President Biden's full State of the Union address

thank you do good evening good evening if I were smart I go home now Mr Speaker Madame vice president members of Congress my fellow Americans in January 1941 Franklin Rosevelt came to this chamber to speak to the nation and he said I address you at a moment unprecedented in the history of the Union Hitler was on the March war was raging in Europe President Roosevelt's purpose was to wake up Congress and alert the American people that this was no ordinary time freedom and democracy we under assau

lt in the world tonight I come to this same chamber to address the nation now it's we who face unprecedent moment in the history of the union and yes my purpose tonight is to wake up the Congress and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment either not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been underall at home as they are today what makes our moment rare is the freedom of democracy are under attack at both at home and overseas at the very same time

overseas Putin of Russia is on the March invading Ukraine and sewing chaos throughout Europe and Beyond if anybody in this room thinks Putin will stop at Ukraine I assure you he will [Applause] [Music] not but [Applause] [Music] Ukraine Ukraine can stop [Music] Putin Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons that needs to defend [Music] itself that is all that is all Ukraine is asking they're not asking for American soldiers in fact there are no American soldiers a

t war in Ukraine and I'm determined to keep it that way but now assistance Ukraine is being blocked by those who want to walk away from our world leadership wasn't long ago when a Republican president named Ronald Reagan thundered Mr gorbachov tear down this wall [Music] now now my pressor a former Republican president tells Putin quote do what ever the hell you want that's a quote a former president actually said that bowing down to a Russian leader I think it's outrageous it's dangerous and it

's unacceptable America is a founding member of NATO the military Alliance of democratic nations created after World War II prevent to prevent war and keep the peace and today we've made NATO stronger than ever welcome Finland to the alliance last year and just this morning Sweden officially joined and their minister is here tonight stand up welcome welcome welcome welcome and they know how to fight Mr Prime Minister welcome to Nato the strongest military Alliance the world has ever seen I say t

his to Congress we have to stand up to Putin send me a bipartisan National Security Bill history is literally watching history is watching the United States walk away it will put Ukraine at risk Europe is at risk the Free World will be at risk emboldening others to do what they wish to do us harm my message to President Putin who I've known for a long time is simple we will not walk away we will not bow down I will not bow down in a literal sense history is watching history is watching just like

history watched three years ago on January 6th when Insurrection storm this very capital and plac a dager at the throat of American democracy many of you are here on that darkest of days we all saw with our own eyes the insurrectionists were not Patriots they' come to stop the peaceful transfer of power to over Stern the will of the people January 6 lies about the 2020 election and the plots that steal the election posed a great gravest threat to US democracy since a civil war but they failed A

merica stood [Music] America stood strong and democracy prevailed we must be honest the threat to democracy must be defended my predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th I will not do that this is the moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies here's the simple truth you can't love your country only when you win [Applause] as I've done ever since being elected to office I ask all of you without regard to party to join together and defend democracy remember you

r oath of offic is defend against all threats foreign and domestic respect respect free and fair elections restore trust in our institutions and make clear political violence has absolutely no place no place in America zero place again it's not it's not hyperbole to suggest history is watching or watching your children and grandchildren will read about this day and what we do history is watching another assault on freedom join us to light is L Toya Beasley a social worker from Birmingham Alabama

14 months ago 14 months ago she and her husband welcomed a baby girl thanks to the miracle of IVF she scheduled treatments to have that second child but the Alabama Supreme Court shut down IVF treatments across the state Unleashed by a Supreme Court decision overturning roie Wade she was told her dream would have to wait what her family had got through should never have happened unless Congress acts it could happen again so tonight let's stand up for families like hers to my friends across the

aisle don't keep this waiting any longer guarantee the right to ABF guarantee it [Music] nationwide like most Americans I believe row We R got it right I thank vice president Harris for being incredible leader defending reproductive freedom and so much more thank [Music] you my predecessor came to office determined to see roie Wade overturn he's the reason was overturned and he brags about it look at the chaos that has resulted joining us tonight is Kate Cox a wife and mother from Dallas she's b

