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Politics

Former FBI director James Comey is sworn in prior to testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Former FBI director James Comey is sworn in prior to testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

More than half of the memos former FBI Director James Comey leaked to the media were classified and contained “secret” or “confidential” material. The Hill reported four of the seven leaked Comey memors containing information about his conversations with President Donald J. Trump were illegally leaked to the media.

“James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media,” President Trump tweeted Monday morning. “That is so illegal!”

Former Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, who chaired the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee when it began looking into the Comey memos, said the director’s behavior was highly suspicious.

“He’s usually very jovial, open about these things. When I asked him about it, he got silent,” he said Monday morning. “He said he wouldn’t talk about it or where they were.”

“If true, this is a bombshell,” Mr. Chaffetz tweeted.

Mr. Comey admitted under oath before the Senate Intelligence Committee that he leaked memos with the explicit aim to force the appointment of a special counsel. That special counsel turnout out to be his friend and mentor Robert Mueller, himself a former FBI director and Mr. Comey’s mentor.

He further claimed that he decided to do so only after President Trump tweeted he may have tapes of their conversations.

However, the tweet was sent out after Comey-specific and related leaks appeared in media reports, casting doubt on the former director’s claims. Mr. Comey testified under oath he believed his personal memos were unclassified and his own property, though they were typed up on an FBI laptop.

The FBI disagreed, claiming all of the memos were deemed to be government documents.

He also hinted one or two documents might have been contained classified information. Congressional investigators have discovered that claim was not true.

Mr. Comey was fired for his handling of the Clinton email case. While the President had wanted to replace him almost immediately, staffer believed he should go through a process. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote a scathing indictment of the director’s handling of the case, accusing him of usurping his authority by unilaterally deciding there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute Hillary Clinton.

He called Clinton “extremely careless” for creating a private email server that stored classified information, though he did not recommend prosecution because he said there was no evidence of criminal intent. Worth noting, intent is not the standard of the violated statutes.

More than half of the memos former

Polls

State Treasurer Josh Mandel, right, celebrates his 2010 win with his wife, Ilana, in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo: AP)

State Treasurer Josh Mandel, right, celebrates his 2010 win with his wife, Ilana, in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo: AP)

The latest PPD Buckeye State Battleground Poll finds Republican Josh Mandel expanding his lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio. In May, the state treasurer led 49% to 44%, but that 5-point advantage has now widened to 8 points, 50% to 42%.

“It is extremely bad news for any incumbent to be trailing his challenger by this much, this early, let alone one who is now polling at 50%,” said Richard Baris, head of the PPD Poll and Election Projection Model. “We have a long way to go before the 2018 midterm elections, but if Sen. Brown doesn’t do something to turn this around, he’s going to lose this rematch.”

In 2016, President Donald J. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in Ohio by roughly 8 points, 52.1% to 43.5%. Republican Sen. Rob Portman crushed Clinton ally Ted Strickland, 58.3% to 36.9%.

While both men remain popular in the Buckeye State, Sen. Portman is one of the most popular politicians PPD has polled this year to date. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of likely voters in Ohio approve of the job he is doing in the U.S. Senate, while just 36% disapprove.

Mr. Mandel lost to Sen. Brown in 2012 by roughly 6 points, when Barack Obama carried the state against Mitt Romney by roughly 2 points. But Gov. Romney wasn’t a good fit for Ohio, which despite being largely white, is home to significant percentages of working class voters.

Overall, white voters made up 81% of likely voters in the PPD Buckeye State Poll.

Still, Gov. Romney was widely seen as a “for the rich” plutocrat, while Mr. Mandel has at least somewhat embraced President Trump, who remains popular in Ohio. Fifty-four percent (54%) of likely voters in Ohio approve of the job President Trump is doing, while just 41% disapprove.

(Note: And earlier version of the article stated “Fifty-nine percent (54%)” approve of President Trump. It should have read “Fifty-four 54%.”)

“Sen. Brown had the good fortune of running for reelection while Mr. Obama was at the top of the ticket in 2012. He dodged a bullet even as Ohio has generally trended more Republican,” Mr. Baris added. “Most incumbent Senate Democrats will try to nationalize their races and tie their Republican challengers to President Trump.”

“It’s not going to work in Ohio, at least not in this current environment.”

