Mrs. Trump: Hello, Poland!
Thank you very much.
My husband and I have enjoyed visiting
your beautiful country.
I want to thank President and Mrs. Duda
for the warm welcome and their generous hospitality.
I had the opportunity to visit the Copernicus Science Centre today,
and found it not only informative but thoughtful,
its mission, which is to inspire people to observe, experiment,
ask questions, and seek answers.
I can think of no better purpose for such a wonderful science center.
Thank you to all who were involved in giving us
the tour, especially the children who made it
such a wonderful experience.
As many of you know, a main focus of my husband's
presidency is safety and security of the American people.
I think all of us can agree people should be able
to live their lives without fear, no matter
what country they live in.
That is my wish for all of us around the world.
(Applause.)
Thank you again for this wonderful welcome
to your very special country.
Your kindness and gracious hospitality
will not be forgotten.
(Applause.)
And now it is my honor to introduce
to you my husband, the President of the United States,
Donald J. Trump.
(Applause.)
The President: Thank you very much.
That's so nice.
The United States has many great diplomats,
but there is truly no better ambassador for our country
than our beautiful First Lady, Melania.
Thank you, Melania.
That was very nice.
(Applause.)
We've come to your nation to deliver
a very important message: America loves Poland,
and America loves the Polish people.
(Applause.)
Thank you.
The Poles have not only greatly enriched this region,
but Polish-Americans have also
greatly enriched the United States, and I was
truly proud to have their support in the 2016 election.
(Applause.)
It is a profound honor to stand
in this city, by this monument to the Warsaw Uprising,
and to address the Polish nation that
so many generations have dreamed of: a Poland that
is safe, strong, and free.
(Applause.)
President Duda and your wonderful First Lady, Agata,
have welcomed us
with the tremendous warmth and kindness for which Poland
is known around the world.
Thank you.
(Applause.)
My sincere -- and I mean sincerely thank both of them.
And to Prime Minister Syzdlo, a very special thanks also.
(Applause.)
We are also pleased that former President Leck Walesa,
so famous for leading
the Solidarity Movement, has joined us today, also.
(Applause.)
Thank you.
On behalf of all Americans, let me also thank
the entire Polish people for the generosity
you have shown in welcoming our soldiers
to your country.
These soldiers are not only brave defenders of freedom,
but also symbols of America's commitment
to your security and your place in a strong
and democratic Europe.
We are proudly joined on stage by American,
Polish, British, and Romanian soldiers.
Thank you.
(Applause.)
Thank you.
Great job.
President Duda and I have just come from
an incredibly successful meeting with the leaders
participating in the Three Seas Initiative.
To the citizens of this great region,
America is eager to expand our partnership with you.
We welcome stronger ties of trade and commerce
as you grow your economies.
And we are committed to securing your access
to alternate sources of energy, so Poland and its neighbors
are never again held hostage
to a single supplier of energy.
(Applause.)
Mr. President, I congratulate you,
along with the President of Croatia, on your leadership
of this historic Three Seas Initiative.
Thank you.
(Applause.)
This is my first visit to Central Europe as President,
and I am thrilled that it could be right here
at this magnificent, beautiful piece of land.
It is beautiful.
(Applause.)
Poland is the geographic heart of Europe,
but more importantly, in the Polish people,
we see the soul of Europe.
Your nation is great because your spirit
is great and your spirit is strong.
(Applause.)
For two centuries, Poland suffered constant
and brutal attacks.
But while Poland could be invaded and occupied,
and its borders even erased from the map,
it could never be erased from history or from your hearts.
In those dark days, you have lost your land
but you never lost your pride.
(Applause.)
So, it is with true admiration
that I can say today, that from the farms and villages
of your countryside to the cathedrals and squares
of your great cities, Poland lives, Poland prospers,
and Poland prevails.
(Applause.)
Despite every effort to transform you,
oppress you, or destroy you, you endured and overcame.
You are the proud nation of Copernicus -- think of that --
(Applause.)
-- Chopin, Saint John Paul II.
Poland is a land of great heroes.
(Applause.)
And you are a people who know the true value
of what you defend.
The triumph of the Polish spirit over centuries
of hardship gives us all hope for a future in which good
conquers evil, and peace achieves victory over war.
For Americans, Poland has been a symbol of hope
since the beginning of our nation.
Polish heroes and American patriots fought side by side
in our War of Independence and in many wars that followed.
Our soldiers still serve together today
in Afghanistan and Iraq, combatting the enemies
of all civilization.
For America's part, we have never given up
on freedom and independence as the right and destiny
of the Polish people, and we never, ever will.
(Applause.)
Our two countries share a special bond
forged by unique histories and national characters.
It's a fellowship that exists only among people
who have fought and bled and died for freedom.
(Applause.)
The signs of this friendship
stand in our nation's capital.
Just steps from the White House, we've raised statues
of men with names like Pulaski and Kosciuszko.
(Applause.)
The same is true in Warsaw,
where street signs carry the name of George Washington,
and a monument stands to one of the world's
greatest heroes, Ronald Reagan.
(Applause.)
And so, I am here today not just to visit an old ally,
but to hold it up as an example
for others who seek freedom and who wish
to summon the courage and the will
to defend our civilization.
(Applause.)
The story of Poland is the story
of a people who have never lost hope, who have never
been broken, and who have never, ever forgotten
who they are.
(Applause)
Audience: Donald Trump!
The President: Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Such a great honor.
This is a nation more than one thousand years old.
Your borders were erased for more than a century
and only restored just one century ago.
In 1920, in the Miracle of Vistula,
Poland stopped the Soviet army bent on European conquest.
(Applause.)
Then, 19 years later in 1939,
you were invaded yet again, this time by Nazi Germany
from the west and the Soviet Union from the east.
That's trouble.
That's tough.
Under a double occupation the Polish people endured
evils beyond description: the Katyn forest massacre,
the occupations, the Holocaust, the Warsaw Ghetto
and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising,
the destruction of this beautiful capital city,
and the deaths of nearly one in five Polish people.
A vibrant Jewish population -- the largest
in Europe -- was reduced to almost nothing after
the Nazis systematically murdered millions
of Poland's Jewish citizens, along with countless
others, during that brutal occupation.
In the summer of 1944, the Nazi and Soviet armies
were preparing for a terrible and bloody battle
right here in Warsaw.
Amid that hell on earth, the citizens of Poland
rose up to defend their homeland.
I am deeply honored to be joined on stage today
by veterans and heroes of the Warsaw Uprising.
(Applause.)
Audience: (Chanting.)
The President: What great spirit.
We salute your noble sacrifice and we pledge
to always remember your fight for Poland
and for freedom.
Thank you.
(Applause.)
This monument reminds us that more than 150,000 Poles died
during that desperate struggle
to overthrow oppression.
From the other side of the river, the Soviet armed forces
stopped and waited.
They watched as the Nazis ruthlessly destroyed the city,
viciously murdering men, women, and children.
They tried to destroy this nation forever
by shattering its will to survive.
But there is a courage and a strength deep
in the Polish character that no one could destroy.
The Polish martyr, Bishop Michael Kozal, said it well,
"More horrifying than a defeat of arms
is a collapse of the human spirit."
Through four decades of communist rule, Poland
and the other captive nations of Europe endured a brutal
campaign to demolish freedom, your faith,
your laws, your history, your identity --
indeed the very essence of your culture and your humanity.
Yet, through it all, you never lost that spirit.
(Applause.)
Your oppressors tried to break you, but Poland could not be broken.
(Applause.)
And when the day came on June 2nd, 1979,
and one million Poles gathered around
Victory Square for their very first mass with their
Polish Pope, that day, every communist in Warsaw
must have known that their oppressive system would
soon come crashing down.
(Applause.)
They must have known it at the exact moment
during Pope John Paul II's sermon
when a million Polish men, women, and children
suddenly raised their voices in a single prayer.
A million Polish people did not ask for wealth.
They did not ask for privilege.
Instead, one million Poles sang three simple words,
"We Want God."
(Applause.)
In those words, the Polish people recalled the promise
of a better future.
They found new courage to face down their oppressors,
and they found the words to declare
that Poland would be Poland once again.
As I stand here today before this incredible crowd,
this faithful nation, we can still hear those voices
that echo through history.
Their message is as true today as ever.
The people of Poland, the people of America,
and the people of Europe still cry out "We want God."
(Applause.)
Together, with Pope John Paul II,
the Poles reasserted their identity as a nation
devoted to God.
And with that powerful declaration of who you are,
you came to understand what to do and how to live.
You stood in solidarity against oppression,
against a lawless secret police, against a cruel
and wicked system that impoverished your cities
and your souls.
And you won.
Poland prevailed.
Poland will always prevail.
(Applause.)
Audience: Donald Trump!
The President: Thank you.
You were supported in that victory over communism
by a strong alliance of free nations in the West
that defied tyranny.
Now, among the most committed members
of the NATO Alliance, Poland has resumed its place
as a leading nation of a Europe that is strong, whole, and free.
A strong Poland is a blessing to the nations of Europe,
and they know that.
A strong Europe is a blessing to the West
and to the world.
(Applause.)
One hundred years after the entry
of American forces into World War I, the transatlantic bond
between the United States and Europe is as strong as ever
and maybe, in many ways, even stronger.
This continent no longer confronts
the specter of communism.
But today we're in the West, and we have to say
there are dire threats to our security
and to our way of life.
