Mrs. Trump: What a beautiful place.
(applause)
We had a great time here and we did a lot
of great stuff.
And I want to thank you very much.
This has been an incredible trip and great
strides have been made.
My husband worked very hard on behalf of our
country, and I'm very proud of him.
This trip has also been incredible for me
as first lady.
In Saudi Arabia, I visited children at a local
school, and a call center with all female employees.
In Israel, I spent time with some children at
Hadassah Medical Center along with Mrs. Netanyahu.
In Rome, I was honored and blessed to be granted an
audience with his holiness, Pope Francis,
followed by a very special visit to Bambino Gesu
Children Hospital.
Just hours after leaving, a young boy I spent time
with -- find out he had received a new heart donor.
Receiving that news is a moment I will never forget
and I wish him a speedy recovery.
In Brussels, I met with Queen Mathilde and
participated in a forum on preventing the online
exploitation of children, then paid a visit to the
patients at Queen Fabiola's Children Hospital.
This trip, for me, has been very special and I
will never forget the women and children I met.
As one of the kids at the hospital that I visit said
in a picture he drew for me, "We are all the same."
I also want to take a moment to thank you all
for the sacrifices you make on behalf of our country.
It is because of your selfless commitment that
we enjoy the freedoms we have today.
And, to the families who endure time apart, or
constant moves to the base, your sacrifices do
not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Thank you and God bless you.
(applause)
And now it is my great honor to introduce my
husband, the President of the United States,
Donald J. Trump.
(applause)
Audience Members: U.S.A.
U.S.A.
The President: I've got to get the lipstick off.
Is it off?
Thank you, honey.
Thank you, both.
That's great.
And I'm trying to figure out who's in that
helicopter that's coming in.
It may be Prime Minister Abe.
It may be Justin from Canada.
Great people, we made a lot of good friends this
week, I'll tell you, a lot of good friends here,
good people.
America is very blessed with a lot of great diplomats.
And I have to say this as she just walks over here,
but I don't think the United States could
possibly have a better emissary than our
magnificent and wonderful person, our
first lady, Malania.
Thank you.
(applause)
Thank you.
The countries of the world have a large number of
disagreements, but they all agree with me
on that one.
That I can tell you.
So everywhere we go, it's the same old story.
So great job.
And, you know, we've been gone for, now, a long time.
Everywhere I go -- but we have been gone for close
to nine days.
This will be nine days.
And I think we hit a homerun no matter
where we are.
We're thrilled to be here right now and we're
getting on that very big plane.
We're heading back to Washington and
the United States.
But, to be with you at our great naval air
station is wonderful.
I can think of no better way to conclude our first
foreign trip than to spend the time with you right
here with the incredible men and women of the
United States Navy, and with all of our brave
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, and our
great civilians who support them, right?
(applause)
A very proud nation salutes you, a very,
very proud nation.
I'll tell you what, we are very, very proud of you.
Every single day, you protect the safety and
security of the American people and provide a
symbol of hope, freedom, and justice for the world.
To our friends and allies, you are the
ultimate reassurance.
To our enemies, you are the ultimate deterrent.
You're the metal spine forged out of the fires of
American strength.
And you notice how much stronger we're getting?
Have you feeling it -- are you feeling it?
(applause)
All that new equipment is coming in.
You saw what we did with our military budget, way up.
Took a little heat on that one, but it's okay with me.
You are the men and women who make up the most
powerful military in the world and, under my
administration -- as you know.
You've seen it, right?
Under my administration, stronger and stronger
every single day.
(applause)
I want to thank Captain Brent Trickel for leading
the American presence at the Hub of the Med.
You know what that is, right?
The Hub of the Med.
Captain Trickel, considering everything
your team has done to prepare for this visit,
and you really have done a lot, I've seen it, feel
free to sound liberty call as soon as wheels
are up, okay?
That sounds -- maybe I'll stay down with you and
celebrate together this wave.
(applause)
But before going any further, I also want to
express, on behalf of the United States, our
gratitude to our Italian and NATO allies here today.
