clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Early excerpts from President Trump’s State of the Union speech

Immigration, infrastructure, and trade will be focal points for the president’s third SOTU speech.

President Trump arrives for the State of the Union address at the US Capitol on February 5, 2019.
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Dylan Scott covers health care for Vox. He has reported on health policy for more than 10 years, writing for Governing magazine, Talking Points Memo and STAT before joining Vox in 2017.

President Trump’s State of the Union speech will hit many of the classics — the need for aggressive immigration enforcement, to fix the bad trade deals of the past, to spend a lot of money on American infrastructure — based on early excerpts released by the White House.

The speech is supposed to be a unifying one. “The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican Agenda or a Democrat Agenda. It is the agenda of the American People,” Trump will say, per the prepared remarks.

That is the speech White House aides have been previewing for the last few days.

But several reports from the New York Times and CNN have indicated that Trump, angry with Democratic leaders in Congress, might be sharpening the edges of the speech. It is unclear now how the speech Trump delivers matches with the one the White House said he would give.

Still, the president’s signature hyperbole will make an appearance. “After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and America is winning each and every day,” Trump will say, per the prepared remarks.

Here are the rest of the early excerpts released by the White House:

The agenda I will lay out this evening is not a Republican Agenda or a Democrat Agenda. It is the agenda of the American People.

In the 20th century, America saved freedom, transformed science, and redefined the middle class standard of living for the entire world to see. Now, we must step boldly and bravely into the next chapter of this Great American Adventure, and we must create a new standard of living for the 21st century.

Together, we can break decades of political stalemate. We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions, and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future. The decision is ours to make.

Over the last two years, my administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to confront problems neglected by leaders of BOTH parties over many decades.

We have unleashed a revolution in American Energy – the United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world.

After 24 months of rapid progress, our economy is the envy of the world, our military is the most powerful on earth, and America is winning each and every day.

Last year, I heard through friends the story of Alice Johnson. I was deeply moved. In 1997, Alice was sentenced to life in prison as a first-time non-violent drug offender. Over the next two decades, she became a prison minister, inspiring others to choose a better path… Alice’s story underscores the disparities and unfairness that can exist in criminal sentencing – and the need to remedy this injustice.

We have a moral duty to create an immigration system that protects the lives and jobs of our citizens.

No issue better illustrates the divide between America’s WORKING CLASS and America’s POLITICAL CLASS than illegal immigration. Wealthy politicians and donors push for open borders while living their lives behind walls and gates and guards.

All Americans can be proud that we have more women in the workforce than ever before...

To build on our incredible economic success, one priority is paramount: reversing decades of calamitous trade policies.

Both parties should be able to unite for a great rebuilding of America’s crumbling infrastructure.

It is unacceptable that Americans pay vastly more than people in other countries for the exact same drugs, often made in the exact same place. This is wrong, unfair, and together we can stop it.

We stand with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom…

As a candidate for President, I pledged a new approach. Great nations do not fight endless wars.

We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants Death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish People