January 2017

Hundreds of thousands of people poured into Washington to watch Donald Trump being sworn in as the 45th US president. Donald Trump took to the stage on January 20, when he was sworn in on the steps of the US Capitol. The new President then went to the US Capitol surrounded by his wife Melania and the rest of his family, and signed the official documents that marked the beginning of his presidency. The Republican nominee achieved one of the most improbable political victories in modern US history – despite a series of controversies that would easily have destroyed other candidacies, including ‘locker room banter’ about sexual assault, mocking a reporter with disabilities, inciting his supporters to violence and allegations that his campaign pandered to the American far-right. He has pledged to unite America after his shock election win and now the tough work starts – turning the rhetoric into workable and affordable policies. On the other hand, in his last speech as president, Obama said (January 11): “The peaceful transfer of power from one freely elected president to the next, I committed to President-elect Trump my administration would ensure the smoothest transition, just as President Bush did for me.”

Historically, the incoming president was inaugurated on 4 March, but the period of delay was shortened when the 20th Amendment was ratified in 1933. Presidents have been inaugurated on January 20, since Franklin D. Roosevelt took the oath of office in 1937, moving up from the previous day of March 4.  Donald Trump signed the formal documents at the US Capitol minutes after vowing to give “power to the people”, “put only America first” and “eradicate Islamic terrorism from the face of the earth” in his inaugural address.

In front of a crowd of 750,000 (officially claimed) Americans, Trump took to the stage and vowed to unite a divided country in his inaugural address. In an attempt to heal the rifts his election has crystallised, Trump said: “When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.”  He added: “Whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots. “A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.” Continuing the theme of uniting the country under the American flag, his speech was a patriotic clarion call. “From this day forward it’s going to be only America first…we must think big and dream even bigger. A nation is only living as long as it is striving,” he said. With the eyes of the world on him, as well as famous faces and former presidents in the packed crowd, Trump also used his platform to blast the establishment. He said: “Today will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. “We are transferring power from Washington and giving it back to you, the people.”

Highlights of Donald Trump’s Inaugural Speech

• “You will never be ignored again.”
• “We will follow two simple rules: Buy American and hire American.”
• “From this day forward it’s going to be only America first.”
• “We must think big and dream even bigger. A nation is only living as long as it is striving.”
• “When America is united, America is totally unstoppable.”
• “Together, we will make America great again.”
• “January 20th, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.”
• “The time for talk is over, now begins the hour of action.”
• “We will make America safe again.”
• “Whether we are black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.”
• “A new national pride will stir our souls, lift our sights, and heal our divisions.”
• “This moment is your moment. It belongs to you…”
• “When your heart is filled with patriotism, there is no room for prejudice.”
• “I will fight for you with every breath in my body and I will never, ever let you down.”
• “Don’t allow anyone to tell you it cannot be done.”
• “We must think big and dream even bigger.”

Controversies in the inauguration

The inauguration was marked by some controversies as well. First Some 45 members of the US House of Representatives announced that they weren’t attending the ceremony – most of them skipping it for the first time in their political careers. Many of the representatives chose to opt out in solidarity with Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights hero who Trump attacked on Twitter for deciding not to attend the bash. Raúl M. Grijalva and Ruben Gallego  from Arizona, Jared Huffman, Zoe Lofgren, Barbara Lee, Mark DeSaulnier, Ted Lieu etc.  from California, Darren Soto and Frederica Wilson from Florida etc. were among those who boycotted Trump’s inauguration.

Second, the Organizers of the event struggled to find any A-List musicians willing to perform – with America’s Got Talent runner-up Jackie Evancho, who sang the national anthem after the ceremony, the only contemporary star on the list. The award-winning Mormon Tabernacle Choir are favourites at the inauguration, having previously performed at the past five, and took their usual place at the swearing-in ceremony. The choir has 360 members but one member has dropped out after refusing to sing for Trump. Irish dancer Michael Flatley was also signed up also take to the stage at the official inauguration ball – but faced criticism for agreeing to perform. Rockers 3 Doors Down were among the acts at the traditional concert the night before the inauguration, along with high-profile country singers Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood, and Midnight Cowboy actor Jon Voight, who gave a speech. Charlotte Church refused Donald Trump’s request to perform at his inauguration ceremony. The Welsh lass tweeted directly at the President-elect and said: “Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration, a simple Internet search would show I think you’re a tyrant. Bye”

Third, even on the day of inauguration a controversy arose about the crowd that attended it. Mr Trump’s press secretary said it had been “the largest audience to ever see an inauguration” even though figures he cited add up to under 750,000 people. He said the new US administration would hold the media accountable. Critics and many news papers and websites had questioned the claim of largest crowd in Trump’s inauguration and even called it a false official propaganda. Some even published photographs of crowds attending Obama’s inauguration and Trump inauguration to prove official effort of Trump’s supporters to exaggerate.

