Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Proclamation on 100th Anniversary of the Ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment

Office of the Press Secretary
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
RATIFICATION OF THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

 
     On this day in 1920, the 19th Amendment to our Constitution was ratified, securing the right to vote for women and marking a monumental step toward the "more perfect Union" envisioned by our Founders.  This milestone in American history was the product of the tireless efforts of suffragists and other advocates for women's rights, who steadfastly pursued their vision of a more just and equal society.

     In the early days of our Nation's fight for independence, future First Lady Abigail Adams penned a letter to her husband, John Adams, urging him to "remember the ladies" as he fought to preserve the fledgling United States.  She advised him that "if particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation."  In the decades that followed, bold trailblazers like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Forten Purvis, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper carried forward and fought for the fundamental right of women to vote.  The road to suffrage was long and challenging, but the faith, fortitude, and resolute determination of those committed to this noble cause brought about a victory that continues to inspire today.

     As we commemorate this historic event, we also celebrate the incredible economic, political, and social contributions women have made to our Nation.  As President, I am committed to building on these accomplishments and empowering all women and girls to achieve their fullest potential.  As part of this effort, in February of last year, my Administration launched the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, the first whole-of-government effort to advance women's economic empowerment around the globe.  My Administration also released our Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security in June of last year to increase the political participation of women at home and abroad, recognizing that women's participation in conflict resolution and ending violent extremism can set the course toward a more peaceful world.  We are also prioritizing the safety and well-being of women and girls through our commitment to combatting sex trafficking and empowering survivors, who are disproportionately women, and through Operation Lady Justice, the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.

     My Adminstration also understands that empowering women means implementing an economic agenda that enhances freedom and creates opportunities for women and working families.  As part of this effort, the historic 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act doubled the Child Tax Credit, and I signed legislation that provided for the largest ever increase in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, which will help ease the burden of child care borne disproportionately by mothers.  Additionally, in December of last year, I signed legislation providing for 12 weeks of paid parental leave for Federal employees.  As I have since my first day in office, I continue to call on the Congress to pass a nationwide paid family leave program.

     My Administration's unprecedented investment in working families is already paying dividends.  Women's unemployment in the United States reached the lowest level in 65 years.  And in 2019, women filled 71 percent of all new jobs in the United States.

     Today, as we celebrate a major step forward for our Nation, we pay tribute to the countless women, known and unknown, throughout our history who struggled for equality.  In doing so, we recommit to ensuring our Constitution is faithfully upheld so that all Americans can pursue their dreams and fulfill their God-given potential.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 18, 2020, as a day in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
 

1600 Daily The White House • August 17, 2020 The Fastest Economic Recovery in U.S. History

1600 Daily
The White House • August 17, 2020

The fastest economic recovery in U.S. history


Under President Trump, America built the strongest economy the world has ever seen. The stock market broke records, the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in half a century, and income inequality fell as blue-collar jobs returned to our country.

Then, as a pandemic from China spread across the globe, President Trump made the difficult but necessary decision to shut the economy down to slow the spread of COVID-19.

🎬 President Trump: We are witnessing the fastest recovery in history!

Now, as we safely reopen, our economy is surging back faster than anyone predicted:
  • America added over 9 million jobs from May through July—beating market expectations three months in a row. President Trump’s historic, bipartisan relief package alone is estimated to have saved over 50 million jobs.
     
  • Retail spending has fully recovered and is now at an all-time high.
     
  • Industrial production rose for the third straight month in July, with factory output up 3.4 percent last month after a 5.7 percent surge in June.
     
  • The NASDAQ and S&P 500 stock indices are trading at or near record highs once again, lifting Americans’ 401(k)s.

That result is no accident. After the financial crisis more than a decade ago, it took America over four years to regain 9 million lost jobs. But following the Coronavirus shutdown, it took the Trump Economy only a few months to do just that.

“We had such a strong foundation that we’re recovering much faster than anybody anticipated,” President Trump said at a news conference on Saturday.

In addition to pro-growth, pro-worker policies long before the crisis—including tax cuts, deregulation, renegotiated trade deals, and more—President Trump responded to the pandemic by using the Defense Production Act to lead the greatest mobilization of American industry since World War II.

The Trump Administration has exercised the DPA and related authorities 78 times so far, dispersing over $3.5 billion to speed the development and manufacture of essential materials here at home. President Trump mobilized the productive power of General Motors, for example, to create thousands of ventilators for Coronavirus patients.

As a result, GM repurposed its Kokomo, Indiana, plant in just 17 days. It has now produced over 21,000 ventilators.

Other companies, including Ford Motor Company, GE, 3M, and Puritan Medical have partnered with the Federal Government to ramp up production of everything from N-95 masks to testing swabs. This nationwide effort is boosting American manufacturing, creating jobs, reshoring supply chains, and replenishing our Strategic National Stockpile.

“New factories, businesses, and laboratories are being built all over America to match our Nation’s demand for personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals, drugs, testing supplies, therapeutics, and vaccines,” President Trump said.

President Trump’s “Made-in-America” strategy is crucial for defeating this virus, important for restarting our economy—and essential for restoring our country’s promise.

🎬 President Trump: An incredible comeback is underway!