Mr. Mandel has done a good job coalescing support from the various wings of the Republican Party. He secured the endorsements of Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Ted Cruz, R-Tx., and the very popular Portman. Ohio Governor John Kasich warned earlier last month that he may not endorse Mr. Mandel if “he’s a negative guy.”

With Gov. Kasich’s approval rating at just 43%, down from 47% in May, it’s unclear whether his support (or lack of) would have much impact, at all. As of now, 88% of Republicans back Mr. Mandel, while 86% of Democrats back Sen. Brown. Only 74% of Republicans and 66% of self-identified conservatives approve of the job Gov. Kasich is doing.

Independents break for the state treasurer by a large 51% to 39% margin, up from 47% to 43% in May. Moderates, which backed Sen. Brown 54% to 40% in the previous PPD Poll, now prefer the incumbent by only 6 points, 49% to 43%.

“Almost all of the movement in the survey came from persuadable voters, another ominous sign for Sen. Brown,” Mr. Baris said. “With more voters identifying with Republicans than Democrats in Ohio, and more so this year than in the previous year, he simply cannot afford to lose independents.”

Unlike other oft-cited surveys, PPD Battleground State Polls pegged President Trump’s victories on the statewide level in all but two states we identified as battlegrounds within tens of percentage points, including Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In Ohio, the PPD Poll underestimated his support by roughly 4 points.

[pdfviewer width=”740px” height=”849px” beta=”true/false”]https://www.peoplespunditdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2018-PPD-Buckeye-State-Battleground-Poll-July-8.pdf[/pdfviewer]

The PPD Poll follows level 1 AAPOR standards of disclosure and WAPOR/ESOMAR code of conduct. All publicly released surveys are subscriber– and individual reader donations-funded, not sponsored by any other media outlet, partisan or political entity.

The poll was conducted from July 3 to July 8 (with exception of Independence Day) and are based on 1204 interviews of likely voters participating in the PPD Internet Polling Panel. The PPD Buckeye State Battleground Poll, a subsample of the PPD Battleground State Likely Voter Metrics, are collected in separate state-wide samples.

The PPD Poll has a 95% confidence interval and is not weighted based on party affiliation (party ID), but rather demographics from the U.S. Census Current Population Survey–i.e. age, gender, race, income, education and region. Partisan affiliation is derived from a proprietary likely voter model and demographic weighting, not the other way around.

The sample identified a partisan split of 37.7% Republican, 34.2% Democrat and 28.1% Independent/Other. Read about methodology here.

The PPD Buckeye State Battleground Poll finds

Policy

U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC. (Photo: People's Pundit Daily/Pixabay)

U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC. (Photo: People’s Pundit Daily/Pixabay)

I spend a lot of my time fretting about how federal spending is going to become an ever-larger (and unsustainable) burden in the future.

And I periodically will write about how I wish we still had the very small federal government envisioned by the Founding Fathers (and which largely existed up until the 1920s).

But I haven’t spent that much time looking at how we got to where we are today, other than in 2015 when I cited a very interesting report from the Joint Economic Committee that provided decade-by-decade data on changes in the burden of federal spending.

But I had a chance to touch on this issue in a recent interview when asked to comment on the unfortunate milestone of a $4 trillion federal budget.

Building on that discussion, here are three charts, based on numbers from table 1.3 of OMB’s historical budget data, showing what has happened to federal outlays.

This first graph shows changes in nominal spending over time. As I pointed out in the interview, it took 200 years before the crowd in Washington got spending up to $1 trillion.

But in the past three decades, it has skyrocketed to $4 trillion.

But nominal spending numbers are not the most useful data when looking at long-run changes.

After all, we’ve had lots of inflation. Simply stated, dollars today are worth a lot less than dollars in the past.

So this second chart shows inflation-adjusted federal outlays. As you can see, we have a graph that doesn’t look quite the same. It’s much easier to see the budgetary impact of World War II, for instance, and post-war spending growth isn’t quite as dramatic.

Though it’s still significant. As I noted in the interview, the burden of inflation-adjusted federal spending has doubled since 1985.

But even inflation-adjusted data doesn’t tell the real story.

The most important numbers, at least from an economic perspective, are the ones that measure the burden of federal spending relative to the size of the private economy.

And that’s what I show in this final chart measuring federal spending as a share of economic output (gross domestic product).