Controversies did not stop. A day after Trump’s inauguration, women around the world marched to protest at Donald Trump’s election. Officials in Washington say up to half a million demonstrators joined the Women’s March there. Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson, who campaigned for Barack Obama, was one of the famous faces at the Washington demo. Hundreds of marches were held worldwide.Priyanka Chopra, a famous Indian acress also participated New York protest. The protests, like this one in London, called for greater inclusivity and respect for women’s rights. In Macau, China, even the youngest were encouraged to take part, however aware they were of politics. Protests were reported from England, Germany, Australia, India, Thailand, among others.

Professed Beliefs of Donald Trump

The BBC looked back at 24 of his professed beliefs as follows:

The New York businessman-turned-politician said many controversial things and flip-flopped on a number of policy positions during the campaign.Here, we look back at 24 of his professed beliefs.

1. The US should use waterboarding

This and other methods of “strong interrogation”should be deployed in its fight against the Islamic State group. These methods, Mr Trump said, are “peanuts” compared to the tactics used by the militants, such as beheadings. “I like it a lot. I don’t think it’s tough enough,” he said in June (2016) of the banned practice.

2. 2. Mexico should pay for the “great, great wall”

Mr Trump has said he wants to start building the much-touted wall on the shared border from the first day of his presidency, and that Mexico will pay for it. In some of his earliest campaign comments, he suggested that Mexicans coming to the US were criminals and “rapists”. BBC analysis estimates the border wall could cost between $2.2bn and $13bn.

3. Muslims should not be admitted to the US

In the wake of the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, California, Mr Trump wrotethat he was “calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on”.

He’s since gone back on the announcement, instead saying that that he would temporarily suspend “immigration from some of the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world that have a history of exporting terrorism”.

4. Arab-Americans cheered the attacks on 9/11

Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that on 11 September 2001, there were thousands of Arab-Americans celebrating in New Jersey after two planes flew into the Twin Towers. He says such public demonstrations “tell you something” about Muslims living in the US. However, there are no media reports to back up the claim.

5. Obamacare is a “disaster”.

Mr Trump says he wants Congress to fully repeal the president’s Affordable Care Act, which aims at extending the number of Americans with health insurance, but he believes that “everybody’s got to be covered”. A spokesman for Mr Trumpsaid he would propose “a health plan that will return authority to the states and operate under free market principles”. The increase in premiums revealed just before the election bolstered the Trump attacks.

6. Climate change is just “weather”

While Mr Trump believes that maintaining “clean air” and “clean water” is important, he has dismissed climate change science as a “hoax” and believes environmental restrictions on businesses make them less competitive in the global marketplace. “I do not believe that we should imperil the companies within our country,” he told CNN on the issue. “It costs so much and nobody knows exactly if it’s going to work.”

7. The world would be better off if Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi were still in power

Mr Trump told CNN that he believes the situation in both Libya and Iraq is “far worse” than it ever was under the leaders of the two countries. While he concedes Saddam was a “horrible guy”, he says he did a better job combating terrorists.

8. Illegal migrants should be deported

Trump once said that he wanted to deport all of the approximately 11.3 million undocumented immigrants in the US, despite criticism that this idea is both xenophobic, next to impossible and prohibitively expensive – the BBC estimates a cost of $114bn. His official policy now says only those with criminal records will be deported immediately, although immigration controls will still be massively beefed up. Any undocumented migrants would also face the risk of deportation.

9. Syrian refugees could be a “Trojan horse”

He says that the Paris attacks prove that even a handful of terrorists posing as migrants could do catastrophic damage, and so he will oppose resettling any Syrians in the US, and deport those who have already been resettled. It’s unclear if he still believes that deportations are necessary, though he has still vowed to suspend the intake of Syrian refugees.

10. Vladimir Putin is a “leader”

He has noted the Russian president’s “great control over his country” and criticised the state of the relations between it and the US. He told CNN: “I would probably get along with him very well. And I don’t think you’d be having the kind of problems that you’re having right now”. More recently he has said that Mr Putin doesn’t “respect” the US, although that was no reason to get tough on him.

11. Taxes should be reduced for everyone

Trump wants to condense the current seven tax brackets to just three, with no income tax for “low-income Americans”. He would lower the business tax to 15%, from 35%. He would also allow multinational companies keeping profits overseas to repatriate their cash at a 10% tax rate.

12. Hedge fund managers are “getting away with murder”

Mr Trump found common ground with Democrats like Senator Elizabeth Warrenwhen he said that hedge fund managers and the ultra-wealthy did not pay enough taxes. However, after the campaign released specifics of his plan, analysts argued that hedge fund managers would actually get a tax cut along with the middle class.

13. China should be taken to task on a number of trade-related issues

He has said he will make China stop undervaluing its currency, and force it to step up its environmental and labour standards. He is also critical of the county’s lax attitude towards American intellectual property and hacking.

14. The Black Lives Matter movement is “trouble”

Mr Trump mocked former Democratic candidates like Martin O’Malley for apologising to members of the protest movement against police brutality and cast himself as a pro-law enforcement candidate. “I think they’re looking for trouble,” he once said of the activist group. He also tweeted a controversial and widely debunked graphic purporting to show that African Americans kill white and black people at far higher rates than white people or police officers.

15. He’s worth $10bn

Based on Mr Trump’s 92-page personal financial disclosure form, Bloomberg calculated last year that the real estate mogul was worth about $2.9bn, while Forbes recently put Trump’s net worth at $3.7bn. Mr Trump has however insisted that he is worth “in excess” of $10bn.

16. Veteran healthcare in the US needs a major overhaul

Mr Trump wants to clear out the executive level in the Department of Veterans Affairs, saying that waiting times for doctor visits have only increased after previous interventions failed. Thousands of veterans have died while waiting for care, he says. He will invest in the treatment of “invisible wounds” like post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. He would also increase the number of doctors who specialise in women’s health to help care for the increasing number of female veterans.

17. Lobbyists should be more restricted

Mr Trump proposes that there be a five-year ban that prevents government officials and members of congress from leaving and then immediately becoming lobbyists. He also calls for a lifetime ban on senior administration officials from lobbying on behalf of foreign governments.

18. He is a “really nice guy”

In Trump’s most recent book, Crippled America, he writes that “I’m a really nice guy, believe me, I pride myself on being a nice guy but I’m also passionate and determined to make our country great again”. The news site Gawker points outthat he calls himself a “nice guy” throughout the book, and Mr Trump repeated that self-assessment in his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live and in an interview with the Washington Post.

19. He could not have groped an unattractive woman

A video from 2005 showed Mr Trump making obscene comments about womenand triggered numerous claims of alleged sexual harassment. At one rally, he suggested that one of the accusers – a “horrible woman” – was not attractive enough for him to have groped: “I don’t think so! I don’t think so!”

20. Tokyo and Seoul should build up nuclear arsenals

He has said Japan and South Korea should not rely on the US so much and would benefit from having their own weapons. Nuclear war between Japan and North Korea may be “terrible” but it would be “pretty quick”.

21. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) is a “rip-off”

Why? Because the US pays more than anyone else. But he later said he was “all” in favour of the alliance.

22. Doctors should be punished for administering abortions

Or should they? In an interview with MSNBC, Mr Trump said that if abortion were to become illegal, women should be punished for obtaining them. He then retracted, saying the doctor would be responsible and he or she should be punished, instead.

23. The Republican National Committee’s rules were “stacked against him”

He called the delegate system “crooked” and “unfair”. He repeatedly clashed with the RNC over its nomination process and how it treated his candidacy during the primaries. He called rules that allowed Senator Ted Cruz to gain more delegates than him in some states “rigged”, as he did later when talking about the electoral process when polls were showing Hillary Clinton ahead of him.

