America Chooses Independence Over Global Government
September 26, 2018
"The U.S. won’t tell you how to live, work, or worship. We ask you to honor our sovereignty in return."
One year ago I stood before you for the first time in this grand hall, I addressed the threats facing our world, and presented some options to reach a better future.
Today I want to share the extraordinary progress we made. In two years my administration has achieved more than any administration had achieved before in history.
The American economy is booming like never before, the stock market is thriving, unemployment is at a historic low. We operated the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history. We strengthened our border security, our military will soon be more powerful than it has ever been before.
The United States is stronger, safer and richer than when I assumed office two years ago. We are standing up for America and the American people and for the world.
This is great news for our citizens and for peace loving people everywhere. When nations respect each other, they can work together for prosperity and peace. Each of us here is an emissary of the own culture, history, values that make our homeland like nowhere else on earth.
America chooses independence and cooperation over global government, each must pursue its own customs. The U.S. won’t tell you how to live, work, or worship. We ask you to honor our sovereignty in return. My highest honor is to represent the U.S. abroad. I forged strong alliances with the leaders of many nations.
We have engaged with North Korea to replace the spectre of conflict with a bold new push for peace. In June in Singapore I met with the leader of North Korea and had a highly productive conversation. We agreed that denuclearization was in both countries’ interests. A number of encouraging measures were taken since. Missiles and rockets are no longer flying in every direction. Some military facilities were dismantled. Hostages were released. I would like to thank Kim for his courage and for the steps he has taken though much work is yet to be done. Sanctions will stay in place till deneclearization occurs. This moment is far greater than people would understand. I thank the Presidents of South Korea, Japan and China for their support.
In the Middle East historic change has happened thanks to our approach. Gulf counties are enforcing new sanctions to identify and track terrorist networks and extremists in their own region.
The UAI and Saudi Arabia and Qatar have pledged billions of dollars for Syria and Yemen, and are attempting multiple avenues to end the horrific civil war in Yemen. It is up to the nations to decide what kind of future they want. The U.S. is working with the Gulf cooperation council, with Jordan and Egypt to increase prosperity.
Thanks to the U.S. military and its partnership with many of your nations, ISIS was driven out from territories in Syria and Iraq. We will continue to work to deny them funding and means of infiltrating. The ongoing tragedy in Syria is heartbreaking. Deescalation is needed as well as a political solution that honors the Syrian people. The UN peace process must be reinvigorated. If chemical weapons are deployed, there must be a response.
People in Jordan and around Syria must be praised for hosting refugees from this brutal civil war. Being as close to home as possible the refugees can be part of the rebuilding process. Every solution to the humanitarian crisis in Syria must include a strategy to address the brutal regime.
Another issue is the corrupt dictatorship of Iran. They cause chaos, death and destruction, they do not respect neighbors’ borders and the sovereign rights of nations. They plunder nations’ resources to enrich themselves and spread bad across the region. Their leaders have embezzled millions of dollars from the Iranian treasures, sent proxies to wage wars, not good! Their regional agenda is aggression and expansion. That’s why many supported me in withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal and in reimposing nuclear sanctions. The deal was a win for Iran leaders, their military budget grew 40 percent since deal was reached, they increased internal repression, financed terrorism, in Syria and Yemen. U.S. launched a campaign of economic pressure on Iran to deny the regime funds it needs to advance its bloody agenda.
We began reimposing the sanctions lifted after the deal, on November 6 there will be more sanctions, and more will follow. We want countries that import Iran crude oil to stop.