The Vice President: Welcome to
the White House.
Ladies and gentlemen, the President
of the United States.
The President: Thank you very much Mike.
I just returned from an amazing visit with a
great, great family at Dover, and it was
something very sad, very beautiful.
Ryan, a great man.
Secretary Tillerson, I first want to congratulate
you, Renda, and your entire family on this
incredible honor, and it is that;
an incredible honor.
You bring the unique skills and deep, deep
insights, and I've gotten to see it firsthand, into
foreign diplomacy our nation needs to foster
stability and security in a world too often trapped,
and right now it's trapped in violence and in war.
You understand that the job of our diplomats and
the mission of the State Department is to serve the
interests of the United States of America, to make
our nation safer, our country more prosperous,
and our people much more secure.
In that mission you also understand the importance
of strengthening our alliances, and forming new
alliances to enhance our strategic interests and
the safety of our people.
Your whole life has prepared you for this
moment, and you really have had a tremendous
life, heading up one of the great companies of the
world, and doing it magnificently; absolutely
magnificently, and I can say this is a man that's
respected all over the world before
he even begins.
But as Renda said, now he's beginning his big,
big and most important journey.
This is where you were meant to be; right here
today, at this crossroads in history.
It's time to bring a clear eyed focus to foreign
affairs, to take a fresh look at the world around
us, and to seek new solutions grounded in
very ancient truths.
These truths include the fact that nations have a
right to protect their interests, that all people
have a right to freely pursue their own destiny,
and that all of us are better off when we act in
concert and not in conflict, and there's
rarely been conflict like we have in the world
today; very sad.
I'm excited for you.
I'm excited for your family and, perhaps most
importantly, I am excited for our great country.
Though you inherit enormous challenges in the
Middle East and around the world, I do believe we can
achieve peace and stability in these very,
very troubled times.
May God bless you in this journey, and may God bless
our very, very special and great country.
Thank you very much.
Mike, you can do the honors.
Thank you.
The Vice President: (inaudible) join us?
The President: Yes, thank you.
The Vice President: On behalf of President Trump,
it is my great privilege to administer you the oath
of office of the Secretary of State of the United
States of America.
Please place your right hand on the Bible, raise
your right hand, and repeat after me.
I, Rex Wayne Tillerson do solemnly swear --
Rex Tillerson: I, Rex Wayne Tillerson, do
solemnly swear --
The Vice President: -- that I will support and
defend the Constitution of the United States --
Rex Tillerson: -- that I will support and defend
the Constitution of the United States --
The Vice President: -- against all enemies,
foreign and domestic --
Rex Tillerson: -- against all enemies
foreign and domestic --
The Vice President: --that I will bear true faith and
allegiance to the same --
Rex Tillerson: -- that I will bear true faith and
allegiance to the same --
The Vice President: -- that I take this
obligation freely --
Rex Tillerson: -- that I take this
obligation freely --
The Vice President: -- without any
mental reservation --
Rex Tillerson: -- without any mental reservation --
The Vice President: -- or purpose of evasion --
Rex Tillerson: -- or purpose of evasion --
The Vice President: -- and that I will well
and faithfully --
Rex Tillerson: -- and that I will well and
faithfully --
The Vice President: -- discharge the duties --
Rex Tillerson: -- discharge the duties --
The Vice President: -- of the office upon which I am
about to enter --
Rex Tillerson: -- of the office upon which I am
about to enter --
The Vice President: -- so help me God.
Rex Tillerson: -- so help me God.
The Vice President: Congratulations.
(applause)
The President: Would you like to say a few words?
The Vice President: Would you like to say
a few words?
Why don't you stand (inaudible)?
Rex Tillerson: Well, first I want to express my
profound thanks to President Trump for giving
me this extraordinary opportunity to
serve my country.
I also want to thank Vice President Pence for giving
me the honor of swearing me in to
this office today.
I have a few folks in the room that are with me that
have helped me over the last month to get to this
point of confirmation.
They represent a much larger cadre of people who
have worked enormously long hours, tirelessly, at
helping me and guiding me through the confirmation
process, and to them I will always be eternally
grateful for the sacrifice they've made of their time
and effort these past weeks.
I've also received over the last month so many
messages, letters, phone calls of best wishes,
encouragement, prayers, from family, friends, and
colleagues who know me well, but I've also
received an enormous outpouring of wonderful
messages from people all over the country whom I do
not know; words of encouragement and their
prayers, and it's their messages that are going to
really stand in steadfast reminder to me, as I enter
the responsibilities of Secretary of State, that
as I serve this President I serve their interest and
will always represent the interest of all the
American people at all times.
And, again, Mr. President, thank you for this
extraordinary opportunity.
(applause)
Mr. President: He left a very good job for this, I
want to tell you.
(laughter)
(applause)
Thank you everybody.
Thank you, very much, a great honor.