U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Congress and the American people in his first official State of the Union address on Wednesday, reviewing his achievements since coming to office, and outlining his agenda for his second year in the White House.
Here are some quotes from Trump's speech:
'New American moment'
"We are building a safe, strong, and proud America," Trump told officials.
Trump hailed a "new American moment," saying "there has never been a better time to start living the American Dream."
"I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties – Democrats and Republicans – to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion and creed," Trump said, adding "because Americans are dreamers too."
During his speech, Trump has urged Americans to move beyond the angry partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans.
"Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve," he said.
Economy
The president reviewed his first year of presidency, sharing a slew of economic data showing a historic decrease of unemployment rates, rise of wages and creation of millions of new jobs.
He also spoke about his tax cuts and reforms, saying they helped provide tremendous relief for the middle class and small businesses.
Roughly three million workers have received tax cut bonuses, he said.
During his speech, Trump said he would like a compromise over a plan to rebuild aging roads, bridges and other infrastructure. He said he wanted legislation to generate at least 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars through a combination of federal, state and local spending as well as private-sector contributions.
Immigration
Trump also outlined a four-pillar immigration, according to which:
– Citizenship would be offered for 1.8 million illegal immigrants, known as "Dreamers", who were brought illegally to the U.S. by their parents at a young age.
– A wall would be built on the U.S.-Mexico border.
– The U.S. Diversity lottery program would be scrapped.
– Chain migration would be terminated.
What else has Trump said?
Talking about the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, Trump confirmed that he has signed an order directing Secretary Mattis to re-examine the military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
On the DPRK issue, Trump said Pyongyang's "reckless pursuit" of nuclear missiles could very soon threaten the U.S., adding the U.S. is putting maximum pressure to prevent that from happening.
The history of the State of the Union address can be traced back to 1790, when President George Washington delivered a regular address before a joint session of Congress in New York.
Traditionally, a president should be in office for a year before giving his first State of the Union address.