ecome pregnant again and had a fetus of a fatal condition her doctor told Kate that her own life and her ability to have children children in the future were at risk if she didn't act because Texas law banned her ability to act Kate and her husband had to leave the state to get what she needed what her family got through should have never happened as well but it's happening in too many others there are state laws Banning the freedom to choose criminalizing doctors forcing survivors of rape and i

ncest to leave their states to get the treatment they need many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive Freedom my God what Freedom else would you take away look it's a decision to overturn Ro Wade the Supreme Court majority wrote The Following and with all due respect justices women are not without electoral electoral power excuse me electoral or political power you're about to realize just how much you about clearly clearly those bragging

about overturning Roy weight have no clue about the power of women but they found out when reproductive Freedom was on the ballot we won in 2022 and 2020 and we're win again in 2024 if you if you the American people send me a Congress to supports the right to choose I promise you I'll restore roie Wade as the law of the land [Music] again folks America cannot go back I'm here to tonight to show what I believe believe the way forward because I know how far we come four years ago next week before

I came to office the country was hit by the worst pandemic and the worst economic crisis in the century remember the fear record losses remember the spikes and crime and the murder raging virus that took more than 1 million American lives of loved ones Millions left behind a mental health crisis of isolation and loneliness a president my predecessor failed the most basic presidential Duty that he owes to American people the duty to care I think that's unforgivable I came to office determined to

get us through one of the toughest periods in the nation's history we have it doesn't make new but news in a thousand cities and towns the American people are writing the greatest comeback story never [Applause] told so let's tell the story here tell it here and now America's comeback is building the future of American possibilities building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up not the top down investing in all America in all Americans to make every sure everyone has a fair shot we l

eave no one no one behind the pandemic no longer controls Our Lives the vaccine that saved us from Co are now being used to beat cancer turning setback into comeback that's what America does that's what America [Music] does folks my inherited economy is on the brink now our economy is literally the Envy of the world 15 million new jobs in just three years a record a record unemployment at 50-year lows record 16 million Americans are starting small businesses and each one is a literal Act of Hope

with historic job growth and small business growth for black and Hispanics and asian-americans 800,000 new manufacturing jobs in America and County where is it written we can't be the manufactur capital in the world we are and we will more people have health insurance today more people have hell insurance today than ever before the racial wealth Gap is as small as it's been in 20 years wages keep going up inflation keeps coming down inflation has dropped from 9% to 3% the lowest in the world an

d tending [Applause] lower the landing isn't will be soft and now instead of importing importing foreign products and exporting American jobs we're exporting American products and creating American jobs right here in America where they [Music] belong and it takes time but the American people are beginning to feel it consumer studies show consumer confidence is soaring Buy America has been the law of the land since the 1930s past administrations including my predecessor including some Democrats a

s well in the past failed to buy American not anymore on my watch Federal projects that you fund like helping build American roads Bridges and highways will be made with American products and built by American workers cting good paying American [Music] job and thanks St chips and science act the United States is investing more in research and development than ever before during the pandemic a shortage of semiconductors chips that drove up the price of everything from cell phones to Automobiles a

nd by the way we invented those chips right here in America well instead of having to import them instead of we private companies are now investing billions of dollars to build new chip factories here in America creating tens of thousands of jobs many of those jobs paying $100,000 a year and don't require a college [Music] degree in fact my policies have attracted $650 billion in private sector investment in clean energy Advanced Manufacturing creating tens of thousands of jobs here in America a

nd thanks and thanks to our bipartisan infrastructure law 46,000 new projects have announced all across your communities and by the way I notice some of you have strongly voted against it are there cheering on that money coming in I like it I'm with you I'm with you if any of you don't want that money in your District just let me know modernize that roads and bridges ports and airports public transit systems removing po poisonous lead pipe so every child can drink clean water without risk of bra

in [Music] damage providing affordable affordable high-speed internet for every American no matter where you live Urban Suburban or rural communities in red States and blue States record Investments and tribal communities because of my investment in a family farm because I invested in family was led by my secretor of Agriculture knows more about this than anybody I know we're better able to stay in the family for the those farms and their children and grandchildren won't have to leave leave home

to make a living it's TMA it the great comeback story is Bader Illinois home to an auto plant for nearly 60 years before I came to office the plant was on its way to shutting down thousands of workers feared for their livelihoods Hope was fading then I was elected to the office and we raised the beler repeatedly with auto companies knowing Unions would make all the difference the UAW worked like hell to keep the plan open and get these jobs back and together we succeeded ceeded instead of Auto

