Transcript - Speech: Donald Trump Delivers a Speech on Trade at a Steel Plant in Illinois - July 26, 2018 | Factba.se

Donald Trump

00:00:00 - 00:00:25 (26 sec)

That's a great song, isn't it? Well thank you all, and I'm thrilled to be here in Granite City with the incredible men and women of U.S. Steel. Great company, great company. And we love our steel workers, and our steel workers are going back to work in record numbers, you notice?

Donald Trump

00:00:25 - 00:00:57 (32 sec)

We're here today to celebrate a great victory, a victory for all of you, for this community and for our entire country. After years of shutdowns and cutbacks, today the blast furnace here in Granite City is blazing bright, workers are back on the job and we are once again pouring new American steel into the spine of our country.

Donald Trump

00:00:57 - 00:01:37 (39 sec)

I want to thank Secretary Ross who's here with us today and Secretary Acosta. And they've been fighting for your jobs, for our jobs for a long time. We're also joined by the three true friends of American steel workers, Representative Mike Bost, Rodney Davis and John Shimkus. Fellas, thank you very much.

Donald Trump

00:01:37 - 00:01:51 (14 sec)

They fight for you. I'll tell you what, those three people fight for you all of the time. In fact, they fight so much that I sometimes say I don't want to take their call today. [Laughter]

Donald Trump

00:01:51 - 00:02:06 (15 sec)

But they're with you all the way. Very special people, hard-working Congressmen. I also want to thank the President and CEO of the United States Steel corporation, David Burritt. David, thank you.

Donald Trump

00:02:06 - 00:02:35 (28 sec)

And David actually gave me a couple of words when I walked in, and I said you know what David, I'd love you and Doug Matthews and some of the folks that you want to bring, if you want to bring anybody, come up here, I want to shake your hand. What a job you're doing. U.S. Steel is back -- U.S. Steel is back. Get up here, David.

Donald Trump

00:02:35 - 00:02:50 (16 sec)

That's great. I'd love you to say a few words and explain what's happened over the last four or five months with steel in the United States. Thanks, David.

David Burritt

00:02:50 - 00:03:14 (24 sec)

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you so much, Mr. President and also a special thanks to Commerce Secretary Ross for the heavy lifting you've done and -- and Congressmen, thank you so very much and Dr. Navarro as well, so thank you. Give it up for them.

David Burritt

00:03:14 - 00:03:36 (23 sec)

It does indeed feel like a renaissance here for U.S. Steel. You know, the President's been in office really only a short time, but a lot has happened for our company because of the President. Thank you, sir.

David Burritt

00:03:36 - 00:03:51 (15 sec)

We have a lot of work to do. This is a -- a company that has -- was originally known as a great, iconic corporation back in 1901. We need to bring back that status, we need to make U.S. Steel great again.

David Burritt

00:03:51 - 00:04:16 (25 sec)

We are so fortunate to have this type of leadership at this point in time. We're so glad you're back and I'm so glad you're back working safely. You know, we can do this. You know, we can have steel that's mined, melted and made in the USA.

David Burritt

00:04:16 - 00:04:49 (32 sec)

In fact, that's exactly what this facility does, it gets the taconite pellets from our mining site in Minnesota, we get coal from Appalachia, we put it all together and we're able to make this great steel, and you're back because of the policies that are in place, and we -- we need to keep those policies in place, and with a President like this, we just know he will never blink.

Donald Trump

00:04:49 - 00:05:25 (37 sec)

Thank you, fellas. Thank you, David. It's been so hard to start the steel business back up. You know, this isn't like a regular business where if you don't have it, it's just fine. You need steel coming from our country, you need aluminum coming for -- right here in the USA, and we've got aluminum coming out good, we've got steel coming out beyond good, I think we can say that, David.

Donald Trump

00:05:25 - 00:05:54 (29 sec)

And we have lots of other things happening, and we'll be talking about them as we go along. I want to introduce a very special person, a tremendous talent. Of course, I'm a little prejudiced because she's my daughter, Ivanka. I said I'll bring you up Ivanka. Done a great job. She loves this country, I can tell you that folks. Honey, say a few words, please.

Ivanka Trump

00:05:54 - 00:06:11 (17 sec)

Thank you. Thank you, wow. It's great to be here in Illinois. One thing I can tell you is that this President and this administration loves its steel workers.

Ivanka Trump

00:06:11 - 00:06:30 (19 sec)

This President and this administration is fighting for each and every one of you, and it is an honor to be here. The economy is booming, steel is coming roaring back and we are so incredibly proud of each and every one of you.

Ivanka Trump

00:06:30 - 00:06:42 (11 sec)

And thank you to U.S. Steel for -- for being here and for having us here. And thank you for -- for this President, for enabling it to happen. So thank you Illinois, thank you everyone.

Donald Trump

00:06:42 - 00:07:10 (29 sec)

Thank you, honey. Yeah, we've made a lot of improvement, a lot of things are happening and together, we really are starting to live by two very important rules: buy American and hire American, right?

Donald Trump

00:07:10 - 00:07:45 (34 sec)

Of course, in terms of a slogan, the greatest perhaps ever in the history of politics, "make America great again." That's the best. That's the best. And in a couple of years, we change that slogan -- I hate to tell you this, to "keep America great" because that's what's happening. Keep America great. So your hat will be a little bit obsolete, but that's OK.

Donald Trump

00:07:45 - 00:07:56 (11 sec)

That's OK. Because that's what's happening; we've never seen anything like going on right now. You can have very big numbers announced tomorrow. I don't know what they are, but a lot of big predictions.

Donald Trump

00:07:56 - 00:08:07 (11 sec)

If I would have said it on the campaign trail, GDP numbers will be announced tomorrow sometime. I don't know what they are, but I -- I think they're going to be terrific.

Donald Trump

00:08:07 - 00:08:27 (21 sec)

You know, when we took over it was really low, and it was heading lower, a lot lower. And it was going to be there fast. And great things have happened. So whatever those numbers are, watch for them. Somebody actually predicted today, 5.3. I don't think that's going to happen; 5.3.

Donald Trump

00:08:27 - 00:08:47 (20 sec)

If it has a 4 in front of it, we're happy. If it has like a 3, but it's a 3.8, 3.9, 3.7 we're OK. But these are unthinkable numbers. If I would have used these numbers during the campaign, the fake news back there would have said, he's exaggerating.

Donald Trump

00:08:47 - 00:09:19 (33 sec)

Look at all those cameras. All those cameras, every stop I get all these cameras. This never happened to Obama. This never happened to Bush. This didn't happen. They just follow. They're dying to see us make a little bit of a mistake. They analyze every word. They say, did he say that? Could it have been?

Donald Trump

00:09:19 - 00:09:35 (16 sec)

Did he say something positive about Russia? I think he loves Russia. And I see along with Russia, but that's OK. But these people, they analyze every single word and they follow us.

Donald Trump

00:09:35 - 00:09:56 (21 sec)

And you know what? The good news is: we can get the word out. We can get the word out. And the word that I get out is what's happened to steel in this country, Dave just said, over the last six months. Even though we've been here for a little more than a year and a half, but we really hit it big over the last six months with what we've done.

Donald Trump

00:09:56 - 00:10:19 (23 sec)

They were dumping steel all over the country -- dumping it like it was garbage. And they were putting all of you people out of work. Now you're making your own steel. And the United States is taking in billions of dollars. They never say that. And also jobs, and also, we're recreating a giant industry. We need steel.

Donald Trump

00:10:19 - 00:10:51 (32 sec)

We need steel plants. And to see an old big monster plant like this reopening, that is an honor. And I look at the faces of you people. I could be one of you. I could be one of you. I like you guys. I like you guys, I tell you, but I could be one of you. It's true. Looking around, all these good looking people, it could be me. And I'd be happy if I was, because you're opening up plants all over the country.

Donald Trump

00:10:51 - 00:11:11 (20 sec)

I think U.S. Steel is opening up seven plants and expanding. They're taking areas that they never thought they'd see again in these big old plants. They have a little corner of a building. And now they're taking half the building and all of this giant building. It's a big difference, David. Thank you very much for doing a great job.

Donald Trump

00:11:11 - 00:11:36 (25 sec)

You've been a great spokesman. And I know you're all proud to work at a company where the steel is, in fact, mined and melted and made in America. For more than a century, the workers here at Granite City Mill helped build the most powerful and prosperous nation ever to exist on the face of the earth. That's right.

Donald Trump

00:11:36 - 00:12:17 (41 sec)

They poured the sweat from their brows and the love from their souls to support their families. And they loved their country. We all love our country. But bad things were happening. Three years ago, the flood of subsidized imports and the tidal wave of unfair trade targeting our steel industry and, frankly, lots of other industries. It finally caught up with Granite City Steel.

Donald Trump

00:12:17 - 00:12:39 (23 sec)

Hundreds of workers were laid off. Your two beautiful blast furnaces were idle. And the lifeblood of this community was drained. Over the last two decades, nearly two-thirds of American raw steel companies went out of business. More than one-third of the steel jobs vanished.

Donald Trump

00:12:39 - 00:12:54 (15 sec)

We need steel mills for national security. Remember that. This isn't just price. This isn't just "Gee, we could do it for a little bit less." We need it for national security.