MORE: We have rebuilt America’s Strategic National Stockpile

Photo of the Day

President Trump departs from the South Lawn | August 17, 2020

President Donald J. Trump Approves Iowa Disaster Declaration

Office of the Press Secretary
President Donald J. Trump Approves Iowa Disaster Declaration
 
Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Iowa and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms on August 10, 2020.

Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storm in the counties of Benton, Boone, Cedar, Clinton, Dallas, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story, and Tama.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Pete Gaynor, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named DuWayne Tewes as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

Damage assessments are continuing in other areas, and additional counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP TO SUPPORTERS IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport Minneapolis, Minnesota

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
TO SUPPORTERS IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport
Minneapolis, Minnesota

 
12:12 P.M. CDT

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you.  And thank you very much everybody.  We appreciate it.  We appre- --

     AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you, President Trump!  We love you!

     THE PRESIDENT:  I love you, too.  I love you, too.  (Applause.)  And we wanted to make this stop.  We came a little bit out of our way, and I said we’re going to come here and we’re going to talk about that horrible scene that we witnessed not so long ago, where there was a lack of law and order, and people that have no clue what’s happening.  Right?

     But I’ve traveled to Minnesota to meet with small-business owners who were victims of the violence, mayhem, destruction on the streets of Minneapolis.  And for these brave patriots  -- right over here.  These are four of -- these are a couple of groups of the main.  We have a lot of them back there.  We’re going to see them the next time.  They’re all lined up.  But we appreciate you being here very much, and you’re going to say a few words and -- really, I say “words of strength” and “words of encouragement.”  Because what they’ve been through is incredible.

     But for these brave patriots, all they wanted was to live the American Dream.  That’s all they wanted -- to start a business and a family, to give back to the community that they call home and that they love.

     The fact is, they love our country and our country loves them.  And we want to show them about that, and that’s why I came and that’s why I stopped, and that’s why we’re here to see -- to see all of you, but to be represented, really, by these incredible people.  So thank you for all you’ve gone through.  Thank you very much.  (Applause.)

     While the city’s liberal mayor refused to defend its citizens, which was incredible, their lives were destroyed.  While the leadership of the Democrat Party cheered, their dreams were burned to the ground.  We all witnessed it.  We all saw it very vividly on television or wherever.

     This is the difference between us and Joe Biden, Mayor Jacob Frey --

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  -- and Governor Tim Walz.

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  Weakness is also the currency of your liberal senator, Tina Smith.

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  And, you know, she’s now running against a great gentleman.  So, Jason -- get out there and vote for him.  Get out and vote for Jason.  (Applause.)  You know that.  He’s going to win.  Do you see?  The polls are about even, and that’s a big step.  He’s a great candidate.  He’s going to do a fantastic job.  Get out, and make sure he wins.

     If we can’t win now, nobody can win because what you went through -- so stupidly, that they allowed that to happen.  And this a “Bikers for Trump.”  Thank you.  I saw you do that.  I saw you.  (Applause.)  (Laughs.)  He just turned around to show “Bikers for Trump.”  They’re all over the place.  Thank you.  Thank you, fellas.  Appreciate it.

     My message to Minnesota is clear: I’m here to help you.  We will bring back law and order to your community.  We will bring it back, and we’ll bring it back immediately.  (Applause.)

     And, you know, the words “law and order” are words that Democrats don’t like to use.  They don’t think they’re politically good.  There’s nothing wrong with law and order.  There’s law and order, and you shouldn’t be ashamed of it.  They’re ashamed to use those words.  It’s incredible.

     As President, my goal to restore safety to our streets and to help these innocent Americans rebuild their lives and rebuild their lives very quickly -- that’s what I’m here for.

     By contrast, the Democrats are promising to elevate their leftwing war on cox [cops] and to bring it up to the White House in the form of Sleepy Joe Biden.  I don’t think that’s going to work.

     You know, I noticed, at their convention tonight, these are all taped speeches.  Michelle Obama -- her speech is taped.  Why don’t they tell me that?  I’ll tape my speech.  Next week, I’ll tape it.  It’s a lot easier.  I’ll make sure it’s perfecto.  Every word will be perfect.  If I don’t do it, I’ll give it five or six goes.  I’ll say, “Pick the best one.”

     What is this?  They’re taping their speeches.  I just learned that her speech is taped and that most of them are taped.  I don’t know.  We’ll have to speak to Republican leadership and say, “Let’s tape those speeches.”  You want to go to a snooze?  (Laughter.)  You know, when you hear a speech is taped, it’s like there’s nothing very exciting about it, right?

     So I just heard that coming in.  I expected to see -- you know, and Fox will broadcast them more than they broadcast us.  You know that.

     We’ve seen the blueprint here in Minneapolis.  The city recently voted to abolish the police department.  They actually did.  They actually --

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  They actually went to that extent.  These people -- fools.  And to take away your Second Amendment -- they will be taking away your Second Amendment if they win.  If Biden wins, as sure as you standing -- and he’ll have nothing to do with it.  He’ll say, “What is the Second Amendment?  Would you explain that to me, please?”  That means they’re going to take away your guns.

