President Trump speaks at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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00:00Well, thank you very much. It's an honor to be here. What a great place. What a great place,
00:13but more importantly, what great people. I want to thank His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for
00:19that incredible introduction. He's an incredible man. Known him a long time now.
00:25There's nobody like him. Thank you very much. Appreciate it very much, my friend.
00:34And it's a tremendous honor to return to this beautiful kingdom and be welcomed back with such
00:40extraordinary generosity and warmth. I've never forgotten the exceptional hospitality
00:46showed to us by King Solomon, who's just, we talk about a great man. That is a great man.
00:55God is a great man, a great family.
00:59And that visit took place exactly eight years ago. The graciousness of the royal family and
01:05the Saudi people is really unsurpassed, no matter where you go. Let me also thank the countless
01:11ministers, government officials, business leaders, and distinguished guests for that warm welcome.
01:17Very warm. Very warm. And I know so many of you like to call out all of your names, but
01:23we have a lot of problems. We'd be here for a long time. We don't want that. So don't be upset
01:29with this historic state visit. We celebrate more than 80 years of close partnership between the United
01:35States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ever since President Franklin Roosevelt met with King Solomon's
01:43father, King Abdul Aziz, aboard the USS Quincy in 1945. The U.S.-Saudi relationship has been a bedrock
01:53of security and prosperity. Today, we reaffirm this important bond and we take the next steps to make
02:02our relationship closer, stronger, and more powerful than ever before. It is more powerful than ever
02:09before. And by the way, it will remain that way. We don't go in and out like other people. It will
02:23remain that way. I've come this afternoon to talk about the bright future of the Middle East. But first,
02:34let me begin by sharing the abundance of good news from a place called America. In less than four
02:42months, our new administration has achieved more than most other administrations accomplish in four
02:50years or even eight years. We've actually done, for the most part, more. The day I took office, we inherited
02:57a colossal invasion on our southern border, an invasion like you'd never want to see here. Nobody
03:12should ever want to see it. But within weeks, we slashed illegal border crossings to an all-time low,
03:18down 99.999%. That's good, even for this great gentleman standing right in front of me. That's a good
03:28number. We had hundreds of thousands of people. They came in at the same time last year. And last month,
03:40we had, in this massive border, three people that got in. That's quite a difference. And we have no
03:52choice but to get a lot of the people that came in because they were not the best people. They were,
03:57in many cases, very bad people. We're getting them out. We're getting them out very fast. We're bringing
04:01them back to where they came from. We have no choice. After years of military recruiting shortfalls,
04:07enlistments in the U.S. armed forces are now the highest in 30 years because there is such an
04:15incredible spirit in the United States of America. We have tremendous spirit again. Just about a year
04:22ago, it was a big story, front page on every paper all over the world, that nobody wanted to enlist in
04:29our military, meaning we were way under enlisted. And just last week, it came out that we had the
04:36strongest enlistment. They say 30 years, but probably it's maybe ever. They don't go back
04:43that far. It's the best. And that includes police officers, firemen, everything else is
04:48a great spirit in the United States right now. A brand new poll from Rasmussen just showed that
04:55the number of Americans who believe the nation is on the right track, they have a right track,
05:00wrong track. Wrong track is now the highest in over 20 years. And it hasn't been anything like this
05:08because for many years, it was the wrong track. And I can tell you for the last four years, it was
05:14definitely the wrong track, but it's the highest it's been in many, many years. We renamed the Gulf of
05:21Mexico into the Gulf of America. That was very popular other than perhaps with Mexico.
05:31And most importantly for the people in this room, the days of economic misery under the last
05:36administration are rapidly giving way to the greatest economy in the history of the world.
05:41We are rocking. The United States is the hottest country with the exception of your country, I have
05:46to say, right? I won't. I'm not going to take that on. No, Mohammed, I'm not going to take that on.
05:55I wouldn't that be a terrible thing if I made that full statement, but I will not do it. You're hotter.
