APPLAUSE)
I want very much to thank our co-chair Senator Boozman and Senator
Coons. And all of the congressional leadership; they're all over
the place. We have a lot of very distinguished guests. And we have
one guest who was just sworn in last night, Rex Tillerson,
secretary of state.
(APPLAUSE)
Gonna do a great job.
(APPLAUSE)
Some people didn't like Rex because he actually got along with
leaders of the world. I said, no, you have to understand that's a
good thing. That's a good thing, not a bad thing. He's respected
all over the world and I think he's going to go down as one of our
great, great secretaries.
We appreciate it.
Thank you, thank you, Rex.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you as well to Senate Chaplain Barry Black, for his moving
words. And I don't know Chaplain whether or not that's an appointed
position -- is that an appointed position? I don't even know if
you're Democrat or if you're Republican, but I'm appointing you for
another year, the hell with it.
(LAUGHTER)
And I think it's not even my appointment, it's the Senate's
appointment, but we'll talk to them. You're very -- you're -- your
son is here. Your job is very, very secure. OK?
(LAUGHTER)
Thank you, Barry. Appreciate it very much.
I also want to thank my great friends the Roma. Where's Roma,
beautiful Roma Downey, the voice of an angel. She's got the voice
-- every time I hear that voice; it's so beautiful. That --
everything is so beautiful about Roma, including her husband
because he's a special, special friend. Mark Burnett for the
wonderful introduction.
So true, so true. I said to the agent, I'm sorry, the only thing
wrong -- I actually got on the phone and fired him myself because
he said, you don't want to do it, it'll never work, it'll never,
ever work, you don't want to do it. I said, listen. When I really
fired him after it became the number one show, it became so
successful and he wanted a commission and he didn't want to
this.
That's when I really said -- but we had tremendous success on The
Apprentice. And when I ran for president, I had to leave the show.
That's when I knew for sure that I was doing it. And they hired a
big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place. And
we know how that turned out.
The ratings went down the tubes. It's been a total disaster and
Mark will never, ever bet against Trump again. And I want to just
pray for Arnold if we can, for those ratings, OK?
(LAUGHTER)
But we've had an amazing life together the last 14, 15 years. And a
-- an outstanding man and thank you very much for introducing.
Appreciate it. It's a great honor.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I also want to thank my dear friend, Vice President Mike
Pence, who has been incredible.
(APPLAUSE)
And incredible wife, Karen.
And every time I was in a little trouble with something where they
were questioning me, they'd say, "But he picked Mike Pence."
(LAUGHTER)
"So he has to know what he's doing."
(LAUGHTER)
And it's true, he's been -- you know on the scale of zero to 10, I
rate him a 12, OK?
So I wanna thank you, thank you very much, appreciate it.
(APPLAUSE)
But most importantly, today I wanna thank the American people. Your
faith and prayers have sustained me and inspired me through some
very, very tough times. All around America, I have met amazing
people whose words of worship and encouragement have been a
constant source of strength.
What I hear most often as I travel the country are five words that
never, ever fail to touch my heart, that's "I am praying for you."
I hear it so often, I am praying for you, Mr. President.
(APPLAUSE)
No one has inspired me more in my travels than the families of the
United States military. Men and women who have put their lives on
the line everyday for their country and their countrymen. I just
came back yesterday, from Dover Air Force Base, to join the family
of Chief William "Ryan" Owens as America's fallen hero was returned
home.
Very, very sad, but very, very beautiful, very, very beautiful. His
family was there, incredible family, loved him so much, so
devastated, he was so devastated, but the ceremony was amazing. He
died in defense of our nation. He gave his life in defense of our
people. Our debt to him and our debt to his family is eternal and
everlasting. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends."
We will never forget the men and women who wear the uniform,
believe me.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
From generation to generation, their vigilance has kept our liberty
alive. Our freedom is won by their sacrifice and our security has
been earned with their sweat and blood and tears. God has blessed
this land to give us such incredible heroes and patriots. They are
very, very special and we are going to take care of them.
