Im Nora Odonnell with my colleagues gayle king and john dickerson. Well check in with jeff in just a moment. Were awaiting the house sergeant of arms to announce the president s entrance into the chamber, one of the important symbols on this symbolic night, one of the most traditional roles. White house aides have promised President Trumps speech will seek to unify, but what does that mean . They seem to be in a great mood, lots of handshakes and smiles on both sides of the aisle. This is a very important moment for President Trump. He can celebrate a big win on his tax overhaul. The president s first guests are sitting in the first section including a welder from ohio who says he benefits from the tax cuts, the parents of the victims of the ms13 street gangs and some victims from the hurricanes and the wildfires. Ambassador haley, nicky mcgahn following her into the chamber. The president said his speech will be about bringing people together. Hes trying to kick off his second year in office by making some moves on trade, get increased defense spending. Jeff glor is on capitol hill. Were seeing Melania Trump for the first time tonight. There she is indeed. Jeff glor is on capitol hill and, jeff, we spent some time today with the president. He really tried to make the case that he wanted this to be a unifying speech. Reporter yeah, nora, a few very interesting moments as we both saw earlier. The president was asked what hes learned in his first year in office. He told us governing requires a lot of heart and compression far beyond money which was he said his focus as a businessman. He cited the i he did cite the immigration issue saying it would be very easy to solve it. It was purely a business matter, but he said he tries to put himself in the position of millions of people who are affected by this and has to add he believes more heart and soul in those decisions in the year ahead more than he thought he had to to start. So it was a more reflective president at times earlier today. Today. Chief white house corre chief White House CorrespondentMajor Garrett is just down the street and he has more information now on how this speech came together. Major . Jor . Jeff, president reporter jeff, President Trumps advisors and Congressional Republicans ive spoken to today say in addition to unity and bipartisanship is the overriding goal the president s speech tonight is to put the first year of his presidency in context. They mean emphasize what they regard as the president s effectiveness on the economy at home and also his skills and effectiveness on National Security, especially relating to degrading isis in iraq and syria. They also hope the president can persuade the nation, if only for a night, to forget their memories of his volatility and occasional pettiness in that first year. Immigration will loom large in this speech because it was the triggering cause of that partial Government Shutdown that just ended and it could be a trigger for one a couple weeks from now. The president will Tell Congress he wants a bipartisan compromise but will need their help to achieve it. The speech came together over the last three weeks. Chief speechwriter Stephen Miller put it together with help from h. R. Mcmaster, National Security adviser, and the president s security advisor gary cohen. The president is just about to walk into the chamber now. The chamber now. [applause] the president of the united [ applause ] mr. Speaker, the president of the United States [cheering [ cheering and applause ] [ applause ] its interesting to listen to some of these conversations as the president first walks in. There has been a lot of talk today about unity. Nancy cordes joins us, chief congressional correspondent. Is there an issue right now democrats and republicans can come together on . The first issue they need to come together on is immigration. Nothing else can happen until they settle this issue of the socalled dreamers and thats because democrats are simply not going to lend their votes to other things like increasing military spending until that is off of the plate of congress and this is such a fraught issue as you know. The president is going to talk a lot tonight about infrastructure and that is an issue that excites leaders from both sides. The challenge is hes got a lot of members in his own party who worry about too much government spending. So he has really scaled back his goals to about 200 billion in federal funds over 10 years. Democrats say thats a drop in the bucket. In fact, one democratic senator pointed out to me tonight thats less money per year than he wants for the first year of wall funding, the border wall he wants to build. When youre talking about an entire country in need of infrastructure reform, its not going to go very far. The first lady again spending time here on the hill. That is a big point of discussion now, how much Infrastructure Spending is private versus public spending and as the president makes his way along there, we will head back to new york for now. Nora . Jeff, thank you so much. There you see the president , just four members of the Supreme Court joining him tonight. You see the chief justice there, Justice Roberts there, and Justice Gorsuch who he appointed, certainly the white house viewing that as a big moment for the president this past year placing him on the Supreme Court. Some of the themes we have from white hou some of the themes that we have heard from white house officials, the president tonight will declare our new american moment. E has never been a time to saying there has never been a better time to start living the American Dream. Greeting, of course, the vice er of the greeting, of course, the Vice President and House Speaker