Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
America's freedom does not belong to just one nation. We're custodians
of freedom for the world. In Philadelphia, two centuries ago, James
Allen wrote in his diary that "If we fail, liberty no longer continues
an inhabitant of this globe." Well, we didn't fail. And still, we must
not fail. For freedom is not the property of one generation; it's the
obligation of this and every generation. It's our duty to protect it and
expand it and pass it undiminished to those still unborn.
Now, tomorrow is a special day for me. I'm going to receive my gold
watch. And since this is the last speech that I will give as President,
I think it's fitting to leave one final thought, an observation about a
country which I love. It was stated best in a letter I received not long
ago. A man wrote me and said: "You can go to live in France, but you
cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or
Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or a Japanese. But
anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and
become an American."
Yes, the torch of Lady Liberty symbolizes our freedom and represents
our heritage, the compact with our parents, our grandparents, and our
ancestors. It is that lady who gives us our great and special place in
the world. For it's the great life force of each generation of new
Americans that guarantees that America's triumph shall continue
unsurpassed into the next century and beyond. Other countries may seek
to compete with us; but in one vital area, as a beacon of freedom and
opportunity that draws the people of the world, no country on Earth
comes close.
This, I believe, is one of the most important sources of America's
greatness. We lead the world because, unique among nations, we draw our
people -- our strength -- from every country and every corner of the
world. And by doing so we continuously renew and enrich our nation.
While other countries cling to the stale past, here in America we
breathe life into dreams. We create the future, and the world follows us
into tomorrow. Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of
opportunity, we're a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy
and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world
to the next frontier. This quality is vital to our future as a nation.
If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world
would soon be lost.
. . . It is bold men and women, yearning for freedom and opportunity,
who leave their homelands and come to a new country to start their lives
over. They believe in the American dream. And over and over, they make
it come true for themselves, for their children, and for others. They
give more than they receive. They labor and succeed. And often they are
entrepreneurs. But their greatest contribution is more than economic,
because they understand in a special way how glorious it is to be an
American. They renew our pride and gratitude in the United States of
America, the greatest, freest nation in the world -- the last, best hope
of man on Earth.
Our country is in serious trouble. We don't have victories anymore. We
used to have victories, but we don't have them. When was the last time
anybody saw us beating, let's say, China in a trade deal? They kill us.
I beat China all the time. All the time. . . .
When do we beat Mexico at the border? They're laughing at us, at our
stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our
friend, believe me. But they're killing us economically. The U.S. has
become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems. [applause] . .
. When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best.
They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people
that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us.
They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And
some, I assume, are good people.
But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we're getting. And
it only makes common sense. It only makes common sense. They're sending
us not the right people.
It's coming from more than Mexico. It's coming from all over South and
Latin America, and it's coming probably -- probably -- from the Middle
East. But we don't know. Because we have no protection and we have no
competence, we don't know what's happening. And it's got to stop and
it's got to stop fast. [applause] . . . .
So, just to sum up, I would do various things very quickly. I would
repeal and replace the big lie, Obamacare. I would build a great
wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build
them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our
southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my
words.
. . . I will immediately terminate President Obama's illegal executive
order on immigration, immediately.
. . . Sadly, the American dream is dead. But if I get elected president
I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before,
and we will make America great again.