[applause] jeanne: good afternoon. [applause] jeanne: and a very, very warm welcome to everyone here. a big thank you to we are messengers for their fantastic performance. i'm jeanne mancini and i'm honored to serve as president of the march for life. [applause] jeanne: on behalf of the board and our whole march for life team, i would like to welcome you to the 47th march for life, the largest annual human rights demonstration in the world. [applause] jeanne: we're going to begin by saying the pledge of allegiance, which is going to be led by a.j. delgrado, the grand knight of the georgetown council of the knights of columbus. "a.j."]ting a.j.: please face the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. and to the republic for which it stands. one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. thank you. [applause] jeanne: ok. now i'm delighted to welcome angelica park, miss san antonio's outstanding teen 2018 , who will lead us in the national anthem. say can you see? by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? and the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there o say does that star spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free [applause] and the home of the brave ♪ thank you, guys. god bless you all. [applause] jeanne: thank you, angelica. each year, we are grateful for the collaborative witness of our orthodox bishops and the roman catholic bishops in opening our rally in prayer. in continuing this proud tradition, i'm now very happy to welcome bishop apostolos of medeia, the greek orthodox archdiocese of america. he's joined on stage by the archbishop of kansas city, head of the united states catholic conference of bishops pro-life secretariat. [applause] >> dear brothers and sisters, year after year we come together in this beautiful city of washington, d.c., surrounded by crowds to offer prayers and bear witness to the sanctity of life, which was given to us by god, and of which we're to be good stewards. as christians, eastern orthodox, oriental orthodox, and roman catholics, we believe that based on the revelation mentioned in the holy scripture are the examples and teachings of the saints, our fathers and mothers in the faith. we join in this crucial fight not to condemn, but to encourage, not to attack, but to inspire. not to rebuke, but to promote the sanctity of life. the dignity of unborn children and all of human life. the sanctity of life is not only a social issue. it's a spiritual issue that must be addressed constantly and clearly because it touches the very fabric of humanity and salvation. in connection with a great sacrifice of our source of life itself, our lord and savior, jesus christ on the cross. thus, let us pray, inspired by the words of the divine liturgy of st. basil. in a gesture of remembrance of the love, let us say, o lord, who sanctifies those who put their trust in you, save your people and bless your inheritance. protect the whole body of your church. sanctify those who love the beauty of your creation. glorify them by your divine power and forsake us not who have set our hope in you. remember, lord, those living in chastity and godliness in a synthesism and holiness of life. remember, lord, this country, the president, and all those in public service whom we have allowed to govern on earth, grant them profound and lasting peace. speak to their hearts good things concerning your church and all your people through your faith the conduct of the duties we may live peaceful and serene lives in all piety and holiness. sustain the good in their goodness. make the wicked good through your goodness. remember, lord, the people here presented. have mercy on them and on us according to the multitude of your mercy. feed the treasurers with every good thing. preserve the emeritus in peace and harmony. protect the unborn. nurture the infants. instruct the youth. strengthen the elderly. give courage to the fainthearted. reunite those separated. sail with those who sail. travel with those who travel. defend the widows. protect the orphans. liberate the captives. heal the sick. remember, lord, those who are in mines, who are in exile, in harsh labor, and those in every kind of affliction, necessity, or distress. those who love us and those who hate us. remember, lord our god, your people and pour your rich mercy upon them rather than they petition for salvation. remember, o god, all those we have not remembered through ignorance, forgetfulness, or because of the multitude of sins. you know the name and age of each, even from their mother's womb. for you, lord, are the helper of the helpless. the hope of the hopeless. the savior of the afflicted. and the physician of the stick. be all things to all. you, who know each person, his request, his household, and his need. deliver this country, city, and county. o lord, every city and town from famine, disease, earthquake, flood, fire, war, invasion of our foreign enemies, and civil war. for every good and perfect gift is from above, coming from you, the father of light. to you, we give glory, thanksgiving, and worship to the father and to the son and to the holy spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages, amen. >> amen. [applause] jeanne: thank you so much. thank you, your grace. i'm very happy now to introduce to you a video from some people who are very often here at the march for life, the vice president and mrs. pence. they -- they only made this video the last few hours for you. they're overseas, but they wanted to send you a special message. vice pres. pence: hello, march for life. jeanne, members of the house and senate, faith leaders, and especially, all of the wonderful people of this pro-life generation, i'm vice president mike pence. mrs. pence: and i'm karen pence. >> and we are pro-life. mrs. pence: and we want to thank you for making the journey to our nation's capital for the largest pro-life gathering in the united states of america, the 47th annual march for life. our family has made it a priority to attend the march for life. vice pre. pence: we wish we could be with you today. right now, we're in rome at the vatican representing the united states of america. in fact, we just left a meeting with pope francis. and during our conversation, i thanked him for all that he and catholic americans have done to defend the sanctity of human life throughout the history of this movement. so, to all the proud catholics who i know are filling our national mall