PRESIDENT TRUMP'S ADDRESSES FAITH AND FREEDOM COALITION

CLINTONS ARE POISON FOR DEMOCRATS - MICHAEL SAINATO

On June 1, Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson initiating a Senate investigation into recent news claims from Bangladesh government officials that Hillary Clinton, while serving as secretary of state, pressured the Bangladesh prime minister to end an investigation into Clinton Foundation donor Dr. Muhammad Yunus. 

In May 2016, the Daily Caller reported that the son of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, who has lived in the United States for 17 years, alleged that Hillary Clinton threatened an IRS audit if he failed to influence his mother to halt the investigation. 

The prime minister’s office told Circa “that Mrs. Clinton called her office in March 2011 to demand that Dr. Muhammed Yunus, a 2006 Nobel Peace prize winner, be restored to his role as chairman of the country’s most famous microcredit bank, Grameen Bank.” Dr. Yunus was accused of diverting millions of dollars of charitable aid to other parts of Grameen Bank. His foundations donated at least $100,000 to the Clinton Global Initiative and at least $25,000 to the Clinton Foundation. In turn, the Clintons provided Dr. Yunus with 18 grants, contracts and loans to two of his foundations, helped lobby for his 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, and another controversial Clinton Foundation donor, Rajiv Shah, donated $24 million to Dr. Yunus’ foundations. 

The Associated Press reported Yunus “met with Clinton three times and talked with her by phone during a period when Bangladeshi government authorities investigated his oversight of a nonprofit bank and ultimately pressured him to resign from the bank’s board. Throughout the process, he pleaded for help in messages routed to Clinton, and she ordered aides to find ways to assist him.” Dr. Yunus was removed from his position at Grameen Bank in 2013. 

Sen. Grassley wrote in his letter to Secretary of State Tillerson, “If the Secretary of State used her position to intervene in an independent investigation by a sovereign government simply because of a personal and financial relationship stemming from the Clinton Foundation rather than the legitimate foreign policy interests of the United States, then that would be unacceptable.” He demanded to see any records related to the State Department’s involvement in this matter while Clinton served as secretary of state, in addition to making Deputy Chief of Mission to Bangladesh Joe Danilowicz available to interview by the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

Attached to the letter were some of Hillary Clinton’s emails related to the controversy, but the majority of the communications were redacted due to the content being classified. 

The Clintons continue to be a source of controversy for the Democratic Party. These latest revelations regarding the Clinton Foundation reaffirm that the Clinton’s carry baggage of corruption and scandal, becoming a liability for their party. The Democratic Party’s ties to the Clintons provide an abundant source of easy targets for opponents to exploit and distract from the issues that currently engulf the Trump administration and Congress. From Bill Clinton’s scandal riddled presidency to Hillary Clinton’s questionable foreign policy decisions and the corporate washing of the Clinton Foundation, the Clintons provide Republicans with endless easy blows. As long as Hillary Clinton remains in the spotlight, the Democratic Party enables their opposition’s victory.

PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD, THAT YOU MAY KNOW THE FACTS

ICHEOKU says fairness demands equal contributions and equal refrain from causing pollution. But it is not fair when you make a country to bear the whole blunt of it all just in the name of maintaining a farcical accord. Good enough PDJT is a man of great courage and he walked away from such undue constraint on American greatness. Make America Great Again is a reality which is steadily adding impetus.

HILLARY CLINTON: STUCK ON STUPID AND BORDERLINE LUNACY?

ICHEOKU says Democratic Party's presidential candidate in the last election, Hillary Clinton, is fast approaching a point of no return in her one way ticket journey  to cuckoo land. Apparently,  she has refused to take her medicine to help her recover from the defeat she suffered last November in the hands of a political novitiate and amateur political starter and now president of the United States of America, President Donald John Trump. 

She is steadily losing it; her center can no longer seem to hold as the trauma that was the last election is taking much toll on her than anyone had anticipated or expected; especially  from such a veteran politician who has been around the game of politics for such a long time, spanning nearly forty years, that one would expect her to have been used to the ups and downs of electioneering politics. So why is Hillary Clinton particularly devastated by the loss of this election, one would ask; and having previously lost her party's primary election makes it rather bizarre that this particular election hurts her so badly that she is nearing psychiatric crisis as a result. For lack of any other better way to put it, Hillary Clinton has been behaving badly and acting out in such a way as if she was robbed of an entitlement ever since November 9th, 2016. How long must the nation and her party put up with her winning before somebody drags her off the stage and tell her that Donald Trump is the president and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

ICHEOKU says she is not the first to ever loss an election; neither would she be the last to loss an election and you ask yourself why is this particular loss so threatening to her that it is on the verge of claiming her sanity? ICHEOKU does not know how many people she is indebted to by reason of an expectant and assured presidency; and if they are possibly now on her back demanding their promised favors. Otherwise why would she be behaving as if she is the first ever to lose an election and as if her life and that of America as a whole depended upon her winning the last presidential election. Her whinnying since the last election has now lasted for seven months and continuing; with no end in sight on when she will finally pack up and go home, realizing that the market is since over and that every other trader, seller and buyer alike have all since returned home. 