Donald Trump

00:12:54 - 00:13:19 (25 sec)

Our steel towns became ghost towns. More than 70,000 hardworking Americans lost their jobs, their hope and their way of life. You people know it better than anybody. Other countries cheated and broke the rules. they subsidized their industries. They targeted our factories, our workers, our country.

Donald Trump

00:13:19 - 00:13:59 (40 sec)

They went after our companies and they stole our intellectual property like it never even belonged to us, like it wasn't our idea in the first place. Our trade deficit ballooned to $817 billion. Think of that. We lost $817 billion a year over the last number of years in trade. In other words, if we didn't trade, we'd save a hell of a lot of money.

Donald Trump

00:13:59 - 00:14:15 (16 sec)

And our leaders said the only choice was economic surrender. They surrendered. And by the way, even the politicians in Washington, nobody wanted me to be doing what I'm doing. The country was doing well.

Donald Trump

00:14:15 - 00:14:33 (18 sec)

But ultimately, it was going to be a very bad thing for our country. So I did it and I did it when we were the strongest. We're having the best economy we've ever had in the history of our country. And this is the time...

Donald Trump

00:14:33 - 00:15:11 (38 sec)

This is the time -- right. This is the time to straighten out the worst trade deals ever made by any country on earth ever in history. These deals were made by people, I don't know if they didn't understand or if they didn't care or if they didn't, frankly, love our country. But we have the worst trade deals ever made in history. But now they're becoming good again.

Donald Trump

00:15:11 - 00:15:28 (17 sec)

We are here today because America never surrenders. We don't wave the white flag. We only wave the flag that we love. It's called "red, white and blue" and it's beautiful.

Donald Trump

00:15:28 - 00:15:50 (21 sec)

America is fighting back and we're winning. We're winning. You're two great congressmen, we talked about winning before. They came up to me and they said, "You know, we've never seen anything like what's happening in this country." But nobody has because it's never happened before, what's happening with us right now.

Donald Trump

00:15:50 - 00:16:03 (13 sec)

But this is a special industry to me. This is steel. This isn't another -- this is steel. And we're watching this one closely. And it's going up, Dave. Only up.

Donald Trump

00:16:03 - 00:16:28 (25 sec)

For years, politicians -- other than the three politicians with us today -- these politicians ran for office, pledging to crack down on unfair foreign trade. Only to get elected, get into office and then do absolutely nothing except let our country get ripped off.

Donald Trump

00:16:28 - 00:16:58 (31 sec)

But I'm not like other politicians. I've never been a politician before. I only started two and a half years ago and I became president. How am I doing, OK? But I keep my promises. And I keep my promises to your industry, and I keep my promises to the workers of this country.

Donald Trump

00:16:58 - 00:17:16 (18 sec)

Four months ago, I stood alongside steelworkers just like you and I announced that to defend our national security, we were placing a 10 percent tariff on foreign aluminum and a 25 percent tariff on foreign steel.

Donald Trump

00:17:16 - 00:17:38 (22 sec)

That very same week, U.S. Steel announced it was restarting production right here in Granite City, and bringing back far more than the original estimate of 500 jobs. A lot more than that now.

Donald Trump

00:17:38 - 00:17:54 (16 sec)

And just last month, U.S. Steel announced the reopening of the second blast furnace, far ahead of schedule, meaning almost a thousand jobs. And those are good-paying jobs.

Donald Trump

00:17:54 - 00:18:19 (26 sec)

Very soon, these amazing workers will once again be pumping out 2.7 million tons of raw American steel every single year. And the number's going to go, Dave, a lot higher than that. I can stay it. You probably aren't allowed to do that. But I can say it, OK?

Donald Trump

00:18:19 - 00:18:38 (18 sec)

And we know that American steel is the best steel in the world. We don't have to worry about the quality. I was in the construction business, I know a lot about steel and would order steel and sometimes, depending on where it came from, it wasn't steel. It was a lot of garbage that looked like steel.

Donald Trump

00:18:38 - 00:19:08 (30 sec)

We don't have to worry about that. And we also know that our steel industry is vital to our security and to our prosperity. If you don't have steel, you don't have a country. Together, we're sending a message to our foreign competitors. The days of plundering American jobs and wealth, those days are over.

Donald Trump

00:19:08 - 00:19:34 (27 sec)

Just like I promised, we are finally putting -- first time in a long time, many decades, many, many decades -- we're putting America first. It's all about that. [Inaudible]

Donald Trump

00:19:34 - 00:19:47 (13 sec)

And by the way, other countries -- and I said it last year at the United Nations -- other countries, they should put themselves first. Right? They should put themselves first. We're not America First and other people, forget about them.