Factory shutting down Auto factories reopening the new stateof art battery factories being built to power those cars there at the same folks the folks of belador I say instead of your town being left behind your community is moving forward again because I'm sit and watching Auto JB jobs the future go overseas 4,000 union jobs with higher wages are building the future in beler right here in America here tonight is UAW president Shan Fain a great F and a great labor leader Shawn where are you stan

d up and and Dawn and Dawn Sims a third generation worker UAW worker at Bader Sean I was proud to be the first president to stand in the picket line and today dawn has a good job in her hometown providing stability for her family and pride and dignity as well showing once again Wall Street didn't build America they're not bad guys they didn't build it though the middle class built the country and unions built the middle [Music] class I say to the American people when America gets knocked down we

get back up we keep going that's America that's you the American people it's because of you America coming back it's because of you our future is brighter it's because of you that tonight we can proudly say the state of our Union is strong and getting stronger [Applause] tonight tonight I want to talk about the future of possibilities that we can build together a future where the days of trickle down economics are over and the wealthy and the biggest corporations no longer get to allow the tax

breaks and by the way I understand corporations I come from a state that has more corporations invested than every one of your states in the state United States com bind and I represented for 36 years I'm not anti-corporation but I grew up in a home where trickle down economics didn't put much on my Dad's kitchen table that's why I determined to turn things around so middle class does well when they do well the poor way up and the wealthy still do very well we all do well and there's more to do

to make sure you're feeling the benefits of all we're doing Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere in the world it's wrong and I'm ending [Music] it with a law that I propos and sign not one of you Republican buddies work voted for it we finally beat big Pharma instead of paying $400 a month or thereabouts or insulin with diabetes and only cost 10 bucks to make they only get paid 35 a month now and still make a healthy profit and I want to but what to do next I want to cap the c

ost of insul $35 a month for every American to need it everyone for years people have talked about it but finally we got it done gave Medicare the EMP power to negotiate lower prices on prescription drugs just like the VA is able to do for veterans that's not just saving seniors money it's saving taxpayers money we cut the federal deficit by $160 billion because Medicare will no longer have to pay those exorbitant prices to Big Pharma this year Medicare is negotiating lower prices for some of th

e the costliest drugs on the market to treat everything from heart disease to arthritis it's now time to go further and give Medicare the power to negotiate lower prices for 500 different drugs over the next decade they're making a lot of money guys and they'll still be extremely profitable will not only save lives it will save taxpayers another $200 billion starting next year the same law caps total prescription drug cost for seniors on Medicare at2 200 $2,000 a year even for expensive Cancer d

rugs that cost 10 12 $15,000 I want a cap prescription drug cost of $2,000 a year for everyone [Applause] folks I'm going to get in trouble for saying that but any you want to get in there for one fly to Toronto Berlin Moscow I mean excuse me and well even Moscow probably and bring your prescription with you and I promise you I'll get it for you for 40% the cost you're paying now same company same drug same place folks the Affordable Care Act the old Obamacare it's still a very big deal over 100

million of you can no longer be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition but my predecessor and many in this chamber want to take the prescription drug Away by repealing Affordable Care Act I'm not going to let that happen happen we stopped you 50 times before and we'll stop you again in fact I'm not only protecting it I'm expanding it the we the enacted tax credits of $800 per person per year reduce health care costs for millions of working families that tax credit expires n