(APPLAUSE)
Our soldiers understand that what matters is not party or ideology
or creed, but the bonds of loyalty that link us all together as
one. America is a nation of believers. In towns all across our
land, it's plain to see what we easily forget -- so easily we
forget this, that the quality of our lives is not defined by our
material success, but by our spiritual success.
I will tell you that and I tell you that from somebody that has had
material success and knows tremendous numbers of people with great
material success, the most material success. Many of those people
are very, very miserable, unhappy people.
And I know a lot of people without that, but they have great
families. They have great faith; they don't have money, at least,
not nearly to the extent. And they're happy. Those, to me, are the
successful people, I have to tell you.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I was blessed to be raised in a churched home. My mother and
father taught me that to whom much is given, much is expected. I
was sworn in on the very Bible from which my mother would teach us
as young children, and that faith lives on in my heart every single
day.
The people in this room come from many, many backgrounds. You
represent so many religions and so many views. But we are all
united by our faith, in our creator and our firm knowledge that we
are all equal in His eyes. We are not just flesh and bone and
blood, we are human beings with souls. Our republic was formed on
the basis that freedom is not a gift from government, but that
freedom is a gift from God.
(APPLAUSE)
It was the great Thomas Jefferson who said, the God who gave us
life, gave us liberty. Jefferson asked, can the liberties of a
nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these
liberties are the gift of God. Among those freedoms is the right to
worship according to our own beliefs. That is why I will get rid of
and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our
representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of
retribution. I will do that, remember.
(APPLAUSE)
Freedom of religion is a sacred right, but it is also a right under
threat all around us, and the world is under serious, serious
threat in so many different ways. And I've never seen it so much
and so openly as since I took the position of president.
The world is in trouble, but we're going to straighten it out. OK?
That's what I do. I fix things. We're going to straighten it
out.
(APPLAUSE)
Believe me. When you hear about the tough phone calls I'm having,
don't worry about it. Just don't worry about it. They're tough. We
have to tough. It's time we're going to be a little tough folks.
We're taking advantage of by every nation in the world virtually.
It's not going to happen anymore. It's not going to happen anymore.
We have seen unimaginable violence carried out in the name of
religion. Acts of wantonness (ph) (inaudible) just minorities.
Horrors on a scale that defy description.
Terrorism is a fundamental threat to religious freedom. It must be
stopped and it will be stopped. It may not be pretty for a little
while. It will be stopped. We have seen...
(APPLAUSE)
And by the way, General, as you know James "Mad Dog", shouldn't say
it in this room, Mattis, now there's a reason they call him "Mad
Dog" Mattis, never lost a battle, always wins them, and always wins
them fast. He's our new secretary of Defense, will be working with
Rex. He's right now in South Korea, going to Japan, going to some
other spots. I'll tell you what, I've gotten to know him really
well. He's the real deal. We have somebody who's the real deal
working for us and that's what we need. So, you watch. You just
watch.
(APPLAUSE)
Things will be different. We have seen peace loving Muslims
brutalize, victimize, murdered and oppressed by ISIS killers. We
have seen threats of extermination against the Jewish people. We
have seen a campaign of ISIS and genocide against Christians, where
they cut of heads. Not since the Middle Ages have we seen that. We
haven't seen that, the cutting off of heads. Now they cut off the
heads, they drown people in steel cages. Haven't seen this. I
haven't seen this. Nobody's seen this for many, many years.
TRUMP: All nations have a moral obligation to speak out against
such violence. All nations have a duty to work together to confront
it and to confront it viciously if we have to.
So I want to express clearly today, to the American people, that my
administration will do everything in its power to defend and
protect religious liberty in our land. America must forever remain
a tolerant society where all face are respected and where all of
our citizens can feel safe and secure.
We have to feel safe and secure. In recent days, we have begun to
take necessary action to achieve that goal. Our nation has the most
generous immigration system in the world. But these are those and
there are those that would exploit that generosity to undermine the
values that we hold so dear. We need security.
There are those who would seek to enter our country for the purpose
of spreading violence, or oppressing other people based upon their
faith or their lifestyle, not right. We will not allow a beachhead
of intolerance to spread in our nation. You look all over the world
and you see what's happening.
So in the coming days, we will develop a system to help ensure that
those admitted into our country fully embrace our values of
religious and personal liberty. And that they reject any form of
oppression and discrimination. We want people to come into our
nation, but we want people to love us and to love our values, not
to hate us and to hate our values.
We will be a safe country, we will be a free country and we will be
a country where all citizens can practice their beliefs without
fear of hostility or a fear of violence. America will flourish, as
long as our liberty, and in particular, our religious liberty is
allowed to flourish.
(APPLAUSE)
America will succeed, as long as our most vulnerable citizens --
and we have some that are so vulnerable -- have a path to success.
And America will thrive, as long as we continue to have faith in
each other and faith in God.
(APPLAUSE)
That faith in God has inspired men and women to sacrifice for the
needy, to deploy to wars overseas and to lock arms at home, to
ensure equal rights for every man, woman and child in our land.
It's that faith that sent the pilgrims across the oceans, the
pioneers across the plains and the young people all across America,
to chase their dreams. They are chasing their dreams. We are going
to bring those dreams back.
As long as we have God, we are never, ever alone. Whether it's the
soldier on the night watch, or the single parent on the night
shift, God will always give us solace and strength, and comfort. We
need to carry on and to keep carrying on.
For us here in Washington, we must never, ever stop asking God for
the wisdom to serve the public, according to his will. That's
why...
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
That's why President Eisenhower and Senator Carlson had the wisdom
to gather together 64 years ago, to begin this truly great
tradition. But that's not all they did together. Lemme tell you the
rest of the story.
Just one year later, Senator Carlson was among the members of
Congress to send to the president's desk a joint resolution that
added, "Under God," to our Pledge of Allegiance. It's a great
thing.
(APPLAUSE)
Because that's what we are and that is what we will always be and
that is what our people want; one beautiful nation, under God.
Thank you, God bless you and God bless America. Thank you very
much. Thank you.
Thank you very much, it's a great honor to be here this morning.
And so many faith leaders -- very, very important people to me --
from across our magnificent nation, and so many leaders from all
across the globe. Today we continue a tradition begun by President
Eisenhower some 64 years ago.
This gathering is a testament to the power of faith and is one of
the great customs of our nation. And I hope to be here seven more
times with you.
(APPLAUSE)
I want very much to thank our co-chair Senator Boozman and Senator
Coons. And all of the congressional leadership; they're all over
the place. We have a lot of very distinguished guests. And we have
one guest who was just sworn in last night, Rex Tillerson,
secretary of state.
(APPLAUSE)
Gonna do a great job.
(APPLAUSE)
Some people didn't like Rex because he actually got along with
leaders of the world. I said, no, you have to understand that's a
good thing. That's a good thing, not a bad thing. He's respected
all over the world and I think he's going to go down as one of our
great, great secretaries.
We appreciate it.
Thank you, thank you, Rex.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you as well to Senate Chaplain Barry Black, for his moving
words. And I don't know Chaplain whether or not that's an appointed
position -- is that an appointed position? I don't even know if
you're Democrat or if you're Republican, but I'm appointing you for
another year, the hell with it.
(LAUGHTER)
And I think it's not even my appointment, it's the Senate's
appointment, but we'll talk to them. You're very -- you're -- your
son is here. Your job is very, very secure. OK?
(LAUGHTER)
Thank you, Barry. Appreciate it very much.
I also want to thank my great friends the Roma. Where's Roma,
beautiful Roma Downey, the voice of an angel. She's got the voice
-- every time I hear that voice; it's so beautiful. That --
everything is so beautiful about Roma, including her husband
because he's a special, special friend. Mark Burnett for the
wonderful introduction.
So true, so true. I said to the agent, I'm sorry, the only thing
wrong -- I actually got on the phone and fired him myself because
he said, you don't want to do it, it'll never work, it'll never,
ever work, you don't want to do it. I said, listen. When I really
fired him after it became the number one show, it became so
successful and he wanted a commission and he didn't want to
this.
That's when I really said -- but we had tremendous success on The
Apprentice. And when I ran for president, I had to leave the show.
That's when I knew for sure that I was doing it. And they hired a
big, big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place. And
we know how that turned out.