Now it’s very easy to see that World War II involved a massive one-time fiscal cost. But the most important data is what happened after the war. The burden of federal outlays initially dropped to 12 percent of GDP. That’s higher than it was before the war, but at least in retrospect not a bad place to be.

Unfortunately, there’s been a gradual expansion in the economic burden of the federal budget ever since.

Though if you pay close attention to the numbers, there are some interesting secondary stories. You’ll notice that the negative upward trend was reversed during the Reagan years and we continued to make progress during the Clinton years.

Unfortunately, policy then moved in the wrong direction under Bush and Obama.

Which brings me back to where I started. As bad as the numbers are today, they are likely to get worse in the future because of demographic change and poorly designed entitlement programs. So unless we have genuine entitlement reform, we will become a failed welfare state.

The history of federal spending since World

Policy

Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, right, listens to the brief debate on a package of budget bills passed by the Senate on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, at the Capitol in Springfield, Ill. (Photo: AP)

Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, right, listens to the brief debate on a package of budget bills passed by the Senate on Tuesday, July 4, 2017, at the Capitol in Springfield, Ill. (Photo: AP)

Here’s what I wrote last month about the fiscal situation in Illinois.

Illinois is a mess. Taxes and spending already are too high, and huge unfunded liabilities point to an even darker future. Simply stated, politicians and government employee unions have created an unholy alliance to extract as much money as possible from the state’s beleaguered private sector. That’s not a surprise. Indeed, it’s easily explained by the “stationary bandit” theory of government. But while the bandit of government may be stationary, the victims are not. At least not in a nation with 50 different states.

Looking at this grim situation, the state legislature decided it had to act.

Unfortunately, the politicians in Springfield decided that action meant stepping on the accelerator while driving in the wrong direction. Democrats in the state legislature (joined by some big-government Republicans, just like in Kansas) just overrode Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto and imposed a huge tax hike on a state that already has one of the nation’s highest tax burdens.

This will hasten the state’s collapse.

Here’s what I said earlier this week about the prospect of another tax hike in the state.

I specifically want to highlight something I said about halfway through the interview about the burden of government spending in Illinois compared to regional competitors.

Here’s a chart I prepared based on data culled from the Census Bureau. As you can see, per-capita outlays are higher in Illinois than in neighboring states. In some cases, thousands of dollars higher.

Given this data, I’d like to ask the people of Illinois the same question I asked an audience in Paris when comparing France and Switzerland. What exactly are you getting for all that money?

The answer is nothing. Just like the French governments spends far more than the Swiss government without delivering better services, the Illinois government spends far more than the Indiana government without delivering better services.

Instead, the money gets diverted to the pockets of the various interest groups. In the case of Illinois, it’s almost as if the state exists to enrich a cossetted class of state and local bureaucrats.

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial earlier this week made several key points.

In Illinois, Democrats spent the long weekend coaxing Republican legislators to join their suicide pact to raise taxes to plug a $6 billion deficit… And don’t forget the $130 billion unfunded pension liability—none of which will be solved by the $5 billion tax hike. …The state legislature is controlled by public unions that refuse to compromise. …Pensions will consume about a quarter of Illinois’s general fund this year. Nearly 40% of state education dollars go toward teacher pensions, and the state paid nearly as much into the State Universities Retirement System last year as it spent on higher education. Anemic revenue and economic growth can’t keep up with entitlement spending. The state’s GDP has ticked up by a mere 0.8% annually over the last four years compared to 2% nationwide and 1.4% in the Great Lakes region. Since 2010 more than 520,000 Illinois residents on net have fled to other states.

And Jonathan Williams of the American Legislative Exchange Council also opined on the mess in Illinois.

…the focus should be on fixing the state’s big-government policy prescriptions that are killing economic growth and opportunity. It should come as no surprise that businesses and citizens continue to leave the Land of Lincoln in droves. The credit rating agencies are right to question Illinois’ ability to pay its bills, as the tax base flees to other states. …When the rosy accounting assumptions are stripped away, Illinois has a dismal 23.77 percent funding ratio, $362.6 billion in total amount of unfunded liabilities. That staggering number represents an unfunded pension liability of $28,200 for every man, woman and child in Illinois. …one might assume the state government is not bringing in enough revenue and merely needs to raise taxes. This is simply false. According to Tax Foundation’s analysis, Illinois’ taxpayers pay the 5th highest combined state-local tax burden in America. …It should come as no surprise, then, that nearly 700,000 Illinois residents left from 2006-2015… Only New York and California experienced higher levels of domestic out-migration during the same period.