Unfortunately too, it would seem that Hillary Clinton does not have a mirror in her home or anywhere around her immediate space or has refused to look into a mirror, otherwise she would have since seen the real reason for her loss in the last election starring right back at her. Instead, she is looking into every nooks and crannies, turning every pebble, looking for who to blame, the bogey man whodunit, the Grinch who stole her White House Christmas. She has refused to accept that the election was concluded a long time ago and that she lost the election and was defeated by her opponent, now President Donald John Trump. Her obsessiveness has gotten to such a point now that it is nearing absurdity, such that people are beginning to wonder what indeed is wrong with her and whether it is a question of her not being a good sport or the loss left a permanent psychological and neurological damage behind.

Who has she not blamed for that election loss. From American irredeemable deplorables to her opponent Donald Trump, to the FBI to James Comey, to the Russians, to Tsar Vladimir Putinya, to anti-American forces, to low information voters, to bad pollsters, to Nate Silver, to Obama for winning two terms and making it impossible for Democrats to win a third term in a row, to people desiring change and a move on from Obama, to misogynists, to suburban white women, to the media, to New York Times, to Television executives, to Cable Networks, to even her own party Democratic Party, to Facebook, to Twitter, to Wikileaks, to Fake News, to Republican Party, and now she has added the tiny country Macedonia to her list of those villains who formed a road block and prevented her triumphal entry into the White House. 

Regrettably, she is beating about the bush in search of the culprit but forgot that the culprit she is searching for is there in plain sight, standing before a mirror and starring right back at her. She has blamed everyone and everything else but herself, the real culprit. the one and only reason for her awful performance in last November 8, 2016 presidential election. No one else but Hillary Clinton herself was responsible for her loss of the White House and the earlier she realizes this glaring fact, the better it will be for her healing to begin. But at the rate in which she is going to hold others responsible, no one should be surprised to wake up another day with her blaming either her husband Bill Clinton or Mother Nature or even God for her rejection by the American people and prevented her from getting into the White House. 

ICHEOKU says at this point it does not matter any more whatever it was that stopped her quest to the White House, because whatever it was, was a good whatever. The "whatever"  did American people a huge favor that a candidate whose only motive of wanting to be president is ego and the desire to shatter the proverbial ceiling; and you ask yourself after that, then what? Anyone who knows Hillary Clinton should please advise her to take a long leave of absence from the scene and disappear for a while as people are beginning to get pissed off by her unending dramatic and shameful excuses since last November. She needs to do herself this favor otherwise she will so destroy herself that she can never successfully run for any elective office in the country with hope of being elected. 

The White House is not her father's property for her to inherit and the presidency is not a crown which is conferred on people simply because they covet it. She is steadily turning off American people, whose house the White House is and who determines who to let in or otherwise reject. Her current grandstanding attitude and refusal to take responsibility for her loss is not helping her at all; neither will it help her retool for any future endeavors because the more she occupy every body's view and inundates every one's ears with her cuckoo-land tales of everybody else did it but herself, that long would she continue to alienate people from herself and jeopardize whatever future she has going forward. Any sensible reasonable person in her shoes would have since made herself scarce to allow the wounds of the last election to heal and also help her recuperate. But unfortunately, such an informed move of strategic retreat is not in her DNA and she will pay dearly for it.

TERROR ATTACKS IN LONDON: A RECURRING DECIMAL WITH NO END IN SIGHT.

ICHEOKU says paraphrasing Houston we have a problem, London indeed has a problem. Islamist terrorism problem that is; and so far there seem to be no fix it solution. Regrettably too, those Islamists terrorists are winning the war because any one life they take is a life too many. A   matter made worse because they have no value for life and they do not care if they live or die; provided they claim other innocent people's life in the process to their fabled martyrdom. 

This is the big elephant in the room problem which the West, particularly Britain, has not figured out yet the best approach to tackling it and it is affecting the society in so many ways than anyone can imagine. It is damaging the psyche as it is eroding peoples confidence both in themselves and the security agencies in their ability to secure them from such vagrancy. It is also effecting business and commerce as people are afraid to carry on living with their normal lives, not knowing when and where another one of these mad men would rev a vehicle behind them and mow them down. Yes, they are bleeding Britain and they will bleed it to submission baring a decisive action to say such arrant nonsense would no longer be tolerated. It is time to take this fight to the terrorists and stop waiting for them to strike first because offense is the best form of defense known to man and British government should gear up and man up and take this fight to these urchins.

ICHEOKU says the reactive fire service approach, usually after the fact, is not enough nor sufficient and does not cut it. Lives lost cannot be restored and the apprehension amongst the general public is real and it is one big downer in any given free society. Therefore the authorities must do whatever it takes to peremptorily nip the plans of these animals in the bud; rather than to respond, regardless of how timely, after they have visited their havoc on both the body and the mind. Whatever it takes including arming Londoners and other British public who wants to bear arms in self defense of their society. Imagine what would have happened had any of those people on the sidewalk of London bridge had a weapon, they would have stopped these mad dogs right on their tracks or even the restaurateur or any of those dinning there when they struck. If it means reining in some rights and freedoms as well as other civil liberties, so be it; but whatever it takes to take away the shine and glory of success which prompts these marauding beasts to continually stage these attacks which is now becoming rampant. 

Alternatively, the politicians in Westminster can create another anti-terror squad agency with about 100,000 armed civilian guards to always patrol around major streets and neighborhoods that could be easily targeted by these munchkins. Or just permit any British citizen who wants to pack heat to so do and with special training on how to use firearms allow these civil defense force protect British citizens and their visitors. Now six more people are dead with forty eight others wounded and this is coming merely two weeks after the Manchester Ariana Grande's concert attack in which twenty two other people were bombed to death including sixty six others that suffered shrapnel wounds. That no top government official has yet resigned or even the chief of the police or other security agency chief charged with securing lives and properties of British people is beyond ICHEOKU. If they cannot do the job for which they are employed, their offices let another take. Enough of these maddening mayhem that is somewhat assuming near permanency. 

The British government can also take a page from the Israelis and start deporting family members of any terrorist out of Britain and back to wherever the hell hole they came from. If they are property owners, either demolish their houses or impound and auction them off as it does not make sense that these terrorists can plan and execute their hideous acts without anyone of their family members having a whiff of it. People might cry foul, people might complain and shout themselves hoax; but actions determine reaction and if they don't want such far reaching measures, let them rat these terrorists in their midst out before they go on their deadly rampages. It is about time enough really become enough and the time has since come to call this beast by its name. But hey, when Londoners elect a Muslim as their Mayor, it simply says they have thrown up their hands in surrender and technically acquiesced to the new normal, their new way of life of living amongst Islamist terrorists who gladly do them harm and as often as they want. Pitiful and pathetic. ICHEOKU's heart goes out to those six killed and wish those wounded quick recovery. 

HILLARY CLINTON: STILL WONT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AT CODECON 2017

KATHY GRIFFIN SHEDS CROCODILE TEARS

ICHEOKu says if only she had thought about her action properly and before fantasizing with ISIS beheading and glorifying a macabre goriness that has no place in any decent society. That she did not even defer to the families of those victims of ISIS real beheading goes to show how depraved, destitute and bankrupt of morals she really is. But hey, let her vileness now keep her company. What a pariah.

PLEASE WORLD: GIVE US BIAFRA

 

ICHEOKU says in unison, Biafrans stretch out their hands in demand of freedom to self govern themselves. ICHEOKU says it is every man's right to self governance and in a Biafran Nation we stand. Give us Biafra - BIAEXIT. Ekene. Shalom. Salute.

HAPPY BIAFRAN MEMORIAL DAY MAY 30TH.

 

ICHEOKU says they can break the body but they can never overwhelm the soul and the spirit lives on until victory is achieved. On this day May 30th, survivors of that pogrom supervised by the genocidal maniac Yakubu Jackal Gowon and their descendants show immense gratitude to those who fought to preserve our identity as an indigenous people; as well as all those who paid the supreme sacrifice that we may live freely as Indegenious People of Biafra . ICHEOKU says the nation of Biafra is proud for what you accomplished and on this day pays their gratitude. Aluta Continua !

KATHY GRIFFIN: A TERRORIST ISIS MEMBER BEHEADS TRUMP?

ICHEOKU says but for the outcry that followed, she would not have mouthed off a belated apology. Therefore 'deplorable me', ICHEOKU, is not accepting the so called apology because it was not sincere and not genuinely reflected. She is an adult who fully intended the outcome and took further steps to mission-accomplish it, albeit in make believe fantasy. She fully intended the consequent reactions and she  telegraphed an objective to see the head of the president handed to her so that she can hold it up in her hand, display it in her macabre orgy and she got exactly what she bargained for, short of the real thing. 

ICHEOKU says her action and ill intention is condemnable and should be condemned by all men and women of goodwill as it goes beyond everything and anything artsy and has no place in our political discuss, regardless of the far left nut jobs' refusal to accept and live with the reality that was November 8, 2016. A situation made worse in these days of heightened global terrorism, where families are terrified daily about the unknown; and  especially coming so soon following the Manchester England terrorist bombing of Ariana Grande's concert. Her crass indifference to the sorrows of many families whose ward has been beheaded by ISIS in real life clearly shows too. ICHEOKU says for this sex-starved, angry and ugly duckling, to show this great insensitivity to the current tragic times, brought about by global terrorism and accompanying beheadings, definitely paints her in a very bad light. It is unflattering as she crossed every line and every measure of any acceptable decency and she should pay dearly for it. 

Acting as a devil's advocate, let us even take the president aside, how about the grieving and traumatized families of those who were indeed actually beheaded by ISIS and here is this witch making light of the very torturous experience of their loved family ones who fell victims to ISIS beheading; and she thinks it is so cool as to make mockery of their experience? That she presented her bloody work just few short weeks following the death of 22 youngsters in Manchester England and the wounding of 60 others suggests that something is definitely wrong with her upstairs because no rational human being would venture into such sensitive terrain so soon and in this times of great apprehension concerning Islamist terrorism. ICHEOKU say imagine the outrage it would have caused were it former President Obama that was depicted with a noose on his neck or even his decapitated head in anyone's hand including this slot.What is even artsy about this gory head dripping in blood and she could care less if some children were traumatized looking at her display. Simply put, Kathy Griffin is whack or was heavily strung out on barbiturates  and other mind altering substances when she put this display into motion; otherwise how else could anyone fathom a guess as to what motivated such a freakish display. 

ICHEOKU says CNN and every other media outfit that helps pay for this lunacy must rise up and disassociate themselves from her immediately, including terminating whatever appointment she may have with them. They must unequivocally assure Americans that they neither support nor endorse such tasteless and hurtful adventure into a forbidden jungle of hateful speech. Failure to so do will be seen as encouraging a demons possessed lunatic and her heartless nonsense, which is both demeaning to the real victims of beheading and insensitive to their families as well as which caused great hurt to the president and threatened his safety. 

Queen Crooked Hillary Clinton lost an election, fair and square, and so nobody will hear something from these far left loonies and it has been one whiny outburst every time and every day, one following another. If not Madonna, it is Snoop Dogg and now this outrageous Kathy Griffin and she knew exactly what she was doing when she did it. As exposed on TMZ, she said during the taking of the picture that she will be crossing the line but could care less and may have to move to Mexico to escape retribution. What an apology to womenfolk this Kathy Griffin is, provided she has a vagina and bleeds monthly; because there is nothing feminine about her. She looks like a stunted man, a real terrorist, an ISIS wife or concubine, an undertaker and a mortician combined. To hell with her and if she likes she can go jump off the cliff but she and her ilk can never separate us, irredeemable deplorables, from our dear leader President Donald John Trump and together, we will help him Make America Great Again. What a sadistic person who practices hedonism she is; and whose jokes are as tasteless and drably as her ugly face. Just look at that face of hers. Indeed the head actually looks more like her rather than the person she intended it to mimic. Pathetic.

TRUMP'S FIRST FOREIGN TRIP WAS A HUGE SUCCESS - MICHAEL GOODWIN

He was clear, concise and disciplined. Those were the key ingredients that created a striking success for President Trump in his first foreign trip. 

If he can bottle that recipe and start each day in the Oval Office with a big gulp of it, his presidency gets a renewed chance to live up to its promises. 

Trump’s clarity on the global stage was a reminder of why he was elected. Much as he did in the campaign on his best days, he cut through the BS to get to the heart of contentious issues and offer forceful solutions.

Under enormous scrutiny, he acted in the best traditions of American leadership on two continents by helping create a Muslim NATO to combat radical Islamists and by pushing the original NATO to face terrorism and financial facts.

Throughout the weeklong trip, which also included a substantive, friendly meeting with the pope and tense negotiations over trade and climate change, Trump showed the message discipline too often missing in the White House. And he did it without sacrificing his core convictions or puckish personality.

One priceless moment came as he stood in the $1.4 billion new NATO building in Brussels and referred to American taxpayers running out of patience with the alliance’s deadbeats. The incident no doubt cheered his supporters at home as much as it rankled the European elites, most of whom regard taxpayers as suitable only for fleecing, especially when they are American.

But now Trump comes home to the swamp, and the test of whether he can drain it before it swallows him. In some ways, he took the swamp with him.

The leaks that bedeviled him here bedeviled him there, creating the most awkward moment on the trip. British Prime Minister Theresa May’s temporary cut-off of intelligence-sharing followed media disclosures from anonymous Americans about the Manchester bombing, including premature release of the terrorist’s name and pictures of the bloodied scene.

Trump’s response — to agree with May and promise a Justice Department probe — turned lemons into lemonade, but only temporarily. Getting results would show he’s in control of the government.

To that end, it is time that Attorney General Jeff Sessions gets in the game. His recusal from the Russian investigation does not mean Sessions must sit around like a potted plant while laws are routinely violated.

Most important, of course, the president comes home as the Russia probe gains steam, with fired former FBI Director James Comey set to testify. Comey, still doing his best imitation of J. Edgar Hoover, has sent friends out with Hooveresque warnings.

One, Benjamin Wittes, has been blabbing that Comey is about to drop a bomb on the president.

“This is a guy with a story to tell,” Wittes said to CNN. “I think if I were Donald Trump, that would scare me a lot.”

Maybe it does scare Trump, at least enough to lawyer up and give Steve Bannon the job of running a political and legal war room over Russia. Bannon’s pugnaciousness makes him a good fit, but no one should underestimate the challenge. 

For one thing, fighting anonymous media sources making serious charges is like shadowboxing. Calling it fake news won’t be sufficient if the White House can’t convincingly deny the substance of what is being alleged.

For another, the investigation will make more Republicans in Congress more skittish the longer it goes on, and that will make it harder to pass an ObamaCare repeal and tax reform.

If they can’t deliver those two big items, Trump and the GOP will have fumbled the chance to govern successfully and given Democrats a big edge in the 2018 midterms.

Of course, a complex political game with these extraordinary stakes has many wild cards. The economy and terrorism, for good or ill, will almost certainly have a vote.

Comey is also a wild card. Friday’s report that he rushed his conclusion to the Clinton e-mail case to avoid the leak of a document that purportedly said Attorney General Loretta Lynch would never let Clinton be indicted raises even more questions about his judgment and integrity.

According to reports, Comey never notified Lynch about his plan to hold a press conference, and never told Congress, even in classified settings, that he suspected the document was bogus.

Yet he still felt compelled to end the probe because he feared the document would become public, and he would not be able to rebut it.

CNN, with its knee-jerk defense of anyone who attacks Trump, said it shows the power of Russian meddling.

Perhaps, but it also shows how Comey put himself above accountability in the Justice Department, and that he was not straight with Congress about the probe.

That echoes Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s memo about why Comey deserved to be fired. As such, the incident raises the prospect that the more the public knows about Comey’s conduct, the less it might credit his attacks on Trump.

Of course, it’s also possible that the probe will find that Trump has nothing to hide and did nothing wrong. For the nation and the president, that would be the best of all possible outcomes.

PRESIDENT TRUMP RETURNS FROM OVERSEAS TRIP.

ICHEOKU says what a successful foreign trip it was as every country and President and King and Prime Minister received him with warmth and great enthusiasm. He also brought home the bacon and jobs will be created, all geared towards Making America Great Again. ICHEOKU says welcome back Mr President.

ROGER MOORE: JAMES BOND 007, DEAD AT 89.

ICHEOKU says for those of us who were lucky to have grown up during the good old days of less distractions that is totally different from today's world of handheld devices and other distracting gadgets, James Bond meant virtually the whole world of our entertainment and Sir Roger Moore helped bring it down into our living rooms. Yes, ICHEOKU says it was indeed an exciting era to have been alive and there is no regrets whatsoever. 

However, as with everything mortal, Roger Moore has ran his race, a good race it was and has now died, of old age related cancer. Sir Roger Moore was 89 years. Among the many roles he played in his acting career spanning several decades, including many award winning roles, nothing brought him more fame and fortune and into millions of homes as his role in James Bond as an M15 spy on Her Majesty secret service. ICHEOKU's most favorite of all his James Bond movies is "The Spy who loved me"; admitted others including "Live and Let Die", The Man with the Golden Gun", "Moonraker", "For Your Eyes Only", "Octopussy" and "A View to Kill" are all great acts which were all spectacular as of their own right. ICHEOKU equally enjoyed his Simon Templar role in "The Saint." May his soul now rest and his memory will live forever in many of his great works. Adieu Mr Bond.

PA CHRISTIAN C. UBA: DEATH OF A MAN WHO TRULY LIVED.

ICHEOKU joins the family of Pa Christian C. Uba of Otolo Nnewi Anambra State Nigeria in celebrating the transition of a man who lived well and to a very ripe good old age of two years short of a century. Pa C.C. Uba rightfully earned his peaceful rest and ICHEOKU prays that the heavenly Lord admits him into his celestial abode. 

If to die is to live in the minds of those who love you, then Pa C.C. Uba is not dead as he lives in the minds of several children, grand children, great grand children, relatives and friends whose lives he touched and who will forever treasure his memory. Please join the family in giving their departed patriarch a befitting send-off aka burial ceremony on Friday May 26th 2017 by 10.00am at the family's compound. Adieu C.C.

MANCHESTER TERRORIST BOMBING, SOMEBODY NEEDS TO RESIGN.

ICHEOKU says American music superstar Ariana Grande's concert in Manchester England was bombed by what apparently is a terrorist attack, although yet unconfirmed. So far 19 people are reported killed with over sixty others wounded. That such a high profile public event could be so easily penetrated by whoever the terrorist or terrorists are, without being detected, is to say the least,  simply mind boggling. Not after all the attacks which has been going on in both Britain and Europe in general, would someone transport a bomb into or near a concert venue without being caught and now the politicians, as usual, are mouthing off for people to "forget about it" and soldier on. ICHEOKU says how about whoever is in charge of security in the city of Manchester resigning for incompetence and his or her inability to safeguard an ordinary concert venue by frisking and searching everyone entering therein the venue. Who made the bomb, where were the materials sourced and purchased from; who transported the bomb to the venue and in was manner was it conveyed from the place of manufacture to the place of carnage.

ICHEOKU says it is about time someone is held responsible for all these senseless murders in addition to those terrorists who are always having their way with us and taking innocent lives. Someone is being paid for providing security in Manchester and security was not provided, so his office let another take. Hopefully a new thinking would be brought into protecting the citizens and seriously tackling the plague that is terrorism, particularly radical Islamist terrorism. ICHEOKU says admitted the incident would eventually be solved, but how about proactively preventing it from happening in the first place or is there any way those killed could be brought back to life. ICHEOKU's heart goes  out to the killed and wounded; but it is about time the political correctness that is leg-shackling security agents from doing the needful, be removed so that they can go to work and have things like this prevented before they happen. 

PRESIDENT DONALD JOHN TRUMP SPEAKS TO MUSLIM LEADERS: THE SPEECH.

Thank you. I would like to thank King Salman for his extraordinary words, and the magnificent Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting today's summit. I am honored to be received by such gracious hosts. I have always heard about the splendor of your country and the kindness of your citizens, but words do not do justice to the grandeur of this remarkable place and the incredible hospitality you have shown us from the moment we arrived. 

You also hosted me in the treasured home of King Abdul Aziz, the founder of the kingdom who united your great people. Working alongside of another beloved leader, American President Franklin Roosevelt, King Abdul Aziz began the enduring partnership between our two countries. King Salman, your father would be very, very proud to see that you are continuing his legacy. And just as he opened the first chapter of our partnership, today we begin a new chapter that will bring lasting benefits to all of our citizens. 

Let me now also extend my deep and heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of the distinguished heads of state who made this journey here today. You greatly honor us with your presence and I send the warmest regards from my country to yours. Thank you. I know that our time together will bring many blessings to both your people and to mine. 

I stand before you as a representative of the American people to deliver a message of friendship and hope and love. That is why I chose to make my first foreign visit a trip to the heart of the Muslim world, to the nation that serves as custodian of the two holiest sites in the Islamic faith. In my inaugural address to the American people, I pledged to strengthen America's oldest friendships and to build new partnerships in pursuit of peace. I also promised that America will not seek to impose our way of life on others, but to outstretch our hands in the spirit of cooperation and trust. 

Our vision is one of peace, security, and prosperity in this region and all throughout the world. Our goal is a coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out extremism and providing our children a hopeful future that does honor to god. 

And so this historic and unprecedented gathering of leaders, unique in the history of nations, is a symbol to the world of our shared resolved (sic), and our military that will protect the safety of our people and enhance the security of and made record investments in our military that will protect the safety of our people and enhance the security of our wonderful friends and allies, many of whom are here -- closer bonds of friendship, security, culture and commerce. 

For Americans, this is a very exciting time. A new spirit of optimism is sweeping our country. In just a few months, we have created almost a million new jobs, added over $3 trillion in new value, lifted the burdens on American industry, and made record investments in our military that will protect the safety of our people and enhance the security of our wonderful friends and allies, many of whom are here today. 

Now there is even more blessed news that I am pleased to share with you. My meetings with King Salman, the crown prince, and the deputy crown prince, have been filled with great warmth, good will, and tremendous cooperation. Yesterday, we signed historic agreements with the kingdom that will invest almost $400 billion in our two countries and create many hundreds of thousands of jobs in America and Saudi Arabia. 

This landmark agreement includes the announcement of a $110 billion Saudi-funded defense purchase. And we will be sure to help our Saudi friends to get a good deal from our great American defense companies, the greatest anywhere in the world. This agreement will help the Saudi military to take a far greater role in security and operations having to do with security. 

We've also started discussions with many of the countries present today on strengthening partnerships and forming new ones to advance security and stability across the Middle East and far beyond. 

Later today, we will make history again with the opening of the new global center for combating extremist ideology located right here in the central part of the Islamic world. This ground-breaking new center represents a clear declaration that Muslim-majority countries must take the lead in combating radicalization, and I want to express our gratitude to King Salman for his strong demonstration and his absolutely incredible and powerful leadership. 

I have had the pleasure of welcoming several of the leaders present today to the White House, and I look forward to working with all of you. America is a sovereign nation and our first priority is always the safety and security of our citizens. We are not here to lecture. We are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship. Instead, we are here to offer partnership based on shared interests and values to pursue a better future. 

Here at this summit, we will discuss. But above all, we must be united in pursuing the one goal that transcends every other consideration. That goal is to meet history's great test, to conquer extremism and vanquish the forces terrorism brings with it every single time. 

Young Muslim boys and girls should be able to grow up free from fear, safe from violence, and innocent of hatred. When young Muslim men and women should have the chance to build a new era of prosperity for themselves, it has to be done and we have to let them do it. With God's help, this summit will mark the beginning of the end for those who practice terror and spread its vile creed. At the same time, we pray this special gathering may someday be remembered as the beginning of peace in the Middle East and maybe even all over the world. But this future can only be achieved through defeating terrorism and the ideology that drives it. 

Few nations have been spared the violent reach of terrorism. America has suffered repeated barbaric attacks from the atrocities of September 11 to the devastation of the Boston bombings to the horrible killings in San Bernardino and Orlando. The nations of Europe have also endured unspeakable horror. So too have the nations of Africa and South America. India, Russia, China, and Australia have all been victims. But in sheer numbers, the deadliest toll has been exacted on the innocent people of Arab, Muslim, and Middle Eastern nations. They have borne the brunt of the killings and the worst of destruction in this wave of fanatical violence. Some estimates hold that more than 95 percent of the victims of terrorism are themselves Muslim. We now face a humanitarian and security disaster in this region that is spreading across the planet. 

It is a tragedy of epic proportions. No description of the suffering and depravity can begin to capture its full measure. The .. of ISIS, if you look at what's happening, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and so many others must be counted not only in the number of dead; it also must be counted in generations of vanished dreams. 

The Middle East is rich with natural beauty, vibrant cultures, and massive amounts of historic treasures. It should increasingly become one of the great global centers of commerce and opportunity. This region should not be a place from which refugees flee but to which newcomers flock. Saudi Arabia is home to the holiest sites in one of the world's great faiths. Each year millions of Muslims come from around the world to Saudi Arabia to take part in the Hajj. In addition to ancient wonders, this country is also home to modern ones, including soaring achievements in architecture. 

Egypt was a thriving center of learning and achievement thousands of years before other parts of the world. The wonders of Giza (ph), Luxor, and Alexandria are proud monuments to that ancient heritage. All over the world people dream of walking through the ruins of Petra in Jordan. Iraq was the cradle of civilization and is a land of natural beauty. And the United Arab Emirates has reached incredible heights with glass and steel, and turned earth and water into spectacular works of art. 

The entire region is at the center of the key shipping lanes of the Suez Canal, the Red Se, and the Straits (sic) of Hormuz. The potential of this region has never, ever been greater. Sixty-five percent of its population is under the age of 30. Like all young men and women, they seek great futures to build, great national projects to join, and a place for their families to call home. 

But this untapped potential, this tremendous cause of optimism, is held at bay by bloodshed and terror. There can be no coexistence with this violence. There can be no tolerating it, no accepting it, no excusing it, and no ignoring it. Every time a terrorist murders an innocent person and falsely invokes the name of God, it should be an insult to every person of faith. Terrorists do not worship God; they worship death. If we do not act against this organized terror, then we know what will happen and what will be the end result. Terrorism's devastation of life will continue to spread, peaceful societies will become engulfed by violence, and the futures of many generations will be sadly squandered. If we do not stand in uniform condemnation of this killing, then not only will we be judged by our people, not only will we be judged by history, but we will be judged by God. 

This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects, or different civilizations. This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life and decent people, all in the name of religion. People that want to protect life and want to protect their religion. This is a battle between good and evil. When we see the scenes of destruction in the wake of terror, we see no signs that those murdered were Jewish or Christian, Shia or Sunni. When we look upon the strains (sic) of innocent blood soaked into the ancient ground, we cannot see the faith or sect or tribe of the victims. We see only that they were children of God whose deaths are an insult to all that is holy. 

But we can only overcome this evil if the forces of good are united and strong, and if everyone in this room does their fair share and fulfills their part of the burden. 

Terrorism has spread all across the world, but the path to peace begins right here on this ancient soil in this sacred land. America is prepared to stand with you in pursuit of shared interests and common security, but the nations of the Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them. The nations of the Middle East will have to decide what kind of future they want for themselves, for their country, and frankly for their families, for their children. It's a choice between two futures, and it is a choice America cannot make for you. A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and drive out the extremists. 

Drive them out. Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities. Drive them out of your holy land. And drive them out of this earth. 

For our part, America is committed to adjusting our strategies to meet evolving threats and new facts. We will discard those strategies that have not worked and will apply new approaches, informed by experience, talent, and judgment. We are adopting a principled realism rooted in common values, shared interests, and common sense. Our friends will never question our support and our enemies will never doubt our determination. Our partnerships will advance security through stability, not through radical disruption. We will make decisions based on real world outcomes, not inflexible ideology. We will be guided by the lessons of experience, not the confines of rigid thinking. And wherever possible, we will seek gradual reforms, not sudden intervention. We must seek partners, not perfection. And to make allies of all who share our goals. 

Above all, America seeks peace, not war. Muslim nations must be willing to take on the burden if we are going to defeat terrorism and send its wicked ideology into oblivion. The first task in this joint effort is for your nations to deny all territory to the foot soldiers of evil. Every country in the region has an absolute duty to ensure that terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil. 

Many are already making significant contributions to regional security. Jordanian pilots are crucial partners against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Saudi Arabia and a regional coalition have taken strong action against Houthi militants in Yemen. The Lebanese army is hunting ISIS operatives who try to infiltrate their territory. Emirati troops are supporting our Afghan partners and supporting them strongly. In Mosul, American troops are supporting Kurds, Sunnis and Shias fighting together for their homeland. Qatar, which hosts the U.S. Central Command, is a crucial strategic partner. Our long- standing partnership with Kuwait and Bahrain continue to enhance security in the region. Our courageous Afghan soldiers are making tremendous sacrifices in the fight against the Taliban and others in the fight for their country. 

As we deny terrorist organizations control of territory and populations, we must also strip them of their access to funds. We must cut off the financial channels that let ISIS sell oil, let extremists pay their fighters, and help terrorists smuggle their reinforcements. 

I am proud to announce that the nations here today will be signing an agreement to prevent the financing of terrorism called the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center, co-chaired by the United States and Saudi Arabia, and joined by every member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is another historic step in a day that will be long remembered. 