24. The federal minimum wage should be raised

Workers should be paid more than the current level of $7.25/hour, he has said. though this is another issue he has flip-flopped on repeatedly.

Donald’s Wealth history

The Donald Trump family starting from his grandfather struggled very hard to make a living first and the big money from a barbers shop, to brothels and further to real estate after migrating to the US. Trump’s grandfather Friedrich, who emigrated to New York City from Kallstadt in southwest Germany in 1885. He was just 16 years old and arrived by boat to join his eldest sister and find work. Young Friedrich became a barber for six years in the city but later moved to Seattle, Washington, and anglicised his first name to ‘Frederick’.

A 22-year-old Frederick opened a 24-hour establishment called the Poodle Dog in Seattle’s red light district. His clients could buy alcohol and food at the establishment… as well as ‘private rooms for ladies’, which was essentially a code-name for prostitutes. The business was a huge success and Frederick was able to relocate to Yukon, Canada, during the Klondike Gold Rush. In Yukon, Frederick opened up more brothels where bedrooms were said to have scales so clients could pay in gold dust.
Fredrick trump Trump visited his home in Kallstadt around this time and became engaged to his neighbourhood sweetheart Elizabeth Christ. The couple married and tried to settle in Germany but Trump was deported back to America because he had dodged military service by emigrating. The couple moved to New York City, where they had two sons Fred and John, but Frederick died in 1918 from Spanish Flu, leaving eldest son Fred to take on the family’s entrepreneurial spirit.

When Fred was still in High School he set up a garage business with his mother called Elizabeth Trump and Son. The business was a success and he went on the start building single-family houses in Queens, which gained a good reputation as good quality housing. The real estate mogul also gained a reputation as an extremely frugal man and would often pick up nails that could be reused as he visited building sites. Fred Trump married Mary Anne MacLeod in 1936, who had emigrated to the USA from Scotland, and they had five children together: Fred Jr, MaryAnne, Donald, Robert and Elizabeth.

His housing business continued to do well and he was given large federal housing grants after WWII to facilitate the building of new homes in Brooklyn and Queens. Many of his tenants were Jewish, so Fred Trump hid his Germany nationality, claiming instead he was originally from Sweden. Fred Trump died in 1999 a multi-millionaire, said to be worth as much as $300 million – one of America’s richest men.

Donald Trump, who says he is ‘really rich’, claims to have started building his empire with $1 million borrowed from his father and $100 million in bank loans. Rather than build on his father’s low-income real estate homes in Queens and Brooklyn, Donald started several luxury building projects in Manhattan instead. This included the 58-floor Trump Tower, the Grand Hyatt Hotel and Trump Plaza, later buying golf courses (thought to have raised $193 million in income), resorts, condo sales ($77 million) and others. He also has made around $18 million in management fees, $9 million in royalties and $2 million public speaking. Like his father, Trump also claimed he was of Swedish heritage. While Trump claims to be worth $10 billion, his wealth is estimated to be around $4.5 billion, according to Forbes, or $2.9 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Not including the help he received through his father’s creditworthiness, Trump is said to have inherited $40 million after his father’s death.

Courtesy : The Telegraph, dated January 11, 2017

It’s good to be home.  My fellow Americans, Michelle and I have been so touched by all the well-wishes we’ve received over the past few weeks.  But tonight it’s my turn to say thanks.  Whether we’ve seen eye-to-eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you, the American people – in living rooms and schools; at farms and on factory floors; at diners and on distant outposts – are what have kept me honest, kept me inspired, and kept me going.  Every day, I learned from you.  You made me a better President, and you made me a better man.

I first came to Chicago when I was in my early twenties, still trying to figure out who I was; still searching for a purpose to my life.  It was in neighborhoods not far from here where I began working with church groups in the shadows of closed steel mills.  It was on these streets where I witnessed the power of faith, and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle and loss.  This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged, and come together to demand it.

After eight years as your President, I still believe that.  And it’s not just my belief.  It’s the beating heart of our American idea – our bold experiment in self-government.

