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(horn playing) (applause) Mrs. Trump: Hello, Poland! Thank you very much. My husband and I have
enjoyed visiting your beautiful country. I want to thank President
and Mrs. Duda for the warm welcome and their
generous hospitality. I had the opportunity to visit
the Copernicus Science Centre today, and found it not only
informative but thoughtful, its mission, which is to inspire
people to observe, experiment, ask questions,
and seek answers. I can think of no better purpose
for such a wonderful science center. Thank you to all who were
involved in giving us the tour, especially the
children who made it such a wonderful experience. As many of you know, a
main focus of my husband's presidency is safety and
security of the American people. I think all of us can
agree people should be able to live their lives
without fear, no matter what country they live in. That is my wish for all
of us around the world. (Applause.) Thank you again for
this wonderful welcome to your very
special country. Your kindness and gracious
hospitality will not be forgotten. (Applause.) And now it is
my honor to introduce to you my husband, the
President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. (Applause.) The President: Thank you very much. That's so nice. The United States has many
great diplomats, but there is truly no better
ambassador for our country than our beautiful
First Lady, Melania. Thank you, Melania. That was very nice. (Applause.) We've come to
your nation to deliver a very important message:
America loves Poland, and America loves the
Polish people. (Applause.) Thank you. The Poles have not only
greatly enriched this region, but
Polish-Americans have also greatly enriched the
United States, and I was truly proud to have their
support in the 2016 election. (Applause.) It is a
profound honor to stand in this city, by this
monument to the Warsaw Uprising, and to address
the Polish nation that so many generations have
dreamed of: a Poland that is safe, strong, and free. (Applause.) President Duda and your
wonderful First Lady, Agata, have welcomed us with the tremendous warmth and
kindness for which Poland is known around the world. Thank you. (Applause.) My sincere -- and I mean
sincerely thank both of them. And to Prime Minister Syzdlo,
a very special thanks also. (Applause.) We are also pleased that
former President Leck Walesa, so famous for leading the Solidarity Movement, has
joined us today, also. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. On behalf of all
Americans, let me also thank the entire Polish
people for the generosity you have shown in
welcoming our soldiers to your country. These soldiers are not
only brave defenders of freedom, but also symbols
of America's commitment to your security and your
place in a strong and democratic Europe. We are proudly joined on
stage by American, Polish, British, and
Romanian soldiers. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. Great job. President Duda and I
have just come from an incredibly successful
meeting with the leaders participating in the
Three Seas Initiative. To the citizens of this
great region, America is eager to expand our
partnership with you. We welcome stronger ties
of trade and commerce as you grow your economies. And we are committed to
securing your access to alternate sources of energy,
so Poland and its neighbors are never again
held hostage to a single supplier of energy. (Applause.) Mr. President, I
congratulate you, along with the President
of Croatia, on your leadership of this
historic Three Seas Initiative. Thank you. (Applause.) This is my first visit to
Central Europe as President, and I am thrilled that
it could be right here at this magnificent,
beautiful piece of land. It is beautiful. (Applause.) Poland is
the geographic heart of Europe, but more importantly,
in the Polish people, we see the
soul of Europe. Your nation is great
because your spirit is great and your
spirit is strong. (Applause.) For two centuries,
Poland suffered constant and brutal attacks. But while Poland could be
invaded and occupied, and its borders even erased
from the map, it could never be erased from
history or from your hearts. In those dark days, you
have lost your land but you never lost your pride. (Applause.) So, it is
with true admiration that I can say today, that from
the farms and villages of your countryside to the
cathedrals and squares of your great cities, Poland
lives, Poland prospers, and Poland prevails. (Applause.) Despite every
effort to transform you, oppress you, or destroy
you, you endured and overcame. You are the proud nation of
Copernicus -- think of that -- (Applause.) -- Chopin, Saint John Paul II. Poland is a land
of great heroes. (Applause.) And you are a
people who know the true value of what you defend. The triumph of the Polish
spirit over centuries of hardship gives us all hope
for a future in which good conquers evil, and peace
achieves victory over war. For Americans, Poland has
been a symbol of hope since the beginning
of our nation. Polish heroes and American
patriots fought side by side in our War of Independence and
in many wars that followed. Our soldiers still
serve together today in Afghanistan and Iraq,
combatting the enemies of all civilization. For America's part, we
have never given up on freedom and independence
as the right and destiny of the Polish people,
and we never, ever will. (Applause.) Our two countries
share a special bond forged by unique histories
and national characters. It's a fellowship that
exists only among people who have fought and bled
and died for freedom. (Applause.) The signs of
this friendship stand in our nation's capital. Just steps from the White