paul ryan, two men who served together 12 years in the house and actually know each other well. Now President Trump in his first state of the Union Address. [ applause ] handing copies of his speech to the speaker and Vice President and another round of applause. [ applause ] he really seems to be soaking in this moment. We should note there are a number of democrats boycotting the speech tonight. Many of the Democratic Women are wearing black. It is a sign they want to show unity to victims of Sexual Assault and recognize the me too movement that is sweeping the nation now. Looks like the democrats are not joining in the applause. The white house said the president s speech is 15 minutes, but that probably doesnt account for moments like this where there will be extended applause. The big question, will he go off script tonight or stick with his script . Heres the president of the United States. Members of congress, i have the high privilege and the distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States. [ cheering and applause ] mr. Speaker, mr. Vice mr. Speaker, mr. Vice president , members of congress, first lady of the United States and my fellow americans, less than one year has passed since i first stood at this podium in this majestic chamber to speak on behalf of the American People and to address their concerns, their hopes and their dreams. That night our n that night our new administration had already taken very swift action. A new tide of optimism was already sweeping across our land. Nd. Each day since we hav gone each day since we have gone forward with a clear vision and a Righteous Mission to make America Great again for all americans. [cheering and [ applause ] the last year we over the last year we have made incredible progress and achieved extraordinary success. We have faced challenges we expected and others we could never have imagined. We have shared in the heights of victory and the pains of hardship. We have endured floods and fires and storms, but through it all we have seen the beauty of americas soul and the steel in americas spine. Each test has forged n each test has forged new american heros to remind us who we are and show us what we can be. We saw the of we saw the volunteers of the cajun navy racing to the rescue with their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a totally devastating hurricane. Strangers shielding s from a hail we saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire on the las vegas strip. We heard tales of americans like coastguard petty officer ashlee lepper who is here tonight in the gallery with melania. [ applause ] ashley was f the ashlee was aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in houston during the hurricane harvey. Through 18 hours of wind and rain ashlee braved live power lines and deep water to help save more than 40 lives. Ashley, we all t ashlee, we all thank you. Thank you very much. [ applause ] e we heard about americans like Firefighter David dahlberg. Hes here with us, also. David faced down walls of flame to rescue almost 60 children trapped in a california summer camp threatened by those devastating wildfires. Ting to everyone still recovering in texas, florida, louisiana, puerto rico and the virgian islands, everywhere we are with you. We love you and we always will pull through together always. [ applause ] thank you to david and the brave people of california. Thank you very much, david. Great job. Some trials over the past year touched this chamber very personally. With us tonight is one of the toughest people ever to serve in this house, a guy who took a bullet, almost died and was back to work 3 1 2 months later, the legend from louisiana, congressman steve scalise. [cheerin [ applause ] i think they like you, steve. [ laughter ] i think t were incredibly grateful for the heroic efforts of the Capital Police officers, the Alexandria Police and the doctors, nurses and paramedics who saved his life and the lives of many others, some in this room. Oom, in and the aftermath yes, yes. [ applause ] in the aftermath of that terrible shooting we came together not as republicans or democrats, but as representatives of the people, but it is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. L tonight i call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out Common Ground and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people. This is really the key. These are the people we were elected to serve. applause [ applause ] thank you. Over the last year the world has seen what we always have known, that no people on earth are so fearless or daring or determined as americans. If there is a mountain, we climb it. A frontier, we cro if there is a frontier, we cross it. There is a challenge, we tame it. Re is if theres a challenge, we tame it. If theres an opportunity, we seize it. s begin tonight b so lets begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our union is strong because our people are strong. [ applause ] and together we are building a safe, strong and proud america. Since the have since the election we have created 2. 