It’s the conviction that we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.   It’s the insistence that these rights, while self-evident, have never been self-executing; that We, the People, through the instrument of our democracy, can form a more perfect union.This is the great gift our Founders gave us.  The freedom to chase our individual dreams through our sweat, toil, and imagination – and the imperative to strive together as well, to achieve a greater good

For 240 years, our nation’s call to citizenship has given work and purpose to each new generation.  It’s what led patriots to choose republic over tyranny, pioneers to trek west, slaves to brave that makeshift railroad to freedom.  It’s what pulled immigrants and refugees across oceans and the Rio Grande, pushed women to reach for the ballot, powered workers to organize.  It’s why GIs gave their lives at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima; Iraq and Afghanistan – and why men and women from Selma to Stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well.

So that’s what we mean when we say America is exceptional.  Not that our nation has been flawless from the start, but that we have shown the capacity to change, and make life better for those who follow.

Yes, our progress has been uneven.  The work of democracy has always been hard, contentious and sometimes bloody.  For every two steps forward, it often feels we take one step back.  But the long sweep of America has been defined by forward motion, a constant widening of our founding creed to embrace all, and not just some.

If I had told you eight years ago that America would reverse a great recession, reboot our auto industry, and unleash the longest stretch of job creation in our history…if I had told you that we would open up a new chapter with the Cuban people, shut down Iran’s nuclear weapons program without firing a shot, and take out the mastermind of 9/11…if I had told you that we would win marriage equality, and secure the right to health insurance for another 20 million of our fellow citizens – you might have said our sights were set a little too high.

But that’s what we did.  That’s what you did.  You were the change.  You answered people’s hopes, and because of you, by almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place than it was when we started.

In ten days, the world will witness a hallmark of our democracy:  the peaceful transfer of power from one freely-elected president to the next.  I committed to President-Elect Trump that my administration would ensure the smoothest possible transition, just as President Bush did for me.  Because it’s up to all of us to make sure our government can help us meet the many challenges we still face.

We have what we need to do so.  After all, we remain the wealthiest, most powerful, and most respected nation on Earth.  Our youth and drive, our diversity and openness, our boundless capacity for risk and reinvention mean that the future should be ours.

But that potential will be realized only if our democracy works.  Only if our politics reflects the decency of the our people.  Only if all of us, regardless of our party affiliation or particular interest, help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now.

That’s what I want to focus on tonight – the state of our democracy.

Understand, democracy does not require uniformity.  Our founders quarreled and compromised, and expected us to do the same. But they knew that democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity – the idea that for all our outward differences, we are all in this together; that we rise or fall as one.
There have been moments throughout our history that threatened to rupture that solidarity.  The beginning of this century has been one of those times.  A shrinking world, growing inequality; demographic change and the specter of terrorism – these forces haven’t just tested our security and prosperity, but our democracy as well.  And how we meet these challenges to our democracy will determine our ability to educate our kids, and create good jobs, and protect our homeland.

In other words, it will determine our future.

Our democracy won’t work without a sense that everyone has economic opportunity.  Today, the economy is growing again; wages, incomes, home values, and retirement accounts are rising again; poverty is falling again.  The wealthy are paying a fairer share of taxes even as the stock market shatters records.  The unemployment rate is near a ten-year low.  The uninsured rate has never, ever been lower.  Health care costs are rising at the slowest rate in fifty years.  And if anyone can put together a plan that is demonstrably better than the improvements we’ve made to our health care system – that covers as many people at less cost – I will publicly support it.

That, after all, is why we serve – to make people’s lives better, not worse.

But for all the real progress we’ve made, we know it’s not enough.  Our economy doesn’t work as well or grow as fast when a few prosper at the expense of a growing middle class.  But stark inequality is also corrosive to our democratic principles.  While the top one percent has amassed a bigger share of wealth and income, too many families, in inner cities and rural counties, have been left behind – the laid-off factory worker; the waitress and health care worker who struggle to pay the bills – convinced that the game is fixed against them, that their government only serves the interests of the powerful – a recipe for more cynicism and polarization in our politics.

There are no quick fixes to this long-term trend.  I agree that our trade should be fair and not just free.  But the next wave of economic dislocation won’t come from overseas.  It will come from the relentless pace of automation that makes many good, middle-class jobs obsolete.

And so we must forge a new social compact – to guarantee all our kids the education they need; to give workers the power to unionize for better wages; to update the social safety net to reflect the way we live now and make more reforms to the tax code so corporations and individuals who reap the most from the new economy don’t avoid their obligations to the country that’s made their success possible.  We can argue about how to best achieve these goals.  But we can’t be complacent about the goals themselves.  For if we don’t create opportunity for all people, the disaffection and division that has stalled our progress will only sharpen in years to come.

