the Iranian hostage crisis, the attacks on our Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut, the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103, the truck bombing of the World Trade Center, the attack on Khobar Towers, the bombing of our Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the strike on the USS Cole. And then came September the 11th, 2001, when 19 men from the Middle East carried out the worst attack on the United States since the strike on Pearl Harbor 67 years ago this weekend. In the space of a single morning, 9/11 etched a sharp dividing line in our history. We realized that we are in a struggle with fanatics pledged to our destruction. We saw that conditions of repression and despair on the other side of the world could bring suffering and death to our own streets. With these new realities in mind, America reshaped our approach to the Middle East. We made clear that we will defend our friends, our interests, and our people against any hostile attempt to dominate the Middle East, whether by terror, blackmail, or the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. We have carried out this new strategy by following three overriding principles. First, we took the offense against the terrorists overseas. We are waging a relentless campaign to break up extremist networks and deny them safe havens. As part of that offensive, we pledged to strengthen our partnership with every nation that joins in the fight against terror. We deepened our security cooperation with allies like Jordan and Egypt, and with our friends in the gulf. Saudi Arabia, long a breeding ground for radicalism, has become a determined partner in the fight against terror, killing or capturing hundreds of Al Qaida operatives in the Kingdom. We dramatically expanded counterterrorism ties with partners in North Africa. And we left no doubt that America would stand by our closest ally in the Middle East, the State of Israel. Second, we made clear that hostile regimes must end their support for terror and their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, or face the concerted opposition of the world. This was the approach we took in Iraq. It is true, as I have said many times, that Saddam Hussein was not connected to the 9/11 attacks. But the decision to remove Saddam from power cannot be viewed in isolation from 9/11.

Remarks at the Saban Forum


In a world where terrorists armed with box cutters had just killed nearly 3,000 of our people, America had to decide whether we could tolerate a sworn enemy that acted belligerently, that supported terror, and that intelligence agencies around the world believed had weapons of mass destruction. It was clear to me it was clear to members of both political parties and to many leaders around the world that after 9/11, that was a risk we could not afford to take. So we went back to the United Nations Security Council, which unanimously passed Resolution 1441 calling on Saddam Hussein to disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. With this resolution, we offered Saddam Hussein a final chance to comply with the demands of the world. And when he refused to resolve the issue peacefully, we acted with a coalition of nations to protect our people and liberated 25 million Iraqis. When Saddam regimes fell when Saddam's regime fell, we refused to take the easy option and install a friendly strongman in his place. Even though it required enormous sacrifice, we stood by the Iraqi people as they elected their own leaders and built a young democracy. When the violence reached its most dire point, pressure to withdraw reached its height. Yet failure in Iraq would have unleashed chaos, widened the violence, and allowed the terrorists to gain a new safe haven, a fundamental contradiction to our vision for the Middle East. So we adopted a new strategy and deployed more troops to secure the Iraqi people. When the surge met its objective, we began to bring our troops home under the policy of return on success. Yesterday, building on the gains made by the surge, the democratic Government of Iraq approved two agreements with the United States that formalize our diplomatic, economic, and security ties and set a framework for the drawdown of American forces as the fight in Iraq nears its successful end. After 9/11, we also confronted Libya over its weapons of mass destruction. The leader of Libya made a wise choice. In 2003, Colonel Qadhafi announced that he would abandon his weapons of mass destruction program. He concluded that the interests of his people would be best served by improving relations with America, and Libya turned over its nuclear centrifuges and other deadly equipment to the United States. The defeat of Saddam also appears to have changed the calculation of Iran. According to our intelligence community, the regime in Tehran had started a nuclear weapons program in the late 1980s, and they halted a key part of that program in 2003.

Remarks at the Saban Forum


America recognized that the most effective way to pursue persuade Iran to remove its nuclear weapons renounce its nuclear weapons ambitions was to have partners at our side, so we supported an international effort led by our allies in Europe. This diplomacy yielded an encouraging result when Iran agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment. Sadly, after the election of President Ahmadi-nejad, Iran reversed course and announced it would begin enriching again. Since then, we have imposed tough sanctions through United Nations resolutions. We and our partners have offered Iran diplomatic and economic incentives to suspend enrichment. We have promised to support a peaceful civilian nuclear program. For the safety of our people and the peace of the world, America will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon. Third, America identified the lack of freedom in the Middle East as a principal cause of the threats coming from the region. We concluded that if the region continued on the path it was headed, if another generation grew up with no hope for the future and no outlet to express its views, the Middle East would continue to simmer in resentment and export violence. To stop this from happening, we have resolved to help the region steer itself toward a better course of freedom and dignity and hope. We are engaged in a battle with the extremists that is broader than a military conflict and broader than a law enforcement operation. We are engaged in an ideological struggle. And to advance our security interests and moral interests, America is working to advance freedom and democracy as the great alternatives to repression and terror. As part of this effort, we are pressing nations across the region, including our friends, to trust their people with greater freedom of speech and worship and assembly. We are giving strong support to young democracies. We are standing with reformers and dissidents and human rights activists across the region. Through new efforts like the Middle East peace partnership initiative and the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative, we are supporting the rise of vibrant civil societies. We are also advancing a broader vision that includes economic prosperity, quality health care and education, and women's rights. We have negotiated new free trade agreements in the region, supported Saudi Arabia's accession to the World Trade Organization, and proposed a new Middle East free trade area. We have signed Millennium Challenge agreements with Jordan and Morocco to grant American assistance in return for anticorruption measures, free market policies, and investments in health and education.

Remarks at the Saban Forum


We are training Middle Eastern schoolteachers, translating children's school books into Arabic, and helping young people get visas to study here in the United States. We are encouraging Middle Eastern women to get involved in politics and to start their own businesses and take charge of their health through wise practices like breast cancer screening. Efforts like these extend hope to the corners of despair, and in this work we have had a lot of help, but no finer ambassador of good will than my wife, Laura Bush. Finally, to advance all the principles that I have outlined supporting our friends and pressuring our adversaries and extending freedom America has launched a sustained initiative to help bring peace to the Holy Land. At the heart of this effort is the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. I was the first ENTITY to call for a Palestinian state and sup-port and to build support for the two-state solution has been a top priority of my administration. To earn the trust of Israeli leaders, we made it clear that no Palestinian state would be born of terror, we backed Prime Minister Sharon's courageous withdrawal from Gaza, and we supported his decision to build a security fence, not as a political border but to protect the people from terror. To help the Palestinian people achieve the state they deserve, we insisted on Palestinian leadership that rejects terror and recognizes Israel's right to exist. Now that this leadership has emerged, we are strongly supporting its efforts to build institutions of a vibrant democratic state. With good advice from leaders like former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Generals Jones, Dayton, Fraser, and Selva, the Palestinians are making progress toward capable security forces, a functioning legal system, Government Ministries that deliver services without corruption, and a market economy. In all our efforts to promote a two-state solution, we have included Arab leaders from across the region, because we fully understand that their support will be essential for the creation of a state and lasting peace. Last fall at Annapolis, Israeli, Palestinian, and Arab leaders came together at an historic summit. President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert agreed to launch direct negotiations on a peace agreement. Nations around the globe, including many in the Arab world, pledged to support them. The negotiations since Annapolis have been determined and substantial. Secretary Rice has encouraged both sides by hosting a series of trilateral meetings. And while the Israelis and Palestinians have not yet produced an agreement, they have made important progress.

Remarks at the Saban Forum


As they stated to the Quartet, they have laid a new foundation of trust for the future. On this issue, and on our overall approach to the Middle East these past 8 years, America has been ambitious in vision, we have been bold in action, and we have been firm in purpose. Our aim was to help a troubled region take the difficult first steps on the long journey to freedom and prosperity and hope. Some have called this idealistic, and no doubt it is. Yet it is the only practical way to help the people of the Middle East realize the dignity and justice they deserve. And it is the only practical way to protect the United States of America in the long term. As with any large undertaking, these efforts have not always gone according to plan, and in some areas we have fallen short of our hopes. For example, the fight in Iraq has been longer and more costly than expected. The reluctance of entrenched regimes to open their political systems has been disappointing. Despite these frustrations and disappointments, the Middle East in 2008 is a freer, more hopeful, and more promising place than it was in 2001. For the first time in nearly three decades, the people of Lebanon are free from Syria's military occupation. Libya's nuclear weapons equipment is locked away in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Places like the UAE and Bahrain are emerging as centers of commerce. The region the regime in Iran is facing greater pressure from the international community than ever before. Terrorist organizations like Al Qaida have failed decisively in their attempts to take over nations; they are increasingly facing ideological rejection in the Arab world. Iraq has gone from an enemy of America to a friend of America, from sponsoring terror to fighting terror, and from a brutal dictatorship to a multireligious, multiethnic constitutional democracy. Instead of the Iraq we would see if a Saddam Hussein were in power an aggressive regime vastly enriched by oil, defying the United Nations, bullying its Arab neighbors, threatening Israel, and pursuing a nuclear arms race with Iran we see an Iraq emerging peacefully with its neighbors, welcoming Arab ambassadors back to Baghdad, and showing the Middle East a powerful example of a moderate, prosperous, free nation. The most vexing problem in the region the Israeli-Palestinian conflict there is now greater international consensus that at any point in modern memory. Israelis, Palestinians, and Arabs recognize the creation of a peaceful, democratic Palestinian state is in their interests.

Remarks at the Saban Forum


And through the Annapolis process, they started down a path that will end with two states living side by side in peace. In fits and starts, political and economic reforms are advancing across the Middle East. Women have run for office in several nations and been named to important Government positions in Bahrain and Oman and Qatar, the UAE and Yemen. Several nations have opened up private universities, and Internet use has risen sharply. Across the region, conversations about freedom and reform are growing louder. Expectations about government responsiveness are rising, and people are defying the condescending view that the culture of the Middle East is unfit for freedom. Iran and Syria continue to sponsor terror. Iran's uranium enrichment remains a major threat to peace. Many in the region still live under oppression. Yet the changes of the past 8 years herald the beginning of something historic and new. At long last, the Middle East is closing a chapter of darkness and fear and opening a new one written in the language of possibility and hope. For the first time in generations, the region represents something more than a set of problems to be solved or the site of energy resources to be developed. A free and peaceful Middle East will represent a source of promise and home of opportunity and a vital contributor to the prosperity of the world. Those who ask what this future will look like need only look around. We see the new story of the Middle East in Iraqis waving ink-stained fingers, with Lebanese taking to streets in the Cedar Revolution. We see it in women taking their seats in elected Parliaments and bloggers telling the world their dreams. We see it in the skyscrapers rising above Abu Dhabi and liv-ing and thriving Middle Eastern businesses that are now connected to the global economy. We see it in a Saudi king sponsoring an interfaith dialogue, Palestinian reformers fighting corruption and terror, and Israelis who love their ancient land, but want to live in peace. These are striking images, and they do point the way to a brighter future. I believe the day will come when the map of the Middle East shows a peaceful, secure Israel beside a peaceful and democratic Palestine. I believe the day will come when people from Cairo and Riyadh to Baghdad and Beirut to Damascus and Tehran live in free and independent societies, bound together by the ties of diplomacy and tourism and trade.

Remarks at the Saban Forum


It is not often that a president comes as a substitute speaker. I understand that the Southern Legislative Conference--could not afford Billy here. I was going to go by Plains on this trip, but I could not get a room there. I am going to go to Yazoo City tonight and then to New Orleans later on. I am very grateful to be here as president. I have learned a lot in this first 6 months. When I got to Washington and sought advice, someone said, Just act like you are a president and treat Congress like the Georgia Legislature. Very quickly I realized that the Congress was treating me like I was still Governor of Georgia, but now, with the help of a great number of friends in the Congress, we have formed a kind of relationship that ought to exist between the White House and our Nation's Capitol. I think there is a genuine sense of sharing of responsibility and the burden of government, and you are a part of that circle of leaders in the State legislature and the Governors' offices, who join in with the president, the Congress, and others in making sure that our government works. I am also proud to be with you today where two great rivers come together, as they say in Charleston, to form the Atlantic Ocean. This is one of our Nation's most gracious cities. And I want to talk to you today about the hopes and problems that we as southerners and as Americans share together. I feel a special kinship with your State legislators. For 4 years I was a member of the Georgia Senate, and I still prize State government not only for the talents of those who work in it but, as Fritz Hollings says, for the closeness to the people it represents. Our Southern States have a proud tradition of local, independent government, and now you are the heirs of that tradition. But we in the South have also felt, perhaps more directly than many others, some of the rapid changes that have taken place in this modern age. More and more our own lives are shaped by events in other cities, decisions in other States, tensions in other parts of the world. And as Americans we cannot overlook the way that our fate is bound to that of other nations. This interdependence stretches from the health of our economy, through war and peace, to the security of our own energy supplies. It is a new world in which we cannot afford to be narrow in our vision, limited in our foresight, or selfish in our purpose.

Charleston, South Carolina Remarks at the 31st Annual Meeting of the Southern Legislative Conference.


When I took office almost exactly 6 months ago, our Nation was faced with a series of problems around the world--in southern Africa, the Middle East, in our relationships with our NATO allies, and on such tough questions as nuclear proliferation, negotiations with our former adversaries, a Panama Canal treaty, human rights, world poverty. We have openly and publicly addressed these and other many difficult and controversial issues--some of which had been either skirted or postponed in the past. As I pointed out in a recent press conference, a period of debate, disagreement, probing was inevitable. Our goal has not been to reach easy or transient agreements, but to find solutions that are meaningful, balanced, and lasting. Now, a president has a responsibility to present to the people of this Nation reports and summations of complex and important matters. I feel more secure as president making decisions if I know that either the most difficult, the most complex questions that face me have been understood and debated by you and understood and debated by the Congress. In the past I think our Nation's leaders have been guilty of making decisions in secret. And even when the decision turns out to be the fight one, it makes the president, the Secretary of State speak with a weak voice when they speak alone. Today, I want to discuss a vitally important aspect of our foreign relations, the one that may most directly shape the chances for peace for us and for our children. I would like to spell out my view of what we have done and where we are going in our relations with the Soviet Union and to reaffirm the basic principles of our national policy. I do not have any apology for talking about foreign affairs at a southern legislative conference, because foreign affairs and those difficult decisions ought never to be made with a concept that we can abandon common sense and the sound judgment and the constructive influence of the American people. For decades, the central problems of our foreign policy revolved around antagonism between two coalitions, one headed by the United States and the other headed by the Soviet Union. Our national security was often defined almost exclusively in terms of military competition with the Soviet Union. This competition is still critical, because it does involve issues which could lead to war. But however important this relationship of military balance, it cannot be our sole preoccupation to the exclusion of other world issues which also concern us both.


Even if we succeed in relaxing tensions with the U.S.S.R., we could still awake one day to find that nuclear weapons have been spread to dozens of other nations who may not be as responsible as are we. Or we could struggle to limit the conventional arsenals of our two nations, to reduce the danger of war, only to undo our efforts by continuing without constraint to export armaments around the world. As two industrial giants, we face long-term, worldwide energy crises. Whatever our political differences, both of us are compelled to begin conserving world energy and developing alternatives to oil and gas. Despite deep and continuing differences in world outlook, both of us should accept the new responsibilities imposed on us by the changing nature of international relations. Europe and Japan rose from the rubble of war to become great economic powers. Communist parties and governments have become more widespread and more varied and, I might say, more independent from one another. Newly independent nations emerged into what has now become known as the Third World. Their role in world affairs is becoming increasingly significant. Both the United States and the Soviet Union have learned that our countries and our people, in spite of great resources, are not all-powerful. We have learned that this world, no matter how technology has shrunk distances, is nevertheless too large and too varied to come under the sway of either one or two super powers. And what is perhaps more important of all, we have, for our part, learned, all of us, this fact, these facts in a spirit not of increasing resignation, but of increasing maturity. I mention these familiar changes with which you are familiar because I think that to understand today's Soviet-American relationship, we must place it in perspective, both historically and in terms of the overall global scene. The whole history of Soviet-American relations teaches us that we will be misled if we base our long-range policies on the mood of the moment, whether that mood be euphoric or grim. All of us can remember times when relations seemed especially dangerous and other times when they seemed especially bright. We have crossed those peaks and valleys before. And we can see that, on balance, the trend in the last third of a century has been positive. The profound differences in what our two governments believe about freedom and power and the inner lives of human beings, those differences are likely to remain; and so are other elements of competition between the United States and the Soviet Union.


That competition is real and deeply rooted in the history and the values of our respective societies. But it is also true that our two countries share many important overlapping interests. Our job---my job, your job--is to explore those shared interests and use them to enlarge the areas of cooperation between us on a basis of equality and mutual respect. As we negotiate with the Soviet Union, we will be guided by a vision of a gentler, freer, and more bountiful world. But we will have no illusions about the nature of the world as it really is. The basis for complete mutual trust between us does not yet exist. Therefore, the agreements that we reach must be anchored on each side in enlightened self-interest-what is best for us, what is best for the Soviet Union. That is why we search for areas of agreement where our real interests and those of the Soviets coincide. We want to see the Soviets further engaged in the growing pattern of international activities designed to deal with human problems--not only because they can be of real help but because we both should be seeking for a greater stake in the creation of a constructive and peaceful world order. When I took office, many Americans were growing disillusioned with detente---President Ford had even quit using the word, and by extension, people were concerned with the whole course of our relations with the Soviet Union. Also, and perhaps more seriously, world respect for the essential rightness of American foreign policy had been shaken by the events of a decade---Vietnam, Cambodia, CIA, Watergate. At the same time, we were beginning to regain our sense of confidence and our purpose and unity as a nation. In this situation, I decided that it was time for honest discussions about international issues with the American people. I felt that it was urgent to restore the moral bearings of American foreign policy. And I felt that it was important to put the U.S. and Soviet relationship, in particular, on a more reciprocal, realistic, and, ultimately, more productive basis for both nations. It is not a question of a hard policy or of a soft policy, but of a clear-eyed recognition of how most effectively to protect our own security and to create the kind of international order that I have just described. We have looked at the problems in Soviet-American relations in a fresh way, and we have sought to deal with them boldly and constructively with proposals intended to produce concrete results.