4 million new jobs including [ applause ] including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. Tremendous tremendous number. [ applause ] after years and years of wage stagnation we are finally seeing rising wages. [ applause ] unemployment claims have hit a 45 year low. [ applause ] pplause thats something im very and something im very proud of, African American unemployment stands at the low e rate lowest rate ever recorded. [ cheering and applause ] and hispanic american unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history. [ applause ] Small Business confidence is at an all time high. The stock market has smashed one record after another gaining 8 trillion and more in value in just this short period of time. The great news [ applause ] the great news for americans, 401k, retirement pension and College Savings accounts have gone through the roof and just as i promised the American People from this podium 11 months ago, enacted the biggest tax cuts we enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in american history. cheering and pplause [ applause ] [ cheering and applause ] ive tax cuts provide our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middle class and Small Business to lower tax rates for hard working americans. We nearly doubled the standard deduction for everyone. [ applause ] now the first 24,000 earned by a married couple is completely tax free. [ cheering and applause ] we a we also doubled the child tax credit. [ applause ] a typical family a typical family of four making 75,000 will see their tax bill reduced by 2,000 slashing their tax bill in half. cheers [ applause ] in april this will be the last time you will ever file under the old and very broken system and millions of americans will have more take home pay starting next month, a lot more. [ cheering and applause ] applau [ applause ] we eliminated especially we eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on americans making less than 50,000 a year forcing them to pay tremendous penalties simply because they couldnt afford governmentordered health plans. We repealed the core of the disastrous obamacare, the individual mandate is now gone. cheers and applaus [ cheering and applause ] we slashed we slashed the business tax rate from 35 all the way down to 21 so American Companies can compete and win against anyone else anywhere in the world. [ applause ] these changes alone are estimated to increase average Family Income by more than 4,000, a lot of money. [ applause ] Small Businesses have also received a massive tax cut and can now deduct 20 of their business income. Here tonight are steve stout and sandy keplinger, stout manufacturing in ohio, a small beautiful business in ohio. Theyve just finished their 20th year. [ applause ] [ applause ] because of tax r because of tax reform they are handing out raises, hiring an additional 14 people and expanding into the building nextdoor. Good feeling. Good feeling. applause [ applause ] one one of their employees, cory adams, is also with us tonight. Cory is an all american worker. He supported himself through high school, lost his job during the 2008 recession and was later hir ed by staub where he trained to become a welder. Like many hard working americans, cory plans to invest his tax cut raise into his new home and his two daughters education. Cory, please stand. [ applause ] [ applause ] and he welder. And hes a great welder. I was told man t i was told that by the man that owns that company thats doing so well. So congratulations, cory. Since we passed tax since we passed tax cuts roughly 3 million workers have already gotten tax cut bonuses. Many of them are thousands and thousands of dollars per worker and its getting more every month every week. Apple has Just Announced it plans to invest a total of 350 billion in america and hire another 20,000 workers. [ cheering and applause ] and just a while just a little while ago exxon mobil announced a 50 billion investment in the United States, just a little while ago. applause [ applause ] our this, in fact, is our new american moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American Dream. So to every watching at so to every citizen watching at home tonight no matter where youve been or where youve come from, this is your time. Ork f you if you work hard, if you believe in yourself, if you believe in america, you can dream anything. You can be anything and together we can achieve absolutely anything. [ applause ] what kin of tonight i want to talk about what kind of future were going to have and what kind of a nation were going to be. S together as team, all of us together as one team, one people and one american family, can do anything. We all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny and the same Great American flag. cheers and app [ applause ] together we are rediscovering the american way. In america we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of american life. The motto is in god we trust. [ applause ] celebrate our and we celebrate our police, our military and our amazing veterans as heroes who deserve our total and unwavering support. [ cheering and applause ] here is here tonight is preston sharp, a 12yearold boy from redding, california, who noticed that veterans graves were not marked with flags on veterans day. Veterans day. He decided all by himself to change that and started a movement that has now placed 40,000 flags at the graves of our great heroes. Preston, a job well done. cheers and applause [ cheering and applause ] young patriots like ch al young patriots like preston teach all of us about our civic duty as americans and i met preston a little while ago and he is something very special. That i can tell you, great future. Thank you very much for all youve done, preston. Thank you very much. [ applause ] prestons reverence for those who have served our nation reminds us of why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our hearts for the pledge of allegiance and why we proudly stand for the national anthem. [ cheering and applause ] ir americans love their country and they deserve a government that shows them the same love and loyalty in return. Almost for the last year we have sought to restore the bonds of trust between our citizens and their government. Working with the senate we are appointing judges