There’s a second threat to our democracy – one as old as our nation itself.  After my election, there was talk of a post-racial America.  Such a vision, however well-intended, was never realistic.  For race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society.  I’ve lived long enough to know that race relations are better than they were ten, or twenty, or thirty years ago – you can see it not just in statistics, but in the attitudes of young Americans across the political spectrum.

But we’re not where we need to be.  All of us have more work to do.  After all, if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hardworking white middle class and undeserving minorities, then workers of all shades will be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves.  If we decline to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us, we diminish the prospects of our own children – because those brown kids will represent a larger share of America’s workforce.  And our economy doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game.  Last year, incomes rose for all races, all age groups, for men and for women.

Going forward, we must uphold laws against discrimination – in hiring, in housing, in education and the criminal justice system.  That’s what our Constitution and highest ideals require.  But laws alone won’t be enough.  Hearts must change.  If our democracy is to work in this increasingly diverse nation, each one of us must try to heed the advice of one of the great characters in American fiction, Atticus Finch, who said “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

For blacks and other minorities, it means tying our own struggles for justice to the challenges that a lot of people in this country face – the refugee, the immigrant, the rural poor, the transgender American, and also the middle-aged white man who from the outside may seem like he’s got all the advantages, but who’s seen his world upended by economic, cultural, and technological change.

For white Americans, it means acknowledging that the effects of slavery and Jim Crow didn’t suddenly vanish in the ‘60s; that when minority groups voice discontent, they’re not just engaging in reverse racism or practicing political correctness; that when they wage peaceful protest, they’re not demanding special treatment, but the equal treatment our Founders promised.

For native-born Americans, it means reminding ourselves that the stereotypes about immigrants today were said, almost word for word, about the Irish, Italians, and Poles.  America wasn’t weakened by the presence of these newcomers; they embraced this nation’s creed, and it was strengthened.

So regardless of the station we occupy; we have to try harder; to start with the premise that each of our fellow citizens loves this country just as much as we do; that they value hard work and family like we do; that their children are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as our own.

None of this is easy.  For too many of us, it’s become safer to retreat into our own bubbles, whether in our neighborhoods or college campuses or places of worship or our social media feeds, surrounded by people who look like us and share the same political outlook and never challenge our assumptions.  The rise of naked partisanship, increasing economic and regional stratification, the splintering of our media into a channel for every taste – all this makes this great sorting seem natural, even inevitable.  And increasingly, we become so secure in our bubbles that we accept only information, whether true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that’s out there.

This trend represents a third threat to our democracy.  Politics is a battle of ideas; in the course of a healthy debate, we’ll prioritize different goals, and the different means of reaching them.  But without some common baseline of facts; without a willingness to admit new information, and concede that your opponent is making a fair point, and that science and reason matter, we’ll keep talking past each other, making common ground and compromise impossible.

Isn’t that part of what makes politics so dispiriting?  How can elected officials rage about deficits when we propose to spend money on preschool for kids, but not when we’re cutting taxes for corporations?  How do we excuse ethical lapses in our own party, but pounce when the other party does the same thing?  It’s not just dishonest, this selective sorting of the facts; it’s self-defeating.  Because as my mother used to tell me, reality has a way of catching up with you.

Take the challenge of climate change.  In just eight years, we’ve halved our dependence on foreign oil, doubled our renewable energy, and led the world to an agreement that has the promise to save this planet.  But without bolder action, our children won’t have time to debate the existence of climate change; they’ll be busy dealing with its effects: environmental disasters, economic disruptions, and waves of climate refugees seeking sanctuary.

Now, we can and should argue about the best approach to the problem.  But to simply deny the problem not only betrays future generations; it betrays the essential spirit of innovation and practical problem-solving that guided our Founders.

It’s that spirit, born of the Enlightenment, that made us an economic powerhouse – the spirit that took flight at Kitty Hawk and Cape Canaveral; the spirit that that cures disease and put a computer in every pocket.