ext year I want to make that savings [Applause] permanent [Music] to State the obvious women are more than half our population but research in women's health has always been underfunded that's why we're launching the first ever White House initiative on women's health research led by Jill doing an incredible job as first [Music] lady [Music] to pass my plan for $12 billion to transfer women's health research and benefitting millions of lives all across America I know the cost of housing is so im

portant to you inflation keeps coming down mortgage rates will come down as well and the FED acknowledges that but I'm not waiting I want to provide an annual tax credit that will give Americans $400 a month for the next two years as mortgage rates come down to put toward their mortgages when they buy their first home or trade up for a little more space just for two years and my Administration is also eliminating Title Insurance on federally backed mortgages when you refinance your home you can

save save $11,000 or more as a consequence for millions of renters we're cracking down on big landlords who use antitrust law using anti who break antitrust laws by price fixing and driving up rents we've cut red tape so Builders can get federally financing which is already helping build a record 1.7 million new house housing units Nationwide now pass now pass and build and renovate 2 million affordable homes and bring those rents [Music] down to remain the strongest economy in the world we need

to have the best education system in the world and I like I suspect all of you want to give a child every child a good start by providing access to preschool for three and four years old you know I think I pointed out last [Music] year I think I pointed out last year that children coming from broken homes where there's no books and not read to not spoken to very often start school kindergarten or first grade hearing having heard a million fewer words spoken well studies show that children who g

o to preschool are nearly 50% more likely to finish High School go on to earn a two and four year degree no matter what their background [Music] is I met a year and a half ago with the leaders of the Business Roundtable they were mad that I they were angry I said well they were discussing why I wanted to spend money on education I pointed out to them as vice president I met with over eight I think it was 182 of those folks don't hold me the exact number and uh I asked them what they need most th

e CEOs and you've had the same experience to both sides H they say a better educated Workforce right so I looked at them and I say I come from Delaware the Pont used to be the eighth largest corporation in the world and every new Enterprise they bought they educated the workforce to that Enterprise but none of you do that anymore why are you angry with me providing you the opportunity for the best educated Workforce in the world they all looked at me and said I think you're right I want to expan

d high quality tutoring and summer learning to see that every child learns the read by third [Music] [Applause] grade I'm also connecting local businesses and high schools so students get hands-on experience in a path to good paying job whether or not they go to college and I want to make sure the college is more affordable let's continue increasing the pelg grants to working in Middle Class families and increase record investments in HBCU and minority serving institutions including Hispanic [Mu

sic] institution and I was told I couldn't universally just change the way in which we did dealt with student loans I fixed two student loan programs that already existed to reduce the burden of student debt for nearly 4 million Americans including nurses firefighters and others in public Public [Music] Service like Kean Jones the public educator from Minnesota who's here with us tonight Kean where are you K thank you he's educated hundreds of students so they can go to college now he's able to

help after de forgiveness get his own daughter to [Applause] college and folks look such relief is good for the economy because folks are now able to buy a home start a business start a family while we're at it I want to give Public School teachers a [Applause] [Music] raise by the way the first couple years we cut the deficit now let me speak to the question of fundamental fairness for all Americans I've been delivering Real Results in fiscally responsible ways we've already cut the federal def

icit we've already cut the federal def over a trillion dollars I signed the bipartisan deal to cut another trillion dollar in the next decade it's my goal to cut the federal another 3 trillion by making big corporations very wealthy finally beginning to pay their fair share look I'm a capitalist you want a make or can make a million or millions of bucks that's great just pay your fair share in taxes a fair tax code is how we invest things to make this country great healthc care education defense

and so much more but here's the deal the last Administration enacted a $2 trillion tax cut overwhelmingly benefit the toping 1% the very wealthy in the biggest corporation and exploded the federal deficit they added more to the national debt than any presidential term in American history check the numbers Folks at home does anybody really think the tax code is fair do you really think the wealthy big corporations need another $2 trillion tax break I sure don't I'm going to keep fighting like he

ll to make it fair under my plan nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay additional penny in federal taxes nobody not one penny and they haven't yet in fact the child tax credit I passed during the pandemic cut taxes from millions of Working Families and cut child poverty in half restore that child tax credit no child should go hungry in this country the way to make the tax code fair is to make big corporations the very wealthy begin to pay their fair share remember in 2020 55 of the b

iggest companies in America made $40 billion and paid zero in Federal in income tax zero not anymore thanks to the law I wrote when we signed big companies have to pay a minimum 15% but that's still less than working people paying federal taxes it's time to raise corporate minimum tax to at least [Applause] 21% so every big Corporation finally begins to pay their fair share I also want end tax breaks for big farmer Big Oil private checks massive executive pay when it's only supposed to a million

a million dollars that could be deducted they can pay him 20 million if they want but deduct a million end it now you know there are 1,000 billionaires in America you know what the average federal tax is for those billionaires no they're making great sacrifices 88.2% that's far less than the vast majority of Americans pay no billionaire should pay a lower federal tax rate than a teacher a sanitation worker or a nurse I propose minimum tax for billionaires of 25% just 25% you know what that woul

d raise that would raise $500 billion over the next 10 years imagine what that could do for America imagine the future with affordable child care millions of families can get they need to go to work to help grow the economy imagine a future with paid lead because no one should have to choose between working and taking care of the thick family member imagine imagine the future of Home Care and elder care and people living with disabilities so they can stay in their homes and family caregivers can

finally get the pay they deserve tonight let's all agree once again to stand up for seniors many my friends on the other side of I want to put Social Security on The Chopping Block if anyone here tries to cut Social Security Medicare or raise the retirement age I will stop you the working people the working people who built this country pay more into Social Security than Millionaires and billionaires do it's not fair we have two ways to go Republicans can cut Social Security and give more tax b

reaks to the wealthy I will that's the proposal oh no you guys don't want another $2 trillion tax cut I kind of thought that's what your plan was well that's good to hear you're not going to cut another $2 trillion for the super wealth that's good to hear I'll protect and strengthen Social Security and make the wealthy pay their fair share look too many corporations raise prices to pad the profits charging more and more for less and less that's why we're cracking down on corporations engag in pr

ice and deceptive pricing from food to healthc care to housing in fact the snack companies think you won't notice if they change the size of the bag and put a hell of a lot fewer same same siiz bag put fewer chips in it no I'm not joking it's called shrink flation pass Bobby Casey's Bill and stop this I really mean [Music] you probably all saw that commercial on Snickers bars you get you get charge the same amount and you got about I don't know 10% fewer Snickers in it look I'm also getting rid

of junk fees those hidden fees at the end of your bill that are there without your knowledge my Administration announced we're cutting credit card late fees from $32 to [Music] $8 Banks and credit card companies are allowed to charge what would cost them to in to instigate the the collection and that's more a hell of a lot like $8 and3 some dollars they don't like it credit card companies don't like it but I'm saving American families $20 billion a year with all the junk fees I'm a Folks at home

that's why the banks are so mad is $20 billion in profit I'm not stopping there my Administration propos rules to make cable travel utilities online ticket sellers tell you the total price UPF front so there no surprises it matters it matters and so does this in November my team began serious negotiation with a bipartisan group of senators the result was a bipartisan bill with the toughest set of border security reforms we've ever seen oh you don't think so oh you don't like that bill huh that

conservatives got together and said was a good bill I'll be darn that's amazing that bipartisan would hire 1,500 more security agents and officers 100 more immigration judges help tackle the backload of 2 million cases 4,300 more Asylum officers and new policies so they can resolve cases in 6 months instead of 6 years now what are you against 100 more Hightech drug detect ction machines to significantly increase the ability to screen and stop Vehicles smuggling fentanyl into America that's killi

ng thousands of children this bill would save lives and the Order of the Border it also give me and any new president new emergency authority to temporarily shut down the Border when the number of migrants at the border is overwhelming the border of Patrol Union has endorsed this bill the federal Chamber of Commerce is yeah yeah you're saying L look at the facts I know I know you know how to read I believe that giving the opportunity for a majority in the House and Senate would endorse the bill