Donald Trump

00:19:47 - 00:20:05 (18 sec)

I said at the United Nations, "We're putting America first. And if you're the leader of another country, you should put your country first." But we'll be able to compete and win against any country. That I know.

Donald Trump

00:20:05 - 00:20:25 (20 sec)

I also know that not one person in this room has sat down since I got up and started speaking. And I know that the press will say that he didn't get any standing ovations. [Laughter] That's because they never had to stand. They were already standing. No.

Donald Trump

00:20:25 - 00:20:46 (22 sec)

So. They were already standing. So they'll say, "This was not a well-received speech. He didn't get any standing ovations." No, they sit. What do you do when they stood from the beginning to the end of the speech?

Donald Trump

00:20:46 - 00:20:56 (10 sec)

But I want to thank everybody. And thanks to our tariffs, idle factories throughout our nation are roaring back to life. [Audience Member calls out "Thank you"]

Donald Trump

00:20:56 - 00:21:29 (33 sec)

Republic Steel is bringing back 1,000 jobs in Ohio. The Georgetown Mill in South Carolina is finally reopening after four and a half years.Donald Trump

Donald Trump

00:21:29 - 00:21:54 (25 sec)

Big River Steel is investing billions of dollars to build a brand-new plant in Texas and to upgrade another one in Arkansas. Nucor is creating 250 but ultimately going to at least 1,000 jobs in the great state of Florida, another state we won. Big.

Donald Trump

00:21:54 - 00:22:29 (34 sec)

Commercial Metals will bring 300 jobs and a new micro-mill to Oklahoma. Hundreds of aluminum jobs are coming back to Kentucky and to Missouri, hundreds and hundreds. Across our land, we are witnessing an incredible resurgence of American prosperity, not just in steel, not just in aluminum. We've added 3.7 million new jobs since the election, that beautiful, beautiful election in November of '16.

Donald Trump

00:22:29 - 00:22:56 (28 sec)

It was your election, wasn't my election. That was your election, folks. That was your election - including more than 370,000 manufacturing jobs alone. Remember this, they said oh, manufacturing is obsolete. I said let's think of this, it's obsolete - how is it obsolete? How do you make things if you don't manufacture them?

Donald Trump

00:22:56 - 00:23:14 (17 sec)

They said they're obsolete. So we're going to soon be up to half a million jobs in a very short period of time. You heard me say this, I'm very proud of this - African American unemployment has reached its lowest level in history.

Donald Trump

00:23:14 - 00:23:48 (34 sec)

Hispanic unemployment has reached its lowest level in history. Asian unemployment has reached its lowest level in history. And I'm sorry women to disappoint you - this is tough, but I did win that women's vote, didn't I? Remember they said why would women vote for Trump? Well I don't know, but I got more than she did, that's pretty clever.

Donald Trump

00:23:48 - 00:24:12 (24 sec)

Listen to this, I'm sorry, I'm so embarrassed to say this cause Hispanic, African American, Asian, best numbers in history. Women unemployment only reached a 65 year low, I'm sorry. I'd like to apologize - I want to apologize to all the women in the audience.

Donald Trump

00:24:12 - 00:24:38 (27 sec)

But I will tell you within a short period of time that 65 year period will be history, it will be actually history in two ways. Manufacturing wages are expected to rise at the fastest rate in more than 18 years. 95 percent of American manufacturers are optimistic about their companies outlook.

Donald Trump

00:24:38 - 00:25:02 (24 sec)

That's the highest level ever recorded, and this is old time statistics, they've been around a long time. That's the highest level ever recorded. And thanks to our tariffs and the booming economy that we have created - not the past administration where the economy was going to hell.

Donald Trump

00:25:02 - 00:25:27 (24 sec)

U.S. Steel is now in the early stages, David, of investing over $2 billion in asset revitalization that will invest hundreds of millions of dollars, not just here, but in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Gary, Indiana. That's great.

Donald Trump

00:25:27 - 00:25:46 (19 sec)

Thank you, David. Thank you, David. In the midst of this great economic revival, now is the time to finally fix the terrible, one-sided, unfair trade deals and practices that have cost our nation trillions of dollars and millions of jobs.

Donald Trump

00:25:46 - 00:25:59 (13 sec)

This is the time to do it, we're strong, we're doing well. We have a military that I just spent - I just got approved $700 billion to fix our military, which has fallen way behind.

Donald Trump

00:25:59 - 00:26:24 (26 sec)

Next year, we got approved $716 billion. We have soon the biggest, strongest military that we've ever had by far. It'll be totally upgraded, beautiful new ships, beautiful new planes, beautiful new everything cause we have the greatest fighting people in the world.

Donald Trump

00:26:24 - 00:26:46 (21 sec)

They're gonna have the greatest equipment in the world, by the way. Nobody makes equipment like we do, whether it's missiles or ships or planes. Nobody makes what we make in any foreign country. You know that? Foreign countries, you know, that foreign countries, if they're at least semi-friendly.

Donald Trump

00:26:46 - 00:26:57 (11 sec)

We can't sell it to everybody. Unfortunately, we do have a little standard, right? But if they're sort of friendly, we're selling them a hell of a lot of stuff, and that's good for jobs.

Donald Trump

00:26:57 - 00:27:43 (46 sec)

Remember that for decades, the United States was the piggy bank that everybody was robbing. We were the big, dumb piggy bank and everybody was robbing us blind, the whole world. The United States had racked up $13 trillion in trade deficit since 1994. Think of that: $13 trillion since China's entry into the World Trade Organization -- another disaster for us in 2001, that's when China, it was flatlined for decades and decades and with the World Trade Organization, they shot up and went through the roof.

Donald Trump

00:27:43 - 00:28:28 (44 sec)

But right now, we're doing a lot better than China, and we're doing a lot better than any country on Earth. We're rated number one in the world for growth and other elements, number one in the world. Did you ever think you're going to hear that again but before -- and this is a number that when I'd say it even on the campaign trail, I used to say uh, the fake news is gonna kill me in this, you know, because if they catch you make a little mistake, I'd say: we've lost 60,000 American factories. Factories that people -- factories, 60,000 like this. Who would even think we have so many? How is it possible?

Donald Trump

00:28:28 - 00:28:58 (31 sec)

So I used to think it was a mistake and then I -- very sheepishly -- I said it 60,000. I went through a speech. I didn't get corrected, then again, 60,000, then after four or five times, I realized that they agree that we lost 60,000. We lost 60,000 factories. You know, many jobs, that is, nobody even knows how many jobs, and we lost them because of stupidity. Stupidity. We lost them to other countries.

Donald Trump

00:28:58 - 00:29:28 (30 sec)

We lost our businesses and our jobs to other countries that fire you and they go to other countries that make the product, they sell it into our country. Tax-Free, no tax, don't worry about it. How stupid were we? I probably got elected largely on that. I probably did, probably got elected the largest -- not entirely, a lot of other stupid things we've done too.

Donald Trump

00:29:28 - 00:30:02 (34 sec)

But that was a factor, because that's not free trade. That's full strength -- that's full strength to all of the media critics and lobbyists who don't want us to defend American jobs. You have people that say: oh it's, okay, when we close the factory here and we buy steel from some country way far away. I say to those people that we are not starting a trade war. We've been in a trade war for many years and we've lost for many years.

Donald Trump

00:30:02 - 00:30:36 (34 sec)

But over the last year and a half we are winning. We're back and we're winning, and we are winning bigger than anyone understands. We've taken the toughest-ever actions in response to China's very abusive trade practices. And I have to be honest: President Xi is a friend of mine. He's a great man, great guy. But we've taken very tough action because we couldn't continue to go on with it.

Donald Trump

00:30:36 - 00:31:15 (38 sec)

Last year, they lost $375 billion on trade with China and that doesn't include the theft of intellectual property. Think of that: $375 billion. It's crazy. Not gonna happen anymore. It's not gonna happen anymore. We're putting the world's trade cheaters on notice: no one rips off the United States of America, and nobody takes advantage of our workers or our companies anymore, and this includes protecting our great farmers.

Donald Trump

00:31:15 - 00:31:57 (42 sec)

Our farmers, our incredible agriculture and related industries, have lost one million jobs in the last 20 years. Now China is going after our soybean farmers in the hopes we will surrender our intellectual propert,y and that they will be able to continue to make $500 billion and $375 billion off the big, fat, sloppy United States. Not happening folks. And our farmers are patriots. Remember that: our farmers are patriots and they're saying the president is doing the right thing.

Donald Trump

00:31:57 - 00:32:16 (19 sec)

These are incredible [Inaudible], they interview him on television. They say I know it's gonna be a little tough for a while, but he's doing the right thing, because everybody knows we've been ripped off for so long, and he's doing the right thing. These are incredible people and you know, we've given them a little help yesterday.

Donald Trump

00:32:16 - 00:32:40 (23 sec)

We're giving them help and everybody's going to be back because we have the greatest farms in the world. We have the greatest equipment in the world. There's nobody can compete -- nobody can compete with us with agriculture, and these tactics, so they're not working, because we're not going to give China or any other country a veto on United States national security.