House, we've raised statues of men with names like
Pulaski and Kosciuszko. (Applause.) The same is
true in Warsaw, where street signs carry the
name of George Washington, and a monument stands
to one of the world's greatest heroes,
Ronald Reagan. (Applause.) And so, I am here today not
just to visit an old ally, but to
hold it up as an example for others who seek
freedom and who wish to summon the courage and
the will to defend our civilization. (Applause.) The story of
Poland is the story of a people who have never lost
hope, who have never been broken, and who have
never, ever forgotten who they are. (Applause) Audience:
Donald Trump! Donald Trump! Donald Trump! The President: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Such a great honor. This is a nation more than
one thousand years old. Your borders were erased
for more than a century and only restored
just one century ago. In 1920, in the Miracle of
Vistula, Poland stopped the Soviet army
bent on European conquest. (Applause.) Then, 19
years later in 1939, you were invaded yet again,
this time by Nazi Germany from the west and the
Soviet Union from the east. That's trouble. That's tough. Under a double occupation
the Polish people endured evils beyond description:
the Katyn forest massacre, the occupations, the
Holocaust, the Warsaw Ghetto and the Warsaw
Ghetto Uprising, the destruction of this
beautiful capital city, and the deaths of nearly
one in five Polish people. A vibrant Jewish
population -- the largest in Europe -- was reduced
to almost nothing after the Nazis systematically
murdered millions of Poland's Jewish citizens,
along with countless others, during that
brutal occupation. In the summer of 1944, the
Nazi and Soviet armies were preparing for a
terrible and bloody battle right here in Warsaw. Amid that hell on earth,
the citizens of Poland rose up to defend
their homeland. I am deeply honored to be
joined on stage today by veterans and heroes of
the Warsaw Uprising. (Applause.) Audience: (Chanting.) The President: What great spirit. We salute your noble
sacrifice and we pledge to always remember your
fight for Poland and for freedom. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) This monument reminds us that
more than 150,000 Poles died during
that desperate struggle to overthrow oppression. From the other side of the
river, the Soviet armed forces stopped and waited. They watched as the Nazis
ruthlessly destroyed the city, viciously murdering
men, women, and children. They tried to destroy
this nation forever by shattering its
will to survive. But there is a courage and
a strength deep in the Polish character that
no one could destroy. The Polish martyr, Bishop
Michael Kozal, said it well, "More horrifying
than a defeat of arms is a collapse of the
human spirit." Through four decades of
communist rule, Poland and the other captive nations
of Europe endured a brutal campaign to demolish
freedom, your faith, your laws, your history, your
identity -- indeed the very essence of your
culture and your humanity. Yet, through it all, you
never lost that spirit. (Applause.) Your oppressors tried to break you,
but Poland could not be broken. (Applause.) And when the
day came on June 2nd, 1979, and one million
Poles gathered around Victory Square for their
very first mass with their Polish Pope, that day,
every communist in Warsaw must have known that their
oppressive system would soon come crashing down. (Applause.) They must have known it
at the exact moment during Pope John
Paul II's sermon when a million Polish men,
women, and children suddenly raised their voices
in a single prayer. A million Polish people
did not ask for wealth. They did not ask
for privilege. Instead, one million Poles
sang three simple words, "We Want God." (Applause.) In those words, the Polish
people recalled the promise of a better future. They found new courage
to face down their oppressors, and they found
the words to declare that Poland would be
Poland once again. As I stand here today
before this incredible crowd, this faithful nation, we can
still hear those voices that echo through history. Their message is as
true today as ever. The people of Poland, the
people of America, and the people of Europe still
cry out "We want God." (Applause.) Together,
with Pope John Paul II, the Poles reasserted their
identity as a nation devoted to God. And with that powerful
declaration of who you are, you came to understand what
to do and how to live. You stood in solidarity
against oppression, against a lawless secret
police, against a cruel and wicked system that
impoverished your cities and your souls. And you won. Poland prevailed. Poland will
always prevail. (Applause.) Audience:
Donald Trump! Donald Trump! Donald Trump! The President: Thank you. You were supported in that
victory over communism by a strong alliance of free
nations in the West that defied tyranny. Now, among the most
committed members of the NATO Alliance, Poland has
resumed its place as a leading nation of a Europe
that is strong, whole, and free. A strong Poland is a blessing
to the nations of Europe, and they know that. A strong Europe is a
blessing to the West and to the world. (Applause.) One hundred
years after the entry of American forces into World
War I, the transatlantic bond between the United States and
Europe is as strong as ever and maybe,
in many ways, even stronger. This continent no longer confronts the specter of communism. But today we're in the
West, and we have to say there are dire threats to
our security and to our way of life. You see what's
happening out there. They are threats. We will confront them. We will win. But they are threats. (Applause.) Audience:
Donald Trump! Donald Trump! Donald Trump! The President: We are