today, proudly carrying banners representing parishes all across this country. mrs. pence: and to all the people of faith today who are marching, we want to thank you for your witness. thank you for your compassion. and thank you for standing for life. your prayers have sustained this important movement for nearly 50 years. and we cannot be more proud to be on this journey with you. vice pres. pence: and in just a few moments, you're going to hear from the first president to ever address the march for life in person, president donald trump. you know, i could not be more proud to serve as vice president to the most pro-life president in american history. from reinstating the mexico city policy, defunding planned parenthood, to appointing principled conservative judges, the results speak for themselves. this movement has a champion in president donald trump and you always will. so even as our nation marks another sad anniversary, today is also a day of progress and a day of celebration. because thanks to your support, and thanks to the leadership of president donald trump, life is winning in america again. mrs. pence: life is winning through the compassion of caregivers and volunteers at pregnancy care centers across this country. and life is winning through the generosity of millions of adopted families who open their hearts and their homes to children in need. and life is winning because of the witness of hundreds of thousands of americans, from every background, who brave the cold to march for life. vice pres. pence: so keep standing strong and stand with that love and compassion that has always defined this movement for life. and know that this president and this administration will stand with you every day until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of american law. so, from our small family to yours, thank you for standing for life. [applause] ♪ [applause] jeanne: the 47th march for life marks a historic first. in just a few minutes, we will hear from the 45th president of the united states of america, the first president to join the march for life, president donald trump. [applause] jeanne: mr. president, we are happy to welcome you here. you will see that our marchers are full of passion and full of love and they are young. [applause] jeanne: they -- we are america's future. we want to make abortion unthinkable and we are grateful that you're pro-life. on behalf of our marchers, mr. president, i would like to thank you for your stand and your record. [applause] jeanne: mr. president, the march for life has come a long way. this huge gathering started around a kitchen table in 1974. since then, millions of americans have collectively stood up and stepped forward for life. this is the largest annual human rights demonstration in the entire world and now you are part of it. [applause] jeanne: every year, despite blizzards or subzero temperatures, the march gets bigger and younger. hundreds of thousands of pro-life americans travel to washington for this peaceful, enthusiastic, and loving witness to the inherent dignity of the human person. we are pro-life and we are pro-woman. [applause] jeanne: your presence here today, mr. president, makes a very powerful statement. you are the leader of the free world and you stand for life. thank you for being here. thank you for everything you have done for life. and thank you for everything you will be doing for life in the years ahead. [applause] jeanne: y'all, please join me in giving a warm welcome to the president of the united states of america, president donald trump. [applause] ♪ [applause] ♪ [playing "proud to be an american"] [applause] pres. trump: well, thank you very much and thank you, jeanne. it is my profound honor to be the first president in history to attend the march for life. [applause] pres. trump: we're here for a very simple reason, to defend the right of every child born and unborn, to fulfill their god-given potential. [applause] pres. trump: for 47 years, americans of all backgrounds have traveled from across the country to stand for life. and today, as president of the united states, i'm truly proud to stand with you. [applause] pres. trump: i want to welcome tens of thousands. this is a tremendous turnout. tens of thousands of high school and college students, who took a long bus rides to be here in our nation's capital. to make you feel even better, there are tens of thousands of people outside that we passed on the way in. if anybody would like to give up their spot, we can work it out. we have a tremendous group of people outside. thousands and thousands wanted to get in. this is some great success. [applause] pres. trump: young people are the heart of the march for life. and it's your generation that is making america the pro-family, pro-life nation. [applause] pres. trump: the life movement is led by strong women, amazing faith leaders, and brave students who carry on the legacy of pioneers before us who fought to raise the conscience of our nation and uphold the rights of our citizens. you embrace mothers with care and compassion. you are powered by prayer and motivated by pure, unselfish love. you're grateful and we're so grateful -- these are incredible people -- to be joined by secretary alex cesar and kellyanne conway. [applause] pres. trump: and thanks also to senators mike lee and james lankford, who are here. thank you, fellas. and representative steve scalise. [applause] pres. trump: chris smith. [applause] pres. trump: ralph abraham. [applause] pres. trump: warren davidson. [applause] pres. trump: bob latta. [applause] pres. trump: john joyce. [applause] pres. trump: lloyd smucker. [applause] pres. trump: brian fitzpatrick and brad wenstrup. thank you all. [applause] pres. trump: i have to say, we have many more politicians in the audience. if you don't mind, i won't introduce them all. all of us here understand an eternal truth. every child is a precious and sacred gift from god. [applause] pres. trump: together, we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life. [applause] pres. trump: when we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of god's creation. [applause] pres. trump: when we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. when we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul. one life changes the world. from my family -- and i can tell you, i send love, and i send great, great love. and from the first day in office, i have taken action to support america's families and to protect the unborn. [applause] pres. trump: and during my first week in office, i reinstated and expanded the mexico city policy and we issued a landmark pro-life rule to govern the use of title x taxpayer funding. [applause] pres. trump: i notified congress that i would veto any legislation that weakens pro-life policies or that encourages the destruction of human life. [applause] pres. trump: at the united nations, i made clear that global bureaucrats have no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that protect innocent life. [applause] pres. trump: unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the white house. [applause] pres. trump: and as the bible tells us, each person is wonderfully made. [applause] pres. trump: we have taken decisive action to protect the religious liberty, so important, religious liberty has been under attack all over the world and frankly, very strongly attacked in our nation. you see it better than anyone. but we are stopping it. and we are taking care of doctors, nurses, teachers, and groups like the little sisters of the poor. [applause] pres. trump: we are preserving faith-based adoption and to uphold our founding documents, we have confirmed 187 federal judges -- [applause] pres. trump: who apply the constitution as written, including two phenomenal supreme court justices. [applause] pres. trump: neil gorsuch and brett kavanaugh. [applause] pres. trump: we are protecting pro-life students's right to free speech on college campuses. and if universities want federal taxpayer dollars, then they must uphold your first amendment right to speak your mind. and if they don't, they pay a very big financial penalty, which they will not be willing to pay. [applause] pres. trump: sadly, the far-left is working to erase our god-given rights, shut down faith-based charities, ban religious believers from the public square, and silence americans who believe in the sanctity of life. they are coming after me because i am fighting for you and we are fighting for those who have no voice, and we will win because we know how to win. [applause] pres. trump: we all know how to win. we all know how to win. you've been winning for a long time. you've been winning for a long time. together, we are the voice for the voiceless. when it comes to abortion, and you know this. you've seen what's happened. democrats have embraced the most radical and extreme positions taken and seen in this country for years and decades. and you can even say, for centuries. nearly every top democrat in congress now supports taxpayer-funded abortion all the way up until the moment of birth. [booing] pres. trump: last year, lawmakers in new york cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb right up until delivery. [booing] pres. trump: then we had the case of the democrat governor in the state of virginia, the commonwealth of virginia. and we love the commonwealth of virginia, but what is going on in virginia? what is going on? the governor stated that he would execute a baby after birth. you remember that. senate democrats even blocked legislation that would give medical care to babies who survive attempted abortions. and that's why i call on congress, two of our great senators here, so many of our congressmen here. i called upon them to defend the dignity of life and to pass legislation prohibiting late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in their mother's womb. [applause] pres. trump: this year, the march for life is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which forever enshrined women's right to vote in the united states and given by the united states constitution. [applause] pres. trump: such a big event. today, millions of extraordinary women across america are using the power of their votes to fight for the right and all of their rights, as given in the declaration of independence, the right to life. [applause] pres. trump: to all the women here today, your devotion and your leadership uplifts our entire nation and we thank you for that. the tens of thousands of americans gathered today not only stand for life, it's really here that they stand for it so proudly together. and i want to thank everybody for that. you stand for life. each and every day. you provide housing, education, jobs, and medical care to the women that you serve. you find loving families for children in need of a forever home. you host baby showers for expecting moms. you make -- you just make it your life's mission to help spread god's grace. [applause] pres. trump: and to all the moms here today, we celebrate you. and we declare that mothers are heroes. [applause] pres. trump: your strength, devotion, and drive is what powers our nation. and because of you, our country has been blessed with amazing souls who have changed the course of human history. we cannot know what our citizens yet unborn will achieve. the dreams they will imagine, the masterpieces they will create, the discoveries they will make. but we know this. every life brings love into this world. every child brings joy to a family. every person is worth protecting. and above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of almighty god. [applause] pres. trump: together, we will defend this truth all across our magnificent land. we will set free the dreams of our people. and with determined hope, we look forward to all of the blessings that will come from the beauty, talent, purpose, nobility, and grace of every american child. i want to thank you. this is a very special moment. it's so great to represent you. i love you all. [applause] pres. trump: and i say with a true passion, thank you, god bless you, and god bless america. thank you all. thank you. [applause] ♪ getying "you can't always what you want"] jeanne: wow. [applause] jeanne: that just happened. [applause] jeanne: i have to say that that was a tough act to follow and now i'm going to make my remarks to you. i will make it quick because i don't think anything will surpass those remarks that we just heard from. every year presents different urgent and important challenges in the great battle of our time. the fight to end abortion. and this year is no exception. it's marked by profound confusion about what it means to be pro-woman. abortion, ending the life of an innocent human being is promoted as essential to women's freedom, empowerment, and progress. we know this message about women and abortion is both deceptive and hurtful. mother te