     And as sure as you’re standing here today, if they win -- and that’s what -- that’s what’s going to happen.  Remember this: I am the only thing standing in the way of your Second Amendment.  (Applause.)  It’s going to be either taken away or obliterated.  And, by the way, many other things -- like we lower taxes, and like we lower regulations, and like we build the strong -- strong military, and we take care of our vets.  (Applause.)  We have Veterans Choice and Veterans Accountability, and all things that nobody thought were going to be happening.

     After the riots in Minneapolis, Kamala -- Kamala Harris.  You know her?

     AUDIENCE:  Booo --

     THE PRESIDENT:  She’s the one who finished so badly that she was embarrassed.  She ran out of town.  And then they said, “We're going to choose you for Vice President.”  I mean, she finished so badly.  She started off strong -- day one.  After that, everyone really understood her -- understood what she represents and who she represents, and she went down like a rock in water.  And she left town before the first vote was taken, right?  Didn't she leave and quit?

     And also there was nobody that was meaner, than said horrible things about Vice President Biden than Kamala -- even worse than Pocahontas, right?  She was nastier and meaner and more vicious than Pocahontas.

     So, now you have Kamala, who is very strong anti-fracking.  In other words, your energy bills are going to go through the roof.  They're going to love her in Texas.  They're going to love her in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  We're against fracking.  Well, that's the end of those.

     I said before, George Washington could be running for office.  If he's anti-fracking, anti-guns, and anti-religion, he's going to have a hard time.  And he’s going to have a hard time in your state, too, because you feel the same way we do.

     But Kamala Harris encouraged Americans to donate to the so-called Minnesota Freedom Fund -- do you know that is? -- which bailed out the rioters, looters, assaulters, and anarchists from jail.  And Biden’s staff did the same thing; they donated a lot of their money to get them out of jail so that everyone was right back on the streets.  Think of that: This is what is running for office.  This is what we're competing against.

     And the primary competitor, Joe, has -- he's in his basement.  He just doesn't come out.  They don't ask him questions.  I said, “I wish somebody…”  They asked him a couple about two months ago.  It was like, “Hey.  Hi.”  “Hi.”  “Are you enjoying your run?”  “Yes.”  “Oh, okay, good.”  That was the question: “Are you enjoying it?”  They don't ask me those questions.  I have people -- they have fire coming out of their eyes.

     But their sympathies lie with lawbreakers and with criminals.  My heart is with law-abiding, hardworking Americans like these people.  (Applause.)  And my heart is also with the great men and women of law enforcement, who are treated very badly.  (Applause.)

     KB Balla is a fighter -- firefighter with Brooklyn Center Fire Department, and a brave guy.  And his people just love him.  With his wife Twyana, they have four children.  He devoted his lifesavings to building a sports bar, and fought so hard to get it built.  He was so proud of it.  It was up.  It was successful.  He was so proud.

     On May 27th, that dream was viciously demolished by rioters and vandals.  KB and Twyana, please come up and say a few words, please.  (Applause.)

     MR. BALLA:  Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. President.  My name is KB Balla.  I’m a firefighter, and also a businessman.  This is my wife, Twyana Balla.  (Applause.)  We have four kids out here in Minnesota.  Immigrant -- I immigrated from West Africa, Liberia.  I’ve been here for over 25 years.

     I always dreamed about opening my own bar and restaurant.  That’s something that I have dreamed about.  So my work and -- my wife and I worked so hard, saved up to have our dream come true.

     So it was a blessing that we could finally, you know, get to see that, you know.  But due to the rioting that happened in the city, you know, our bar was burned down, and we had to start over.

     You know, but there’s a silver lining to the whole story that the world came together.  Everybody -- there was a lot of support.  There was a lot of prayer.  There were a lot of donations, and now we’re in a better position to rebuild, you know.  So we’re just grateful and blessed for the opportunity to start over.  (Applause.)

     THE PRESIDENT:  So, will you be rebuilding?  Will you be rebuilding?

     MR. BALLA:  Yes.

     THE PRESIDENT:  And do you have the financing to rebuild and everything?

     MR. BALLA:  We’re working on it.  We’re working on it.

     THE PRESIDENT:  All right.  Are you close?

     MR. BALLA:  Close, but not close enough.

     THE PRESIDENT:  How much will it be?  How much are you going to need?

     MR. BALLA:  (Laughs.)  We’re looking at a new building right now to purchase.  And it’s currently on the market right now for $1.3 million.  So that’s kind of where we’re at right now, negotiating.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Because you had a real success, right?  You built a real success, I heard.

     MR. BALLA:  Yeah.

     THE PRESIDENT:  All right.  Well, maybe we can help you out a little bit with government, too.  We’ll try.  We’ll try to help.  (Applause.)  All right?  We’ll see what we can do.

     Okay?

     MR. BALLA:  Thank you.

     THE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  What a beautiful couple.  Thank you.  Thank you both very much.

     MR. BALLA:  Thank you.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Let’s give it a shot.  (Applause.)  Thank you.

     AUDIENCE MEMBER:  What’s the name of the bar?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, KB, he wants to know the name of the bar.  Go ahead.  Because the bikers over there, they’ll be there.  Like even if it’s -- (laughter).

     MR. BALLA:  Right.