confronted by another oppressive ideology --
one that seeks to export terrorism and extremism
all around the globe. America and Europe have
suffered one terror attack after another. We're going to
get it to stop. (Applause.) During a historic gathering
in Saudi Arabia, I called on the leaders of
more than 50 Muslim nations to join together to drive
out this menace which threatens
all of humanity. We must stand united
against these shared enemies to strip them of their
territory and their funding, and their networks, and any
form of ideological support that they may have. While we will always
welcome new citizens who share our values and love
our people, our borders will always be closed to
terrorism and extremism of any kind. (Applause.) Audience:
Donald Trump! Donald Trump! Donald Trump! The President: We are
fighting hard against radical Islamic terrorism,
and we will prevail. We cannot accept those who
reject our values and who use hatred to justify
violence against the innocent. Today, the West is also
confronted by the powers that seek to test our
will, undermine our confidence, and
challenge our interests. To meet new forms of
aggression, including propaganda, financial
crimes, and cyberwarfare, we must adapt our alliance
to compete effectively in new ways and on all
new battlefields. We urge Russia to cease
its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and
elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes --
including Syria and Iran -- and to instead join the
community of responsible nations in our fight
against common enemies and in defense of
civilization itself. (Applause.) Finally,
on both sides of the Atlantic, our citizens are
confronted by yet another danger -- one firmly
within our control. This danger is invisible
to some but familiar to the Poles: the steady
creep of government bureaucracy that drains
the vitality and wealth of the people. The West became great not
because of paperwork and regulations but because
people were allowed to chase their dreams and
pursue their destinies. Americans, Poles, and the
nations of Europe value individual freedom
and sovereignty. We must work together to
confront forces, whether they come from inside or
out, from the South or the East, that threaten over
time to undermine these values and to erase the
bonds of culture, faith and tradition that
make us who we are. (Applause.) If left unchecked, these forces
will undermine our courage, sap our spirit, and weaken our will to
defend ourselves and our societies. But just as our
adversaries and enemies of the past learned here in
Poland, we know that these forces, too, are doomed to
fail if we want them to fail. And we do, indeed,
want them to fail. (Applause.) They are doomed not only
because our alliance is strong, our countries are resilient, and our
power is unmatched. Through all of that, you
have to say everything is true. Our adversaries, however,
are doomed because we will never forget who we are. And if we don't forget who are,
we just can't be beaten. Americans will
never forget. The nations of Europe
will never forget. We are the fastest and
the greatest community. There is nothing like our
community of nations. The world has never
known anything like our community of nations. We write symphonies. We pursue innovation. We celebrate our ancient
heroes, embrace our timeless traditions and
customs, and always seek to explore and discover
brand-new frontiers. We reward brilliance. We strive for excellence,
and cherish inspiring works of art
that honor God. We treasure the rule of
law and protect the right to free speech and
free expression. (Applause.) We empower women as pillars of
our society and of our success. We put faith and family,
not government and bureaucracy, at the
center of our lives. And we debate everything. We challenge everything. We seek to know everything
so that we can better know ourselves. (Applause.) And above all, we value the
dignity of every human life, protect the rights of every person, and share
the hope of every soul to live in freedom. That is who we are. Those are the priceless
ties that bind us together as nations, as allies,
and as a civilization. What we have, what we
inherited from our -- and you know this better than
anybody, and you see it today with this incredible
group of people -- what we've inherited from
our ancestors has never existed to this
extent before. And if we fail to preserve
it, it will never, ever exist again. So, we cannot fail. This great community of
nations has something else in common: In every one of
them, it is the people, not the powerful, who
have always formed the foundation of freedom and
the cornerstone of our defense. The people have been that
foundation here in Poland -- as they were right here
in Warsaw -- and they were the foundation from the very,
very beginning in America. Our citizens did not win
freedom together, did not survive horrors
together, did not face down evil together, only to lose our
freedom to a lack of pride and confidence
in our values. We did not and
we will not. We will never back down. (Applause.) Audience:
Donald Trump! Donald Trump! Donald Trump! The President: As long as
we know our history, we will know how to
build our future. Americans know that a
strong alliance of free, sovereign and independent
nations is the best defense for our freedoms
and for our interests. That is why my
administration has demanded that all members
of NATO finally meet their full and fair
financial obligation. As a result of this
insistence, billions of dollars more have begun
to pour into NATO. In fact, people
are shocked. But billions and billions
of dollars more are coming in from countries that, in
my opinion, would not have been paying so quickly. To those who would