You see what's happening out there.
They are threats.
We will confront them.
We will win.
But they are threats.
(Applause.)
Audience: Donald Trump!
The President: We are confronted by another
oppressive ideology -- one that seeks to export
terrorism and extremism all around the globe.
America and Europe have suffered one terror attack
after another.
We're going to get it to stop.
(Applause.)
During a historic gathering in Saudi Arabia,
I called on the leaders of more than 50 Muslim nations
to join together to drive out this menace
which threatens all of humanity.
We must stand united against these shared enemies
to strip them of their territory and their funding,
and their networks, and any form of ideological support
that they may have.
While we will always welcome new citizens
who share our values and love our people, our borders
will always be closed to terrorism and extremism
of any kind.
(Applause.)
Audience: Donald Trump!
The President: We are fighting hard against
radical Islamic terrorism, and we will prevail.
We cannot accept those who reject our values
and who use hatred to justify violence against the innocent.
Today, the West is also confronted by the powers
that seek to test our will, undermine our
confidence, and challenge our interests.
To meet new forms of aggression, including
propaganda, financial crimes, and cyberwarfare,
we must adapt our alliance to compete effectively
in new ways and on all new battlefields.
We urge Russia to cease its destabilizing activities
in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support
for hostile regimes -- including Syria and Iran
-- and to instead join the community of responsible
nations in our fight against common enemies
and in defense of civilization itself.
(Applause.)
Finally, on both sides of the Atlantic,
our citizens are confronted by yet another
danger -- one firmly within our control.
This danger is invisible to some but familiar to
the Poles: the steady creep of government
bureaucracy that drains the vitality and wealth
of the people.
The West became great not because of paperwork and
regulations but because people were allowed to chase
their dreams and pursue their destinies.
Americans, Poles, and the nations of Europe value
individual freedom and sovereignty.
We must work together to confront forces, whether
they come from inside or out, from the South or the East,
that threaten over time to undermine these values
and to erase the bonds of culture,
faith and tradition that make us who we are.
(Applause.)
If left unchecked, these forces will undermine our courage,
sap our spirit,
and weaken our will to defend ourselves
and our societies.
But just as our adversaries and enemies
of the past learned here in Poland, we know that these
forces, too, are doomed to fail if we want them to fail.
And we do, indeed, want them to fail.
(Applause.)
They are doomed not only because our alliance is strong,
our countries are resilient,
and our power is unmatched.
Through all of that, you have to say everything is true.
Our adversaries, however, are doomed because we will
never forget who we are.
And if we don't forget who are, we just can't be beaten.
Americans will never forget.
The nations of Europe will never forget.
We are the fastest and the greatest community.
There is nothing like our community of nations.
The world has never known anything like
our community of nations.
We write symphonies.
We pursue innovation.
We celebrate our ancient heroes, embrace our timeless
traditions and customs, and always seek
to explore and discover brand-new frontiers.
We reward brilliance.
We strive for excellence, and cherish inspiring
works of art that honor God.
We treasure the rule of law and protect the right
to free speech and free expression.
(Applause.)
We empower women as pillars of our society and of our success.
We put faith and family, not government and bureaucracy,
at the center of our lives.
And we debate everything.
We challenge everything.
We seek to know everything so that we can better
know ourselves.
(Applause.)
And above all, we value the dignity of every human life,
protect the rights
of every person, and share the hope of every soul
to live in freedom.
That is who we are.
Those are the priceless ties that bind us together
as nations, as allies, and as a civilization.
What we have, what we inherited from our --
and you know this better than anybody, and you see it
today with this incredible group of people --
what we've inherited from our ancestors has never
existed to this extent before.
And if we fail to preserve it, it will never,
ever exist again.
So, we cannot fail.
This great community of nations has something else
in common: In every one of them, it is the people,
not the powerful, who have always formed
the foundation of freedom and the cornerstone of our defense.
The people have been that foundation here in Poland --
as they were right here in Warsaw -- and they were
the foundation from the very, very beginning in America.
Our citizens did not win freedom together,
did not survive horrors together, did not face down
evil together, only to lose our freedom to a lack of pride
and confidence in our values.
We did not and we will not.
We will never back down.
(Applause.)
Audience: Donald Trump!
The President: As long as we know our history,
we will know how to build our future.
Americans know that a strong alliance of free,
sovereign and independent nations is the best defense
for our freedoms and for our interests.
That is why my administration has
demanded that all members of NATO finally meet
their full and fair financial obligation.
As a result of this insistence, billions of dollars
more have begun to pour into NATO.
In fact, people are shocked.
But billions and billions of dollars more are coming
in from countries that, in my opinion, would not have
been paying so quickly.
To those who would criticize our tough
stance, I would point out that the United States
has demonstrated not merely with words but with its actions
that we stand firmly behind Article 5,
the mutual defense commitment.
(Applause.)
Words are easy, but actions are what matters.
And for its own protection -- and you know this,
everybody knows this, everybody has to know this --
Europe must do more.
Europe must demonstrate that it believes in its
future by investing its money to secure that future.
That is why we applaud Poland for its decision
to move forward this week on acquiring from the United States
the battle-tested Patriot air and missile
defense system -- the best anywhere in the world.
(Applause.)
That is also why we salute the Polish people
for being one of the NATO countries that
has actually achieved the benchmark for investment
in our common defense.
Thank you.
Thank you, Poland.
I must tell you, the example you set
is truly magnificent, and we applaud Poland.
Thank you.
(Applause.)
We have to remember that our defense is not just a commitment
of money, it is a commitment of will.
Because as the Polish experience reminds us,
the defense of the West ultimately rests not only
on means but also on the will of its people to prevail
and be successful and get what you have to have.
The fundamental question of our time is whether
the West has the will to survive.
Do we have the confidence in our values to defend
them at any cost?
Do we have enough respect for our citizens
to protect our borders?
Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve
our civilization in the face of those who would
subvert and destroy it?
(Applause.)
We can have the largest economies
and the most lethal weapons anywhere on Earth,
but if we do not have strong families and strong
values, then we will be weak and we will not survive.
(Applause.)
If anyone forgets the critical importance of these things,
let them come to one country that never has.
Let them come to Poland.
(Applause.)
And let them come here, to Warsaw,
and learn the story of the Warsaw Uprising.
When they do, they should learn about Jerusalem Avenue.
In August of 1944, Jerusalem Avenue
was one of the main roads running east and west
through this city, just as it is today.
Control of that road was crucially important
to both sides in the battle for Warsaw.
The German military wanted it as their most direct route
to move troops and to form a very strong front.
And for the Polish Home Army, the ability to pass
north and south across that street was critical
to keep the center of the city, and the Uprising itself,
from being split apart and destroyed.
Every night, the Poles put up sandbags amid machine
gun fire -- and it was horrendous fire --
to protect a narrow passage across Jerusalem Avenue.
Every day, the enemy forces knocked them down
again and again and again.
Then the Poles dug a trench.
Finally, they built a barricade.
And the brave Polish fighters began to flow
across Jerusalem Avenue.
That narrow passageway, just a few feet wide,
was the fragile link that kept the Uprising alive.
Between its walls, a constant stream
of citizens and freedom fighters made their perilous,
just perilous, sprints.
They ran across that street, they ran through
that street, they ran under that street --
all to defend this city.
"The far side was several yards away,"
recalled one young Polish woman named Greta.
That mortality and that life was so important to her.
In fact, she said, "The mortally dangerous sector
of the street was soaked in the blood.
It was the blood of messengers, liaison girls,
and couriers."
Nazi snipers shot at anybody who crossed.
Anybody who crossed, they were being shot at.
Their soldiers burned every building
on the street, and they used the Poles as human shields
for their tanks in their effort to capture
Jerusalem Avenue.
The enemy never ceased its relentless assault
on that small outpost of civilization.
And the Poles never ceased its defense.
The Jerusalem Avenue passage required constant protection,
repair, and reinforcement, but the will of its defenders
did not waver, even in the face of death.
And to the last days of the Uprising,
the fragile crossing never, ever failed.
It was never, ever forgotten.
It was kept open by the Polish people.
The memories of those who perished in the Warsaw Uprising
cry out across the decades, and few are clearer
than the memories of those who died
to build and defend the Jerusalem Avenue crossing.
Those heroes remind us that the West
was saved with the blood of patriots;
that each generation must rise up and play their part
in its defense --
(Applause.)
-- and that every foot of ground, and every last inch
of civilization, is worth defending with your life.
Our own fight for the West does not begin
on the battlefield -- it begins with our minds, our wills,
and our souls.
Today, the ties that unite our civilization
are no less vital, and demand no less defense, than that bare
shred of land on which the hope of Poland
once totally rested.
Our freedom, our civilization,
and our survival depend on these bonds of history, culture,
and memory.
And today as ever, Poland is in our heart,
and its people are in that fight.
(Applause.)
Just as Poland could not be broken, I declare today
for the world to hear
that the West will never, ever be broken.
Our values will prevail.
Our people will thrive.
And our civilization will triumph.
(Applause.)
Audience: Donald Trump!
The President: Thank you.
So, together, let us all fight like the Poles --
for family, for freedom, for country, and for God.
Thank you.
God Bless You.
God bless the Polish people.
God bless our allies.
And God bless the United States of America.
Thank you.
God bless you.
Thank you very much.
(Applause.)