I'd like to point out just a few of them. In the talks on strategic arms limitations, the SALT talks, we advanced a comprehensive proposal for genuine reductions, limitations, and a freeze on new technology which would maintain balanced strategic strength. We have urged a complete end to all nuclear tests, and these negotiations are now underway. Agreement here could be a milestone in U.S.-Soviet relations. We are working together toward a ban on chemical and biological warfare and the elimination of inventories of these destructive materials. We have proposed to curb the sales and transfers of conventional weapons to other countries, and we have asked France, Britain, and other countries to join with us in this effort. We are attempting to halt the threatening proliferation of nuclear weapons among the nations of the world which do not yet have the ability to set off nuclear explosives. We have undertaken serious negotiations on arms limitations in the Indian Ocean. We have encouraged the Soviets to sign, along with us, the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which would ban the introduction of nuclear weapons into the southern part of the Western Hemisphere. We have begun regular consultations with the Soviet leaders as cochairmen of the prospective Geneva conference to promote peace in the Middle East. We and our allies are negotiating together with the Soviet Union and their allies in the Warsaw Pact nations to reduce the level of military forces in Europe. We have renewed the 1972 agreement for cooperation in science and technology, and a similar agreement for cooperation in outer space. We are seeking ways to cooperate in improving world health and in relieving world hunger. In the strategic arms limitation talks, confirming and then building on Vladivostok accords, we need to make steady progress toward our long-term goals of genuine reductions and strict limitations, while maintaining the basic strategic balance. We have outlined proposals incorporating significant new elements of arms control, deep reductions in the arsenals of both sides, freezing of deployment and technology, and restraining certain elements in the strategic posture of both sides that threaten to destabilize the balance which now exists. The Vladivostok negotiations of 1974 left some issues unresolved and subject to honest differences of interpretation. Meanwhile, new developments in technology have created new concerns--the cruise missile, the very large intercontinental ballistic missiles of the Soviets. The Soviets are worried about our cruise missiles, and we are concerned about the security of our own deterrent capability.


Our cruise missiles are aimed at compensating for the growing threat to our deterrent, represented by the buildup of strategic Soviet offensive weapons forces. If these threats can be controlled, and I believe they can, then we are prepared to limit our own strategic programs. But if an agreement cannot be reached, there should be no doubt that the United States can and will do what it must to protect our security and to ensure the adequacy of our strategic posture. Our new proposals go beyond those that have been made before. In many areas we are in fact addressing for the first time the tough, complex core of longstanding problems. We are trying for the first time to reach agreements that will not be overturned by the next technological breakthrough. We are trying, in a word, for genuine accommodation. But none of these proposals that I have outlined to you involves a sacrifice of security. All of them are meant to increase the security of both sides. Our view is that a SALT agreement which just reflects the lowest common denominator that can be agreed upon easily will only create an illusion of progress and, eventually, a backlash against the entire arms control process. Our view is that genuine progress in SALT will not merely stabilize competition in weapons but can also provide a basis for improvement in political relations as well. When I say that these efforts are intended to relax tensions, I am not speaking only of military security. I mean as well the concern among our own individual citizens, Soviet and American, that comes from the knowledge which all of you have that the leaders of our two countries have the capacity to destroy human society through misunderstandings or mistakes. If we can relax this tension by reducing the nuclear threat, not only will we make the world a safer place but we will also free ourselves to concentrate on constructive action to give the world a better life. We have made some progress toward our goals, but to be frank, we also hear some negative comments from the Soviet side about SALT and about our more general relations. If these comments are based on a misconception about our motives, then we will redouble our efforts to make our motives clear; but if the Soviets are merely making comments designed as propaganda to put pressure on us What matters ultimately is whether we can create a relationship of cooperation that will be rooted in the national interests of both sides. We shape our own policies to accommodate a constantly changing world, and we hope the Soviets will do the same. Together we can give this change a positive direction.


Increased trade between the United States and the Soviet Union would help us both. The American-Soviet Joint Commercial Commission has resumed its meetings after a long interlude. I hope that conditions can be created that will make possible steps toward expanded trade. In southern Africa we have pressed for Soviet and Cuban restraint. Throughout the nonaligned world, our goal is not to encourage dissension or to redivide the world into opposing ideological camps, but to expand the realm of independent, economically self-reliant nations, and to oppose attempts at new kinds of subjugation. Part of the Soviet Union leaders' current attitude may be due to their apparent-and incorrect--belief that our concern for human rights is aimed specifically at them or is an attack on their vital interests. We stand on what we have said on the subject of human rights. the positive and sincere expression of our deepest beliefs as a people. It is addressed not to any particular people or area of the world, but to all countries equally, yes, including our own country. And it is specifically not designed to heat up the arms race or bring back the cold war. On the contrary, I believe that an atmosphere of peaceful cooperation is far more conducive to an increased respect for human rights than an atmosphere of belligerence or hatred or warlike confrontation. The experience of our own country this last century has proved this over and over again. We have no illusions that the process will be quick or that change will come easily. But we are confident that if we do not abandon the struggle, the cause of personal freedom and human dignity will be enhanced in all nations of the world. We are going to do that. In the past 6 months we have made clear our determination--both to give voice to Americans' fundamental beliefs and to obtain lasting solutions to East-West differences. If this chance to emphasize peace and cooperation instead of animosity and division is allowed to pass, it will not have been our choice. We must always combine realism with principle. Our actions must be faithful to the essential values to which our own society is dedicated, because our faith in those values is the source of our confidence that this relationship will evolve in a more constructive direction. But there are things which give me hope, and in conclusion I would like to mention them very briefly. This place where I now stand is one of the oldest cities in the United States.


It is an honor to be here to swear in my friend. I first want to say it is a treat to see Mr. and Mrs. Allbaugh, from the great State of Oklahoma; and his brother; most importantly, Diane and Taylor. Of course, you would not have missed it. When I was a Governor, Joe and I used to travel a lot together, and a lot of times people would come up and say, Is he your bodyguard? And that is the kind of man he is, and that is the kind of man I wanted to run FEMA. When the worst happens anywhere in America, I can assure you folks will be confident when Joe Allbaugh arrives on the scene. 54 in the morning, an earthquake rocked the State of Washington, injuring hundreds of people and causing billion dollars of property damage. 30 that night, Joe Allbaugh was on the scene ready to assist people in need. That is the kind of man he is. I could not have made it to Washington without him. And I cannot tell you how honored I am that he has come to Washington to serve his country. more than 2,000 dedicated employees all across America; 4,000 standby employees, ready if needed; an ethic of professionalism; and a willingness to work with State and local officials to help people in need. As Governor, I worked with FEMA officials. Joe and I have great respect for the outgoing Director, James Lee Witt, and for the Acting Director, John Magaw. A lot of change is needed in Washington, but in this Agency the standards are already high. Every year, many thousands of Americans live through floods and hurricanes and fires. They know from personal experience that FEMA is an example of the Federal Government at its best. And I will tell you from personal experience that FEMA has a new Director that speaks to America at its best. When he acts, he will have my full confidence. When he speaks, it will inspire confidence in others. This Agency is in strong and steady hands. Joe will be at the White House many times in the next few years. In the nature of his job, they will not always be the happiest of times. But Joe will help Americans deal with the worst in the best, most compassionate way possible.

Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Joe M. Allbaugh as Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency


It is great to be back at the National Women's Law Center, surrounded by so many powerful and accomplished women. This is not a new experience for me. Some of you know my household is filled with powerful, accomplished women. I want to thank Marcia and Duffy for that wonderful, heartfelt introduction and for their extraordinary leadership. Most of all, I want to recognize tonight's honorees, the women and men there is some men in the group who endured insults and beatings and risked their lives 50 years ago because they believed in a different future for their daughters and for their sons. The Freedom Riders had faith that America could still be perfected. And as has been noted, it is only because they did that I am able to stand here as President of the United States of America. Which is why, when I had a chance to see them backstage, I gave them all a kiss and a hug. And I told them that even though I was in diapers at the time, I knew something important was going on. What a remarkable group of people, and how blessed we are to have them here, sharing their stories and continuing to inspire us in so many ways. We are truly grateful to you. Being here tonight reminds us that history is not always made in fact, often is not made by generals or presidents or politicians. Change happens when a group of students and activists decide to ride a bus down South, knowing full well the dangers that lie ahead. Change happens when a group of legal secretaries decides that the world needs more women attorneys, and they start an organization to fight for people like them. I do not want to be paid less than that man who is doing the exact same job over there. I want to be paid the same. Change depends on persistence, and change depends on determination. That is how change happened on August 4, 1961. That is how change will happen today, especially when it comes to securing equal rights and equal opportunities for women. Now, the last time I spoke here was in 2005. I was brand new to Washington. Some of you still could not pronounce my name. And when I was thinking about what to say to this group, I was not just thinking about the legal cases you have helped to win or the milestones that you have helped to reach. I was thinking about my daughters and the world I want them to grow up in. Michelle helpfully reminds me that I have more gray hair now.

Remarks at the National Women's Law Center Awards Dinner


More people know my name, which I have come to realize is a mixed blessing. Malia and Sasha have grown into these strong, smart, remarkable young women. Malia has a cell phone now, certainly a mixed blessing. But even after all this time, my wish for my daughters and for yours remains the same. I want them to go out into a world where there is no limit to how big they can dream, how high they can reach. And being here with all of you gives me hope and makes me determined, because although this journey is far from over, today our daughters live in a world that is fairer and more equal than it was 6 years ago, a world where more doors are open to them than ever before. Today, for the first time in history, our daughters can see not one, not two, but three women sitting on the bench of the highest court in the land. They can come to the White House and see that the top four lawyers on my staff some of the sharpest legal minds I have ever come across are women. They can read about the extraordinary leadership of a woman in the House of Representatives who went by the title Madam Speaker. They can turn on the news and see that one of the most formidable Presidential candidates we have ever seen has become one of the best Secretaries of State that this country has ever known. Today, women make up almost half of our workforce, the majority of students in our colleges and our graduate schools. Women are breaking barriers in every field, from science to business to sports to the Armed Forces. And today, thanks to health care reform that many of you helped pass, insurance companies can no longer deny coverage based on preexisting conditions like breast cancer or charge women more because they are more likely to incur costs for things like birth childbirth. Those same companies must cover the cost of preventive services like mammograms, domestic violence counseling, contraception. We are making sure that women in the military and our veterans get the care that they need. Today, thanks to the tireless efforts of people like Lilly Ledbetter one of my favorite people, love that woman we were backstage talking, and she was just saying how grateful she was, how much of a responsibility she now felt with this bill having been passed that was named after her. Lilly, all that did was just that was just icing on the cake. It was your work, your courage, your determination that changed things.


All we did was ratify what you had already done. And because of her and other courageous women and some of the women in this room tonight, it is easier for women to demand equal pay for equal work. We passed tax credits that are keeping more women out of poverty and helping them reach the middle class. One of the first things I did after taking office was to create a White House Council on Women and Girls to make sure that every agency in the Federal Government considers the needs of women and girls in every decision they make, not as a sideshow, not as a box to check, but something that is sustained each and every day. And of course, one thing we have learned from the women's movement, from the civil rights movement, from the workers' movement, from every step that we have made to make this country more equal and more just, is that there is always more work to do. And that is especially true today, with so many Americans struggling to recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. In the early days of this crisis, women were not hit quite as hard as men. Many of the jobs that we have lost over the last decade have been in construction and manufacturing, industries that traditionally had been dominated by men. And of the 15 job categories projected to grow the most in this country over the next decade, all but 2 are occupied primarily by women. But over the last couple of years, women have continued to lose jobs, especially in the public sector. It does not help that mothers are the primary or cobreadwinners in 63 percent of households, even as women still earn just 77 cents for every dollar a man does. Some of these women are single moms like my mother was, struggling just to keep up with the bills or pay a mortgage they cannot afford. I still remember my mother waking me up she worked, was going to school, and still took the time to wake me up before she went to work to go over my lessons before she left. And I would complain and grumble, and she would say, Well, this is no picnic for me either, buster. Their names do not make the history books. They are never complaining well, I will not say they are never complaining I was thinking about that for a second never hesitating to work that extra shift or that extra job if that is what it takes to give their children a better life.


And in many ways, that is why we are all here tonight, because we know that it is up to us to keep fighting for them all those women out there making sure that they are treated fairly and equally. As hard as they are working, as much as they are sacrificing, as many responsibilities that they shoulder each and every day, we have got to make sure that they are getting the opportunities that they deserve, that somebody is standing up for them. Somebody is fighting for them. Somebody is looking out for them. Somebody is rooting for them. When we talk about these issues that primarily affect women, these are not just women's issues. When women make less than men for the same work, that hurts the entire family who has to get by with less. It hurts businesses who have fewer customers with money to spend. When a health care plan denies women coverage because of a preexisting condition, that puts a strain on emergency rooms, drives up health care costs for everybody. When any of our citizens cannot fulfill their potential because of factors that have nothing to do with their talent or their character or their work ethic, that diminishes us. It says something about who we are. If you want to look around the world, those countries that are developing fastest, that are doing the best, where their children are succeeding in school, those are societies that respect the rights of women, that are investing in our women. Now unfortunately, not everybody in Washington seems to feel the same way. In recent weeks, Republicans in the Senate have come together three times to block jobs bills that independent economists say would boost our economy and put millions back to work, including women. Each of these bills was made up of the same kinds of proposals that Democrats and Republicans have historically supported in the past, and they were fully paid for. And even though they were supported by a clear majority of the American people Republicans, Democrats, Independents every single Senate Republican said no. Said no to putting hundreds of thousands of teachers, three-quarters of them women, back in front of the classroom where they belong. No to putting construction workers back on the job and funding a special program that gets more women involved in the construction industry. We are not done yet. In the weeks ahead, they are going to get a chance to vote on whether we give a tax cut to virtually every small-business owner in America, including 900,000 women.


These are folks who run the restaurants and stores and beauty shops and other small businesses that create two-thirds of all new jobs. There is no reason they should not get a break. The American people are with me with on this, and Republicans in Congress should be with me too, because it is right for the country. Instead, they are spending time focusing on how to turn back the clock. Instead of figuring out how to put more Americans back to work, they have been trying to figure out how to take away preventive care that is covered under the Affordable Care Act. Instead of making life easier for women in this country, they want to let insurance companies go back to charging higher prices just because you are a woman. Pap smears and breast exams. That is not the right direction for this country. These folks know they cannot win on the big issues, so they are trying to make the fight about social issues that stir up their base. They are spending their time trying to divide this country against itself rather than coming together to lift up our country. And we do not have to settle for that. The American people should not have to settle for that. And that is why I need your help. As leaders in your communities, I need you to tell Congress to do their jobs by worrying about the jobs of the millions of Americans they were elected to serve. And for my part, I promise to keep doing everything I can to help every single American achieve their own piece of the American Dream. That is not just a promise I am making as a President. That is a promise I am making as a grandson who saw my grandmother hit the glass ceiling at the bank where she worked, passed over for promotions in favor of men that she trained. It is a promise I am making as a husband who watched Michelle balance work and family with grace and poise, even when it has not been easy. It is a promise I am making as a father who wants my daughters to grow up in a world where every door is open to them, where there are no limits on what they can achieve. It is a promise I am making as the inheritor of the extraordinary sacrifices that were made by these Freedom Riders, as a friend of people like Lilly Ledbetter, who embody all that is good and decent in this country.


It is a promise I am making as an American who believes that the future of our country depends on expanding the circle of opportunity for everybody, because that next generation of smart, powerful women, they are already knocking on the door. Last month, I got a chance to meet the winners of the Google Science Fair. This is an international competition of high school students, the cutting edge of technology and science. All three of the winners turned out to be Americans. They had beat out 10,000 other applicants from more than 90 countries. So I had them in the Oval Office, and they explained their projects to me and I pretended that I understood what they were talking about. There is a picture of this conversation hanging up in the West Wing right now, and they are I have got a puzzled look on my face and they are being very patient. So one of the winners, Shree Bose, discovered a promising new way to improve treatment for ovarian cancer at the age of 17. Then I asked another winner, Lauren Hodge, if she had skipped a grade in school; she was quite petite. And she informed me very politely that she had actually skipped two. It is people like Shree and Lauren, all of you who are here tonight, who make me hopeful about the future. There is a direct line between those women who sat in those jail cells and those young girls explaining their science project in the Oval Office. Because that is what America is about, a place where ideas are born and dreams can grow and where a student in a classroom or a passenger on a bus or a legal secretary in an office can stand up and say, I am going to change the world. That is the kind of nation that we are. That is the kind of opportunity that must exist here in America. That is the kind of opportunity that must exist for every American, no matter what they look like or where they come from. We have come a long way towards making this country more open and more free for our daughters and theirs. We have got a lot more work to do. With the National Women's Law Center, I am confident that the next time I visit, we will be even closer to guaranteeing every one of our children get the future they deserve. God bless you. God bless the United States of America.


And thank you to Charlie for that introduction, which was so beautiful and for your fearless leadership of Turning Point Action and Turning Point USA. Let me also express my incredible appreciation to the thousands of bold, young, and proud American patriots that are with us today. And you think this is a lot of people, you ought to look outside. We love you. You are the pulse of our movement, so true, and you are the ones who will make America great again. I started saying make America great again, again, think of that. Think about that because nobody's done what we did in four years, the greatest economy, we will be talking about it. We have plenty of time. Does everybody have some time? I said, I look forward to this speech. So I said, Oh, can we maybe do it by Zoom? But Zoom will never replace the real thing. Especially for our great young students, it cannot replace being in the classroom, can it? With your help, we will stand up for democracy and for justice. We will fight for truth, transparency and accountability, and we will not stop until we have restored our American birthright of honest, free, and fair elections. We are gathered here in Phoenix to show our support for election integrity and for the brave and unyielding conservative warriors in the Arizona state Senate. You created a movement all over the country. This is now starting all over the country. I am hearing Texas wants to do a forensic audit, I just heard. Even though I won Texas by a lot, I said, You should do it because you will find out what is going on in this country. When you hear defund the police, when you hear no IDs Of course, now they are trying to get into the, We never really said that. But when you hear open borders, how about open borders? In my opinion, there is no way they win elections without cheating. They are against energy. I saw where they are negotiating now with OPEC again. They are negotiating right now with OPEC and with Russia. We had so much oil. We did not know what the hell to do with it. They closed up so many sites. Today I want to send our profound and everlasting gratitude to every Arizona Republican who had the fortitude and the backbone to defy the lying media. That is a lot of media. He is at it again. He is talking about the media. Some of them are down almost 80%.

Donald Trump Phoenix, Arizona Rally Speech Transcript July 24


Can you believe it? And that is because they lose credibility, but I want to just finish it. We want to demand a full forensic audit of the results of Maricopa county. I particularly want to thank Arizona Senate president, Karen Fan. And I predict when the votes come in and that is her in the Senate, I think they are going to be so horrible that she is going to go three steps further than she ever thought she'd have to because they will be in my opinion, and again, I am not involved. You have already seen some of them come that they are going to go many steps further than they would have. When you looked at election night, we were up by so much. It was over at 10 o'clock and then all of a sudden they close the tabulation areas. They closed everything and we wake up and all of a sudden it is tied or we are losing. And nobody believes that. They do not believe it. I tell you right now, they do not believe it. Tremendous courage, you have. I appreciate it. The whole country appreciates it really a lot. These are people that did this by themselves. They wanted to do it. They had to do it. They saw what was going on and they did it. So I am meeting some of you for the first time. I appreciate it. I do not know him. I recognize that man from television, but I do not know Sonny. Somebody else who is really been out there that is been a brave who wants to go many steps further than anybody, Wendy Rogers. You knew the answer early on when they were waiting for results, but you knew the answer. I did not see you in the audience now. I want it. And by the way, Kelly has to get a special Really great. I would not want to fight you. I like that. We just have a new one, Wendy, Kelly, and Borelli that is going to be a very famous That is going to be a very famous someday, I suspect. Republican party chairwoman, somebody that has tremendous courage I will tell you. And some people love her. And some people do not like her as much. I happen to love her, but she is. And she fights your governor who does not do a damn thing. He does not do a damn thing. I called up Kelly recently. I said, Why would not the governor want an audit? I said, Why would not this governor Doug Ducey


When I did rallies, he always wanted to be in the front row. Sir, could you mention my name please? And I did these rallies and he was not very popular, but he won by a lot because he ran against a very defective candidate, which they found out after they nominated that Democrat. But I'd introduce him and I would not get much of an applause and I'd get a lot of boos. He is not popular with me either. They came to see me. They said, Sir, would you like him to run for the Senate? I said, He is not getting my endorsement. I can tell you. He was losing his election in the I will tell you, Kentucky is a great place. I love Kentucky. They love me and I love them and I was way up and he was losing by two points. And he said, Sir, I'd like to see you. Would you give me a big endorsement? And could you do a television commercial? And I did not love the idea because I am not too high on him, but it was between him or a woman named Amy McGrath, a Democrat. She had 93 million sitting in the bank and he was two down and he was going to get blown away and I endorsed him and he went up 20 points, 20. She did not even spend her money. She had no chance because of my endorsement he went up 20 points and then he got up and said the nastiest things about me. Sonny, it is not that way in Arizona is it? You endorse somebody, you help somebody. I do not want any praise. I do not want anything, but I do not want to have that kind of a thing happen. So it is one of those things. But what you are doing here is incredible as everyone here fully understands. And I tell this to people. I tell it to Republicans and a lot of them are very good people and they say, Well, sir, we have to get onto the future. Let me tell you, you are not going to have a future. First of all, our nation is being destroyed, but you are not going to have a future in '22 or '24 if you do not find out how they cheated with hundreds of thousands and even millions of votes, because you will not win anything. You will not win anything.


And I tell Republicans, I say, You do not realize, because some of them they are good meaning, really a lot of them, most of them. We have certain people that are not good. They do not have the Mitt Romney's the little Ben Sasse's of the world. They do not have I could name a few of them. Could I have your endorsement? The day after he won, he goes and starts going after ENTITY. But you know, I tell people, this is the biggest issue there is. This is bigger than the border. This is bigger than anything. And I see it just here and I'd say I'd make a speech. And I talk about the border because we straightened out the border. We had the strongest border in history. We straightened out the border and that is a big deal. But when you look at all of the death and destruction that this election has caused and wait til you see what is happening with inflation. Wait til you see the real numbers on inflation and what is going on. And wait til you go to the pump today and you see $3.75 cents. We were at a $1.87 for a gallon of gasoline. It was the most corrupt, dishonest, and unfair election in the history of our country. The Democrats know it. The corrupt media, right back there a lot of people, they know it. Big tech knows it. And most importantly, we, the American people know it. We know it. But because of the steadfast conservatives all across our nation and that is really happening now. They have come from so many different states to look at your audit procedures that they go back and I will call them and say, How did you like it? What did you think? They said, We do not believe it. And then they are starting their own audits now. They are looking at what Karen and Kelly They are looking what they all set up here and they cannot Wendy, what you have done. Borelli, I love you. That is why I like him. He is tough as nails too, but you know what? They are looking and they go back to their state and they say, This is the most incredible thing that we have seen anytime. Why would not somebody want election integrity? It will not happen, but I would be very happy if they did it and everything was perfect. But you are not going to find that.


In fact, the preliminary numbers are a total disaster and we are going to go over those numbers. The truth is being uncovered and the crime of the century is being fully exposed. With what inflation is doing to our country. Now you have in Chicago, hundreds of people are being shot every weekend in Afghanistan. We have not lost one soldier in Afghanistan for the last year and a half. In Chicago, they have 188 people shot over a weekend. Many of whom die. That is worse than any war zone anywhere in the world. Chicago and New York, what is happening in New York. And Rudy Giuliani was the greatest mayor in the history of New York City, by the way. And they are going after him because he understands it and they are going after him What they are doing to Rudy is a disgrace. And you know, if I would have said that five years ago, 10 years ago, it would not have meant as much. Now you realize what having a great mayor is all about because when you look at what the hell is happening to our cities, run by Democrats, all run by Democrats. There is never been any It is a crime wave the likes of which we have never seen before. People are afraid to walk down to the streets of New York and nobody gets prosecuted except Republicans, by the way. In every fake news story about the election, they always begin by stating that claims are unproven. Do you ever notice, you read a story and you are reading about massive fraud, but they do not write about that too much. And you are saying, Well, wait a minute, we caught thousands and hundreds of thousands of people. And then they go, While there is no evidence, they have these little soundbites. But the craziest of them all is and always done in unison because you know, they work together. If this were a business they would be put in jail because it would be called a monopoly. But the biggest and the craziest of the big lie, they call it. And I have got to tell you, I have got to say this. I have never said it before, but I have always thought it. If I lost the election, I am okay with that. I am okay with it. If we lost the election, we lose an election. I will start building buildings. I will do something. I will keep myself busy. If we lost the election, we know when we lose. In Georgia, they had an election.


And everyone knew we won by hundreds of thousands and they stole it from us. And what happened is we had two senators running a couple of months later and you know what happened to them? This election was rigged, and they know it. If I lost this election, I could handle it pretty easily. When they steal it from you and rig it, that is not easy. We have no choice. And it starts right here with the amazing patriots in Arizona. You are proving them wrong because the evidence is monumental, just like Russia, Russia, Russia. Remember people would come up to me during the campaign, the first campaign and they said, Sir, you know what I think about Russia? Another one would come up a month later, Sir, do you have anything to do with Russia? No, I never even thought of it. But after I got asked that question four or five times, I said, What the hell is going on with the Russia? And it was a fake deal made up by Hillary Clinton with a fake dossier where they pay. They play a different game. But you know, ultimately we are much bigger than them. We have many more people because when you go over their policies, the fact is those policies are not a 50% of the vote. We have many, many more people. If they ever had our policies, maybe there'd be no Republican party, I must be honest with you, because we have not until now. And it started with these incredible people, many of whom are sitting right here. The state senators from Arizona, it started with them. And now it is turning out to be a revolution in this country because people are saying, even some Democrats, they are saying no. Knowing what happened in the election is a good thing, not a bad thing. And what are they trying to hide? Why would not they want it? That is why I do not understand guys like Ducey and your commissioners. But you know, you have the witch hunt. And it shows you how the Republicans can really stick together. We have great Republicans. You have Jim Jordan. I am going to get in trouble, but you have Jim Jordan and Devin. And by the way, you have three of them here tonight. These guys I am going to I hope you love them all because those three are fighters. But we will introduce them in a second. That way they will not take up any of our time.