The ratings went down the tubes. It's been a total disaster and
Mark will never, ever bet against Trump again. And I want to just
pray for Arnold if we can, for those ratings, OK?
(LAUGHTER)
But we've had an amazing life together the last 14, 15 years. And a
-- an outstanding man and thank you very much for introducing.
Appreciate it. It's a great honor.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I also want to thank my dear friend, Vice President Mike
Pence, who has been incredible.
(APPLAUSE)
And incredible wife, Karen.
And every time I was in a little trouble with something where they
were questioning me, they'd say, "But he picked Mike Pence."
(LAUGHTER)
"So he has to know what he's doing."
(LAUGHTER)
And it's true, he's been -- you know on the scale of zero to 10, I
rate him a 12, OK?
So I wanna thank you, thank you very much, appreciate it.
(APPLAUSE)
But most importantly, today I wanna thank the American people. Your
faith and prayers have sustained me and inspired me through some
very, very tough times. All around America, I have met amazing
people whose words of worship and encouragement have been a
constant source of strength.
What I hear most often as I travel the country are five words that
never, ever fail to touch my heart, that's "I am praying for you."
I hear it so often, I am praying for you, Mr. President.
(APPLAUSE)
No one has inspired me more in my travels than the families of the
United States military. Men and women who have put their lives on
the line everyday for their country and their countrymen. I just
came back yesterday, from Dover Air Force Base, to join the family
of Chief William "Ryan" Owens as America's fallen hero was returned
home.
Very, very sad, but very, very beautiful, very, very beautiful. His
family was there, incredible family, loved him so much, so
devastated, he was so devastated, but the ceremony was amazing. He
died in defense of our nation. He gave his life in defense of our
people. Our debt to him and our debt to his family is eternal and
everlasting. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends."
We will never forget the men and women who wear the uniform,
believe me.
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
From generation to generation, their vigilance has kept our liberty
alive. Our freedom is won by their sacrifice and our security has
been earned with their sweat and blood and tears. God has blessed
this land to give us such incredible heroes and patriots. They are
very, very special and we are going to take care of them.
(APPLAUSE)
Our soldiers understand that what matters is not party or ideology
or creed, but the bonds of loyalty that link us all together as
one. America is a nation of believers. In towns all across our
land, it's plain to see what we easily forget -- so easily we
forget this, that the quality of our lives is not defined by our
material success, but by our spiritual success.
I will tell you that and I tell you that from somebody that has had
material success and knows tremendous numbers of people with great
material success, the most material success. Many of those people
are very, very miserable, unhappy people.
And I know a lot of people without that, but they have great
families. They have great faith; they don't have money, at least,
not nearly to the extent. And they're happy. Those, to me, are the
successful people, I have to tell you.
(APPLAUSE)
TRUMP: I was blessed to be raised in a churched home. My mother and
father taught me that to whom much is given, much is expected. I
was sworn in on the very Bible from which my mother would teach us
as young children, and that faith lives on in my heart every single
day.
The people in this room come from many, many backgrounds. You
represent so many religions and so many views. But we are all
united by our faith, in our creator and our firm knowledge that we
are all equal in His eyes. We are not just flesh and bone and
blood, we are human beings with souls. Our republic was formed on
the basis that freedom is not a gift from government, but that
freedom is a gift from God.
(APPLAUSE)
It was the great Thomas Jefferson who said, the God who gave us
life, gave us liberty. Jefferson asked, can the liberties of a
nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these
liberties are the gift of God. Among those freedoms is the right to
worship according to our own beliefs. That is why I will get rid of
and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our
representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of
retribution. I will do that, remember.
(APPLAUSE)
Freedom of religion is a sacred right, but it is also a right under
threat all around us, and the world is under serious, serious
threat in so many different ways. And I've never seen it so much
and so openly as since I took the position of president.
The world is in trouble, but we're going to straighten it out. OK?
That's what I do. I fix things. We're going to straighten it
out.
(APPLAUSE)
Believe me. When you hear about the tough phone calls I'm having,
don't worry about it. Just don't worry about it. They're tough. We
have to tough. It's time we're going to be a little tough folks.