We have a lot of them.
(applause)
You're stationed at the crossroads of the
Mediterranean, working side by side with
Americans to confront the threats associated with
the tremendous violence, suffering, and instability
across North Africa and the Middle East.
To every service member from Italy, from a NATO
country, we want to thank you for your friendship
and for partnering with us in the fight to defeat
terrorism and protect civilization.
(applause)
Better believe it.
Terrorism is a threat, bad threat.
To all of humanity, and together we will overcome
this threat, we will win.
(applause)
But none of what we achieve would be possible
without our wonderful military spouses and families.
Each of you makes these great sacrifices for our
country as well.
Let's hear it for the military spouses, please.
(applause)
We will always support you and we will never
ever forget you.
That, I can tell you.
There is one more very special group I have to
thank, and that is our eighth grade students
right here in Sigonella.
(applause)
Where are they?
Where are -- oh, here they are.
I've been hearing a lot about you.
In January, the eighth grade class at Sigonella
came all the way from Washington to march in my
inaugural parade, right?
Look at you.
They're all so happy.
Young, you're going to have a great life, right,
a great life.
Thank you very much, I have to say.
Are you all glad you did it?
Audience Members: Yeah.
The President: Thank you, honey.
It's an image I will always remember, your
smiling faces right out in front of the White House,
carrying that great big beautiful
American flag, right?
Thank you, kids.
You traveled all the way from Italy to
support my inauguration.
So, today, I'm glad to be here.
And I traveled a long way to support you,
and it's my honor.
Thank you very much.
(applause)
Military children also make great sacrifices for
their country.
And I want you all to know that America is so proud
of you, as you know.
I was here in Sicily to attend very important
summit meetings, the meeting of the G7.
It was a tremendously productive meeting where I
strengthened America bonds.
We have great bonds with other countries.
And with some of our closest allies, we
concluded a truly historic week for our country.
Our travels took us to some of the holiest sites
in the three Abrahamic religions, and the
gatherings of both America's oldest and
newest friends.
We traveled the world to strengthen longstanding
alliances and to form a new partnership among
nations devoted to the task of eradicating the
terrorism that plagues our planet.
(applause)
And we've got the people that can do it, believe me.
And I am now more hopeful than ever in the
possibility that nations of many face, and from
many religions, and from many regions all over, all
over, can join together in a common cause.
The barbaric attack in Manchester and the
massacre of innocent young lives underscores the
depth of the evil we face, and the urgent need for us
to join forces to absolutely and totally
defeat it.
(applause)
I met with Prime Minister May and expressed the
absolute solidarity of the American people.
And just yesterday, Coptic Christians in Egypt were
viciously gunned down in another vile terrorist
attack, one that took the lives of beautiful
Egyptian children and others.
These murderous attacks grieve ourselves, but they
also steel -- and I mean steel like in "steel"
-- our resolve.
Together, civilized nations will crush the
terrorists, block their funding, strip them of
their territory, and drive them out of this earth.
My first visit during my travels took me to Saudi
Arabia, where I had the honor of participating in
a historic summit with the leaders of more than 50
Muslim and Arab nations, hosted by King Salman, a
wise leader who expressed his strong desire to work
with the United States not only to confront
terrorism, but also the extremist ideology
behind terrorism.
The nations of the Middle East have endured one
terrorist attack after another, and I called on
them to take on the burden of fighting this evil that
has killed so many innocent Muslims.
During this unprecedented gathering, we opened a new
center to combat extremist ideology, launched a task
force to block funding for terrorists, and agreed to
massive economic development deals, the
likes of which there has never been, that will
create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the
United States, building the equipment that has
just been ordered by Saudi Arabia.
We also further isolated the Iranian regime over
its hostile and destabilizing actions, and
reaffirmed that Iran must never be allowed to
obtain, under any circumstances,
a nuclear weapons.
(applause)
I was deeply encouraged to hear from the leaders of
many Muslim and Arab nations that they are
ready to take on a greater role in combating
terrorism and providing young Muslims in their
region with a future of safety and a
future of opportunity.
Next, I went to Jerusalem, where I reaffirmed our
unbreakable bond with the state of Israel.
There we continued our discussion about fighting
terrorism and crushing the organizations and
ideologies that drive it.
I went to the Western Wall, a monument to the
perseverance of the Jewish people.
I also prayed at the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre and walked those sacred halls.
I was awed by the majesty and beauty of the Holy
Land, and the faith and reverence of the devoted
people who live there.
All children from all faiths deserve a future of
hope and peace, a future that does honor to God.
(applause)
I visited Bethlehem, a city so precious to so
many, and met with the Palestinian leader,
President Abbas.
He assured me he is willing to reach for peace
with Israel in good faith, and I believe he will.
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured
me that he too was ready to reach for peace.
He's a friend of mine, and he means it.
From Israel, we came to Italy.
In Rome, I was inspired by the beauty of St. Peter's
Basilica and even more inspired by meeting with
Pope Francis, the great talk.
It was truly an honor to meet the Pope and to pray
for peace on those hallowed grounds.
Then I traveled to two summits with our key allies.
First, at a NATO summit in Brussels, where we agreed
to improve the burden sharing among members of
our alliance, and to further confront the
shared threat of terrorism.
Other member nations must pay more.
(applause)
The U.S. is currently paying much more than any other
nation, and that is not fair to the United States,
or the United States taxpayer.
So, we're working on it, and I will tell you, a big
difference over the last year -- money is actually
starting to pour into NATO from countries that would
not have been doing what they're doing now, had I
not been elected.
I can tell you that.
(applause)
Money is starting to pour in.
(applause)
It's only fair to the United States.
We want to be treated fairly.
And we're behind NATO all the way, but we want to be
treated fairly.
All of us will be more safe and secure if
everyone fulfills their obligations the way
they're supposed to, right?
Look at this man, he's over there -- he's
agreeing with me 100 percent.
Most people agree with it.
Next, I attended the G7, right here in Sicily, and
made great progress toward very, very vital goals.
I laid out my vision for economic growth, and fair
trade, and support of good paying jobs, and even
great paying middle-class jobs, and more.
And I called for much greater security and
cooperation on matters of both terrorism,
immigration, migration -- to protect our citizens.
From Saudi Arabia, to Israel, to NATO, to the
G7, we made extraordinary gains on this historic
trip to advance the security and prosperity of
the United States, our friends, and our allies.
And we pave the way for a new era of cooperation
among the nations of the world to defeat the common
enemy of terrorism and provide our children with
a much more hopeful future.
You're going to have a great, great future.
You're going to have a safe future because of --
(applause)
-- your parents and other people in this room.
That is why I knew I had to conclude my trip right
here, in Sigonella, with the dedicated service
members who make the future so bright, so
proud, because I am so proud of the future you
are going to have.
Are you all proud of the future you're going to have?
You better believe it.
Right?
Dad, Mom.
We're all proud of it.
We're proud of our country.
The men and women of the United States military
have been the greatest force for peace and
justice in the history of the world.
I want you to know that you have a Commander in
Chief who will never, ever forget -- never, ever --
you will always be remembered, number one.
Just remember that, always.
(applause)
I will give you my complete and
unshakable support.
We have already made a historic investment in
defense spending.
You've been reading about it -- because we believe
in -- and you know this.
What's the expression?
"Peace through strength." Peace through strength, right?
You'll understand that when you get a
little bit older.
Peace through strength.
And that's what we're going to have.
We're going to have a lot of strength, but we're
going to have a lot of peace.
We will buy the planes, the ships, vehicles, and
equipment you need to get your job done and to come
home safe and sound, back to your families.
(applause)
I also know that the single greatest strength
of our armed forces is you -- you, all of you.
The dedicated, really tough, and really
disciplined service men and women who bravely
fight in our name.
You not only know the pain of sacrifice, but you also
know the tremendous rewards of military
service, of being part of something much larger than
even yourselves.