Here is just some of the shocking information the auditors in Arizona have already reported. This is not coming from ENTITY. Now I lost by about 10,000. We won by a lot. So we need more than 10. And we have numerous categories, almost all of which are much more than we would need to win the election. If I lost by 10 and we found out that there were only two dead people, okay. There were thousands and thousands of dead people that voted in different states, thousands and thousands. Some even applied for an application to vote. Do you believe that? So not only did they vote, they applied for an application, but if had two dead people and we lost by 10,000, I do not consider that. 74,000 mail-in ballots were counted with no clear record of them being ever sent. Other than that, it was very good. The county has refused to disclose how many of these 74,000 were in person, early votes. And how many were magically appearing in a mail-in ballot box near you? How about those boxes where they were coming in and Biden was getting 97% of the vote? In all fairness, we'd come. We came for rallies here. We had 42,000 and 44,000 and he came and he could not fill the eight circles. They had to use the fake news. No, they were calling the news. They are standing with cameras. They could not fill the eight circles. The only thing I liked about his campaign, because he did not really campaign, the cabal campaign. Lots of people campaigned for him. But I did like the, the contractor, and it was not Hunter Biden with his artistry. I am very good at building buildings and painting and all these different things. So painting, I know what a good paint job is, and you are not getting it from Hunter. In fact, I probably will not do it yet, but at some point I am going to find out the name of the contractor that did those circles, because I want to use them for some. But what about Hunter Biden getting a half a million dollars per painting, and he never painted before? Could you imagine if my kids did that? And now they are justifying it. You have good painters. For $250, you can have a portrait done on Central Park. You go to Central Park, and they have all these artists lined up.


You negotiate a deal, they will do it for $250. Some of them are beyond belief, what they can do in a short period of time. Hunter Biden's getting $500, 000. It is disgraceful, and the fake news media is talking about it like it is okay, but we should have transparency. And the laptop and the laptop, I miss you too. And the laptop from hell, it is a laptop from hell. When you look at that laptop, people are writing about it. Meaning a very tiny group of people are writing. When you look at the laptop from hell, and then you watch the interview. It was Russia that did his laptop. I think that is the end of that one. Because they are all getting rich from China. They are not getting rich from Russia. It is always Russia, Russia, Russia did it. Russia did it again. By the way, I stopped their pipeline. They have a pipeline going into Germany, going into Europe. I stopped it. I put sanctions on all these states and all of these companies who were building it. Biden approved it. Then as you know, you have heard this before he stopped the Keystone XL pipeline. They said 8,000, 48,000 jobs. And they lost all over the country. People sold their home. They were so excited that we are going to be building this pipeline. They were building it, and he stopped it like in the first week he stopped it. Yet he approves the biggest pipeline in the world, going from Russia to Germany. And we are supposed to protect Germany. I said that. I said, By the way, you would have never even heard about that pipeline if it was not for me. Nobody ever heard of that. Nobody ever talked about it until I came along. Look, I get along with Putin because that is a good thing. I got along with him. He got along with me, but nobody was ever tougher on Russia that I was. I asked Angela, and I get along with Angela too, but she is doing what she is doing for Germany. Although I think the pipeline's a big mistake for Germany because they might as well just wave the red flag or the white flag because it is over. They are going to get 60, 70% of their energy from Russia. So I said, So let me ask you, so we are spending billions of dollars to protect you from Russia.


And you are paying billions and billions of dollars for energy to Russia. What the hell is that all about? So I stopped it and within a couple of weeks he approved it, and now they are going to be restarting it. They will have it finished in a couple of months and they are going to make billions and billions of dollars, but the American pipeline is stopped. And I can only say that is called America first versus America last. Look, they are destroying our country. If the election were the way it were, and let us say they were doing a great job, number one, you probably would not be as enthusiastic. Let us say they were doing a great job. By the way, your Arizona border, which I put up the wall. And now what is pouring into your state is not even to be believed. They are saying it was the worst six months in the history of the presidency. If you look at what is happened to the economy. I came up with the vaccine. They said it would take three to five years, going to save the world. I recommend you take it. But I also believe in your freedoms a hundred percent. We are doing a million people a day, and then they said, We are going to put a pause on one of the vaccines. What that did, that set it back so badly. And so now they are saying what a wonderful job he did. They do not say it too much anymore with respect to giving the vaccine. Now it is turning out that they cannot say that anymore. And what they have done is because they do not trust the president, people are not doing it. We did such an incredible job with ENTITY, with getting the gowns, the supplies, the ventilators, the masks, everything, and the press did nothing but kill us. They would say, Look how well India's doing compared to the United States. India is going through hell. They would always try and pick the best country anywhere in the world that had the least problem. Those countries now are being ravaged by this plague that was sent to us by China. And by the way, China has to pay us retribution. There were nearly 4,000 people who voted with a registration date after the cutoff on October 15th. So you have a cutoff, a legal cutoff, but thousands of people voted, and that is illegal. Additionally, there were more than 11,000 individuals who were not on the voter rolls the day after the election.


They were not on the voter rolls the day after the election. ut who were on the list of voters that was published one month after the election. So they were not there for the election, but a month later they happened to find them, okay? This alone is more than the supposed margin that you needed. We beat it in every category. There were 18,000 people who voted in Arizona in 2020, who were then purged from the rolls immediately after the election. Why did not they purge them before, Sonny? Could I ask you that question? We are becoming like a third world nation, and it is happening. Then 168,000 ballots were found to be printed on unofficial, very thin, flimsy paper. In other words, sounds to me like they were short of ballots, and they just made them up because you have what is called quote Voter secure paper. It is like the dollar bill. But they did not have that. So they had 168,000 votes and that is required. You have to have it. And they found it on paper. And the reason they noticed it, I guess, number one, it was very light, but they saw that when you hit it with a certain pen, it went right through the paper. They say, What the kind of papers is this? that is 168,000 votes. They would not have allowed it to be on election day. They would not have allowed it. I wonder who they voted for. Tell me, I wonder who they voted for. Would you say it was a hundred percent for Biden or 97%? It was also revealed in a recent hearing that there are thousands and thousands of duplicated ballots that do not have a serial number, suggesting that votes may have been fraudulently duplicated and counted multiple times. You saw it in Georgia, you saw those people go in. Everybody got the hell out. They do not want a water main break. And a short while later, a woman, a political operative, we all know her name. We all know her name, and it should have been taken care of, which should have been taken care of. But a woman comes in, but it is now it is in court, and it is a big deal. She came in with a group. She did not go back to her machine. They went for the table.


They lifted up the skirt of the table, and lo and behold, it was loaded up with ballots, but they were not ballots that were in boxes that ballots come. They were in other, whether it was suitcases. They took those, and they started putting them in. And I tell you what, when people looked at that they got sick. People threw up looking at it, and law enforcement did very little, but now what is happening is I believe the courts are going to do a lot. So you hear those hundreds of thousands of votes. We won the state of Arizona, and we won it decisively. And we won other of these states. He beat Biden all over the country decisively. So did Hillary, except in five swing states where Biden wiped him out with the black population. So I think that he is not going to beat Obama, but only of these states. So he did poorly, except in these states, he had massive victories. Yet this is only the beginning of the irregularities the Arizona audit is an uncovering. The authors and the auditors have collected a sworn affidavit stating that county election workers lowered signature matching standards from 20 points of comparison to 10, to five, and eventually down to zero. In other words, they abolished all signature matching entirely. In other words, you have a bad signature. So the machine was picking up a lot of bad signatures. Let us lower it. Let us lower it. They brought it down to zero. So you had no signature matching. This is why the county has refused to comply with an official subpoena sent out by your great senate to provide images of the envelopes, which would prove whether they counted ballots and whether or not they had signatures at all. Because we think many of them had no signature at all because you cannot sign them all during the night. We think they did not , and you know what else they did not have? They did not have folds. In order to have a ballot counted, it has to be folded. But so many of these pages are laying flat without a crease, without a fold. Cyber security experts have also testified that the logs for the election management system software were wiped under highly suspicious circumstances. This is them saying it, not me. With more than 37,000 requests made to the server in a single day. Gee, I wonder why they erased the data surrounding the election? The county has, for whatever reason, also refused to produce the network routers.