who will interpret the constitution as written including a great new Supreme Court justice and more Circuit Court judges than any new administration in the history of our country. [ cheering and applause ] we are totally defending we are totally defending our 2nd amendment and have taken historic actions to protect religious liberty. [ cheering and applause ] and we are serving our brave veterans including giving our veterans choice in their healthcare decisions. [ applause ] last year congres last Year Congress also passed and i signed the landmark va accountability act. [ applause ] since my since its passage my administration has already removed more than 1,500 va employees who failed to give our veterans the care they deserve and we are hiring talented people who love our vets as much as we do. [ applause ] and i will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of which has been my promise to them from the very beginning of this great journey. appl [ applause ] all americans deserve accountability and respect and thats what we are giving to our wonderful heroes, our veterans. Thank you. [ applause ] so tonight i call on congress to empower every cabinet secretary with the authority to reward good workers and to remove federal employees who undermine the public trust or fail the American People. [ cheering and applause ] in our drive to make washington accountable, we have eliminated more regulations in our first year than any administration in the history of our country. [ cheering and applause ] we have ended we have ended the war on American Energy and we have ended the war on beautiful, clean coal. [ cheering and applause ] we are now very proudly an exporter of energy to the world. [ cheering and applause ] in detroit i halted government mandates that crippled americas great, beautiful auto workers so that we can get motor city revving its engines again and thats whats happening. Revving its engin [ cheering and applause ] many Car Companies are now building and expanding plants in the United States, something we havent seen for decades. Chrysler is moving a major plant from mexico to michigan. Toyota and mazda are opening up a plant in alabama, a big one, and we havent seen this in a long time. Its all coming back. cheers and a [ cheering and applause ] very soon auto plants and other plants will be opening up all over our country. This is all news americans are totally unaccustomed to hearing. For many Years Companies and jobs were only leaving us, but now they are roaring back. Theyre coming back. They want to be where the action is. They want to be in the United States of america. Thats where they want to be. [ cheering and applause ] ex happening exciting progress is happening every single day. To speed access, to break through cures and affordable generic drugs, last year the fda approved more new and generic drugs and medical devices than ever before in our countrys history. Se [ applause ] we also bel we also believe that patience with terminal conditions, terminal illness, should have patients with terminal conditions, terminal illness, should have access to experimental treatment immediately that could potentially save their lives. People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. E i want to give them a chance right here at home. Its time for congress to give these wonderful, incredible americans the right to try. [ cheering and applause ] one of my greatest priorities is to reduce the price of prescription drugs. [ cheering and applause ] in many other es these in many other countries these drugs cost far less than what we pay in the United States and its very, very unfair. Have directed that is why ive directed my administration to make fixing the injustice of high drug prices one of my Top Priorities for the year. [ applause ] and prices will come down substantially. Watch. America has also ly turned america has also finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our jobs and our wealth. Our nation has lost its wealth, but were getting it back so fast. The era of economic surrender is totally over. From now on we expect trading relationships to be fair and very importantly, reciprocal. [ applause ] we will work to fix bad trade deals and negotiate new ones and theyll be good ones, but theyll be fair and we will protect American Workers and American Intellectual property through strong enforcement of our trade rules. Rules. [ applause ] as we rebuild our industries, it is also time to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. [ applause ] america is a america is a nation of builders. We built the Empire State Building in just 1 year. Isnt it a disgrace that it can now take 10 years just to get a minor permanent approved for the building of a simple road . [ applause ] i am asking both parties to come together to give us safe, fast, reliable and modern infrastructure that our economy needs and our people deserve. [ applause ] m calling on congress tonight im calling on congress to produce a bill that generates at least 1. 5 trillion for the new Infrastructure Investment that our country so desperately needs. Every federal dollar should be leveraged by partnering with state and local governments and where appropriate tapping into private Sector Investment to permanently fix the infrastructure deficit and we can do it. applause [ applause ] any bill must also streamline the permitting and approval process getting it down to no more than two years and perhaps even one. Together we can reclaim our great building heritage. [ applause ] we will build gleaming new we will build gleaming new roads, bridges, highways, railways and waterways all across our land and we will do it with american heart and american hands and american grit. [ applause ] y american to know we want every american to know the dignity of a hard days work. We want every child to be safe in their home at night and we want every citizen to be proud of this land that we all love so much. Can lift we can lift our citizens from welfare to work, from dependence to independence and from poverty to prosperity. co [ applause ] as tax cuts create new jobs, lets invest in Workforce Development and lets invest in job training, which we need so badly. [ applause ] lets open great vocational schools so our future workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential. [ cheering and applause ] applause and lets families by lets support working families by supporting paid family leave. [ cheering and applause ] ca regains its as america regains its strength, opportunity must be extended to all citizens. That is why this year we will embark on reforming our prisons to help former inmates who have served their time get a Second Chance at life. applau [ cheering and applause ] struggling communities, especially immigrant communities, will also be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best interests of American Workers and american families. Decades open e for decades open borders have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities. Owed millions of lowwage wor theyve allowed millions of low wage workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest americans. Most tragically, they have caused the loss of many innocent lives. Here tonight are two fathers and two mothers, evelyn rodriguez, freddie quos, Elizabeth Alvarado and robert mickens, their two teenage daughters were Close Friends on long island. , but in september 2016, but in september, 2016 on the eve of nieces 16th birthday, such a happy time it should have been, neither of them came home. Of them came ho these two pre these two precious girls were brutally murdered while walking together in their hometown. Six members of the savage ms13 gang have been charged with kayla and nieces murders. Neesas murders. Many of these many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as illegal, unaccompanied alien minors and wound up in kayla and nieces high school. Evelyn, liz best, freddy evelyn, lived elizabeth, freddie and robert, tonight everyone in this chamber is praying for you. Everyone in america is grieving for you. Please stand. Thank you very much. [ applause ] you to i want you to know that 320 million hearts are right now breaking for you. We love you. Thank you. [ applause ] annot imagine the while we cannot imagine the depths of that kind of sorrow, we can make sure that other families never have to endure this kind of pain. Tonight i am calling on congress to finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed ms13 and other criminal gangs to break into our country. We have proposed new legislation that will fix our immigration laws and support our i. C. E. And Border Patrol agents. These are great people. These are great, great people that work so hard in the midst of such danger. Can never n so that this can never happen again. [ applause ] the United States is a the United States is a compassionate nation. We are proud that we do more than any other country anywhere in the world to help the needy, the struggling and the underprivileged all over the world, but as president of the United States, my highest loyalty, my greatest compassion, my constant concern, is for americas children, americas struggling workers and americas forgotten communities. I want our youth grow i want our youth to grow up to achieve great things. Their i want our poor to have their chance to rise. Extendi so tonight i am extending an open land to work with members of both hand to work with members of both parties, democrats and republicans, to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion and creed. [ applause ] my duty and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber is to defend americans, to protect their safety, their families, their communities and their right to the American Dream because americans are dreamers, too. [ cheering and applause ] here tonight is one leader in the either to defend our country, Homeland Security special agent cj hermosillo who served 15 years in the air force before becoming an i. C. E. Agent and spent the last 15 years fighting Gang Violence and getting dangerous criminals off of our streets, tough job. At one point ms13 leaders ordered cjs murder and they wanted it to happen quickly, but he did not cave to threats or to fear. Last may he commanded an operation to track down gang members on long island. His team has arrested nearly 400 including more than 220 ms 13 gang members. Members. I have to i have to tell you what the Border Patrol and i. C. E. Have done, we have sent thousands and thousands and thousands of ms13 horrible people out of this country or into our prisons. So i just want to congratulate you, cj. Youre a brave guy. Thank you very much. [ applause ] and i asked cj whats the secret . He said were just tougher than they are and i like that answer. [ laughter ] [ applause ] you and all of the people in this great chamber, we have to do it. Cj, were going to send you reinforcements and were going to send them to you quickly. Thats what you need. Over the next few week the house and senate will be voting on an Immigration Reform package. In recent months my administration has met extensively with both democrats and republicans to craft a bipartisan approach to Immigration Reform. Se discussions, based on these discussions, we presented congress with a detailed proposal that should be supported by both parties as a fair compromise, one where nobody gets everything they want but where our country gets the Critical Reforms it needs and must have. applause [ applause ] here are the four pillars of our plan. The first pillar of our framework generously offers a path to citizenship for 1. 