criticize our tough stance, I would point out
that the United States has demonstrated not merely
with words but with its actions that we stand
firmly behind Article 5, the mutual defense
commitment. (Applause.) Words are easy, but
actions are what matters. And for its own protection
-- and you know this, everybody knows this,
everybody has to know this -- Europe must do more. Europe must demonstrate
that it believes in its future by investing its
money to secure that future. That is why we applaud
Poland for its decision to move forward this week on
acquiring from the United States the battle-tested
Patriot air and missile defense system -- the best
anywhere in the world. (Applause.) That is also
why we salute the Polish people for being one of
the NATO countries that has actually achieved the
benchmark for investment in our common defense. Thank you. Thank you, Poland. I must tell you, the
example you set is truly magnificent, and
we applaud Poland. Thank you. (Applause.) We have to remember that our
defense is not just a commitment of money, it is a commitment of will. Because as the Polish
experience reminds us, the defense of the West
ultimately rests not only on means but also on the
will of its people to prevail and be successful
and get what you have to have. The fundamental question
of our time is whether the West has the
will to survive. Do we have the confidence
in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect
for our citizens to protect our borders? Do we have the desire and
the courage to preserve our civilization in the
face of those who would subvert and destroy it? (Applause.) We can have
the largest economies and the most lethal weapons
anywhere on Earth, but if we do not have strong
families and strong values, then we will be
weak and we will not survive. (Applause.) If anyone forgets the critical
importance of these things, let them come to one
country that never has. Let them come to Poland. (Applause.) And let them
come here, to Warsaw, and learn the story of
the Warsaw Uprising. When they do, they should
learn about Jerusalem Avenue. In August of 1944,
Jerusalem Avenue was one of the main roads
running east and west through this city,
just as it is today. Control of that road was
crucially important to both sides in the
battle for Warsaw. The German military wanted
it as their most direct route to move troops and
to form a very strong front. And for the Polish Home
Army, the ability to pass north and south across
that street was critical to keep the center of the
city, and the Uprising itself, from being split
apart and destroyed. Every night, the Poles put
up sandbags amid machine gun fire -- and it was
horrendous fire -- to protect a narrow passage
across Jerusalem Avenue. Every day, the enemy
forces knocked them down again and again and again. Then the Poles
dug a trench. Finally, they
built a barricade. And the brave Polish
fighters began to flow across Jerusalem Avenue. That narrow passageway,
just a few feet wide, was the fragile link that
kept the Uprising alive. Between its walls, a
constant stream of citizens and freedom
fighters made their perilous, just perilous, sprints. They ran across that
street, they ran through that street, they ran
under that street -- all to defend this city. "The far side was several
yards away," recalled one young Polish
woman named Greta. That mortality and that
life was so important to her. In fact, she said, "The
mortally dangerous sector of the street was
soaked in the blood. It was the blood of
messengers, liaison girls, and couriers." Nazi snipers shot at
anybody who crossed. Anybody who crossed,
they were being shot at. Their soldiers burned
every building on the street, and they used the
Poles as human shields for their tanks in their
effort to capture Jerusalem Avenue. The enemy never ceased its
relentless assault on that small outpost of
civilization. And the Poles never
ceased its defense. The Jerusalem Avenue passage
required constant protection, repair, and reinforcement, but
the will of its defenders did not waver, even
in the face of death. And to the last days of
the Uprising, the fragile crossing never,
ever failed. It was never,
ever forgotten. It was kept open by
the Polish people. The memories of those who
perished in the Warsaw Uprising cry out across the decades,
and few are clearer than the memories
of those who died to build and defend the
Jerusalem Avenue crossing. Those heroes remind us
that the West was saved with the blood of
patriots; that each generation must
rise up and play their part in its defense -- (Applause.) -- and that every foot of
ground, and every last inch of civilization, is worth
defending with your life. Our own fight for the West
does not begin on the battlefield -- it begins
with our minds, our wills, and our souls. Today, the ties that unite
our civilization are no less vital, and demand no
less defense, than that bare shred of land on
which the hope of Poland once totally rested. Our freedom, our
civilization, and our survival depend on these
bonds of history, culture, and memory. And today as ever, Poland
is in our heart, and its people are in that fight. (Applause.) Just as Poland could not
be broken, I declare today for the world to hear that the West will never,
ever be broken. Our values will prevail. Our people will thrive. And our civilization
will triumph. (Applause.) Audience:
Donald Trump! Donald Trump! Donald Trump! The President: Thank you. So, together, let us all
fight like the Poles -- for family, for freedom,
for country, and for God. Thank you. God Bless You. God bless the
Polish people. God bless our allies. And God bless the United
States of America. Thank you. God bless you. Thank you very much. (Applause.)











