Ladies and gentlemen, the Chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee for Inaugural
Ceremonies, the Honorable Roy Blunt.
Thank you all.
If you have a seat, you can sit down.
Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, Mr. President-elect, Mr. Vice President-elect, ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States of America.
Today, the legislative, the executive, the judicial branches of our constitutional government
come together for the 58th inauguration of the President of the United States.
Millions of people all over the world will watch and will listen to this event.
Thirty-six years ago at his first inauguration, it was also the first inauguration on this side of the Capitol,
President Ronald Reagan said that what we do here is both commonplace and miraculous.
commonplace every four years since 1789 when President George Washington took this exact same oath.
Miraculous because we've done it every four years since 1789 and the example it sets for democracies everywhere.
Washington believed the inauguration of the second president would be more important than the inauguration of the first.
Many people had taken control of a government up until then, but few people had ever turned that control willingly over to anyone else.
And as important as the first transfer of power was, many historians believe that the next election was even more important.
when in 18 and 1, one group of people, arguably for the first time ever in history, willingly, if not enthusiastically,
gave control of the government to people they believed had a dramatically different view of what the government would, should, and could do.
After that election, that actually discovered a flaw in the Constitution itself, which was remedied by the 12th Amendment,
Thomas Jefferson, at that inauguration, beyond the chaos of the election that had just passed, said,
we are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.
After four years of Civil War, Lincoln's second inaugural speech tried to find reason for the continued war
when he pointed out that both sides prayed to the same God.
He'd earlier written about those fervid prayers that one side must be and both sides may be wrong.
But in 1865, he looked to the future, and the memorable moment in that speech was with malice toward none and charity for all.
In the middle of the Depression, the country was told that the only thing we had to fear was fear itself.
and President Kennedy talked about the obligation in democracy to country.
The great question that day was ask what you can do for your country.
So we come to this place again, commonplace and miraculous,
a national moment of celebration, but not a celebration of victory,
a celebration of democracy.
And as we begin that celebration, I call on His Eminence, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan,
Reverend Dr. Samuel Rodriguez, and Pastor Paula White-Cain to provide readings and the invocation.
the prayer of King Solomon from the book of wisdom let us pray God of our ancestors and Lord of mercy
you have made all things and in your providence have charged us to rule the creatures
produced by you to govern the world in holiness and righteousness and to render judgment with
integrity of heart.
Give us wisdom, for we are your servants, weak and short-lived, lacking in comprehension
of judgment and of laws.
Indeed, though one might be perfect among mortals,
if wisdom which comes from you be lacking,
we count for nothing.
Now with you is wisdom,
who knows your will and was there when you made the world,
who understands what is pleasing in your eyes,
what is conformable with your commands.
Send her forth from your holy heavens,
from your glorious throne dispatch her,
that she may be with us and work with us,
that we may grasp what is pleasing to you,
for she knows and understands all things
and will guide us prudently in our affairs
and safeguard us by her glory.
Amen.
From the Gospel of Matthew, the fifth chapter.
God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
He blesses those who are pure in heart, for they will see God.
God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God.
God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
And God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you
and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.
for you are the light of the world
like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.
Instead, a lamp is placed on its stand
where it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see
that everyone will praise your heavenly Father
respectfully in Jesus' name.
We come to you, Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, with grateful hearts, thanking you for this great country that you have decreed to your people.
We acknowledge we are a blessed nation with a rich history of faith and fortitude, with a future that is filled with promise and purpose.
We recognize that every good and every perfect gift comes from you and the United States of America is your gift, for which we proclaim our gratitude.
As a nation, we now pray for our president, Donald John Trump, Vice President Michael Richard Pence, and their families.
we ask that you would bestow upon our president the wisdom necessary to lead this great nation,
the grace to unify us, and the strength to stand for what is honorable and right in your sight.
In Proverbs 21.1, you instruct us that our leader's heart is in your hands.
Gracious God, reveal unto our president the ability to know the will, your will,
the confidence to lead us in justice and righteousness, and the compassion to yield
to our better angels. While we know there are many challenges before us, in every generation
you have provided the strength and power to become that blessed nation. Guide us in discernment, Lord,
and give us that strength to persevere and thrive. Now bind and heal our wounds and divisions,
and join our nation to your purpose. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, the psalmist declared.
Let your favor be upon this one nation under God. Let these United States of America be that beacon
of hope to all people and nations under your dominion, a true hope for humankind. Glory to
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Missouri State University Chorale.
Here is the place of strangers welcome,
we who once walked in strangers' shoes.
Once we were strangers, we were welcome.
And now, now, now, now, now, now we live in this land.
But remains in the sweepstakes,
beyond for our horizons'
He is that simple,
though is beautiful
What should he be treatise
� œil requests
Once we have changed, now I will love and believe in this land.
Keep faith, keep watch, take heart, take courage, take heart, take courage.
And heart, heart, spirit, feed love, feed longing, feed longing.
Here are the cities where we are gathered, here are the gods, well-fistled, restored.
We are the gleams of every being,
To build with the dreams that build the day.
Once we were strangers with the world,
We love, love, love, love, love,
love, love, in this land.
Keep faith, guard mind, take heart,
God's spirit, take heart, God's spirit.
Take courage, keep what's belonging.
Feed love, feed love, feed love, feed love.
Thank you Well the Missouri State University Corral practices and performs about two blocks from
my home in Springfield, Missouri, so it was easy to find them and we're pleased they're
here.
It's also a great opportunity for me to introduce my colleague, the Senator from New York, Chuck
Schumer.
My fellow Americans, we live in a challenging and tumultuous time, a quickly evolving, ever
more interconnected world, a rapidly changing economy that benefits too few while leaving
too many behind, a fractured media, a politics frequently consumed by rancor.
We face threats, foreign and domestic.
In such times, faith in our government, our institutions, and even our country can erode.
Despite these challenges, I stand here today confident in this great country for one reason,
you, the American people.
We Americans have always been a forward-looking, problem-solving, optimistic, patriotic, and
decent people.
Whatever our race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, whether we are immigrant
or native born, whether we live with disabilities or do not, in wealth or in poverty, we are
all exceptional in our commonly held yet fierce devotion to our country and in our willingness
to sacrifice our time, energy, and even our lives to making it a more perfect union.
Today we celebrate one of democracy's core attributes, the peaceful transfer of power.
And every day we stand up for core democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution.
The rule of law, equal protection for all under law, the freedom of speech, press, religion,
that the things that make America, America.
And we can gain strength from reading our history and listening to the voices of average
Americans.
They always save us in times of strife.
One such American was Major Sullivan Ballou.
On July 14, 1861, when the North and South were lining up for their first battle, a time
when our country was bitterly divided and faith in the future of our country was at
a nadir, Major Ballou of the Second Rhode Island Volunteers penned a letter to his wife,
Sarah.
It is one of the greatest letters in American history.
It shows the strength and courage of the average American.
Allow me to read some of his words, which echo through the ages.
My very dear Sarah, he wrote, the indications are very strong that we shall move in a few
days, perhaps tomorrow.
If it is necessary that I should fall on the battlefield for my country, I am ready.
I have no misgivings about or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my
courage does not halt or falter.
I know how strongly American civilization now leans upon the triumph of the government,
and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering
of the revolution.
And I am willing, perfectly willing, to lay down all my joys in this life to help maintain
this government and to pay that debt.
Sarah, my love for you is deathless.
It seems to bind me to you with the mighty cables that nothing but omnipotence can break.
And yet, my love of country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly
on with all these chains to the battlefield."
Sullivan Ballou gave his life on the battlefield a week later at the first battle of Bull Run.
It is because Sullivan Ballou and countless others believed in something bigger than themselves
and were willing to sacrifice for it, that we stand today in the full blessings of liberty
in the greatest country on earth.
And that spirit lives on in each of us, Americans whose families have been here for generations
and those who have just arrived.
And I know our best days are yet to come.
I urge all Americans to read Ballou's full letter.
His words give me solace, strength.
I hope they will give you the same.
Now please stand while the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, administers
the oath of office to the Vice President of the United States.
Mr. Vice President-elect, would you raise your right hand and repeat after me.
I, Michael Richard Pence, do solemnly swear.
That I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States
against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.
That I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.
And that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about
to enter. The duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. So help
me God. Congratulations.
Thank you.
.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir accompanied by the President's own
United States Marine Band.
CHOIR SINGS
America, thou shed his grace on thee, and from a good with brother, from sea to shining sea.
O beautiful for pilgrim feet, who stern in passion's stress,
a thoroughfare of freedom meet across the wilderness.
America, America, what did thine every fall?
Confirm my soul in self-enjoy, my liberty in love.