You know what it means to be part of a military team
in which men and women are bound together in a sacred
covenant of trust, to serve together, to
sacrifice together, and to fight together.
And by the way -- and to win together, because
you're going to win.
You're going to do a lot of winning.
(applause)
You're going to do a lot of winning.
And my pledge to you is that we will always
protect those who protect us -- you are protecting
us, and we will always remember that, and we will
always, always protect you.
Americans fought and died to liberate Europe from
the evils of Nazism -- you know that -- and fascism.
American military power helped to free the world
from the oppression of Communism.
And today, Americans like you are battling the
sinister forces of terrorism throughout the
Middle East, North Africa, and the world.
American military history is rich with noble
traditions, harrowing missions, and selfless
heroes like your parents.
But at its core, the moral of the story is
always the same.
It is the story of good overcoming evil.
You have poured out your hearts, your souls, and
even your blood for this nation.
And we will pour out our gratitude to
you in return.
We will show our gratitude, especially this
Monday, on Memorial Day, when we pause to thank God
for the heroes who have laid down their lives
for our freedom.
(applause)
Right?
Among those heroes was a young Navy sailor from Omaha.
His name was John Joseph Parle.
Parle enlisted in the Navy after the attack on Pearl
Harbor, completed mid-shipman training at
Notre Dame, and soon ended up not far from here, in
the waters of the Mediterranean.
On the night of July 9th, 1943, Parle was among the
tens of thousands of Allied forces preparing
for a surprise landing the next morning, on the
shores of Sicily, right here, about 70 miles away,
to be exact.
It was to be a major allied offense on European
soil, and it was important.
On a ship cloaked in darkness, just six miles
offshore, Parle and others noticed that a smokescreen
device had caught fire in a small boat staged to
support the landings.
The boat was filled with explosives.
He knew that if he didn't stop the fire, an
explosion would light up the night sky,
alert the enemy.
All of his fellow comrades would be killed, and the
invasion would be a failure.
So, Parle rushed to the source of smoke, hardly
able to breathe, breathing this smoke in.
And without a thought for his own safety, picked up
the burning device with his bare hands, ran to the
side of the boat, and hurled it into the sea as
far as he could throw.
In that decisive moment, Parle didn't hesitate.
He acted.
And in that act, he helped ensure the success, not
only in the savings of his friends and those lives,
but of the Allied landing itself, which turned out
to be a very, very important victory.
So, the Allied forces went on to win
the Sicily campaign.
Critical in their ultimate victory was Parle.
But before that final victory, the young, brave,
beautiful sailor who helped make it possible
died from the smoke that had damaged his
lungs so badly.
And since Ensign Parle had just turned 23 --
yesterday would have been his 97th birthday -- for
his brave actions, Ensign Parle was awarded the
Medal of Honor.
This Memorial Day, we remember him, and all the
brave men and women like him, who give their last
breath in defense of our country.
We honor their memory and their sacrifice, and we
also hope to honor them with our deeds, to prove
worthy of their sacrifice -- because there is no
peace without those willing to bear the scars
and wounds of war.
There is no strength without those brave enough
to protect the weak and the people
that need protection.
And there is no prosperity at home without those
willing to shoulder our burdens overseas.
That glorious American flag represents the blood
of patriots spilled in defense of freedom.
It represents the courage that burns in American hearts.
It represents the unity that binds us all
together as one.
And it represents the freedoms bestowed on us
by almighty God.
You are the warriors of freedom.
You are the protectors of that great American flag.
You are the patriots who keep the fires of liberty
burning, and you are the ones who protect the
God-given freedoms that are the birthright of
every single American child.
I am proud to be with you today as your
Commander in Chief.
I am honor to have had had this time to spend with you.
I am excited for the great adventures and
achievements that all of us will
accomplish together.
May God bless you, may God bless our service members.
May God bless the United States of America.
Thank you very much, everybody.
Thank you.
(cheers & applause)
Thank you very much.