It’s that spirit – a faith in reason, and enterprise, and the primacy of right over might, that allowed us to resist the lure of fascism and tyranny during the Great Depression, and build a post-World War II order with other democracies, an order based not just on military power or national affiliations but on principles – the rule of law, human rights, freedoms of religion, speech, assembly, and an independent press.

That order is now being challenged – first by violent fanatics who claim to speak for Islam; more recently by autocrats in foreign capitals who see free markets, open democracies, and civil society itself as a threat to their power.  The peril each poses to our democracy is more far-reaching than a car bomb or a missile.  It represents the fear of change; the fear of people who look or speak or pray differently; a contempt for the rule of law that holds leaders accountable; an intolerance of dissent and free thought; a belief that the sword or the gun or the bomb or propaganda machine is the ultimate arbiter of what’s true and what’s right.

Because of the extraordinary courage of our men and women in uniform, and the intelligence officers, law enforcement, and diplomats who support them, no foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland these past eight years; and although Boston and Orlando remind us of how dangerous radicalization can be, our law enforcement agencies are more effective and vigilant than ever.  We’ve taken out tens of thousands of terrorists – including Osama bin Laden.  The global coalition we’re leading against ISIL has taken out their leaders, and taken away about half their territory.  ISIL will be destroyed, and no one who threatens America will ever be safe.  To all who serve, it has been the honor of my lifetime to be your Commander-in-Chief.

But protecting our way of life requires more than our military.  Democracy can buckle when we give in to fear.  So just as we, as citizens, must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are.  That’s why, for the past eight years, I’ve worked to put the fight against terrorism on a firm legal footing.  That’s why we’ve ended torture, worked to close Gitmo, and reform our laws governing surveillance to protect privacy and civil liberties.  That’s why I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans.  That’s why we cannot withdraw from global fights – to expand democracy, and human rights, women’s rights, and LGBT rights – no matter how imperfect our efforts, no matter how expedient ignoring such values may seem.  For the fight against extremism and intolerance and sectarianism are of a piece with the fight against authoritarianism and nationalist aggression.  If the scope of freedom and respect for the rule of law shrinks around the world, the likelihood of war within and between nations increases, and our own freedoms will eventually be threatened.

So let’s be vigilant, but not afraid.  ISIL will try to kill innocent people.  But they cannot defeat America unless we betray our Constitution and our principles in the fight.  Rivals like Russia or China cannot match our influence around the world – unless we give up what we stand for, and turn ourselves into just another big country that bullies smaller neighbors.

Which brings me to my final point – our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted.  All of us, regardless of party, should throw ourselves into the task of rebuilding our democratic institutions.  When voting rates are some of the lowest among advanced democracies, we should make it easier, not harder, to vote.  When trust in our institutions is low, we should reduce the corrosive influence of money in our politics, and insist on the principles of transparency and ethics in public service.  When Congress is dysfunctional, we should draw our districts to encourage politicians to cater to common sense and not rigid extremes.

And all of this depends on our participation; on each of us accepting the responsibility of citizenship, regardless of which way the pendulum of power swings.

Our Constitution is a remarkable, beautiful gift.  But it’s really just a piece of parchment.  It has no power on its own.

We, the people, give it power – with our participation, and the choices we make.  Whether or not we stand up for our freedoms.  Whether or not we respect and enforce the rule of law.  America is no fragile thing.  But the gains of our long journey to freedom are not assured.

In his own farewell address, George Washington wrote that self-government is the underpinning of our safety, prosperity, and liberty, but “from different causes and from different quarters much pains will be taken…to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth;” that we should preserve it with “jealous anxiety;” that we should reject “the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest or to enfeeble the sacred ties” that make us one.

We weaken those ties when we allow our political dialogue to become so corrosive that people of good character are turned off from public service; so coarse with rancor that Americans with whom we disagree are not just misguided, but somehow malevolent.  We weaken those ties when we define some of us as more American than others; when we write off the whole system as inevitably corrupt, and blame the leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them.

It falls to each of us to be those anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy; to embrace the joyous task we’ve been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.  Because for all our outward differences, we all share the same proud title:  Citizen.