O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life.
America, America, may God thy gold refine,
Till all success be novelous and every name divine.
Thank you.
O heaven, God shed his grace on me.
And power, O the brother, from sea to shining sea.
O power, O the brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's an honor to introduce the Chief Justice of the United States, John
John G. Roberts, Jr., who will administer the Presidential Oath of Office.
Everyone please stand.
Please raise your right hand and repeat after me.
I, Donald John Trump, do solemnly swear.
That I will faithfully execute.
the Office of President of the United States
and will, to the best of my ability,
preserve, protect, and defend
the Constitution of the United States.
So help me God.
Congratulations.
Thank you
Thank you.
What a great honor to be able to introduce for the first time ever, anywhere, the 45th
President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump.
Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President
Obama, fellow Americans, and people of the world, thank you.
We the citizens of America are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country
and restore its promise for all of our people.
Together we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come.
We will face challenges.
We will confront hardships.
But we will get the job done.
Every four years, we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer
of power.
And we are grateful to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for their gracious
aid throughout this transition.
They have been magnificent.
Thank you.
Today's ceremony, however, has very special meaning.
Because today, we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another,
or from one party to another.
we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the people.
For too long, a small group in our nation's capital has reaped the rewards of government
while the people have borne the cost.
flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the
jobs left and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of
our country. Their victories have not been your victories. Their triumphs have not been
in your triumphs, and while they celebrated in our nation's
capital, there was little to celebrate for struggling
families all across our land.
That all changes starting right here and right now,
because this moment is your moment.
It belongs to you.
It belongs to everyone gathered here today and everyone watching all across America.
This is your day.
This is your celebration.
And this, the United States of America, is your country.
What truly matters is not which party controls our government, but whether our government
is controlled by the people.
January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation
again.
The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.
Everyone is listening to you now.
You came by the tens of millions to become part of a historic movement
the likes of which the world has never seen before.
At the center of this movement is a crucial conviction that a nation exists to serve its citizens.
Americans want great schools for their children, safe neighborhoods for their families, and good jobs for themselves.
These are just and reasonable demands of righteous people and a righteous public.
But for too many of our citizens, a different reality exists.
Mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities.
Rusted out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation.
An education system flush with cash, but which leaves our young and beautiful students deprived of all knowledge.
And the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential.
This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.
We are one nation and their pain is our pain.
Their dreams are our dreams and their success will be our success.
We share one heart, one home, and one glorious destiny.
The oath of office I take today is an oath of allegiance to all Americans.
For many decades, we've enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry,
industry, subsidize the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion
of our military.
We've defended other nations' borders while refusing to defend our own.
spent trillions and trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.
We've made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has dissipated over the horizon.
One by one, the factories shuttered and left our shores.
with not even a thought about the millions and millions of American workers that were left behind.
The wealth of our middle class has been ripped from their homes and then redistributed all across the world.
But that is the past, and now we are looking only to the future.
We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every
foreign capital, and in every hall of power.
From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land.
From this day forward, it's going to be only America first.
America first.
Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit
American workers and American families.
We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing
our companies, and destroying our jobs.
Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength.
I will fight for you with every breath in my body,
and I will never, ever let you down.
America will start winning again,
winning like never before.
We will bring back our jobs.
We will bring back our borders.
We will bring back our wealth, and we will bring back our dreams.
We will build new roads and highways and bridges and
airports and tunnels and railways all across our
wonderful nation.
We will get our people off of welfare and back to work,
rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.
We will follow two simple rules,
buy American and hire American.
We will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world,
but we do so with the understanding
that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first.
We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone,
but rather to let it shine as an example.
We will shine for everyone to follow.
We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones
and unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism,
which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth.
At the bedrock of our politics,
we'll be a total allegiance to the United States of America.
And through our loyalty to our country,
We will rediscover our loyalty to each other.
When you open your heart to patriotism,
there is no room for prejudice.
The Bible tells us how good and pleasant it is
when God's people live together in unity.
We must speak our minds openly debate our disagreements honestly but always pursue solidarity When America is united America is totally unstoppable
There should be no fear.
We are protected, and we will always be protected.
We will be protected by the great men and women of our
military and law enforcement.
And most importantly, we will be protected by God.
Finally, we must think big and dream even bigger.
In America, we understand that a nation is only living
as long as it is striving.
We will no longer accept politicians,
who are all talk and no action,
constantly complaining,
but never doing anything about it.
The time for empty talk is over.
Now arrives the hour of action.
Do not allow anyone to tell you that it cannot be done.
No challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America.
We will not fail.
Our country will thrive and prosper again.
We stand at the birth of a little millennium,
ready to unlock the mysteries of space,
to free the Earth from the miseries of disease,
and to harness the energies, industries, and technologies of tomorrow.
A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.
It's time to remember that old wisdom our soldiers will never forget,
that whether we are black or brown or white,
we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.
We all enjoy the same glorious freedoms,
and we all salute the same great American flag.
And whether a child is born in the urban sprawl of Detroit or the windswept plains of Nebraska,
they look up at the same night sky, they fill their heart with the same dreams, and they
They are infused with the breath of life by the same almighty creator.
So to all Americans in every city near and far, small and large, from mountain to mountain,
From ocean to ocean, hear these words, you will never be ignored again.
Your voice, your hopes, and your dreams will define our American destiny.
And your courage and goodness and love will forever guide us along the way.
Together, we will make America strong again.
We will make America wealthy again.
We will make America proud again.
We will make America safe again.
And yes, together, we will make America great again.
Thank you.
God bless you.
And God bless America.
Thank you.
God bless America.
Thank you.
At this time, I call on Rabbi Marvin Heyer, Reverend Franklin Graham, and Bishop Wayne
I would like to invite John T. Jackson to provide readings and the benediction.
Eternal God, bless President Donald J. Trump and America, our great nation.
nation. Guide us to remember the words of the psalmist who may dwell on your holy mountain,
one who does what is right and speaks the truth, who knows that when you eat the labor of your hands
you are praiseworthy that he who sows in tears shall reap in joy because the freedoms we enjoy
are not granted in perpetuity but must be reclaimed by each generation. As our ancestors
have planted for us, so we must plant for others. While it is not for us to complete the task,
Neither are we free to desist from them.
Dispense justice for the needy and the orphan, for they have no one but their fellow citizens.
And because a nation's wealth is measured by her values and not by her vaults.
Bless all of our allies around the world who share our beliefs.
By the rivers of Babylon we wept as we remembered Zion.
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill.
The doer of all these shall never falter.
May the days come soon when justice will dwell in the wilderness
and righteousness will abide in the fertile fields
and the work of righteousness will be peace,
quietness and confidence forever.
Amen.
Mr. President, in the Bible, rain is a sign of God's blessing.
And it started to rain, Mr. President, when you came to the platform.
And it's my prayer that God will bless you, your family, your administration, and may he bless America.
The passage of scripture comes from 1 Timothy chapter 2.
I urge then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people,
for kings, for all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
This is good, and it pleases God, our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.
now to the King Eternal,
immortal, invisible,
the only God,
be honor and glory
forever and ever.
In Jesus' name, amen.
We thank you, Father,
for letting us share
this great moment together.
Let us not take for granted
the air we breathe over life you've given us. We were all created by you with one blood,
all nations to dwell upon this land together. We are not enemies, but brothers and sisters.
We're not adversaries, but we're allies. We're not foes, but we're friends. Let us be healed by
the power of your love and united by the bond of your spirit. Today, we pray for our 45th president,
the vice president, and their families, and give them the wisdom to guide this great nation,
the strength to protect it, and their hands to heal it. We bless President Donald J. Trump.
We ask that you give him the wisdom of Solomon, the vision of Joseph, and the meekness of Christ.
Solomon, who kept peace among many nations. Joseph, who dreamt better for the people,
and Christ, who accepted us all. Oh, Lord, mend our hearts and stitch together the fabric of this
great country in the spirit of the legendary gospel songwriter Mahalia Jackson. Oh, deep in my heart,
I do believe the Lord will see us through. I do believe we are on our way to victory. I do believe
we will walk hand in hand. I do believe we shall live in peace. I do believe. Oh, deep in my heart.
I do believe America we shall overcome.
May the Lord bless and keep America,
make his face shine upon us,
and be gracious unto us,
and give us peace.
In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome Jackie Ivanko,
accompanied by the President's own United States Marine Band.
Please stand for the singing of the National Anthem.
Thank you.
Oh, so can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
Oh, the ramparts we watched
Were so gallant and extreme
And the wrongly spread there
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our blood was to bear
For say does that so strong
Never yet wait
To the end of the day
In the hall of the rain