The bottom line is that this latest tax hike will cause more productive people to leave the state. Politicians in the state also will have an excuse to postpone much-needed reforms of the state pension system, which is the primary threat to long-run solvency. And government, which already is too big, will become an even bigger burden.

Politicians in Springfield, Illinois decided that taking

Politics

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said President Donald Trump opened the meeting with Vladimir Putin raising the issue of Russian election meddling. He said the two leaders had a “robust and lengthy” conversation that began with President Trump voicing the “concerns of the American people.”

The Russian president denied the allegations. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Mr. Tillerson’s counterpart, said President Trump accepted President Putin’s assurances that Russia didn’t attempt to influence the outcome.

The secretary of state, who attended the meeting along with Mr. Lavrov, didn’t see it in the same light. He did say the two agreed the issue has become a hindrance to better U.S.-Russian relations.

issue has become a hindrance to better relations between the two powers. The two leaders agreed to continue the discussion, with an eye toward securing a commitment that Russia won’t interfere in U.S. affairs in the future, Tillerson added.

“I think the president is rightly focused on how do we move forward from something that may be an intractable disagreement at this point,” Secretary Tillerson said.

Their first official sit-down, which was only originally scheduled to last for 30 minutes. But it clocked in at 2 hours and 16 minutes. The United States (US) and Russia have agreed on the terms of a cease-fire in southwest Syria.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said President

Fake News

President Donald Trump, center, with Polish President Andrej Duda standing behind First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda. First Lady Melania Trump, left.

President Donald Trump, center, with Polish President Andrej Duda standing behind First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda. First Lady Melania Trump, left.

Polish President Andrzej Duda issued a call to “fight fake news” after multiple outlets reported his wife snubbed President Donald Trump on a handshake. CNN’s editor-at-large Chris Cillizza, CNBC, The New York Daily News, the Huffington Post and other outlets tweeted and reported a deceptively cut video allegedly showing Polish First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda ignoring President Trump when he moved to shake hands with her on Thursday.

Cillizza claimed he knew the three-second clip he tweeted “was a funny video of a misunderstanding,” not real news.

“I know! It was a funny video of a misunderstanding! Nothing more! The same thing has happened to me a billion times!” he tweeted to a Twitter user who called him out for spreading “fake news.”

“President Trump just can’t get a proper handshake abroad,” Jason Silverson “reported” at The New York Daily News. The First Lady of Poland appeared to snub Trump for a handshake Thursday after he gave a speech in Warsaw — giving Trump yet another public gaffe during a foreign trip.”

The Huffington Post published a video titled, “Poland’s first lady ignored the hell out of Trump’s handshake.”

“ANOTHER SNUB FOR TRUMP Poland’s First Lady, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, swerved away from Trump to shake Melania’s hand,” tweeted Huffington Post contributor Aaron Vallely.

President Duda took to Twitter to say the “surprising reports” were false.

“Contrary to some surprising reports my wife did shake hands with Mrs. and Mr. Trump @POTUS after a great visit. Let’s FIGHT FAKE NEWS,” Duda tweeted from his English Twitter account.

A longer version of the video showed that she shook hands with Melania Trump and then turned to President Trump to greet him.

Presidents Trump and Duda, as well as the polish ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, have much in common. They hold a blend of conservative-populist views that are similar on immigration, climate change and the protection of national sovereignty from globalization. It appears they now have one more thing in common: calling out fake news.

Polish President Andrzej Duda issued a call

World

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany in this still image taken from video, July 7, 2017. (Courtesy of Handout)

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany in this still image taken from video, July 7, 2017. (Courtesy of Handout)

The United States (US) and Russia have agreed on the terms of a cease-fire in southwest Syria, a U.S. officials confirmed Friday. The deal, which begins Sunday, was struck as President Donald J. Trump met for two hours and 16 minutes on Friday with Russian Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

It was their first official sit-down, which was only scheduled to last for 30 minutes.

The highly-anticipated meeting came after President Trump slammed Russian for its “destabilizing” role in the region during his speech at Krasinski Square in Poland.

“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 the defense of civilization itself,” President Trump said in Warsaw.

Prior to the two men meeting Friday on the sidelines of a world leaders’ summit, President Trump told reporters at a photo-op he hoped it would lead to “positive things” for both countries.