Donald Trump

00:32:40 - 00:32:58 (18 sec)

We're not going to do it, and we will not let anybody bully our wonderful American farmers. Our fortunes as a nation rise and fall together, and that is why we are going to stick together and win for our farmers and our factory workers, our steel workers.

Donald Trump

00:32:58 - 00:33:33 (35 sec)

Here we are all across this nation, I'm very proud to report. We have reached a breakthrough agreement yesterday with the European Union -- commonly referred to as Europe -- to begin lowering trade barriers and establishing a trade relationship that is fair and my favorite word, reciprocal. Reciprocal. The European Union -- and they understood this -- was wrong.

Donald Trump

00:33:33 - 00:33:59 (26 sec)

But they had barriers where they would sell their cars. We couldn't sell cars into them, they would tax us, but we would tax them far less by the way. I'll give you one example, because it really works. When we build a car and sell it into China, they charge us a tariff of 25% when they build a car and sell it into the United States.

Donald Trump

00:33:59 - 00:34:25 (26 sec)

We charge them a tariff of two and a half percent and by the way -- and they don't pay it, so we get two and a half percent and they get 25% other than that. It's a very fair deal. Does that sound fair to you? It's very fair to I say, where the hell have our people been and honestly, I don't think they cared. I just don't think they cared, and it's nasty.

Donald Trump

00:34:25 - 00:34:58 (33 sec)

Look at the bad press I'm getting these guys. Oh, he's putting tariffs on he's being nasty. He was nasty at NATO. They said I was too nasty to NATO and too nice to Russia. Figure that one out, okay? And yet I'm the one that told NATO in Germany, why are you selling? Why are you doing this? Why are you buying all of this gas and paying Russia billions and billions of dollars for your energy? I brought that up, but they said he was so nasty.

Donald Trump

00:34:58 - 00:35:29 (31 sec)

Well, let me just tell you what happened with NATO last year. They paid $44 billion more than they ever paid before. And if you look at NATO, it was going, this way, was going down. Everybody was delinquent. They were not everybody, but almost ever the United States was it, by the way. Germany pays 1% and we pay 4.3%. You think that's good, and the one thing I know about NATO for sure, it's better for Europe than it is for us, a lot better for Europe.

Donald Trump

00:35:29 - 00:35:47 (19 sec)

But think of it. So you had these countries that were paying so little, and that gives them a big economic advantage because we're protecting them and they have a very small cost of military. Whereas we have a mass -- of course, they just told you $700 billion dollars, and we're protecting them.

Donald Trump

00:35:47 - 00:36:22 (35 sec)

So at the end of that meeting, they agreed that they would be paying up hundreds of billions of dollars. More money will be spent on NATO and we're not going up, by the way. We're not going up. We're not going up hundreds of billions of dollars, and the head of NATO, The Secretary General Stoltenberg, great guy. He's my biggest fan in the whole world. He said without President Trump, these people just weren't paying their bills, and now they're paying their bills, and they're proud to do it.

Donald Trump

00:36:22 - 00:37:04 (41 sec)

But the press said I treated them badly. I treated them with disrespect. These are kings, queens presidents, prime ministers and a dictator or two. They were the ones that actually were able to pay the easiest. So I did a good job with you for NATO. But the you know they don't talk about that. There were actually stories written about my attitude with NATO, and they didn't say that hundreds of billions of dollars more have been agreed to be paid, and that was the whole purpose, because our country was being taken advantage of.

Donald Trump

00:37:04 - 00:37:54 (51 sec)

We were paying anywhere from 70 to 90 percent, the cost of 29 total countries in NATO. Not anymore, not anymore,as part of our agreement. By the way, to finish that up, Kim Jong-un, making terrific progress. When I met with President Obama, it sounded like he was ready to go to war with North Korea, sounded like he was ready to go to war. I said: did you ever speak to him? No. I said, wouldn't it be nice at least speak. Did you ever speak to him? No. But it sounded to me, respectfully, like he was ready to go to war.

Donald Trump

00:37:54 - 00:38:15 (21 sec)

Seoul, which is a massive city, 30 miles away from the border. Forget about nuclear. They have thousands and thousands of cannons. They call them cannons, you know, massive guns aimed right at Seoul, and now you see what's happening now, who knows ultimately what's going to happen?

Donald Trump

00:38:15 - 00:38:41 (25 sec)

But for nine months no nuclear tests, no rockets going up, no missiles going over Japan. We got our three hostages back, got our three hostages, and we didn't pay 1.8 billion for the hostages. Paid nothing. But he was very smart and we have established really a very good relationship.

