Draft TV address ghosted by Walter C. Clemens.
In less than two years we have delivered amazingly on my campaign promises. We now have better borderland security; a stronger position in international trade; a more powerful military; reduced taxes; fewer government regulations; more choices for medical care; plus reduced tensions with North Korea and Russia and closer ties with China. Our position in the world is the best in history.
We have made and are making America great again. We are closing open borders, which equal massive crime. Not only do our recent tariffs equal the playing field but they will also lower the federal deficit. Despite these accomplishments, I am turning over the White House to Mike Pence in the near future. I do this for you, my fellow citizens, and for my family. The attacks on me by the America-hating fake news and by rogue actors in the Justice Department and FBI show no sign of stopping. Instead, they are becoming more intense and, I should add, more nauseating. I have always been a fighter willing to answer every attack with an even stronger counterattack. I have played along with the office of the Special Counsel because I have done nothing wrong and expect complete vindication. But my struggles with elements of the U.S. government and the media show no signs of ending.
The fake news blames me just for talking with my friend President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s great leader Kim Jong Un. In these matters I put our country’s safety and welfare far above whatever political gain or criticism comes my way for lowering the danger of war. Because the Obama administration was weak, the United States now has fewer nuclear armed missiles than Russia. Obama did nothing to stop North Korea from developing the ability to strike not just Guam and Alaska but even the United States mainland. The Obama administration also signed off on a deal that permits Iran to produce nuclear weapons in ten to fifteen years. To halt and reverse these trends I have opened a dialogue with President Putin and Chairman Kim Jong Un, and have offered to do the same with Iran’s president. At the same time, we have tightened sanctions on Russia, North Korea, and Iran to push them away from arms and toward peace. Meanwhile, we are improving our own defenses by increasing U.S. military spending by more than 13 percent to $716 billion in 2019.
On my watch the country’s economy has grown rapidly—recently by more than 4 percent a year. Unemployment has nearly disappeared for those willing to work. The rolls of deadbeats on welfare have shrunk. The stock market has broken new records. Tax relief has put new money in the pockets of most Americans and provided industry with funds to spur investment and job creation. We are lowering the dead hand of government regulations that hold back investments in oil, gas, and related industries.
With all this progress underway, why am I handing the steering wheel to Mike Pence? The attacks on me threaten to derail the positive changes now underway. They also threaten my family. The deep state stops at nothing to disparage and smear all those close to me. Like me, my offspring are tough, but the endless barrage of innuendo and outright criticism can only harm them—and our great Nation–over time. To halt the calumny and conspiracies aimed at them and me, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenfield is terminating the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. As we are a nation of laws, under God, Rosenfield’s actions will not affect proceedings against some of my former associates now underway in the District of Columbia, Virginia, New York and in other lower courts.
When he takes the reins, Mike Pence will continue the policies that are making America great again. He will build on the foundations laid down in the past two years. I ask other Republicans and all Americans to trust and support him as he does the nation’s business.
I thank our courageous and hard-working people for supporting me and our policies. It has been an honor to serve. I will continue to offer not just moral support but also practical suggestions on how we can continue to advance.