as well a majority right now but unfortunately politics has derailed this bill so far I'm told my predecessor called called members of Congress and the Senate to demand they block the bill he feels political win he viewed a be a political win for me and a political loser for him it's not about him it's not about me I'd be a winner not really [Applause] I Lincoln Lincoln Riley an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal that's right but how many are thousands of people being killed by le

gals to her parents I say my heart goes out to you having lost children myself I understand but look if we change the dynamic at the border people pay people people pay these Smugglers 8,000 bucks to get across the border because they know if they get by if they get by and let into the country it's 6 to 8 years before they have a hearing and it's worth taking the chance of the $8,000 but but if it's only six month 6 weeks the idea is is highly unlikely the people will pay that money and come all

that way knowing that they'll be able to be kicked out quickly folks I would respectfully say to suggest my friend my Republican friends owe it to the American people get this bill done we need to act now and if my predecessors is watching instead of paying politics and pressuring members of Congress to block the bill join me telling the Congress to pass it we can do it together but that's what he apparently hears what he will not do I will not demonize immigrants saying they are poison in the

blood of our country I will not separate [Music] [Applause] families I will not ban people because of their faith unlike my predecessor on my first day in office I introduced a comprehensive Bill to fix our immigration system take a look at it as all these and more secure the Border provide a pathway to ctive for dreamers and so much more but unlike my predecessor I know who we are as Americans we're the only nation in the world with a heart and soul that draws from old and new home to Native Am

ericans his ancestors have been here for thousands of years home to people of every PL from every place on Earth they came freely some came in Chains some came when famine struck like my ancestral family in Ireland some to flee persecution to chase dreams that are impossible Anywhere But Here in America that's America and we all come from somewhere but we're all [Music] Americans look folks we have a simple choice we can fight about fixing the Border or we can fix it I'm ready to fix it send me

the Border bill now the transformational his moment in history happened 58 59 years ago today in Selma Alabama hundreds of foot soldiers for justice marched across the Edmund Pettis Bridge named after the Grand Dragon of the CL Clan to claim their fundamental right to vote they were beaten they were bloody and left for dead our late friend and former colleague John Lewis was on that March we miss [Music] him but joining us [Music] [Applause] tonight our other marches both in the gallery and on t

he floor including Betty May Fikes known as the voice of Selma the daughter of gospel singers and preachers she sang songs of prayer and protest on that Bloody Sunday to help shake the nation's conscience five months later the Voting Rights Act passed and was signning the law thank you thank thank you thank you thank [Music] you but 59 years later their forces taking us back in time voter suppression election subversion unlimited dark money extreme Jerry mannering John Lewis is a great friend to

many of us here but if you truly want to honor him and all the heroes of March with him then it's time to do more than talk pass the freedom to vote act the John Lewis voting right act and stop stop denying another core value of America our diversity across American Life Banning books it's wrong instead of erasing history that's make history I want to protect fundamental rights pass the equality act and I miss of transgender American I have your back pass the pro act for workers rights raise th

e federal minimum wage because every worker has a right to a decent living more than a seven bucks an hour we're also making history by confronting the climate crisis not denying it I don't think any of you think there's no longer climate crisis at least I hope you don't I'm taking the most significant action ever on climate in the history of the world I'm cutting our carbon emissions in half by 20 2030 creating tens of thousands of clean energy jobs like the ibw work is building installing 500,