The U.S. and Russia have met multiple times in recent months to discuss setting up what officials call a de-escalation zone in southwest Syria. Syrian government forces and rebels would be separated with the hope it would put an end to the violence in the region.

Officials hope that the first such zone will help reduce violence and that the U.S. and Russia can work to set up other zones around the country.

President Trump was elected in part due to his willingness to repair U.S.-Russian relations and cooperation. He promised to make an effort to recruit Russia to combat radical Islamists around the globe and find a solution in Syria. But those hopes have been dashed amid media hysteria and Russian intervention in Syria and Eastern Europe.

Mr. Putin has not wavered in his support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, even after President Trump ordered airstrikes in response to the regime’s use of chemical weapons.

The United States (US) and Russia have

Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany on July 7, 2017.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany on July 7, 2017.

President Donald J. Trump met Friday with Russian Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, in their first official sit-down. The highly-anticipated meeting came after President Trump slammed Russian for its “destabilizing” role in the region in his speech at Krasinski Square in Poland.

Given the controversy over alleged Russian influence in the U.S. presidential election–as well as the media and Democrats attempt to use debunked “collusion” theories to delegitimize President Trump–the first meeting occurred under a microscope.

“It’s an honor to be with you,” President Trump said, adding he hopes the meeting leads to “positive things” for both countries.

The President was elected in part due to his willingness to ease U.S.-Russian relations in the hope for cooperation in the effort to combat radical Islamists around the globe. But those hopes have been dashed amid media hysteria and Russian intervention in Syria and Eastern Europe.

Mr. Putin has not wavered in his support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, even after President Trump ordered airstrikes in response to the regime’s use of chemical weapons.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany in this still image taken from video, July 7, 2017. (Courtesy of Handout)

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany in this still image taken from video, July 7, 2017. (Courtesy of Handout)

“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 the defense of civilization itself,” President Trump said in Warsaw.

The President also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is the host of the G-20 summit, and had dinner with two Asian allies–Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The topic of the conversation was continued ballistic and nuclear testing by North Korea.

President Donald J. Trump met Friday with

Economy

People browse booths at a military veterans' job fair in Carson, California October 3, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

People browse booths at a military veterans’ job fair in Carson, California October 3, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

The Labor Department said the U.S. economy created 222,000 jobs in the month of June, far more than the 170,000 median economic forecast. The labor participation rate ticked up to 62.8%, pushing the unemployment rate from a 16-year low to 4.4%.

Goods-producing jobs were led by construction at 16,000 and mining at 8,000. The month was a disappointment for manufacturing at 1,000.

However, employment for the past few months were revised significantly higher. April was revised up from +174,000 to +207,000, and the change for May was revised up from +138,000 to +152,000. With these revisions, employment gains in April and May combined were 47,000 more than previously reported.

The one negative in the report was that wages continue to show little improvement, despite private data showing the contrary in manufacturing and production. Average hourly earnings were only 0.2% in June, while they’ve gained just 2.5% on the year.

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls were up, 0.1 hour to 34.5 hours in June. In manufacturing, the workweek also ticked up slightly by 0.1 hour to 40.8 hours, while overtime was unchanged at a respectably 3.3 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 0.1 hour to 33.7 hours

The Labor Department said the U.S. economy

Video

[brid video=”150735″ player=”2077″ title=”President Trump Gives Remarks to the People of Poland”]

Watch (38:50): President Donald J. Trump gives remarks at Krasinski Square in Warsaw, Poland, on his second international trip as President. These are his full remarks with first lady Melania Trump, as transcribed by the White House.

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.)

PRESIDENT TRUMP: 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. Thank you.

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 Pułaski and Kościuszko. (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! Donald Trump! Donald Trump!

PRESIDENT TRUMP: 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.)

PRESIDENT TRUMP: What great spirit. We salute your noble sacrifice and we pledge to always remember your fight for Poland and for freedom. Thank you. 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! Donald Trump! Donald Trump!

PRESIDENT TRUMP: 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! Donald Trump! Donald Trump!

PRESIDENT TRUMP: 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! Donald Trump! Donald Trump!

PRESIDENT TRUMP: 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! Donald Trump! Donald Trump!

PRESIDENT TRUMP: 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! Donald Trump! Donald Trump!

PRESIDENT TRUMP: 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.)

Watch (38:50): President Donald J. Trump gives

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