Donald Trump

00:38:41 - 00:39:18 (37 sec)

But at the beginning, the news was saying, what he's saying is going to cause war, he's being horrible, he's totally unhinged, when I use terms like little rocket man, other terms. But honestly, now I have a great relationship, I think, I think, with Chairman Kim, and I think, a lot of good things are gonna happen, and without that rhetoric and without the sanctions and without all the other things that we've been doing, nothing could have happened.

Donald Trump

00:39:18 - 00:39:43 (25 sec)

Now you read where they're dismantling nuclear areas. They've already blown up some nuclear areas. They took down all of the propaganda that was all over North Korea signs, music. All of this stuff taken down. It's gone, make it a lot of progress. But if you read the papers, you wouldn't understand that, because you don't get the real view from the fake news media.

Donald Trump

00:39:43 - 00:40:21 (38 sec)

So it's just very important. That's one of the advantages. One of the advantages, just speaking to tremendous amounts of look at all those cameras back there is that it's like the Academy Awards. There's no difference. But one of the advantages, I can say it, it's covered live, much of it and, when I say it, they can't do anything about it, because I say it. So at least they hear our point of view, and it's really our point of view. Not my point of view. It's our point of view, and it's a point of view of common sense and strength.

Donald Trump

00:40:21 - 00:40:37 (17 sec)

It's both. It's common sense and its strengths, and the stronger we get, the less people are going to be messing with us, because we don't want to use that kind of strength. We don't want to use that kind of power. But the more power we have, the more we're not going to have to use it. It's very simple,.

Donald Trump

00:40:37 - 00:41:10 (33 sec)

So, as part of my agreement with the European Union, they've agreed to purchase almost immediately large amounts of American soybeans, because China really tried to hurt the American farmer. China tried to hurt the American farmer, because that way they were gonna hurt me, and that way you would go in November and you would vote for people that don't want borders. They don't care about crime.

Donald Trump

00:41:10 - 00:41:45 (35 sec)

They want to get rid of ICE, the Democrats. How about the new one, they want to get rid of ICE. ICE is tough and ICE is smart and they go in and they knock the hell out of MS-13. These are killers. They use knives because it's more painful than guns and ICE goes in like it's a day at the office. These are tough people. They got to be tough people, because MS-13 and these gangs that the worst laws, immigration laws in history have allowed into our country.

Donald Trump

00:41:45 - 00:42:03 (17 sec)

Catch-and-release. How about that one? You catch a criminal, you take his name and then you release him. He's got to show up to court within four or five years. In the meantime, they're committing crime in our country. These are the laws we have to work with, and despite that, we're setting records.

Donald Trump

00:42:03 - 00:42:24 (22 sec)

But we have horrible horrible immigration laws and we're gonna get them fixed. You gotta vote Republican, folks. You got a vote, very public vote for these two Congressmen. They know what we're doing. They know what they're doing. Tough, they're tough, and they're smart.

Donald Trump

00:42:24 - 00:43:00 (36 sec)

They're also going to increase purchases -- European Union -- of American energy and work with us to protect intellectual property, which is being stolen at levels that nobody's ever seen before. I want to personally thank European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for working to forge this historic agreement. He's actually a very tough, very smart, very good man. Of course, if I didn't make a deal with him, I wouldn't be saying that. I'd say he's a terrible person.

Donald Trump

00:43:00 - 00:43:16 (16 sec)

In everything we do and every action we take, my administration is fighting for the loyal, hard-working citizens of our country, men and women, like you who make our country great, who make our country run.

Donald Trump

00:43:16 - 00:43:39 (23 sec)

I'd like to invite some of the incredible workers here are granted city up on stage to personally share their stories really fast. Patricia Bertrand has worked here for 18 years. When Furness B restarted last month, Patricia christened it with a bottle of champagne. In other words, she loves this place, I think, is that right?

Patricia Bertrand

00:43:39 - 00:43:40 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:43:40 - 00:43:45 (5 sec)

Good, say something.

Patricia Bertrand

00:43:45 - 00:44:33 (48 sec)

Thank you. Breaking -- breaking the champagne bottle on the B furnace last month restart celebration was a very special honor. I was impacted two years ago when the plant was idled. Prior to that, I had worked at Granite City Works for 16 years and was able to provide a comfortable life for me, and my family. Granite City Works is home to me, and driving past the quiet plant was difficult. Many families, including my own, suffered, and local businesses. It is great to see the plant up and running and everyone back to work and the community thriving. Thank You, Mr. President. [Applause]

Donald Trump

00:44:33 - 00:44:43 (10 sec)

What a good job. Patricia, don't ever run against our Congressman, please, because you're gonna win and we need them. Don't ever run against them. What a great job.