     THE PRESIDENT:  KB, even if it’s burned down, they’ll be there tonight, right?  (Laughter.)

     MR. BALLA:  It’s called Scores Sports Bar.  Scores Sports Bar.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Okay?  (Applause.)  Okay, thank you.  That’s great.  We’ll work on that.

     Jim Stage owns Lloyd’s Pharmacy in St. Paul.  A lot of people know Lloyd’s, which has operated in the same building for more than 100 years, until it was set ablaze and burned by the anarchists.  They’re anarchists.  Everyone says, “Oh, don’t use that term.  Don’t use that term.”  “Radical left” -- I’ll go “radical-left anarchists” -- okay? -- if you don’t mind.

     Until it was set ablaze -- it was burned down to the ground, viciously.  I saw it on television, burning.  I said, “What a shame.”

     Jim, please come up and say a few words, please.  Thank you, Jim.  (Applause.)

     MR. STAGE:  Thank you, Mr. President.  My name is Jim Stage.  I grew up in the Midway area of St. Paul.  I grew up going to Lloyd’s Pharmacy as a kid.  Became a pharmacist and purchased the pharmacy in 2014.

     As Mr. President said, on the night of May 28th, my pharmacy was looted for five hours, and then it was burned to the ground that evening.  We do plan to build -- rebuild in the same location.  We hope to open up the spring of 2021.

     Since the building was destroyed, we were -- because we were a pharmacy, we had to triage the patients out of another location, Setzer Pharmacy in Roseville, for six weeks.  In the meantime, we built a satellite location pharmacy.  And we got that up and running in six weeks, and we are servicing the Midway area of St. Paul, right now, out of that location.  We continue to service that neighborhood now and will until we get the new building rebuilt.

     I appreciate the leadership, Mr. President, and the government leaders for anything they can do to uphold law and order in the neighborhood, in the community so my customers, my employees will feel safe to work and to be about in that city.

     So, thank you, Mr. President, for fighting for law and order in American cities.  And we ask that the other politicians rise to the same challenge of protecting our businesses and our neighborhoods.  That’s what we need.  Thank you, Mr. President.

     THE PRESIDENT:  So, do you own the land?  Are you rebuilding the store, the pharmacy?

     MR. STAGE:  Yes, sir.

     THE PRESIDENT:  So you're rebuilding it.  Has it started already?

     MR. STAGE:  The debris has been removed.  We haven’t broke ground yet.  We're hopeful to -- late August, early September.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Is the city at all working with you?  Are they helping?

     MR. STAGE:  Yeah, there's been a little bit of a hiccup with debris because there was asbestos.

     THE PRESIDENT:  No, I hear they want you to pay your taxes before they remove the debris.

     MR. STAGE:  Yeah, there was a little bit of that.

     THE PRESIDENT:  You too?

     MR. STAGE:  Yeah.  There was more on that in Minneapolis, but in St. Paul -- the city of St. Paul worked a little bit better with us on that.

     THE PRESIDENT:  All right.  Whatever we can do, you know we're going to help too, okay?

     MR. STAGE:  Thank you, Mr. President.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Jim.

     Gemechis Merga's auto repair shop was looted, burned, and completely destroyed.  Then the City of Minneapolis told him he had to pay property taxes before they would clear away the rubble.  Same thing, Jim, right?  Same thing as you have.

     Gemechis, if you could come up and say a few words as to what you're going to be doing, and we'll see if we can help, too.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

     MR. MERGA:  Thank you, Mr. President.  Hi, everyone.  My name is Gemechis Merga.  I moved to Minnesota from Ethiopia 15 years ago.  Following the protest of the killing of George Floyd in South Minneapolis, my auto repair shop, which is located on 36th and Nicollet Avenue was completely destroyed.  The contents and customers vehicles and my own tow truck is completely gone.

     I'm here to build a new life and pursue American Dream, and I'm here today to say "no" to this kind of action.  Nobody should not be through this -- and this should not be happening to anyone and when there is law and order.  So, thank you, Mr. President, for being here for us and for the others.  Thank you very much.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you very much and good luck with it.  (Applause.)  Good luck.  Do you feel confident about the future?

     MR. MERGA:  Yes.  We already cleaned -- we are already cleaning up and started rebuilding it.  It might take time but this is the only way myself and my two little ones live from.  I'm strong, I'm here to fight, and to stand up again.  (Applause.)

     THE PRESIDENT:  That’s great.  Thank you.  Great.  And we'll be with you, too, okay?

     And I think we have one of our stars -- is that Kayleigh over there?  Is that Kayleigh?  Oh, Kayleigh, come here.  Kayleigh.  (Applause.)  Hasn’t she been a great spokesperson?  (Applause.)  We've had some -- and we've had some very good ones.  Kayleigh -- maybe say a few words, Kayleigh.  (Applause.)

     MS. MCENANY:  Hello, Minnesota.  It's great to be here with you.  (Applause.)  It is such an honor to work for the law and order President.  When Democrats have not action, children have been dying in their streets, this President has taken action.

     Operation LeGend, named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot in his bed, was led this President.  And guess what?  As of Friday, we could announce that the killer -- suspected killer of LeGend Taliferro has been found, has been charged, thanks to the law and order of the President.  (Applause.)