06:01At least as long as I'm up here, you're hotter. But groceries, gasoline, energy and all other prices
06:08are down with no inflation. We have no inflation. And in a few short weeks, we've created
06:14464,000 brand new jobs. Think of that. Almost a half a million jobs created just in a matter of
06:22weeks. We just reached a historic trade agreement with the United Kingdom. And over the weekend,
06:28we reached a breakthrough agreement with China, both outstanding deals. China's agreed. We have
06:35to get it down. We have to get the little details down. Scott, you're going to work on that very hard.
06:40But China has agreed to open up to the United States for trade and everything else. But they
06:46have to do it. So we'll see what happens. But we had a very, very good meeting with both of those
06:52countries. We are cutting 10 old regulations for every new regulation. We're getting rid of all of
06:59the red tape. That is so many, frankly, countries as they get older, they develop a lot of red tape and
07:06we're getting rid of it. We're getting rid of it at record levels. And I'm pleased to report that the
07:12United States Congress is on the verge of passing the largest tax cut and regulation cut in American
07:18history. We think we're in good shape to get that. And if we get that, that will be like a rocket ship
07:24for our country. In the first quarter of the year, the investment in America was up an astounding 22 percent.
07:31More than $10 trillion of new investments have been announced or are coming just since the election on
07:39November 5th. So think of that in a very short period of time. We have over $10 trillion. And it could be
07:48much higher than that. Not everybody comes to the White House to have a news conference that they're
07:54going to be opening up in America. But they're all coming in at numbers that we've never seen before.
07:59If you take a look at other presidencies, they wouldn't do $1 trillion sometime in years. We did
08:07this in essentially two months because you have to say we got into office and they gave me about a
08:14month to clean up and fix up the Oval Office. And after that, we started working. And the money is
08:21pouring in. The jobs are pouring in. The companies are pouring into our country like we've never seen
08:25before. There's never been anything like it. And we let other people tariff us into losing a lot of
08:35money and a lot of jobs. And now we're tariffing them. And it's at a level that nobody's seen. It's a
08:45level that is making us a very much different country and a very different Republican Party. We won
08:51a tremendous victory in November. We won all seven swing states, the popular vote by millions and
08:59millions of votes, the Electoral College. We won by 312 to 226. Remember, they said, well, we could get to 270.
09:08You know, we got to 312. That's a big difference. And very importantly, we won counties throughout the United
09:14States, 2,660 to 451. That's why when you look at a map, they're all red. So the whole country is
09:25red. Red stands for Republican. From the moment on and from the moment we started, we've seen wealth
09:33that just poured and is pouring back into America. Apple is investing $500 billion. NVIDIA is investing,
09:43and I see my friend is here. Jensen, that's very good, wherever you may be. I thank you very much
09:48because he's putting in $500 billion. TSMC is investing. Where is Jensen, by the way? Where is
10:00he? He's standing here. Where is he? I just saw that. Thank you very much, Jensen. I mean, Tim Cook isn't
10:05here. But you are. What a job you've done. He said he's got 99% of the chip market. I don't know.
10:15That's a big, that's not easy to beat. But what a job you've done. Thank you. We are proud to have
10:21you in our country. You know that. Thank you for the investment. TSMC is investing $200 billion. And
10:27with this trip, we're adding over $1 trillion more in terms of investment and investment into our
10:34country and buying our products. And, you know, nobody makes military equipment like us. We have
10:40the best military equipment, the best missiles, the best rockets, the best everything, best submarines,
10:45by the way, most lethal weapon in the world. In addition to purchases of $142 billion of American-made
10:55military equipment by our great Saudi partners, the largest ever. This week, there are multi-billion
11:03dollar commercial deals with Amazon, Oracle, AMD. They're all here. Uber, Qualcomm, Johnson & Johnson,
11:12and many, many more. So I want to congratulate everybody, so many great business executives,
11:19many of you, most of you I know. And they're coming in, you know, about a month ago, they were
11:25that happy when they saw me. And now they're saying, sir, you're doing a great job. Thank
11:29you very much. It's amazing what a rising market will do. Oh, it's going to get a lot higher.
11:38In fact, I told people five weeks ago, it's a great time to buy. I got criticized for that.
11:43Now they don't criticize me anymore. People should have listened. But it's going to go a
11:48higher. You see, we've never had anything like this happen. There's an explosion of investment
11:54and jobs and great companies are coming in. Never seen anything like it. There's no better place to
12:00make a future or make a fortune. Do anything, frankly, than what we have in the United States
12:07of America under a certain president, Donald J. Trump. I have the right attitude. I have the same
12:11attitude that the people in the front row, second row, third row have. As you get back,
12:16perhaps they start to wane a little bit in terms of their view. But they understand. And we're doing
12:23what a lot of smart people would do. And we're not necessarily being politically correct. You saw
12:31what we did yesterday with health care. We've cut our health care by 50 to 90 percent. You're going to
12:38see drugs and pharmaceuticals come down at numbers that nobody has ever seen. And drugs, pharmaceuticals,
12:46we think, will be dropping. And it will be a redistribution of costs with other nations,
12:52which really took advantage of a very nice group of people that ran our country. But not only is this
12:59a time of incredible excitement in the United States, it's also an exhilarating period right here
13:06in the Arabian Peninsula. Beautiful place, by the way. Beautiful place. Exactly
13:18exactly eight years ago this month, I stood in this very room and look forward to a future in which
13:24the nations of this region would drive the forces of terrorism and extremism, drive them right out of
13:31existence and take your place among the proudest, most prosperous, most successful nations anywhere in
13:37the world as leaders of a modern and rising Middle East. So exciting. So exciting. Muhammad,
13:44do you sleep at night? How do you sleep? Huh? Just thinking.
13:56What a job. He tosses and turns like some of us. Tosses and turns all night. How do I make it even
14:03better all night? It's the ones that don't toss and turn. They're the ones that will never
14:08take you to the promised land, won't they? But you have done some job. True.
14:18But critics doubted that it was possible what you've done. But over the past eight years,
14:22Saudi Arabia has proved the critics totally wrong. The transformation that has occurred,
14:28even by these incredible business leaders. I mean, you had the biggest leaders in business
14:33anywhere in the world standing right before us. But the transformation that has occurred
14:38under the leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad has been truly extraordinary.
14:45Such a thing has, I don't think, ever happened before. I've never seen anything at that scale happen
14:51before. And I guess, you know, maybe you could say the United States is doing pretty well, too,
14:58you know. But I don't think too many people have seen that happen before. Majestic skyscrapers,
15:04the towers that I see, the difference between now and eight years ago. And eight years ago was very
15:10impressive. But the towers that I see rising, some of the exhibits that I was shown by Muhammad,
15:18if what I've seen there is just an amazing, it's amazing process, amazing genius. So many people,
15:27I've seen a lot of architectural architecture, but I have a feeling nowhere, I know where many of those
15:31ideas came from. Happens to be sitting right in this room right before me, but the towers and the,
15:37all of the different, I've seen a lot of different towers. I didn't think there's any,
15:41any version of a tower that I haven't seen in one form or another. I just passed four exhibits.
15:47I have never seen anything like any of them. So it's going to be very exciting.
15:55And they sit among the ancient wonders of a growing and exciting city. It's really amazing.
16:04Riyadh is becoming not just a seat of government, but a major business, cultural and high-tech
16:10capital of the entire world. The World Cup is here. Johnny, just stand up. Johnny, thank you, Johnny.
16:31Great job, Johnny. Great job. But the World Cup and the World Expo will soon be coming here.
16:37Just like the World Cup is coming to the United States. It's going to be
16:42really exciting next year. The engines of Formula One racing now roar through the streets of Jeddah
16:49in a historic milestone. Other industries recently surpassed oil. Think of it. All of your other
16:56industries now have surpassed oil. I don't know if a lot of people will understand what that means.
17:03It's so big to make up a majority of the Saudi economy for the very first time ever. So think of
17:08that. Other industries are now bigger even than oil, which is always going to be a big monster.
17:14It's a big one. But that's a great tribute to you and economic development properly used
17:21in other cities throughout the peninsula, places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat.