8 million Illegal Immigrants who are brought here by their parents at a young age. That covers almost three times more people than the Previous Administration covered. [ applause ] under our plan those who meet education and work requirements and show good moral character will be able to become full citizens of the United States over a 12 year period. [ applause ] the second pillar fully the border. Thesecond pillar fully secures the border. [ applause ] that means building a great wall on the southern border and it means hiring more heroes like cj to keep our communities safe. Safe. Applause [ applause ] crucially our plan closes the terrible loopholes exploited by criminals and terrorists who enter our country and it finally ends the horrible and dangerous practice of catch and release. [ applause ] the third pillar ends the visa lottery, a program that randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, merit or the safety of American People. [ applause ] its time to begin moving toward a meritbased immigration system, one that admits people who are skilled, who want to work, who will contribute to our society and who will love and respect our country. applause [ applause ] the fourth pillar ends chain migration except for the nuclear family. Under the Current System an unlimited number of relatives are allowed. We limit sponsorship to spouses and minor children. [ applause ] vital this vital reform is necessary, not just for our economy, but for our security and for the future of america. In recent weeks two terrorist attacks in new york were made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration. In the age of terrorism these programs pres we can just no longer afford. Its time to reform. [ applause ] its time to reform these outdated immigration rules and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century. [ applause ] these four pillars represent a down the middle compromise andone that will create a safe, modern and lawful immigration system. For over 30 years washington has tried and failed to solve this problem. This congress can be the one that finally makes it happen. Happen. Most important most importantly, these four pillars will produce legislation that fulfills my iron clad pledge to sign a bill that puts america first. [ applause ] so lets come together, set politics aside and finally get the job done. E. applau [ applause ] reforms these reforms will also support our summon to the terrible Crisis Response to the terrible crisis of opioid and drug addiction. Never before has it been like it is now. It is terrible. We have to do something about it. About it. In 2016, lost in 2016 we lost 64,000 americans to drug overdoses. 174 deaths per day, seven per hour. We must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers if we are going to succeed in stopping this scourge. [ applause ] my administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and helping get treatment for those in need, for those who have been so terribly hurt. The struggle will be long and it will be difficult, but as americans always do, in the end we will succeed. We will prevail. Will applause [ applause ] as we have seen tonight, the most difficult challenges bring out the best in america. America. We see a exp we see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the holes family of new mexico. Ryan holes is27 years old, an officer with the Albuquerque Police department. Hes here tonight with his wife rebecca. Rebecca. applau [ applause ] thank you, ryan. Last year ryan was on duty when he saw a pregnant, homeless woman preparing to inject heroin. When ryan told her she was going to harm her unborn child, she began to weep. She told him she didnt know where to turn but badly wanted a safe home for her baby. In that moment ryan said he felt god speak to him. You will do it because you can. He heard those words. He took out a picture of his wife and their four kids. Then he went home to tell his wife rebecca. In an instant she agreed to adopt. The couple named their new daughter hope. Ryan and rebecca, you embody the goodness of our nation. Thank you. [ cheering and applause ] thank you, ryan and rebecca. As we reb as we rebuild americas strength and confidence at home, we are also restoring our strength and standing abroad. Abroad. Around the world around the world we face rogue regimes, terrorist groups and rivals like china and russia that challenge our interests, our economy and our values. In confronting these horrible dangers, we know that weakness is the surest path to conflict and unmatched power is the surest means to our true and great defense. Defense. For this reason i am asking congress to end the dangerous defense sequester and fully fund our great military. Militar [ cheering and applause ] as part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our Nuclear Arsenal hopefully never having to use it but making it so strong and so powerful that it will deter any acts of aggression by any other nation or anyone else. Else. applause [ applause ] perhaps someday in the future there will be a magical moment when the countries of the world will get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons. Unfortunately we are not there yet sadly. Year, last year i also pledged that we would work with our allies to extinguish isis from the face of the earth. One year later i am proud to report that the coalition to defeat isis has liberated very close to 100 of the territory just recently held by these killers in iraq and in syria and in other locations as well. applause [ applause ] but there is much more work to be done. We will continue our fight until isis is defeated. Apparently Staff Sergeant justin peck is here tonight. Near raqqa last November Justin and his comrade chief petty officer Kenton Stacey were on a mission to clear buildings that isis had rigged with explosives so that civilians could return to that city hopefully soon and hopefully safely. Clearing the second floor of a vital hospital Kenton Stacey was severely wounded by an explosion. Im i immediately justin bounded into the booby trap and unbelievably dangerous un booby trapped and unbelievably dangerous building and found kenton. He applied pressure to the wound and inserted a tube to reopen an airway. Airway. Performed he then performed cpr for 20 straight minutes during the Ground Transport and maintained artificial respiration through 2 1 2 hours and through emergency surgery. Surgery. Kenton stacy would have Kenton Stacey would have died if it were not for justins Selfless Love for his fellow warrior. Fellow warr kenton tonight kenton is recovering in texas. Raqqa is liberated and justin is wearing his new bronze star with a v for valor. Staff sergeant peck, all of america salutes you. [ cheering and applause ] te terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil. When possible, we job, thank you. To reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities in guantanamo bay. applause i am asking congress to ensure that in the fight against isis and al qaeda we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists wherever we chase them down, wherever we find th them. And in many cases, for them it will now be guantanamo bay. applause at the same time, as of a few months ago, our warriors in afghanistan have new rules of engagement. applause along with their heroic afghan partners, our military is no longer undermi by [ technical difficulties ] longer tell our enemies our plans. applause last month, i also took an action endorsed unanimously by the u. S. S last month i also took an action endorsed unanimously by the u. S. Senate just months before. I recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel. [ cheering and applause ] shortly afterwards dozens of countries voted in the United NationsGeneral Assembly against americas sovereign right to make this decision. In 2016 american taxpayers generously sent those same countries more than 20 billion in aid. That is why that is why tonight im asking congress to pass legislation to help insure American Foreign assistance dollars always serve american interests and only go to friends of america, not enemies of america. Enemies of [ cheering and applause ] as we strengthen friendships all around the world, we are also restoring clarity about our adversaries. When the people of iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship, i did not stay silent. America stands with the people of iran in their courageous struggle for freedom. [ applause ] i am asking congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible iran nuclear deal. My administration has also imposed tough sanctions on the communist and socialist dictatorships in cuba and venezuela. [ applause ] but no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or brutally than the cruel dictatorship in north korea. North koreas reckless pursuit of Nuclear Missiles could very soon threaten our homeland. We are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happening. Past experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. Provocation. Will not i will not repeat the mistakes of past administrations that got us into this very dangerous position. We we need only look at the depraved character of the north korean regime to understand the nature of the Nuclear Threat it could pose to america and to our allies. Oto Otto Warmbier was a hard working student at the university of virginia and a great student he was. On his way to study abroad in asia, otto joined a tour to north korea. At its conclusion this wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state. After a shameful trial the dictatorship sentenced otto to 15 years of hard labor before returning him to america last june horribly injured and on the verge of death. He passed away he passed away just days after his return. Return. Ottos wonderful parents, fred and cindy warmbier, are here with us tonight along with ottos brother and sister, austin and greta. Please. [ applause ] incredible people. You are powerful witnesses to a menace that youre powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world and your strength truly inspires us all. Thank you very much. [ applause ] tonight we pledge to honor ottos memory with total american resolve. Thank you. [ applause ] finally we are joined by one more witness to the ominous nature of in regime. His name is mr. Ji sung in 1996 sung was a starving boy in north korea. One day he tried to steal coal from a railroad car to barter for a few scraps of food which were very hard to get. To get. Proce in the process he passed out on the train tracks exhausted from hunger. Hunger. As a he woke up as a train ran over his limbs. Limbs. He then endured multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain or the hurt. His brother and sister gave what little food they had to help him recover and ate dirt themselves permanently stunting their own growth. Later he was tortured by north korean authorities after returning from a brief visit to china. China. His tormenter his tormenters wanted to know if hed met any christians. He had and he resolved after that to be free. Free. Sung traveled thousands of miles on crutches all across china and Southeast Asia