We're taking advantage of by every nation in the world virtually.
It's not going to happen anymore. It's not going to happen anymore.
We have seen unimaginable violence carried out in the name of
religion. Acts of wantonness (ph) (inaudible) just minorities.
Horrors on a scale that defy description.
Terrorism is a fundamental threat to religious freedom. It must be
stopped and it will be stopped. It may not be pretty for a little
while. It will be stopped. We have seen...
(APPLAUSE)
And by the way, General, as you know James "Mad Dog", shouldn't say
it in this room, Mattis, now there's a reason they call him "Mad
Dog" Mattis, never lost a battle, always wins them, and always wins
them fast. He's our new secretary of Defense, will be working with
Rex. He's right now in South Korea, going to Japan, going to some
other spots. I'll tell you what, I've gotten to know him really
well. He's the real deal. We have somebody who's the real deal
working for us and that's what we need. So, you watch. You just
watch.
(APPLAUSE)
Things will be different. We have seen peace loving Muslims
brutalize, victimize, murdered and oppressed by ISIS killers. We
have seen threats of extermination against the Jewish people. We
have seen a campaign of ISIS and genocide against Christians, where
they cut of heads. Not since the Middle Ages have we seen that. We
haven't seen that, the cutting off of heads. Now they cut off the
heads, they drown people in steel cages. Haven't seen this. I
haven't seen this. Nobody's seen this for many, many years.
TRUMP: All nations have a moral obligation to speak out against
such violence. All nations have a duty to work together to confront
it and to confront it viciously if we have to.
So I want to express clearly today, to the American people, that my
administration will do everything in its power to defend and
protect religious liberty in our land. America must forever remain
a tolerant society where all face are respected and where all of
our citizens can feel safe and secure.
We have to feel safe and secure. In recent days, we have begun to
take necessary action to achieve that goal. Our nation has the most
generous immigration system in the world. But these are those and
there are those that would exploit that generosity to undermine the
values that we hold so dear. We need security.
There are those who would seek to enter our country for the purpose
of spreading violence, or oppressing other people based upon their
faith or their lifestyle, not right. We will not allow a beachhead
of intolerance to spread in our nation. You look all over the world
and you see what's happening.
So in the coming days, we will develop a system to help ensure that
those admitted into our country fully embrace our values of
religious and personal liberty. And that they reject any form of
oppression and discrimination. We want people to come into our
nation, but we want people to love us and to love our values, not
to hate us and to hate our values.
We will be a safe country, we will be a free country and we will be
a country where all citizens can practice their beliefs without
fear of hostility or a fear of violence. America will flourish, as
long as our liberty, and in particular, our religious liberty is
allowed to flourish.
(APPLAUSE)
America will succeed, as long as our most vulnerable citizens --
and we have some that are so vulnerable -- have a path to success.
And America will thrive, as long as we continue to have faith in
each other and faith in God.
(APPLAUSE)
That faith in God has inspired men and women to sacrifice for the
needy, to deploy to wars overseas and to lock arms at home, to
ensure equal rights for every man, woman and child in our land.
It's that faith that sent the pilgrims across the oceans, the
pioneers across the plains and the young people all across America,
to chase their dreams. They are chasing their dreams. We are going
to bring those dreams back.
As long as we have God, we are never, ever alone. Whether it's the
soldier on the night watch, or the single parent on the night
shift, God will always give us solace and strength, and comfort. We
need to carry on and to keep carrying on.
For us here in Washington, we must never, ever stop asking God for
the wisdom to serve the public, according to his will. That's
why...
(APPLAUSE)
Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
That's why President Eisenhower and Senator Carlson had the wisdom
to gather together 64 years ago, to begin this truly great
tradition. But that's not all they did together. Lemme tell you the
rest of the story.
Just one year later, Senator Carlson was among the members of
Congress to send to the president's desk a joint resolution that
added, "Under God," to our Pledge of Allegiance. It's a great
thing.
(APPLAUSE)
Because that's what we are and that is what we will always be and
that is what our people want; one beautiful nation, under God.
Thank you, God bless you and God bless America. Thank you very
much. Thank you.