Donald Trump

00:44:43 - 00:45:01 (17 sec)

Also joining us is Tony Zedolek. A bricklayer who has worked here for 36 years. Tony come on up tell us a little bit how it feels to be back on your job.

Tony Zedolek

00:45:01 - 00:45:48 (48 sec)

I want to thank everybody here for having me up, and especially President Trump. Two years ago, like a lot of people in this room, I got a phone call that was a gut-wrenching call, not knowing where the next house payment would come. Three boys in college at the time and in those two years, thanks to Mr. Trump and everybody who supported him, we're back here. Now things are better. The future is looking fantastic again, thank you for supporting him and thank you.

Donald Trump

00:45:48 - 00:46:07 (19 sec)

Thank you, Tony. Beautiful. Also, here is Bobby Ellis. He's a Marine Corps veteran and the second generation of his family to work right here at the Granite City Mill. Bobby, come on up.

Bobby Ellis

00:46:07 - 00:46:35 (27 sec)

How exciting is this? Hey, you know. I grew up here. My mother, God rest her soul, Nellie Ellis worked at the machine shop, coal mill 37 years. I joined the Marine Corps. I realized what kind of family that is. You guys, each and every one of you guys and gals, are my family. We love you. Start up, stay up.

Donald Trump

00:46:35 - 00:47:05 (30 sec)

Finally, I'd like to hear from Neil Whitt, a third-generation employee who started here over 40 years ago and climbed the ranks to become a plant manager, and now he's back. How does that feel? Come on.

Neil Whitt

00:47:05 - 00:47:41 (36 sec)

On behalf of my work family here Granite City Works, I thank you. Mr. President. It truly is a family here I see the familiar faces of the people, I've known for years and every day. As I grew up with most of you, went to school with most of you or your parents. As plant manager, it was difficult laying off people and getting the calls after the layoff, hearing about the struggles, hearing about their personal lives. Hearing about the... the community, how it was suffering.

Neil Whitt

00:47:41 - 00:48:15 (34 sec)

However, the plant was able to come back thanks to all the hard work from every one of you, in the dedication from every one of you and your support. Mr. President. I look around here today and I see the smiling faces. We owe that to you, Mr. President. Thank you very much.

Donald Trump

00:48:15 - 00:48:52 (37 sec)

Incredible. Incredible job. Thank you, Paul, for... thank you very much, and those stories are inspiring for everybody in our country, and you have a lot of people listening right now. We want every American to know the dignity of work, the pride of a paycheck and the satisfaction of a job well done. That's what's happening right here in Granite City, Made in America. It's not just a slogan. It's a way of life.

Donald Trump

00:48:52 - 00:49:26 (34 sec)

I remember when I was growing up, Made in the USA, or made in... it was on everything. It was on everything. A country, Czechoslovakia, a long time ago, people used to take single dollar bills, and they used to paint them and paste them onto the windshield of their car, because it represented America.

Donald Trump

00:49:26 - 00:50:12 (46 sec)

That's all coming back now. That's what's happening. Made in the USA. Made in America. We're proud of it again. With your help, we are lifting up workers all across our land. We are lifting up the miners who work or from Minnesota's Iron Range, the dock workers in Duluth who loaded onto barges a thousand feet long. The crew members who navigate down the Great Lakes through the Michigan Sioux Locks and on to Illinois, the rail workers who haul it right here to beautiful Granite City.

Donald Trump

00:50:12 - 00:50:58 (46 sec)

And everyone that touches the barges, their trucks, their trains that carry the work of your hands to destinations all across our country, all across the world, to factories and construction sites into our stores, our homes, our driveways. We thank you. We are a nation of builders, makers and creators in the furnaces of our factories. We forge American prosperity, power and prestige. Remember that word: prestige.

Donald Trump

00:50:58 - 00:51:41 (43 sec)

Our country is becoming prestigious again. I meet with leaders, they all come to me and they congratulate me on what we've done. They respect us again. America is back. Our country is back. We see the proud legacy of our steel workers all across this magnificent landscape in our city skylines, and our bridges and pipelines from the Empire State Building to that shining monument to America's pioneering spirit, the Gateway Arch.

Donald Trump

00:51:41 - 00:52:30 (49 sec)

The soul of our nation lives in our people. The heart of our nation beats in our citizens, and the destiny of our nation is found in our two hands. We all share the same home. We all salute the same great American flag and we are all made by the same Almighty God. I will never stop fighting for you, because I know that you are the ones that are rebuilding our nation.

Donald Trump

00:52:30 - 00:52:45 (15 sec)

You are the ones reclaiming our dreams and, yes, you are the ones who are making America great again. Thank you. God bless you and God bless the United States of America. Thank you everybody.