17:28The transformations have been unbelievably remarkable. Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is
17:35transcending the ancient conflicts of tired divisions of the past and forging a future where the Middle East
17:42is defined by commerce, not chaos, where it exports technology, not terrorism, and where people of
17:50different nations, religions and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other out of
17:57existence. We don't want that. And it's crucial for the wider world to note this great transformation
18:12has not come from Western interventionalists or flying people in beautiful planes giving you lectures
18:21on how to live and how to govern your own affairs. No, the gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi
18:28were not created by the so-called nation builders, neocons or liberal nonprofits like those who spent
18:35trillions and trillions of dollars failing to develop Cabal, Baghdad, so many other cities. Instead,
18:46the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought by the people of the region themselves, the people
18:52that are right here, the people that have lived here all their lives, developing your own sovereign
18:57countries, pursuing your own unique visions and charting your own destinies in your own way. It's really
19:04incredible what you've done. In the end, the so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they
19:11built and the interventionalists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand
19:20themselves. They told you how to do it, but they had no idea how to do it themselves. Peace, prosperity,
19:26and progress ultimately came not from a radical rejection of your heritage, but rather from embracing
19:33your national traditions and embracing that same heritage that you love so dearly.
19:45And it's something only you could do. You achieved a modern miracle the Arabian way. That's a good way.
19:53Today, the Gulf nations have shown this entire region a path towards safe and orderly societies with
20:07improving quality of life, flourishing economic growth, expanding personal freedoms, and increasing
20:13responsibilities on the world stage. After so many decades of conflict, finally it is within
20:19our grasp to reach the future that generations before us could only dream about. A land of peace,
20:26safety, harmony, opportunity, innovation, and achievement right here in the Middle East. So
20:32beautiful. It's such a beautiful thing that's happening. I guess, you know, the people that are here
20:37can't even really appreciate it because you see it happening. And it's when you come to a place that
20:43you haven't seen in five years or 10 years or 20 years, that it's even more incredible. When I left
20:49office just over four years ago, that future seemed almost impossible, what you've done. Together, we had
20:57obliterated the killers of ISIS. We wiped them out, terminated its founder and leader, al-Baghdadi.
21:05We had healed the divide in the Gulf Cooperation Council. It's a very big deal. And united the nations
21:14of the region to stand against the enemies of all civilization. We'd imposed unprecedented sanctions
21:20on Iran and starved the regime of resources to fund terror. They were unable to fund anything because
21:28they had no money left. They had no money. But the new administration came in and let them have a lot of
21:35money. And you saw what happened. It was not money well spent. And with the historic Abraham Accords
21:41that we're so proud of, all the momentum was aimed at peace. And it aimed very successfully. It's been
21:49an amazing thing, the Abraham Accords. And it's my fervent hope, wish, and even my dream that Saudi Arabia,
21:57a place I have such respect for, especially over the last fairly short period of time, what you've been
22:03able to do. But we'll soon be joining the Abraham Accords. I think it'll be a tremendous tribute to your
22:08country. And it will be something that's really going to be very important for the future of the
22:14Middle East. I took a risk in doing them. And they've been an absolute bonanza for the countries that have
22:21joined. The Biden administration did nothing for four years. We would have had it filled out.
22:27But it will be a special day in the Middle East with the whole world watching when Saudi Arabia
22:32joins us. And you'll be greatly honoring me. And you'll be greatly honoring all of those people that
22:38have fought so hard for the Middle East. And I really think it's going to be something special. But
22:43you'll do it in your own time. And that's what I want. And that's what you want. And that's the way it's
22:48going to be. When I left office, the only thing still standing between this region and its unbelievable
22:53potential was a small group of rogue actors and violent thugs seeking constantly to drag the Middle
23:01East backward and into havoc, mayhem, and indeed into war. Unfortunately, instead of confronting these
23:09destructive forces, the last U.S. administration chose to enrich them and empower them and give them
23:15billions and billions of dollars. The Biden administration, the worst administration in
23:20the history of our country, by the way, spurned our most trusted and longstanding Gulf partners.
23:27And I can say partners worldwide. One of our great, great partners, no matter who we look to. And we have
23:34great partners in the world. But we have none stronger and no, nobody like the gentleman that's right
23:43before me. He's your greatest representative, greatest representative.
23:54And if I didn't like him, I'd get out of here so fast. You know that, don't you? He knows me well.
24:00I do. I like him a lot. I like him too much. That's why we give so much, you know, too much. I like you too much.
24:13Great guy. They lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for getting nothing and sent the regime tens of billions
24:22of dollars to fund terror and death all over the world. And they laughed at him. They laughed at our
24:27leader. And they're still laughing at our leader. They thought him a fool. And they made nothing but
24:34trouble ever since, including the funding of October 7th, one of the worst days ever in the history of
24:39the Middle East. Horrible day. Biden removed the Houthis from the list of foreign terrorist organizations,
24:47even while missiles and drones were being launched right here at your beautiful city of Riyadh and
24:53launched at ships if they happened to be sailing in the wrong location. The Biden administration's
24:59extreme weakness and gross incompetence derailed progress toward peace, destabilized the region,
25:06and put at risk everything we had worked so hard to build together. And when you think of the great
25:12achievements that you've made to do it in light of a pretty hostile administration, an administration
25:18that was not a believer, it makes your achievements even greater. Makes them even greater. You know that.
25:31But in a few short months since taking office, we have achieved the swift return of American strength at
25:37home and abroad. Now working with the vast majority of people in this region who
25:41seek stability and calm, our task is to unify against the few agents of chaos and terror that are left
25:49and that are holding hostage the dreams of millions and millions of great people.
25:54The biggest and most destructive of these forces is the regime in Iran, which has caused unthinkable
26:01suffering in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen, and beyond. There could be no sharper contrast with the
26:09path you have pursued on the Arabian Peninsula than the disaster unfolding right across in the Gulf of Iran.
26:19Think of that. They wanted to name it that. I said, they're not going to let them do that.
26:24Do you mind if I stop that? I stopped it. We're not going to let that happen.
26:28While you have been constructing the world's tallest skyscrapers in Jeddah and Dubai,
26:41Tehran's 1979 landmarks are collapsing into rubble and dust. They had it going for a little while under a
26:49much different system. But those buildings are largely falling apart, falling down while you're
26:56building some of the world's biggest and most incredible infrastructure projects,
27:02buildings, all sorts of things you're building that nobody's ever even seen before.
27:07Iran's decades of neglect and mismanagement have left the country plagued by rolling blackouts lasting for
27:13hours a day, all the time you hear about it. While your skill has turned dry deserts into
27:20fertile farmland, Iran's leaders have managed to turn green farmland into dry deserts as their corrupt
27:28water mafia, it's called it the water mafia, causes droughts and empty riverbeds. They get rich,
27:35but they don't let the people have any of it. And then, of course, there's the key difference at the
27:40root of it all. While the Arab states have focused on becoming pillars of regional stability and world
27:46commerce, Iran's leaders have focused on stealing their people's wealth to fund terror and bloodshed
27:54abroad. The most tragic of all, they have dragged down an entire region with them. Countless lives were
28:02lost in the Iranian effort to maintain a crumbling regime in Syria. Look at what happened with Syria.
28:08In Lebanon, their Hezbollah proxies have pillaged the hopes of a nation whose capital Beirut was once
28:17called the Paris of the Middle East. Can you imagine? All of this misery and so much more was entirely
28:26avoidable, absolutely avoidable. And Mohammed knew that. He knew that. Smart people knew that. If only the
28:34Iranian regime had focused on building their nation up instead of tearing the region down. Yet I'm here today,
28:42not merely to condemn the past chaos of Iran's leaders, but to offer them a new path and a much better path toward a
28:51far better and more hopeful future. As I've shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new
28:58partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be very profound, which
29:04obviously they are in the case of Iran. I have never believed in having permanent enemies. I am different
29:13than a lot of people think. I don't like permanent enemies. But sometimes you need enemies to do the job and
29:20you have to do it right. Enemies get you motivated. In fact, some of the closest friends of the United States of
29:27America are nations we fought wars against in generations past. And now they're our friends
29:34and our allies. I want to make a deal with Iran. If I can make a deal with Iran, I'll be very happy
29:40if we're going to make your region and the world a safer place. But if Iran's leadership rejects this
29:46olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict
29:52massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero like I did before. If you know that they
30:02were a virtually bankrupt country because of what I did. They had no money for terror. They had no money
30:09for Hamas or Hezbollah and take all action required to stop the regime from ever having
30:17a nuclear weapon. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
30:28But with that said, Iran can have a much brighter future, but will never allow America and its allies
30:35to be threatened with terrorism or nuclear attack. The choice is theirs to make. We really want them to be
30:42a successful country. We want them to be a wonderful, safe, great country, but they cannot have a nuclear weapon.