Ultimately, that’s what our democracy demands.  It needs you.  Not just when there’s an election, not just when your own narrow interest is at stake, but over the full span of a lifetime.  If you’re tired of arguing with strangers on the internet, try to talk with one in real life.  If something needs fixing, lace up your shoes and do some organizing.  If you’re disappointed by your elected officials, grab a clipboard, get some signatures, and run for office yourself.  Show up.  Dive in.  Persevere.  Sometimes you’ll win.  Sometimes you’ll lose.  Presuming a reservoir of goodness in others can be a risk, and there will be times when the process disappoints you.  But for those of us fortunate enough to have been a part of this work, to see it up close, let me tell you, it can energize and inspire.  And more often than not, your faith in America – and in Americans – will be confirmed.

Mine sure has been.  Over the course of these eight years, I’ve seen the hopeful faces of young graduates and our newest military officers.  I’ve mourned with grieving families searching for answers, and found grace in Charleston church.  I’ve seen our scientists help a paralyzed man regain his sense of touch, and our wounded warriors walk again. I’ve seen our doctors and volunteers rebuild after earthquakes and stop pandemics in their tracks.  I’ve seen the youngest of children remind us of our obligations to care for refugees, to work in peace, and above all to look out for each other.

That faith I placed all those years ago, not far from here, in the power of ordinary Americans to bring about change – that faith has been rewarded in ways I couldn’t possibly have imagined.  I hope yours has, too.  Some of you here tonight or watching at home were there with us in 2004, in 2008, in 2012 – and maybe you still can’t believe we pulled this whole thing off.

You’re not the only ones.  Michelle – for the past twenty-five years, you’ve been not only my wife and mother of my children, but my best friend.  You took on a role you didn’t ask for and made it your own with grace and grit and style and good humor.  You made the White House a place that belongs to everybody.  And a new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model.  You’ve made me proud.  You’ve made the country proud.

Malia and Sasha, under the strangest of circumstances, you have become two amazing young women, smart and beautiful, but more importantly, kind and thoughtful and full of passion.  You wore the burden of years in the spotlight so easily.  Of all that I’ve done in my life, I’m most proud to be your dad.

To Joe Biden, the scrappy kid from Scranton who became Delaware’s favorite son:  you were the first choice I made as a nominee, and the best.  Not just because you have been a great Vice President, but because in the bargain, I gained a brother.  We love you and Jill like family, and your friendship has been one of the great joys of our life.

To my remarkable staff:  For eight years – and for some of you, a whole lot more – I’ve drawn from your energy, and tried to reflect back what you displayed every day: heart, and character, and idealism.  I’ve watched you grow up, get married, have kids, and start incredible new journeys of your own.  Even when times got tough and frustrating, you never let Washington get the better of you.  The only thing that makes me prouder than all the good we’ve done is the thought of all the remarkable things you’ll achieve from here.

And to all of you out there – every organizer who moved to an unfamiliar town and kind family who welcomed them in, every volunteer who knocked on doors, every young person who cast a ballot for the first time, every American who lived and breathed the hard work of change – you are the best supporters and organizers anyone could hope for, and I will forever be grateful.  Because yes, you changed the world.

That’s why I leave this stage tonight even more optimistic about this country than I was when we started.  Because I know our work has not only helped so many Americans; it has inspired so many Americans – especially so many young people out there – to believe you can make a difference; to hitch your wagon to something bigger than yourselves.  This generation coming up – unselfish, altruistic, creative, patriotic – I’ve seen you in every corner of the country.

You believe in a fair, just, inclusive America; you know that constant change has been America’s hallmark, something not to fear but to embrace, and you are willing to carry this hard work of democracy forward.  You’ll soon outnumber any of us, and I believe as a result that the future is in good hands.

My fellow Americans, it has been the honor of my life to serve you.  I won’t stop; in fact, I will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my days that remain.  For now, whether you’re young or young at heart, I do have one final ask of you as your President – the same thing I asked when you took a chance on me eight years ago.

I am asking you to believe.  Not in my ability to bring about change – but in yours.

I am asking you to hold fast to that faith written into our founding documents; that idea whispered by slaves and abolitionists; that spirit sung by immigrants and homesteaders and those who marched for justice; that creed reaffirmed by those who planted flags from foreign battlefields to the surface of the moon; a creed at the core of every American whose story is not yet written:

Yes We Can.

Yes We Did.

Yes We Can.

Thank you.  God bless you.  And may God continue to bless the United States of America.