to freedom. Most of his family followed. His father was caught trying to escape and was tortured to death. Death. Today, he today he lives in seoul where he rescued other defectors and broadcasts into north korea what the regime fears most, the truth. Today he has a new leg, but sung i understand, you still keep those old crutches as a reminder of how far youve come. Your great sac your great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all. Please, thank you. [ applause ] [ cheering and applause ] about. Sung hos yearning is that of the yearning of the beginning of america. It was home to an incredible people with a revolutionary idea that they could rule themselves, that they could chart their own destiny and that together they could light up the entire world. That is what our country has always been about. That is what americans have always stood for, always strived for and always done. Capit atop the dome of this capitol stands the statue of freedom. She stands tall and dignified among the monuments to our ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect her, monuments to washington and jefferson and lincoln and king, memorials to the heroes of yorktown and saratoga, to Young Americans who shed their blood on the shores of normandy and the fields beyond and others who went down in the waters of the pacific and the skies all over asia and freedom stands tall over one more monument, this one, this capitol, this living monument. This is the monument to the American People. [ applause ] usa usa usa usa usa were a were a people whose heroes live not only in the past, but all around us defending hope, pride and defending the american way. They work in every trade. They sacrifice to raise a family. They care for our children at home. They defend our flag abroad and they are strong moms and brave kids. Kids are they are firefighters and Police Officers and border agents, medics and marines, but above all else, they are americans and this capital, this city, this nation, belongs entirely to them. Them. [ applause ] our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve them, to protect them and to always be worthy of them. Americans fill the world with art and music. They push the bounds of science and discovery and they forever remind us of what we should never, ever forget. Forget. The dreamed the people dreamed this country. The people built this country. He who are and its the people who are making America Great again. [ cheering and applause ] as long as we are proud of who we are and what we are fighting for, there is nothing we cannot achieve. As long as we have confidence in our values, faith in our citizens and trust in our god, we will never fail. Our families will thrive. Our people will prosper and our nation will forever be safe and strong and proud and mighty and free. Thank you and god bless america. Good night. ch [ cheering and applause ] and that was President Trump in his first state of the Union Address speaking for an hour and 20 minutes, lengthy state of the Union Address, but he knows that hes got a big audience, millions watching, and also one of the lowest Approval Ratings for any president in their first year in office. So this was as white house advisors billed it, an opportunity to try and move beyond his Political Base to try and present a unifying message and i was struck right at the beginning he talked about people other than himself. He talked about a firefighter, police officer, grieving parents and used that as a way to connect his entire speech. He front loaded the speech with all that drama there. When i interviewed him during the campaign, he talked about wanting to be a cheerleader of america. Thats what this was. He was a cheerleader of his policies and totaled up the wins, sometime bending the truth a little, but then he was a cheerleader for the country and all the stories he told about patriotism, the flag, the national anthem, this is why people gravitated towards his campaign. When they talked about unity, that is the unity theyre talking about. Paint a vision of america to which everybody will salute. Democrats will have heard plenty in this speech they will not salute. Thats why you saw so many grumpy faces when he talks about ms13, the gang, which is very important to him and his base. What democrats hear is they hear hes characterizing immigrants basically as violent predators. In terms of unity you need to put together an immigration deal and we should talk about that. Democrats, there is no bridge for them to cross in this picture of americans. Many of the democrats at many times look like they had bitten a couple of lemons even when he was saying thing most people agree wind chill he wants to fight isis, the opioid addiction, terrorism, reduce the price of prescription drugs. With each one of those causes he had an example to illustrate why its so important we do that and then hes going to call on congress, giving them money and resources to do so. I thought it was interesting that there was no mention at any time of russia or the investigation. I kept waiting for that to happen at some point. Why get in the way of his good story he was telling . Nora was saying he was casting this night. So this was his stage, no reason to bring any bad actors on the stage. I think this reality tv president was trying to create a new political reality for himself and take a giant eraser to all the divisive tweets and try to find a new way to communicate with the American People, but it doesnt erase what has been his record. The record does not erase the record that hes developed. And his instincts. Well go now to jeff glor and nancy cordes on the hill. Reporter gayle, thanks very much. I think a lot of the images from