30:49This is an offer that will not last forever. The time is right now for them to choose right now. We don't have a lot of time to wait.
31:00Things are happening at a very fast pace happening right here. They're happening at a very fast pace.
31:06So they have to make their move right now. One way or the other, make your move. As I said in my inaugural address,
31:14my greatest hope is to be a peacemaker and to be a unifier. I don't like war. We have the greatest military,
31:22by the way, in the history of the world. You know, I rebuilt our military in my first four years and rebuilt
31:28it into the most powerful military there is. And you saw that when I knocked out ISIS in three weeks.
31:36People said it would take four years, five years. I did it. We did it in three weeks.
31:41Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire to stop the escalating
31:47violence between India and Pakistan. And I used trade to a large extent to do it. I said, fellas,
31:54come on, let's make a deal. Let's do some trading. Let's not trade nuclear missiles. Let's trade
32:02the things that you make so beautifully. And they both have very powerful leaders,
32:07very strong leaders, good leaders, smart leaders. And it all stopped. Hopefully it'll remain that way,
32:16but it all stopped. I was very proud of Marco Rubio and all of the people that worked so hard.
32:21Marco, stand up. What a great job you did on that. Thank you. J.D. Vance, Marco.
32:28The whole group worked with you, but it was a great, great job. And I think they're actually
32:34getting along. Maybe we can even get them together a little bit, Marco, where they go out and have a
32:39nice dinner together. Wouldn't that be nice? But we've come a long way. And it could be, you know,
32:45millions of people could have died from that conflict that started off small and was getting
32:52bigger and bigger and bigger by the day. I've also been working relentlessly to end the terrible
32:59bloodshed between Russia and Ukraine. And very importantly, talks are being held in Turkey later
33:06this week, probably on Thursday. And they could produce some pretty good results. Our people are
33:12going to be going there. Marco's going to be going there. Others are going to be going and we'll see
33:17if we can get it done. Five thousand people, young people for the most part, soldiers from Ukraine,
33:25soldiers from Russia. They're not from here and they're not from the United States, but they're souls.
33:30They're souls. I think usually mostly they're young, beautiful souls that left their parents
33:36waving goodbye, left their brothers and sisters. Goodbye. I'll see you soon. And they got blown to
33:42pieces. Five thousand on average a week are dying and people are dying elsewhere in the region. But
33:51tremendous numbers like we haven't seen since World War II are dying. And I want to stop it. I want to stop
33:59it. It's a horrible war. Would have never happened if I were president. That's a war that would have
34:05never happened. October 7th would have never happened if I were president because Iran had no money to pay
34:11Hamas or anybody else. They had no money. They were not looking to take care of them. They had to take
34:16care of themselves. They had no money. We stopped their oil effectively with the embargoes and sanctions.
34:22But let me take this opportunity to thank the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the constructive role that
34:29you've played in facilitating the Ukraine talks. And it really is. You've you've been amazing. You've
34:36made everything available to us. Thank you very much. Thank you.
34:44And if we get that settled, we'll pay a special tribute to what you've done. You really did lay a great
34:48groundwork. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. The West should not be dragging itself backward into
34:58another endless war in Europe, yet another endless war. We should stop the killing and work together
35:05to address the biggest long term threats as one unbeatable team. Think of us as an unbeatable team.
35:12I mean, when you look at what you've done here, that's much more difficult than stopping stupidity.
35:20Think of it. It's stupidity. What you've done is much more difficult and you did it better than
35:26anybody else has ever done it. As president of the United States,
35:33my preference will always be for peace and partnership whenever those outcomes can be achieved.
35:40Always. It's always going to be that way. Only a fool would think otherwise.
35:45In recent years, far too many American presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it's our
35:51job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins.
35:59They loved using our very powerful military. And now it's really the most powerful it's ever been.
36:05We just are getting a budget approved. One trillion dollars. Highest budget we've ever had in history
36:13for military. One trillion dollars. And we're getting the greatest missiles, the greatest weapons.