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Great job.  Thank you very much, Kayleigh.

     John wolf owns the Chicago liquor store -- it's called [Chicago] Lake Liquor -- and he had a tremendous business, which has been on the same corner, John, I think since 1972.  Right? 1972.  His business was looted and set on fire, causing over $1 million in damage.  John, please come up.  Tell us what happened and what we're going to do about it.  Thank you, John.  Please.  (Applause.)

     MR. WOLF:  President Trump, welcome to Minneapolis, and thank you so much for coming.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.

     MR. WOLF:  My name is John Wolf, and I'm the owner of Chicago Lake Liquors.  Our business has been a fixture in South Minneapolis since 1959.  In the early morning of May 28th, my business was broken into.  I called 911 over 10 times without any response, all while watching looters damage my building and haul away product.

     The feeling of helplessness I had knowing that no one was coming is indescribable.  I faced three nights of looting, six fires, three feet of standing water, over a million dollars' worth of stolen and damaged product.  There is nothing more important for elected officials than providing safety to residents and businesses.  Without that, nothing else works.

     We're currently experiencing real problems that have real consequences, and we need real leaders that make tough decisions.  Politicians can't bury their -- bury their heads and hope these issues go away.  They won't.  This isn’t a social studies experiment; this is real life with real people.  Actions should have consequences.  Has anyone been arrested for all this looting?  The answer is no.  Without consequences, people feel emboldened to do as they want.  What we need is law and order.  (Applause.)

     While city leaders discuss reimagining the police department, Minneapolis still needs law enforcement.  Here's the deal: I pay a lot of taxes.  In return, there's an understanding the city protects me.  I held up to my end; the city of Minneapolis didn’t.  Minneapolis businesses need a partner in government to provide law and order.  And I didn't see any one locally stepping up to the plate.  I believe in this South Minneapolis community and want to rebuild, but I need help.  And I know, Mr. President, you can be that partner of mine.

     Again, thanks, and I so appreciate you coming.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Good.  Thank you very much.  Would you like to say something?  Go ahead.  Please.

     MS. WOLF:  My name is Cathy Wolf.  I'm John's wife.  Thank you, Mr. President, for coming today.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Cathy.

     MS. WOLF:  As the wife of a businessman, you endure in the long hours, sacrifice family time and holidays, ride the waves of up and downs of employee and financial fluctuations, but never do you think you'd have to deal with complete destruction and looting of your business.

     The first night of the riots, I watched with tears in my eyes my husband watch his business -- his hard work, his pride and joy -- be destroyed in our kitchen via their cameras in and around the store.  At that moment, I understood the term "weak in the knees," and it continued for three more days.  We need law and order.  We need leaders who want law and order.  We need our police.  And again, I want to thank you, Mr. President, for being here.  You work tirelessly for America.  I pray for you, applaud you, and I cheer for you every single day.  (Applause.)

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much.  I appreciate it.  Thank you.  So, Cathy, let me ask you: When you say long hours, he would be there long at night -- when the business was operating, he'd get home very late and leave very early?  It was all work, right?

     MS. WOLF:  Yes.  Holidays, too.

     THE PRESIDENT:  And then one day, he saw these -- what would you want to call them?  Let's be nice.  Let's be nice.

     AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Anarchists!

     THE PRESIDENT:  “Anarchists.” 

     MS. WOLF:  Criminals.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, criminals.  That’s -- let's be nice: “criminals.”  We'll call them criminals.  That’s a nice word.

     But he saw -- you saw this, and you saw this on television happening, right?

     MS. WOLF:  We watched it in our kitchen with our children and cried.

     THE PRESIDENT:  So, do you think you'll be able to rebuild on the existing site?  Is it your land or how does that work?

     MR. WOLF:  Yes.  I've had the land for 20 years.  I'm --

     THE PRESIDENT:  So, it's yours.  You have the land, right?

     MR. WOLF:  I am.  I -- I want to be a leader in the community.  I'm going to rebuild.  I -- we -- we need help.  We need help from the city.  We need help from you.

     THE PRESIDENT:  Do you have somebody good going to run for mayor and going to run for governor and -- you know?  Because when we called out the National Guard, that stopped it.

     Did you see that scene?  But they should have called about -- you know, it's up to local to call them.  But the National Guard came in.  It was all quelled in like two minutes.  Remember that?

     They lined up, and they started -- and we weren't politically correct.  It was tear gas and it was whatever.  You know, now they don't want you to use tear gas or pepper spray or anything.  They want the police and law enforcement to really get hurt, if you think.

     But they lined up, and from the minute -- you saw the first, the second, the third -- they came in on buses in a wave, and they were four deep, five deep.  And they just walked like there was nothing to it -- like a knife cutting through butter.  And it was all over.  That was it.  They should have done it.  They should have called us a lot sooner.  We wanted to go.  You know, we have to get called by them, otherwise we have to do a very special act, and that's a big deal.  But I wish they did.

     So you're going to -- you still have faith the community?

     MR. WOLF:  I do.  I have faith in the residents.  I have faith in the other businesses.  (Applause.)  But we need help.  I mean, it's a -- it's an ecosystem where residents need to play safe to live.  Businesses need to protected.  Visitors need to feel comfortable.  But with that, we need the local government to protect all of us.  And that didn’t happen.

     If the National Guard would've been brought in 48 hours earlier, things would’ve been different.  And if there wasn’t -- if this wasn’t a time to bring them in, when is the time?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, there was no better scene than watching the National Guard on that street -- and that was the street loaded up with bad people, and they just started moving forward, and they never moved an inch backward, did they?   They --

     I'll never forget that scene.  I said, "Why didn't they do that five days sooner?"  Because they could have.  We were calling.  "Call up the National Guard."  "We don’t need them."  "Really?  Your police just ran down on the street."

     And by the way, you have very good police, but they’re told not to do anything.  It's not the police.  Your police are great.  But it's that they weren’t allowed to do what they're supposed to be doing.

     You know, we just got the endorsement of the New York City Police Association, which is amazing.  (Applause.)  All over Texas, all over Florida, all over everywhere -- Ohio -- we have the endorsement of the police groups.  I don't know.  I think -- I would say 100 percent, perhaps, is something.  I don't know, maybe there's a little group that we don't know about.  But all they had to do is be there a little bit sooner.  And we were calling, saying, "Call up the National Guard."  But they didn't want to do it.  I don't know if it's pride or stupidity.  It's one or the other, maybe both.  It may be both.  May be both.

     So we'll give you a hand, okay?  We're going to -- we're going to see what we can do.  (Applause.)  And great job.  You did a much better job than he did. (Laughs.)  Great job.  Thank you, John.  Thank you, Cathy.

     I also want to thank a couple of groups I see here -- the “Bikers for Trump.”  And these guys are amazing.  They ride those big bikes, and they're on the highways all over the -- all over the country.  They have helicopter shots of you guys riding along, thousands and thousands of them down the highway.  I wonder what happens, where the guy is innocently driving down a highway, and then he sees guys like you driving a little bit faster, a little bit faster, and he's looking -- and they don't stop.  They just keep coming by the hundreds, hundreds, hundreds.

     So, I want to thank Bikers for Trump.  You guys are fantastic.  (Applause.)   Yeah.  You guys are fantastic. I got a lot of friends.  They come over to the White House.

     And the others -- “Boaters for Trump.”  This just started.  (Applause.)  It was -- it started with one great gentleman.  One great gentleman, he had a boat, and they didn't want him to put up a little sign on his lawn that said, "Trump-Pence."  Right?  A little sign.  He said, "I'll put it on my boat."  He put it on the side of his boat, and all of a sudden, they had thousands of boats.  And then all of a -- then really what happened, it developed all over the country.  Where there is a lake or river or an ocean, you got thousands of them every weekend.

     And they just broke the record, supposedly, in the Guinness Book of Records for the most boats.  (Applause.)  We'll call that a “friendly protest,” right?  Because when you call it a “friendly protest," you can do anything.  You know that, right?

     They do that.  You can't go to church.  You can't do anything.  But if you're protesting, that's okay.  So we call it -- everything should be a protest.  Maybe the churches should call themselves “protesting.”  If they protest, they can open up their churches.  That's the -- the governors on the left.  That's the Democrats.

     And remember: Get out there and vote.  You have a great Republican, Jason -- great Republican Senate candidate -- and he's going to do a fantastic job representing you.  That's what you need.  You need representatives, whether it's a mayor or governor or a senator.  You got to get the right people.  You'll have no problems whatsoever.

     Your names were given to my people, and we're going to see what we can do for you.  (Applause.)  We'll help you out a little bit, and you might be very surprised.  We'll get you going.  But thank you all.

     And at the Democratic Convention this week, we will not hear a word about these innocent victims or the leftwing violence that's taking place.  And you know, I have to say that this country is very safe.  We have many, many cities, and mostly -- I mean, almost all are very safe, very well run.  They happen to mostly be run by -- I hate to say it -- by Republicans.  But they're very well run.  They have law and order.  They have low taxes.  They're doing fantastically well, despite the virus coming in from China -- we're doing great on that, too.  We're very close to the vaccine and therapeutics.  We've done ventilators to a level that we're helping the rest of the world with the ventilators.  And we've done really well.

     We have a lot of good news -- way down in Florida now; way down in California; way, way down in Arizona.  Those -- the governors have done great all over the country.  I mean, for the most part, the governors have really done well.  And they've -- they've helped.  But they needed a lot of help because they weren't stockpiled, and we now stockpile them.

     And you'll see it's -- a lot of good things are happening. It's going away, but we're also going to have vaccines very soon.  And very soon, we're going to have therapeutics, which, to me, is even more important.  You go in, and you give somebody a shot or you give them a transfusion, and they walk away very shortly thereafter, and they say, "I'm feeling good."  To me, that's what I really want.  And that's going to happen probably faster anyway.

     But I just want to thank everybody for being here.  While I'm President, I will fight for a future for every American city -- and, again, most of these are really incredible, safe, beautifully well-run cities.  We want every American family to be secure.  And every child -- we want them to be able to achieve the American Dream, just like these incredible people.  They will again achieve the American Dream.  (Applause.)  We took it away from them. With no law and order, we took it away.  It could've been easily kept.  But they will achieve again, a second time, the American Dream.