000 electric vehicle charging stations conserving 30% of America's lands and Waters by 2030 and taking action on environmental justice fence line Community smothered by the legacy of pollution and pattern after the Peace Corp and America Corp I launched the climate Corps to put 20,000 young people to work in the Forefront of our Clean Energy Future I'll triple that number in a [Music] decade to State the obvious all Americans deserve the freedom to be safe and America is safer today than when I

took office year before I took office murder rates went up 30% 30% they went [Music] up the biggest increase in history it was then through no through my American Rescue plan which every American voted against I mad at we made the largest investment in public safety ever last year the murder rate saw the sest decrease in history violent crime fell to one of us low levels in more than 50 years but we have more to do we have to help cities invest in more Community police officers more mental healt

h workers more Community violence than benen give communities the tool to crack down on gun crime retail crime and car jacking keep building trust as they been doing by taking executive action on police reform and calling for it to be the law of the land directing my cabinet to review the federal classification of of marijuana expunging thousands of convictions for the mere possession because no one should be jailed for simply using or having it on their record take on crimes and domestic violen

ce I'm ramping up the Federal enforcement of the violence against women act that I proudly wrote when I was a Senator so we can finally finally end the scourge against women in America [Music] there are other kinds of violence I want to stop with us T night is Jasmine whose 9-year-old sister Jackie was murdered with 21 classmates and teachers in elementary school in Uvaldi Texas very soon after that happened Jill and I went to Uvaldi for a couple days we spent hours and hours with each of the fa

milies we heard their message so everyone in this room in this chamber could hear the same message the constant refrain and I was there for hours meeting with every family they said do something do something well I did do something by establishing the first ever office of gun violence prevention in the White House at the vice president leading a charge thank you for doing [Music] it [Music] meanwhile [Music] Meanwhile my predecessor told the NRA he's proud he did nothing on guns when he was pres

ident after another shooting in Iowa recently he said when asked what to do about it he said just get over it there is his quote just get over it I say stop it stop it stop it stop it [Music] I'm proud we beat the NRA when I signed most significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years because of this Congress we now must beat the NRA again I'm demanding to ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazine pass Universal background checks none of this none of this I taught the Second Amendment for 1

2 years none of this violates the Second Amendment or vilifies responsible gun owners you know as we manage challenges at home we're also managing crisis abroad including in the Middle East I know the last five months have been gut-wrenching for so many people for the Israeli people for the Palestinian people and so many here in America this Crisis began on October 7th with a massacre by a terrorist group called Hamas as you all know 1,200 innocent people women and girls men and boys slaughtered

after enduring sexual violence the deadliest day of the for the Jewish people since the Holocaust and 250 hostages taken here in this chamber tonight our families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring every one of your loved ones home we [Applause] [Music] [Applause] also we will also work around the clock to bring home Evan and Paul Americans being unjustly detained by the Russians and others around the world Israel has

the right to go after Hamas Hamas ended this conflict by releasing hostages laying down arms could end it by by releasing the hostages laying down arms and surrendering those responsible for October 7th but Israel has a excuse me Israel has a added burden because Hamas hides and operates among the civilian population like cowards under hospitals daycare centers and all the like Israel also has a fundamental responsibility though to protect innocent civilians in [Music] Gaza this [Music] war has

taken a greater toll and innocent vilians in all previous Wars in Gaza combined more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed most of whom are not Hamas thousands and thousands of Innocents women and children children girls and boys also orphaned nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displacement homes destroyed neighborhoods in rubble cities in ruin families without food water medicine it's heartbreaking I've been working non-stop to establish an immediate ceasefire that wou

ld last for 6 weeks to get all the prisoners released all the hostage released to get the hostages home and ease the Intolerable in humanitarian crisis and build toward an enduring a more something more enduring the United States have been leading international eff to get more humanitarian assists of the Gaza tonight I'm directing the US military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary peer in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food wat

er medicine and temporary shelters no us boots will be on the ground a temporary Pier will enable a massive in increase the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every [Applause] day and Israel must do its part Israel must allow more Aid in the gods who ensure humanitarian workers aren't caught in the crossfire they're announcing they're going to they're going to C have a Crossing in Northern Gaza for the leadership of the Israelites say this humanitarian assistance cannot be a sec

ondary consideration or a bargaining chip protecting and saving innocent lives has to be a priority as we look to the Future the only real solution to the situation is a two-state solution over [Music] time and I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel my my entire career no one has a stronger record with Israel than I do I challenge any of you here I'm the only American president of is Israel in war time but there is no other path that guarantees Israel security and democracy there is no oth