We want the routers, Sonny, Wendy, we got to get those routers, please. Come on, Kelly, we can get those routers. We are so beyond the routers, there is so many fraudulent votes without the routers. But if you got those routers, what that will show, and they do not want to give up the routers. They do not want to give them. They are fighting like hell. Why are these commissioners fighting not to give the routers? That will tell the truth. What are they trying to hide? Unbelievably, the auditors have testified that the master database for the election management system, sorry to tell you, has been deleted. Meaning the main database for all of the election related data in Maricopa in 2020 has been illegally erased. The county has also refused to provide the authority for the information. We want the information needed to access vote tabulation devices. To top it all off, they have refused to hand over the all-important chain of custody documentation for Maricopa County ballots. They do not want to give it. Why do not they want to give it? I stand before you today to demand nothing less than full and complete cooperation from Maricopa County and from the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors who have fought your senate at every single turn. Why are Republicans fighting it? All they have to do is hand it over, and they are either going to be right. They just do not want it. I think they know a hell of a lot about what happened, but why do not they want to do that? The citizens of Arizona, an incredible state that as you know, I won four years ago and I won it again. Somebody came in from a media group, a very good media group, actually, said, What was the difference between 2016 and 2020? I said, Well, the difference was I actually did much better in 2020. We got 75 million votes. We got 12 million votes more. No president in history has ever gotten anywhere close to 12 million more votes. And that is with them doing counting. Because the easiest way of cheating is to throw them away. The postmen do not have to deliver them. The post office does not have to deliver them. They have the greatest pension plan that anybody's ever seen. But you know, a lot of them did not go to their location and when they were signed, they did not get brought back.


But when you think about it, and when you think about the corruptness, why do not these people want to find out the truth? The citizens of America deserve answers. We are talking about America. You know, we are not talking about Arizona anymore. We are talking about the United States of America because this has gone on. And I hate to say it, but this is because you are really bad, but this has gone much worse in Detroit, Michigan, much worse. We have a bunch of RINO senators up there. You have one or two. We have a whole bunch of them up there, but we have a bunch of RINO senators. This is not as bad anywhere near, in my opinion, as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You take a look at Philadelphia. What they did to our poll watchers were incredible. We had poll watchers, nice people, great people. They love our country. They were Republican, but more than anything else, they want an honest count. They'd turn them in either way. They were physically thrown the hell out and they could not get in for days. So during that period of time, vast numbers of things happen that are terrible. And not only did they throw them out, they boarded up the windows. Then we got a court order, and they would not obey the court order. And then they kept them 60 feet away. That is like me looking at a vote with the lady in the beautiful red dress right over there, right? They were threatened by thugs. In Georgia a a recent review of valid images has shown that the error rate in the hand audit of Atlanta's Fulton County was a whopping 60%. All of this is in addition to the recently discovered 35,000 illegal votes that were potentially cast by people who did not live in the county in which they voted. As well as 100,000 people who were purged from the Georgia rolls after the election. I lost by like 11,000. They have a 100,00 plus, they were purged. That is the only one, but we have many. In other words, it is determinative. It is no wonder that Joe Biden and the radical Democrats are going absolutely crazy screaming about voting rights, ranting about democracy. They want democracy and resisting every effort to look into the massive fraud in 2020. Just so you understand, we talk about cancel culture.


The biggest thing that they want canceled is they do not want you talking about the election that just took place because they say, Holy shit, they caught us. They caught us. They caught us. We have seen it. It is a scandal, the likes of which we have never had, but the only way you get away with a scandal is if they do not talk about it. They do not want to talk about it. They are not going to be able not to talk about it. They do not want to talk about it. Everything about cancel culture, they want cancel culture. But what they do not want to do is anything having to do with the 2020 election. They almost got away with it. They may have gotten away with it. If somebody robs Tiffany, a beautiful jeweler, 57th and Fifth, good location, excellent location. And they steal the diamonds and then they get caught. They have to turn the diamonds back. I only wish that my friend Mike Pence had that additional courage to send the results back to the legislatures because it all happened so quickly. They schemed in this plan for four years, this all happened so quickly. If he would have sent it back to the legislature, somebody gave him bad advice. Georgia, they could not count their votes accurately. Hear ye, hear ye, the great state of Georgia can not accurately count its votes. You know what Thomas Jefferson said? Long time ago, he said, Then we will keep the votes from the great state of Georgia. He did not say, we are going to send it back. I am saying, just send it back. But when you have more votes in some places by a lot than you have voters, I think Mike would have had the right to say, Excuse me, we have more votes than we have voters. If you do not mind, please take a look at it. So I wish he did that. I wish he did that. The radical left Democrat communist party rigged and sold the election. And we caught them. The time to hold them responsible and fix this broken and corrupt system is not in 2022 where it may be just as corrupt. Or in 2024, the time is right now here in Arizona. If you do not get down to it and if you do not find, I hate to say this because it is terrible for our country. But you are going to have Republicans that are not going to want to vote. They are not going to want to work for Kelly.


They are not going to want to have to work for Wendy and for Borelli, Mister Italy, they are not going to work for you. You know what they are going to say? And that is what happened to the two senators. They are not going to work for you. We do not have the luxury to sit back and to wait until the next election. So many people, and they are such good, I said it before. You are leading in the polls. We just got back from CPAC. I was at 98% approval rating in the poll. You think we are at 98? I do not know, 98, 98. And they say, Sir, you are leading in the polls, sir. You are way ahead of everybody. Run in '24, sir, you are going to win. The survival of our nation depends on holding these responsible. And we have to hold these responsible elections. We have to hold those that are responsible for the 2020 presidential elections scam. It was a scam, greatest crime in history, and we have to hold these people accountable. And hopefully, and I say this, and I have confidence in it. Hopefully your Attorney General Mark Brnovich, your state attorney general will take information. He is going to take it, and he is going to do what everybody knows has to be done. If he does not do that, it would be so sad. And your governor, Doug Ducey, he will be of no help to you. He does not want to know the answer. Numbers like you would not believe. Look, did you ever hear of him? William McSwain, who previously prosecuted much ballot stuffing, many cases in Philadelphia, published a stunning letter. And he did it, I think from the heart, stating that his office received allegations of large scale voter fraud. This is Philadelphia and election irregularities all over Philadelphia. Also one of the most corrupt places from a voter standpoint, another, along with Detroit and some others, one of the most corrupt places, but he found, and he wanted to investigate all of this. But the Attorney General Bill Barr ordered him to stand down, and McSwain was not the only one. And McSwain is very angry about it. Then Bill Barr went out and said there was not fraud in the election of any consequence. I am giving you today. And we need two large ones or three small ones. We have many, many to look at.


In other words, we are right there. So it is of consequence. It is only because sadly, he just did not look for fraud. When that letter came out from McSwain, that was a sad day for this country, sad day. he was told not to do it. One day, I noticed that the fake news media was calling Bill Barr, a puppet of ENTITY. They had a picture of him with strings where I was totally controlling him. They were saying that Bill Barr, you have to go against him, Bill Barr. Then they started saying they were going to impeach him. And they are what is called playing the ref. They are doing it with the Supreme Court too. You see now again, they want to impeach Kavanaugh? Not that they want to impeach him. They want to scare the hell out of him so he votes along the liberal lines because if he votes along the liberal lines, they are playing the ref better than the great Bobby Knight of Indiana ever played the ref. Or this, they said, Bobby, Bobby, you are not going to win that call. He said, But I am going to win the next one. That is what they are doing. The great Bobby Knight, who was one of our great endorsements. I will tell you, when Bobby Knight endorsed ENTITY, Indiana, we were doing well there before, you had to see after. Bobby Knight, that is a piece of work, but he said, It may not work this time, but it is going to work the next time. And the refs were afraid to say anything. That is what they are doing with our Supreme Court. They are trying to scare Kavanaugh. They are talking about an impeachment. I just saw it again this morning in the paper. They want to impeach Kavanaugh again. They want him to rule for them. And if he rules for them, they are never going to impeach him. But if he rules against them, like he supposed to, because he is a conservative, but they also do not want to have a packed court. So they are saying we are going to pack the courts. We are going to pack the courts. And they did the same thing to Barr. They said, ENTITY controls him. As soon as I saw that, I said, Here we go, because how does he get out of that? Very simply, just do things like the vote was not rigged.


And he stopped them from doing it. And I am so saddened by it. But I also understand it because nobody does it better than these crooked Democrats. Nobody does it better. So I do not blame Barr. I do not blame a lot of people, but they become weak and they become ineffective and they become frightened. Like it or not, we are becoming a communist country. We are beyond socialism. When you have no press that you can talk to, that is how a communist country begins. They have no press. We find things in Arizona, and other than a couple of great networks, we have no press. We have no voice. I only have voice because I get great ratings. And if the Democrats get some of the things they currently want passed, including the election of Corrupt Politicians Act, an infrastructure, which is not infrastructure, it will get even worse. What they are asking for is incredible. I always did great with these buildings that the bigger the window, the better I did, the bigger those windows, I wanted floor to ceiling windows, but they say you cannot do that anymore. We do not want any more windows. It is going to be real hard to sell apartments, I think. We have a beautiful apartment, and for environmental reasons, we have not put windows in the building. Whatever happened to cows, remember they were going to get rid of all the cows? They stopped that, people did not like that. You know why they were going to get rid of all the cows? Sadly, even in many red states, the rhinos are letting the radical left have their way on everything. In fact, I have to say this, in many cases, these weak Republicans or rhinos, these weak Republicans are worse. They are worse than Democrats. And you have a couple of examples right here in Arizona and do not nod. And do not say it because I do not want to get you in trouble. Maybe you can convince them to do what is right. But you have a couple of them right here in Arizona and nobody knows. And I will tell you what, they are going to be defeated as sure as you are sitting there, they are going to be defeated in the primaries by real Republicans. You have secretaries of state certified election results that were highly inaccurate. And even fraudulent they are certifying elections where the numbers are fraudulent. You have poll watches, as I said, who were illegally blocked from vote counting in Philadelphia, Detroit, and many, many other cities.


You say all these different things. A lot of people talking about the machines, I say, you know what? Too complex, you do not need them. They cheated in so many different ways. You do not have to be a great scientist from MIT. They cheated in so many different ways. People were caught on camera illegally running ballots multiple times through voting counting machines. And remember, I am not the one trying to undermine American democracy. I am the one trying to save American democracy. I am trying to save it. Our country is being destroyed by people who have no right to destroy it. People that won an election illegally. They lost in a landslide. Joe Biden and the radical Democrats are wrecking our nation. We went from the strongest border ever to the weakest border ever. Illegal aliens are pouring in, in record numbers. Critical race theory is being forced into every facet of our society. Men are being allowed to compete in women's sports. How do you like that? Did you see the weightlifter? I hate to tell you this women, but he shattered your longstanding record. This guy gets up boom, boom, like a nine year record, sonny, a nine year record. Did he do it with one hand? If I were a coach, I will tell ya. I would not be talking to too many women as we know women. I'd be getting some of these people that they are women. Somebody said that if LeBron James ever decided to get the operation, how would he be? How would he be on the court? And by the way, LeBron James, you can have him. Did you see the basketball ratings, which were terrible. It is in sports and people do not want to see it. They want to see athletes. They want to see competition. But the last thing they want to see is men competing in women's sports. I hate to say it. I hate to say, you are going to have a coach have a full team. And that team is going to win the national championship so easily, you are not going to have women competing. They are taking away your rights. And now they just allowed it to happen in the Olympics. Our infrastructure is being hacked by foreign countries left and right. Thousands of rockets are being fired at Israel. And Joe Biden is allowing America to be pushed around and laughed at all over the world.


In addition to all of our work, to hold Democrats accountable for their election fraud, which is massive, we must fight harder than ever before to win a colossal victory for America first Republicans, next year we have to, but again, you have to solve this problem. We are going to work our asses off. But you have to solve this problem. We must reclaim the House. We must reclaim the Senate. Last year, Republicans made massive gains. I got no credit from these people. I made 58 phone calls, 58. Everybody I made it to did so great. In the House, we were expected to lose 25 to 35 seats. And instead of losing 25 to 35 seats, we lost for the first time in many decades, zero seats. And in fact, we shockingly gained 16 seats. And in the Senate, without my involvement, it would right now be 60/40 with the Democrats in the lead. Nobody likes to talk about that. We had such an incredible evening in the election. We did so well in the election. They like to say, I will tell you, you had a gentleman here, a legislator here who said Thank you. And I love you too. He said, Sir, I was prepared to lose my election, people that you know. I did not know him. I spoke to him for the first time. He said, I was prepared to lose my election. Then I went to one of your rallies. And I saw the level of enthusiasm with thousands of people unable to get in. I saw the enthusiasm, but I was very much prepared. He has been there for a long time. Then he said, And then the night before the election, I walked outside with my wife. They had ENTITY Pence and ENTITY, but they had all of these signs and they had the American flag and everybody was going wild. I said 'Darling, I think I am going to win the election.' And the next day, sir, I won the election and I won my district by a lot. And you lost my district. And there was no way that I got more votes than you. You got far more votes than I did, sir. And I said to my wife, 'This election is rigged.' And what the fake news goes around saying is the reason we did so well in legislatures, the reason we did so well in Congress with not any loss, but all of these gains, I guess it was 16.


All of these gains and the Senate, we did very well. Even though Mitch McConnell should not have said, We will not give 25 cents more than $600. And the other side said, We will give you 2000. Like it or not, that is not good politics. And frankly, they were going to get it anyway. He did ads where he was in the ad and he is not a popular guy. So we should have won those seats. But if you just forget those two seats, we would have been 60/40. And what they try and do is say, Well, the reason we won all Did not we win every legislature in the country? The reason we won is because the legislators were far more popular than ENTITY. No, it is not that, that is why I tell you that rather long story, because we carried them in, but they did not give me and the presidency, they did not give us the votes. Right here in Arizona, we must fire one of the most extreme leftists in Congress, your radical Democrat Senator Mark Kelly. It is that he does not care about the border. With all the time I spent winning the legal stuff, I think we had 11 lawsuits, we won them all, and then I could start. It would have been so much easier, but I never heard from him. He could not care less about your border and your border in Arizona is one big We did such a great job, but he did absolutely nothing. Kelly has done nothing to protect your state. And if you look at the Biden border crisis and it is beyond a crisis, they are saying, Oh, do not use the word crisis. He is completely owned and controlled by Pelosi and Schumer. Now, the socialist Democrats and communists are trying to include amnesty in their reconciliation bill, which would turbocharge the crisis and neither Mark Kelly, nor anybody on the democratic side They are all fake moderates. They say they do not say a word about it. You are getting it worse than most because you are on the border. With us today are a few of the Republican candidates running to beat Mark Kelly next year. Thank you, Blake, good, you are doing well. Also with us, are Arizona's gubernatorial candidates, Matt Salmon. This could be a big night for you. I have to tell you, maybe the most pleasure I will get out of any introductions tonight because these guys are warriors. They love your state. They love this country.


We are thrilled to be joined by several of our really best people in Congress. They happen to reside in a place called Arizona. First of all, Andy Biggs, where is Andy? You are so lucky to have these three guys. And a woman that I have fallen in love with and the first lady is very upset about it. What she did during the impeachment, especially the impeachment hoax number one, she made a name for herself. She did not do it for herself. She did it for this country. I actually said, Do we have our stars? They would not miss it. But I appreciate it. You are warriors and you love this country. When we win giant Republican victories and reclaim control over Congress and really reclaim it over our country, we will halt the radical Biden agenda in its tracks. By the way, remember, I used to say, it is going to be worse? He cannot believe it. They never talked about this. They never talked about closing up the pipeline the following day. He talked about, We are going to study it. We are going to look at it. No, he did that, got some votes and he closed it. How about the union where they endorsed Biden? And I said, You know you are going to get screwed, but they have always been with Democrats, but you know what? The voters are with me. The voters are with me and the workers. The workers are with me and with us, we will stop the federal takeover of elections and stop the Democrat attack on voter ID. Did you see the disinformation campaign? So they do a poll the other day and it showed voter ID, Andy, is it 88%, including Democrats, it is 88%. Everybody wants voter ID. Who does not want it? You go to the grocery store, you give a picture, do anything you do. You give a picture. Voter ID is at 88%. So here is their line, all of a sudden, we do not want a voter ID. Then one day they pass it on and the press plays along. We have always wanted voter ID. We have always wanted it. It is the Republicans who do not want it. And they had the same thing with defund the police. We want to defund the police. We will defund the police. Now crime is at the highest it is ever been in history.


They have treated our great law enforcement, I just met a lot of them backstage, so badly with so little respect, but it is a very unpopular thing. They did not know that. Who the hell would not know that? I am telling you, they have got advantages, but they are dumb in a lot of ways, their policy is so bad. So now they are saying, you guys see that, It was the Republicans that wanted to defund the police. It is just like Russia, Russia, Russia. They make up stuff. I watched that shifty shift go up to the microphone. It is extremely important to save our country. ENTITY is a paid employee of Russia. And you know what they say, if they say it over and over and over again, in a year from now, a lot of people are not going to remember who wanted to defend the police and who did it. And they are not going to remember about voter ID, Andy. And we got to be careful with that. Paul, we got to be careful with that. You are not going to let it, but that is what they do. They make up a lot of crap and they say it over and over and over. The Republicans are against a very serious and a very sick enemy. We will end Joe Biden's war on American energy and ensure that the United States remains the dominant energy superpower on earth. Can you imagine they are out negotiated with OPEC again? We did not need OPEC. That is why I was taking everybody out of the Middle East because we needed the Middle East for oil. Now we need the Middle East for oil again. We will break up the big tech monopolies. And we will immediately shut down Joe Biden's border disaster. And we are going to end, by the way, catch and release. I ended catch and release. You catch a criminal and you take his name or whoever, you take his name, her name, and you release them into our country. You release them. We did something slightly better. We have stayed in Mexico. And we will restore our southern border. We want to remain, let them remain in Mexico. The people, they are all over the United States, your border, and you are getting hit hard, probably harder, much harder, but all over the country, you can go to Iowa. You can go to all over the country. Big crime wave is coming out of it.