36:19And, you know, I hate I hate to do it, but you have to do it because we believe in peace through strength.
36:25You have to have the strength. Otherwise bad things could happen. But hopefully we'll never have to use any of those weapons.
36:32It seems to be an awfully big waste of money if you're never going to use them. But hopefully we'll never have to use them because the destructive power of some of those weapons are like nobody's seen before.
36:43I believe it is God's job to sit in judgment, my job to defend America and to promote the fundamental interest of stability, prosperity and peace. That's what I really want to do.
36:57I will never hesitate to wield American power if it's necessary to defend the United States or to help defend our allies.
37:07And there will be no mercy for any foe who tries to do us or them harm. We will have no mercy.
37:21They understand that. That's why I've been pretty lucky. A lot of people think, you know, he he's looking to fight. He's looking to fight and things get settled.
37:30It's an amazing thing when they really think you mean it. But we do. We have the greatest military, the strongest military, stronger than any.
37:38Nobody's even close. We have the best weapons in the world, but we don't want to use them.
37:43If you threaten America or our partners, however, then you'll be faced with overwhelming strength and devastating force.
37:50We have things that you don't even know about. You don't hear about. And if you did, you say, wow, in recent weeks following repeated attacks on American ships and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,
38:03the United States military launched more than 1,100 strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. As a result, the Houthis agreed to stop.
38:15They said, we don't want this anymore. It's the first time you've heard that from them, too.
38:20They're tough. They're fighters. But just days ago, we were asked to cease targeting commercial.
38:27The they were not going to be targeting commercial ships in any way, shape or form or anything American.
38:35And they were very happy that we stopped. But we had 52 days of thunder and lightning like they've never seen before.
38:46This was a swift, ferocious, decisive and extremely successful use of military force.
38:52Not that we wanted to do it, but they were shooting down ships. They were shooting at you.
38:57They were shooting at Saudi Arabia. We don't want them shooting at Saudi Arabia if that's OK.
39:03So we hit them hard. We got what we came for. And then we got out.
39:08Since January 20th, the U.S. military has terminated 83 terrorist leaders operating across Iraq, Syria and Somalia,
39:16including ISIS's number two global leader. You read about that just recently.
39:23With the help of Pakistan, we apprehended the ISIS terrorists responsible for the attack on 13 American
39:30service members that abigate that horrible, horrible disaster during the during this Afghanistan withdrawal.
39:39You know, that's another thing that we don't even think about so much anymore. 13 died, but 42 were horribly wounded.
39:47But hundreds of people died overall because I count the people on the other side.
39:52Hundreds of people just grossly incompetent.
39:54It's probably why Putin decided to go into Ukraine, something he never would have done if I were president.
40:02But we wouldn't have had the problems of October 7th if I were president.
40:06We wouldn't have had Ukraine, Russia if I were president.
40:10We wouldn't have had abigate because there wouldn't have been any reason we were getting out,
40:15but we were getting out with dignity and with strength and power.
40:18But the way they got out was not good. I think it was the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.
40:27And we've been working tirelessly to bring back all hostages held by Hamas.
40:32We brought back a lot already, but we're bringing back more.
40:35This weekend, we successfully negotiated the release of the last American hostage,
40:41Idan Alexander. It just came out a few hours ago, and we continue to work to get
40:46that war ended as quickly as possible. It's a horrible thing that's taking place.
40:51All civilized people must condemn the October 7th atrocities against Israel,
40:56which would never have happened again. If you had probably a different president,
41:01but definitely if you had me as president, the people of Gaza deserve a much better future.
41:06But that will or can not occur as long as their leaders choose to kidnap, torture,
41:21and target innocent men, women, and children for political ends. The way those people are treated
41:26in Gaza, there's not a place in the world where people are treated so badly. It's horrible.
41:31After years of suffering, two of the nations most ravaged by terror are finally beginning to end
41:38their long nightmares under the new generation of leaders in Lebanon, where a friend of mine has
41:46just become the ambassador. He's going to be great. I said, you know, that could be a very dangerous
41:51job. He said, I was born there. I'm Lebanese. I love that country. I said, but it's very dangerous.
41:57You know, this is a friend of mine from New York. I said, but it's very dangerous. Are you sure you
42:03want to do it? I never thought of him as being a warrior, but he is a warrior. He loves his country.
42:08He said, if I'm injured or die, I'm dying for a country that I love. He grew up there. It's horrible
42:16what's happened in Lebanon, but you have a great ambassador. I can tell you that in Lebanon,
42:20Iran, which has been endlessly victimized by Hezbollah and their sponsor, Iran, a new president
42:28and prime minister, brought the first real chance in decades for a more productive partnership with
42:34the United States. And we're going to work with their new ambassador and everybody else, Marco,
42:38and we're going to see if we can really help them out and let them get over that very high grid that
42:45they're going to have to get over. My administration stands ready to help Lebanon create a future of
42:51economic development and peace with its neighbors. They have tremendous people in Lebanon,
42:57doctors, lawyers, great professional people. I hear it so many times.
43:01Likewise, in Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will
43:08hopefully succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace. That's what we want to see in Syria.
43:17They've had their share of travesty war killing many years. That's why my administration has already
43:26taken the first steps toward restoring normal relations between the United States and Syria
43:32for the first time in more than a decade. And I'm very pleased to announce that Secretary Marco Rubio will
43:44be meeting with the new Syrian foreign minister in Turkey later this week. And very importantly,
43:50after discussing the situation in Syria with the crown prince, your crown prince,
43:55and also with President Erdogan of Turkey who called me the other day and asked for a very similar thing
44:10among others and friends of mine, people that I have a lot of respect for in the Middle East.
44:15I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.
44:47Woo.
44:55Oh, what'd I do for the Crown Prince?
45:06The sanctions were brutal and crippling and served as an important, really an important
45:12function nevertheless at the time.
45:14But now it's their time to shine.
45:16It's their time to shine.
45:17We're taking them all off and they're going to have, I think they're going to have hasten
45:22the people and the spirit and everything else that I'm hearing about.
45:25So I say, good luck, Syria.
45:27Show us something very special like they've done, frankly, in Saudi Arabia.
45:32Okay?
45:33They're going to show us something special.
45:35Very good people.
45:37Everywhere we can, my administration is pursuing peaceful engagement, offering a strong and
45:42steady hand of friendship to all that will take it in good faith.
45:48Together we have made unprecedented strides and tremendous progress.
45:55And we're still just at the dawn of the bright new day that awaits for the people of the
46:00Middle East, the great, great people of the Middle East.
46:03If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and
46:10focus on the interests that unite you, then all of humanity will soon be amazed at what
46:16they will see right here in this geographic center of the world.
46:20It really is.
46:21It's like a center of the world and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths.
46:28For the first time in a thousand years, the world will look at this region not as a place
46:33of turmoil and strife and war and death, but as a land of opportunity and hope, just like
46:40you've done right here, a cultural and commercial crossroads of the planet.
46:47Security and stability will lift millions into lives of safety and success.
46:51And the nations of this region will be free to realize your highest destinies, honor your
46:57proud histories, harness amazing new opportunities, and bring incredible glory to almighty God.
47:06People will come from all over the globe to be inspired by the cities you build, the businesses
47:11you create, the technologies you invent, and the beauty, talent, and potential you unleash
47:18right in the hearts of your citizens.
47:21Each of you will be able to take tremendous pride in the legacy you will leave to your children,
47:26because you will have given them the ultimate blessings of prosperity and peace.
47:31So important in the United States, we've launched the golden age of America.
47:37It's the golden age.
47:38We see it.
47:39We see it with all that money, trillions and trillions and dollars pouring in, hundreds of
47:46thousands of jobs coming in with it.
47:49And with the help of the people of the Middle East, the people in this room, partners throughout
47:56the region, the golden age of the Middle East can proceed right alongside of us.
48:02We will work together.
48:04We will be together.
48:05We will succeed together.
48:07We will win together.
48:09And we will always be friends.
48:11So, Mohamed, I want to thank you again very much for having me.
48:26And as a representative of what I think is the greatest nation in the world, we are with
48:32you all the way, and you have a tremendous future.
48:36Thank you very much.
48:38Please pay my respects to your father.