er path that guarantees Palestinian can live in peace with with peace and dignity there's no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its neighbors including Saudi Arabia with whom I'm talking creating stability in the middle e also means containing the threat posed by Iran that's why I build a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea I've ordered strikes to degrade the houthi capability and defend US for

ces in the region as commander-in Chief I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and our military [Music] personnel for years I've heard many of my Republican and Democratic friends say that China is on the rise and America is falling behind they've got it backwards I've been saying it for over four years even when I wasn't president America is rising we have the best economy in the world and since I've come to office R GTB is up our trade deficit with China is down t

o the lowest point in over a decade and we're standing up against China's unfair economic practices we're standing up for peace and stability across the Taiwan strats I revitalized our partnership and Alliance in the Pacific India Australia Japan South Korea Pacific Islands I've made sure that the most advanced American Technologies can't be used in China not allowing to trade them there frankly for all this tough talk on China it never occurred to my predecessor to do any of that I want competi

tion with China not conflict and we're in a stronger position to win the conflict of the 21st century against China than anyone else for that matter than any time as well here at home I've signed over 400 bipartisan bills there's more to pass my Unity agenda strength and penalties on sentinol traffic you don't want to do that huh pass bipartisan prophecy let say to protect our children online harness harness the promise of AI to protect us from Peril ban AI voice impersonations and more and keep

our truly sacred obligation to train and equip those we send into Harm's Way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they [Music] don't that's why the song support and help of Dennis in the VA I signed the pack act one of the most significant laws ever helping millions of veterans expose the toxin who now are battling more than 100 different cases many of them don't come home but we owe them and their families support we owe it to ourselves to keep supporting our new h

ealth research agency called RP and remind us remind us that we can do big things like and cancer as we know it and we [Music] will let me close with this hey I know you don't want to hear any more Lindsay but I got to say a few more things I know it may not look like it but I've been around a while when you get to be my age certain things become clearer than ever I know the American story a again and again I've seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation b

etween those who want to pull America back to the past those want to move America to the Future my lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy a future based on core values that defined America honesty decency dignity equality to respect everyone to give everyone a fair chop to give hate no Safe Harbor now other people my age see it differently the American story of resentment revenge and retribution that's not me I was born in mid World War II when America stood for the freedom of t

he world I grew up in scran Pennsylvania in Claymont Delaware among workingclass people who built this country I watched in horror as two of my heroes like many of you did Dr King and Bobby C assassinated and their legacies inspired me to pursue a care a career in service I left the law firm became a public defender because my city of Wilmington was the only city in America occupied by the National Guard after Dr King was assassinated because of the riots and I became a county councilman almost

by accident I got elected to the United States Senate when I had no intention of running at age 29 then vice president our first first black president now president to the first women vice president in my career I've been told I was too young by the way they didn't let me on the Senate elevators for votes sometimes not a joke and I've been told I'm too old whether young or old I've always been known I've always known what endures I've known our North Star the very idea of America that were all c

reated equal and deserves to be treated equally throughout our lives we've never fully lived up to that idea but we've never walked away from it either and I won't walk away from it now I'm optimistic I really am I'm optimistic [Music] Nancy my fellow Americans the issue facing our nation isn't how old we are it's how old are our ideas hate anger Revenge retribution are the oldest of ideas but but you can't lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back you lead America the land of possi

bilities you need a vision for the future and what can and should be done tonight you've heard mine I see a future where defending democracy you don't diminish it I see a future where restore the right to choose and protect our freedoms not take them away I see a future for the middle class has finally has a fair shot and the wealthy have to pay their fair share in taxes I see a future where we save the planet from the climate crisis and our country from gun violence above all I see a future for

all Americans I see a country for all all Americans and I will always be president for all Americans because I believe in America I believe in you the American people you're the reason we've never been more optimistic about our future than I am now so let's build the future together let's remember who we are we are the United States of America and there is nothing nothing beyond our capacity when we act together God bless you all and may God protect our truth thank you thank you thank you