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Americans I'm speaking to you tonight
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Office before I begin let me speak to
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important news from earlier
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today after eight months of non-stop
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negotiation my Administration by my
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Administration a ceasefire and a hostage
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deal has been reached by Israel and
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Hamas the elements of which I laid out
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in great detail in May of this
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year this plan was developed and
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team and will be largely implemented by
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Administration that's why I told my team
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to keep the incoming Administration
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informed because that's how it should be
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Americans this will be my final address
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to you from the American people from the
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Oval Office from this desk as president
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and I've been thinking a lot about who
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we are and maybe more importantly who we
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be long ago in New York Harbor an iron
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worker installed beam after beam day
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after day he was joined by Steel Workers
1:22
Engineers they built not just a single
1:25
structure but a beacon of
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Freedom the very idea of America was so
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big we felt the entire world needed to
1:37
Liberty a gift from France after our
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war like the very idea of America it was
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built not by one person but by many
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people from every background and from
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world like America The Statue liberty is
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still her foot literally steps forward
1:59
at top of broken chain of human
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bondage she's on the March and she
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moves she's built a sway back and forth
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to withstand the fury Stormy Weather to
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stand the test of time because storms
2:17
coming she sways a few inches but she
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never falls into the current below and
2:25
Marvel the Statue of Liberty is also an
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enduring symbol of the Soul of our
2:30
nation a soul shaped by forces that
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bring us together and by forces that
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apart and yet through good times and
2:39
tough times we've with stood it all a
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nation of pioneers and
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explorers of dreamers and
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doers of ancestors native to this land
2:52
of ancestors who came by
2:54
force a nation of immigrants came to
2:58
life a na Nation holding the torch of
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the most powerful idea ever in the
3:06
world that all of us all of us are
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created equal that all of us deserve to
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be treated with dignity Justice and
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moved in every way possible our rights
3:32
dreams but we know the idea of America
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our institution our people our values
3:39
that uphold it are constantly being
3:42
tested ongoing debates about power and
3:45
the exercise of power but whether we
3:48
lead by the example of our power or the
3:53
example whether we show the courage to
3:56
stand up to the Abus of power or we
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it after 50 years at the center of all
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of this I know that believing in the
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idea of America means respecting the
4:10
institution that govern a free
4:13
Society the presidency the Congress the
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courts a free and independent
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press institutions that are
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rooted not they just might not reflect
4:27
the Timeless words but they re
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they they Echo the words of the
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Independence we hold these truths to be
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self-evident rooted in the Timeless
4:40
words of the Constitution We the
4:44
People our system of separation of
4:47
powers checks and balances it may not be
4:50
perfect but it's maintained our
4:53
democracy for nearly 250
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years longer than any other nation in
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history that's ever tried such a bold
5:02
experiment in the past four years our
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strong and every day I've kept my
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commitment to be president for all
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Americans through one of the toughest
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periods in our nation's
5:16
history I've had a great partner and
5:20
Harris spend the honor of my life to see
5:25
the resilience of essential workers
5:28
getting us through once in a century
5:30
pandemic the heroism of service members
5:33
and the First Responders keeping us
5:35
safe the determination of Advocates
5:38
standing up for our rights and our
5:41
freedoms instead of losing their jobs to
5:45
an economic crisis that we inherited
5:48
millions of Americans now have the
5:50
Dignity of work millions of
5:53
entrepreneurs and companies creating new
5:56
businesses and industries hiring
5:58
American workers using American
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products together we've launched a new
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possibilities one of the greatest
6:09
modernizations of infrastructure in our
6:11
entire history from New Roads Bridges
6:14
clean water affordable high-speed
6:20
American we invented the
6:22
semiconductor smaller than the tip of my
6:25
little finger and now is bringing those
6:27
chip factories and those jobs back to
6:31
belong creating thousands of
6:34
jobs finally giving Medicare the power
6:38
to negotiate lower prescription drug
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prices for millions of
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seniors and finally doing something to
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protect our children and our families by
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passing The most significant gun safety
6:52
law in 30 years and bringing violent
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low meeting our sacred oblig ation to
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over 1 million veterans so far who are
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materials and to their families
7:08
providing Medical Care and education
7:10
benefits and more for their
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know it will take time to feel the full
7:18
impact of all we've done together but
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the seeds are planted and they'll grow
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and they'll Bloom for decades to
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come at home we've created nearly 17
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million new jobs more than any other
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single Administration a single
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term more people have health care than
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before and overseas we've strengthened
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NATO Ukraine is still
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free and we pulled ahead of our
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competition with China and so much
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more I'm so proud of how much we've
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accomplished together for the American
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people and I wish the incoming
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Administration success ESS because I
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succeed that's why I have held my duty
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to ensure a peaceful and orderly
8:08
transition of power to ensure we lead by
8:14
example I have no doubt that America's
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in a position to continue to
8:19
succeed that's why my Farewell Address
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tonight I want to warn the country of
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some things that give me great
8:28
concern this is the dangerous con and
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that's the dangerous concentration of
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power in the hands of a very few ultra
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wealthy people the dangerous
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consequences if their abuse of power is
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today an oligarchy is taking shape in
8:47
America of extreme wealth power and
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influence that literally threatens our
8:51
entire democracy our basic rights and
8:55
freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to
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ahead we see the consequences all across
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America and we've seen it before more
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ago but the American people stood up to
9:12
the Rober Barons back then and busted
9:16
trusts they didn't punish the wealthy
9:19
just made the wealthy pay to by play by
9:21
the rules everybody else had to workers
9:24
want rights to earn their fair
9:28
share you know they were dealt into the
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deal and it helped put us on a path to
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building the largest middle class most
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prosperous Century any nation in the
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seen we've got to do that
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again the last four years that is
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done people should be able to make as
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much as they can but pay play by the
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same rules pay their fair share of
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taxes so much is at stake
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right now the existential threat of
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climate change has never been
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clear just look across the country from
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Carolina that's why I sign the most
10:14
significant climate and clean energy law
10:17
ever ever in the history of the world
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and the rest of the world trying to
10:23
working creating jobs and industries of
10:27
the future now we proven we don't have
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to choose between protecting the
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environment and growing the economy
10:36
both the powerful forces want to wield
10:40
their unchecked influence to eliminate
10:42
the steps we've taken to tackle the
10:44
crime and crisis to serve their own
10:47
interest for power and
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profit we must not be bullied the
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sacrificing the future the future of our
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grandchildren must keep pushing
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faster there's no time to
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waste it's also clear that American
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technology is unparalleled an
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unparalleled source of
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innovation that can transform
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lives we see the same dangers of the
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concentration of Technology power and
11:23
wealth you know as farewell addressed
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President Eisenhower spoke of the
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dangers of the military industrial
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complex he warned us then about and I
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quote the potential for the disastrous
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rise of misplaced power end of
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quote six days L six decades later I'm
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equally concerned about the P potential
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rise of a tech industrial complex that
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could pose real dangers for our country
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well Americans are being buried under an
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Avalanche of misinformation and
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disinformation enabling the abuse of
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power the Free Press is crumbling ERS
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disappearing social media is giving up
12:13
factchecking the truth is smothered by
12:16
lies told for power and for
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profit we must hold the social platforms
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accountable to protect our children our
12:26
families and the Very democracy
12:33
meanwhile artificial
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intelligence is the most consequential
12:37
technology of our time perhaps of all
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time nothing offers more profound
12:44
possibilities and risk for our economy
12:49
security our society a very for
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Humanity artificial intelligence even
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has the potential to help us answer my
12:58
call and cancer as we know it but unless
13:03
place AI could spawn new threats to our
13:06
rights our way of life to our privacy
13:10
how we work and how we protect our
13:12
nation we must make sure AI is safe and
13:17
trustworthy and good for all
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humankind in the age of AI it's more
13:23
important than ever that the people must
13:27
C and as the land of
13:30
liberty America not China must lead the
13:35
world in the development of
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AI you know in the years
13:40
ahead they'll help to
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be it's going to be up to the president
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the presidency the Congress the courts
13:47
the free press and the American people
13:51
to confront these powerful
13:53
forces we must reform the tax code not
13:57
by giving the biggest tax cuts to
13:59
billionaires but by making them begin to
14:02
share we need to get dark money that's
14:04
that hidden funding behind too many
14:07
campaigns contributions we need to get
14:10
it out of our politics we need to enact
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an 18-year time limit term limit time
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and term for the strongest ethics and
14:20
the strongest ethics reforms for Supreme
14:22
Court we need to ban members of Congress
14:26
from tra from Trading stock while
14:28
they're in the Congress we need to amend
14:31
the Constitution and make clear that no
14:33
president no president is immune from
14:36
crimes that he or she commits while in
14:40
office the president's power is not
14:43
limited it's not absolute and it
14:47
be and in the Democracy there's another
14:50
danger to the concentration of power and
14:53
wealth it erodes a sense of unity and
14:58
purpose it causes distrust and
15:01
division participating in our democracy
15:05
becomes exhausting and even
15:07
disillusioning and people don't feel
15:10
like they have a fair
15:11
shot we have to stay engaged in the
15:17
frustrating a fair shot is what makes
15:19
America America Everyone's entitled to a
15:23
fair shot not a guarantee but just a
15:26
fair shot an even playing field
15:30
going as far as your hard work and
15:33
you we can never lose that essential
15:40
believed and I've told other world
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leaders America can be defined by one
15:48
possibilities only in America do we
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possible like a kid with a Stutter from
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Modest Beginnings in Scranton
15:57
Pennsylvania and cl Montel sitting
16:00
behind the this desk in the Oval Office
16:04
as president of the United States that's
16:07
the magic of America it's all around
16:10
us upstairs in the residence of the
16:14
House I've walked by a painting of the
16:16
Statue of Liberty I don't know how many
16:19
times in the painting there's several
16:23
workers climbing on the outstretched arm
16:26
of the statue that holds the torch
16:29
reminds me every day I pass it of the
16:32
story and soul of our nation and the
16:36
power of the American Prayer
16:38
people there's a story of a veteran this
16:41
is a veteran a son of an
16:43
immigrant whose job was to climb that
16:46
torch and polish the Amber panes so rays
16:51
of light could reach out as far as
16:54
possible he was known as The Keeper of
16:59
he once said of the Statute of
17:01
Liberty quote speaks a silent universal
17:05
language one of hope that anyone who
17:08
seeks and speaks Freedom can
17:14
yes we sway back and forth to withstand
17:16
the fury of the storm to stand the test
17:19
of time a constant struggle constant
17:23
struggle a short distance between Peril
17:30
believe is the America of our dreams is
17:33
always closer than we think it's up to
17:37
us to make our dreams come
17:41
close by stating my gratitude to so many
17:45
people to the members of my
17:48
Administration as well as public service
17:50
and First Responders across the country
17:54
world thank you for stepping up to serve
17:58
to our service members and your
18:01
families it's been the highest honor of
18:03
my life to lead you as commander-in
18:06
Chief and of course to kamla and our
18:11
partner historic vice
18:13
president she and douer become like
18:16
family and to me family is
18:20
everything my deepest
18:22
appreciation to our amazing first lady
18:24
who's with me in the oval
18:27
today for our entire
18:31
family you're the love of my life and
18:35
love my eternal thanks to you the
18:39
people after 50 years of Public
18:43
Service I give you my word I still
18:46
believe in the idea for which this
18:50
stands Nation where the strength of our
18:53
institutions and the character of our
18:56
people matter and must endure
19:00
now it's your turn to stand
19:03
guard may you all be The Keeper of the
19:05
flame may you keep the
19:12
too God bless you all may God protect
19:16
your troops thank you for this great