     So I just want to thank you for being here.  This was a very quick stop.  I said, "Let's stop."  They said, "Well, you know, I don't know.  We don't have time."  I said, "I have time, I don't know about you."  But I said, "I have time."  (Applause.)

     And just really and very strongly: God bless you all.  God bless our law enforcement, our police.  God bless our fire department.  Our fire department was really very brave.  They are -- all over the country, they're incredible.  So I want to thank them also.

     And we will see you.  And remember: November 3rd -- that is going to be the most important election in the history of our country.  (Applause.)  That is going to be an election like no other.  Even 2016, as important as that was, it was different because they weren't crazed at that time.  They weren't so far radical left.  They didn’t want to destroy our country.  But now they're looking at people that have very bad intentions, in my opinion.

     So, remember:  November 3rd, get out and vote.  You have to get out and vote.  Thank you all.  Good luck.  Got to win this state.  Thank you.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

                             END                12:42 P.M. CDT

Statement by National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien

Office of the Press Secretary
Statement by National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien
Today, on behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am pleased to announce the United States-Colombia Growth Initiative, which signals a new era of partnership between our two great countries. This bilateral initiative will harness a wide variety of agencies across the United States Government to expand our efforts focused on rural development, infrastructure expansion, security, and the rule of law. Together with the Colombian government, we will work to identify new opportunities for investment, sustainable development, and growth for Colombia.

This economic-based initiative will complement the United States’ expansive efforts to improve governance, security, and rule of law abroad. As part of our América Crece strategy in the Western Hemisphere, the United States seeks to strengthen our relationships with friends and allies in the region to achieve lasting security and prosperity for the 21st century. We continue to stand with our partner and close ally, the Government of Colombia, as we confront the challenges ahead and work together to advance our goals in the Western Hemisphere.

August 17, 2020 REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP BEFORE MARINE ONE DEPARTURE

Office of the Press Secretary
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
BEFORE MARINE ONE DEPARTURE

South Lawn

 
10:17 A.M. EDT
   
     THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  So we’ll be making a pretty big journey today, stopping at a couple of wonderful states that, in one case, had some big problems, and we got that straightened out.

     I just approved an emergency declaration for Iowa, who had an incredible wind storm like probably they’ve never seen before.  It really did a lot of damage.  So I’ve informed the governor; I’ve informed Senator Grassley and Senator Joni Ernst.  So I’ve approved the declaration -- emergency declaration for Iowa.

     And we are heading now to a combination of different places.  We may do a surprise visit.  We’ll make it -- I’ll say this: a surprise visit to Iowa.  If we can get it in, we’re going to do that.  But the very important thing is that we approved the emergency declaration for Iowa.  So they’re in good shape.

     They’re -- they’re working as we speak.  Also, FEMA is in Iowa now, full force, and helping them greatly.

     Okay?

     Q    Mr. President, oleandrin -- the potential therapy for coronavirus -- is that something you’re pressing the FDA to approve?

     THE PRESIDENT:  I’d -- you’d have to say it.

     Q    Oleandrin -- have you heard of that as a possible therapy for coronavirus?

     THE PRESIDENT:  I’ve heard of it, yes.  Go ahead.

     Q    Have you pressed the FDA to approve it?

     THE PRESIDENT:  No, I haven’t.  I haven’t.

     Q    Is it something you would support?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Is it something that people are talking about very strongly?  We’ll look at it.  We’ll look it.  We’re looking at a lot of different things.

     I will say, the FDA has been great.  They are very close -- we’re very close to a vaccine, very close to a therapeutic.  I’ve heard that name mentioned.  We’ll find out.  I can get back to you later.  Okay?

     Q    You said you might go to Iowa today?  You might go to Iowa today?

     THE PRESIDENT:  It’s possible.  We’re trying to work it into the schedule.  I want to see the people.  I love the people of Iowa.  They’ve been very loyal.  And the big thing was getting the declaration signed, but I’ll be going very soon, and maybe today.

     Steve?

     Q    Belarus.  Are you tracking the Belarus situation?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, it’s terrible.

     Q    And Russia -- are you --

     THE PRESIDENT:  That’s a terrible situation -- Belarus.  We’ll be following it very closely.  We’ll be following.

     Q    Iranian bounties in -- did you hear about Iranian bounties in Afghanistan?  Bounties?  Bounties --

     THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah?

     Q    -- in Afghanistan from Iran, did you hear about that?

     THE PRESIDENT:  No, I haven’t heard about that.  No.

     Q    (Inaudible) Brazilian students to come back to class.

     THE PRESIDENT:  We’re going to look at that.  We’ve been asked that question.  Brazilian students coming back in -- we’re looking at it very closely.

     Q    How about a travel ban for Russia or India?

     THE PRESIDENT:  We’re looking at the Brazilian situation.  We’ll take care of all of it.

     Okay?  So we’ll see you in a little while.

     Yeah, Steve.

     Q    What is your goal this week while the Democrats are holding their convention?  What’s your goal?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’re going to be stopping at a number of places.  We’ll be working very hard.  It doesn’t have to be covered, but it probably will be, you know.  But we’re going to be working very hard, stopping at various states.  You have a list of the states -- pretty comprehensive.  We’re going to be working very hard.  We have to.  We’re getting down to final crunch.  We want to be there.

     As an example, Iowa just came up.  We’re doing well in Iowa.  It just came up.  I want to be with the people of Iowa.  So we add that to the schedule.

     Q    Your brother -- when is the funeral for your brother?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Probably on Friday.  We’re looking at Friday.  And we may do just a small service right here in the White House for my brother.  We’re looking at doing that.  That would be, I think, a great honor to him.  I think he’d be greatly honored.  He loves our country.  He loved our country so much.  He was so proud of what we were doing and what we are doing for our country.

     So I think it would be appropriate.  So we’ll have, probably on Friday afternoon, a small service in honor of my brother, Robert.

     Q    Any updates, sir, on stimulus for the coronavirus?  Anything --

     THE PRESIDENT:  No.  I think this: I think that Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer should get back into Washington, and they should approve stimulus for the people.  They should give -- we should give some of that -- this was China’s fault; it wasn’t their fault.  And we’d like to see payment going to the people -- maybe PPE [PPP].  But we want payment going to the people.

     We’ll take care of the Post Office.  We want to make sure that the Post Office runs properly, and it hasn’t run properly for many years.  For probably 50 years, it’s run very badly.  So we want to make sure that the Post Office runs properly and doesn’t lose billions of dollars.  Somebody said it lost $78 billion over a relatively short period of time.  That’s over years -- $78 billion.  So you can’t have that.

     No, we will work with them, but we want money to go to the people that need it, and they don’t want to do that.  They just want to take care of the bailout money.  They want bailout money to go to their friends that are doing a bad job running Democrat states.

     Q    Are you worried --

     THE PRESIDENT:  You have states that are losing a lot of money.  They’ve been poorly run by Democrats for many years.  And that’s all they want to talk about is bailing out those states.  That’s unfair to the rest of the country.

     Q    Are you worried that the cutbacks on service are going to affect -- are you worried about cutbacks in service affecting people getting medications and prescriptions?

     THE PRESIDENT:  No, no, the Post Office is running very well.  The Post Office -- now, look, if you look at the Post Office, for years, that’s all people complained about.  We’re going to run it well, and we’re going to not lose so much money.

     One of the things the Post Office loses so much money on is the delivering packages for Amazon and these others.  Every time they deliver a package, they probably lose three or four dollars.  That’s not good.  They have to raise those prices --okay -- not for the people to pay, but for Amazon and those companies to pay.

     Thank you very much.

     Q    On mail-in ballots, why are you opposed to mail-in ballots when they cannot be hacked --

     THE PRESIDENT:  Okay.

     Q    -- by foreign interests or Russia?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Are you ready?  Absentee ballots are great.  You request a ballot, you can’t be -- I signed an absentee ballot.  Absentee ballots are great.  They work.  They’ve been proven.  They’re good -- like in Florida.  But this universal mail-in is a very dangerous thing.  It's fraught with fraud and every other thing that can happen, and we have to be very, very careful.

     We have a very big election coming up.  I think we're going to do very well.  And I want to make sure the election is not stolen, and so does everybody else.  And I'm sure both sides feel that way.  So we have to be very careful with this universal, mail-in ballot.

     Absentee ballots are great.  They've worked for a long time.  And I -- I totally endorse absentee ballots.

     Thank you very much everybody.

     Q    Have you ever encouraged Mr. DeJoy to slow the mail, Mr. President?  Have you ever encouraged the Postmaster General -- a big donor to you -- to slow the mail?

     THE PRESIDENT:  No, not at all.  Wouldn’t do that.  No, I have encouraged everybody: Speed up the mail, not slow the mail.

     And I also want to have a Post Office that runs without losing billions and billions of dollars a year, as it has been doing for 50 years.

     Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.
   
                             END                10:24 A.M. EDT

 
The White House · 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW · Washington, DC 20500-0003 · USA · 202-456-1111

West Wing Reads We’ll Protect America’s Suburbs

West Wing Reads

We’ll Protect America’s Suburbs


“The crime and chaos in Democrat-run cities have gotten so bad that liberals are even getting out of Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Rather than rethink their destructive policies, the left wants to make sure there is no escape,” President Trump and Housing & Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson write in The Wall Street Journal.

“A once-unthinkable agenda, a relentless push for more high-density housing in single-family residential neighborhoods, has become the mainstream goal of the left.”

Click here to read more.
“President Trump warned New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Sunday night that the federal government would act if his office fails to get a grip on the ongoing increase of violent crime in the city . . . [This weekend,] at least five people died in shootings across the city in at least 30 shootings,” Edmund DeMarche reports for Fox News.
“On Thursday, President Trump closed a historic peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates . . . The agreement would not have been possible without the leadership of a president who refuses to do things the same old way just because ‘that’s how it has always been done,’” Senior Advisor Jared Kushner writes in The Washington Post.
This April, the Trump Administration “launched a historic counternarcotics operation to target drug traffickers and disrupt the flow of illicit drugs to the United States. The narco-traffickers targeted include members of the illegitimate, thuggish regime of Nicolás Maduro and the Cartel de los Soles (‘Cartel of the Suns’) in Venezuela,” National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien writes in the New York Post.