I also applaud the Gulf Cooperation Council for blocking funders from using their countries as a financial base for terror and for designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, which they certainly are, last year. Saudi Arabia also joined us this week in placing sanctions on one of the most senior leaders of Hezbollah. 

Of course, there is still much work to be done. That means honestly confronting the crisis of Islamic extremism and the Islamists and Islamic terror of all kinds. We must stop what they're doing to inspire, because they do nothing to inspire but kill. And we are having a very profound effect if you look at what's happened recently. 

And it means standing together against the murder of innocent Muslims, the oppression of women, the persecution of Jews, and the slaughter of Christians. Religious leaders must make this absolutely clear -- barbarism will deliver you no glory. Piety to evil will bring you no dignity. If you choose the path of terror, your life will be empty, your life will be brief, and your soul will be fully condemned. And political leaders must speak out to affirm the same idea. Heroes don't kill innocents; they save them. 

Many nations here today have taken important steps to raise up that message. Saudi Arabia's vision for 2030 is an important and encouraging statement of tolerance, respect, empowering women, and economic development. The United Arab Emirates has also engaged in the battle for the hearts and souls, and with the United States launched a center to counter the online spread of hate. Bahrain too is working to undermine recruitment and radicalism. 

I also applaud Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon for their role in hosting refugees. The surge of migrants and refugees living, and just living so poorly, that they're forced to leave the Middle East depletes the human capital needed to build stable societies and economies. Instead of depriving this region of so much human potential, Middle Eastern countries can give young people hope for a brighter future in their home nations and regions. That means promoting the aspirations and dreams of all citizens who seek a better life, including women, children, and the followers of all faiths. 

Numerous Arab and Islamic scholars have eloquently argued that protecting equality strengthens Arab and Muslim communities. For many centuries, the Middle East has been home to Christians, Muslims, and Jews living side by side. We must practice tolerance and respect for each other once again, and make this region a place where every man and woman, no matter their faith or ethnicity, can enjoy a life of dignity and hope. 

In that spirit, after concluding my visit in a fabulous place that we're at today, Riyadh, which I've gotten to know so well in so short a time, I will travel to Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and then to the Vatican, visiting many of the holiest places in the three Abrahamic faiths. If these three faiths can join together in cooperation, then peace in this world is possible, including peace between Israelis and Palestinians. I will be meeting with both Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Abbas. 

Starving terrorists of their territory, of their funding, and the false allure of the craven ideology will be the basis for easily defeating them. But no discussion of stamping out this threat would be complete without mentioning the government that gives terrorists all three -- safe harbor, financial backing, and the social standing needed for recruitment. It is a regime that is responsible for so much instability in that region. I am speaking, of course, of Iran. 

From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds arms and trains terrorists, militias, and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region. For decades, Iran has fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror. It is a government that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing the destruction of Israel, death to America, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this very room. 

Among Iran's most tragic and destabilizing interventions, you've seen it in Syria. Bolstered by Iran, Assad has committed unspeakable crimes, and the United States has taken firm action in response to the use of banned chemical weapons by the Assad regime, launching 59 missiles at the Syrian air base from where that murderous attack originated. Responsible nations must work together to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria, eradicate ISIS, and restore stability to the region and as quickly as possible. 

The Iranian regime's longest suffering victims are its own people. Iran has a rich history and culture, but the people of Iran have endured hardship and despair under their leader's reckless pursuit of conflict and terror. Until the Iranian regime is willing to be a partner for peace, all nations of conscience must work together to isolate it, deny it, funding for terrorism, cannot do it, and pray for the day when the Iranian people have the just and righteous government they so richly deserve. 

The decisions we make will affect countless lives. King Salman, I thank you for the creation of this great moment in history and for your massive investments in America and its industries and its jobs. I also thank you for investing in the future of this part of the world, the fertile region -- and it is so fertile -- has all of the ingredients for extraordinary success: A rich history and culture, a young and vibrant people, a thriving spirit of enterprise. You can only unlock this future if the citizens of the Middle East are freed from extremism, terror, and violence. 

We in this room are the leaders of our peoples. They look to us for answers and for action. And when we look back at their faces, behind every pair of eyes is a soul that yearns for justice and yearns for peace. Today, billions of faces are now looking at us, waiting for us to act on the great question of our time. Will we be indifferent in the presence of evil? Will we protect our citizens from its violent ideology? Will we let its venom spread through our societies? Will we let it destroy the most holy sites on earth? 

If we do not confront this deadly terror, we know what the future will bring -- more suffering, more death, and more despair. But if we act, if we leave this magnificent room unified and determined to do what it takes to destroy the terror that threatens the world, then there is no limit to the great future our citizens will have. 

The birthplace of civilization is waiting to begin a new renaissance. Just imagine what tomorrow could bring, glorious wonders of science, art, medicine, and commerce to inspire mankind. Great cities built on the ruins of shattered towns. New jobs and industries that will lift up millions and millions of people. Parents who no longer worry for their children, their families, and who no longer mourn for their loved ones. And the faithful who finally worship without fear. 

These are the blessings of prosperity and peace. These are the desires that burn with a righteous flame in every single human heart. And these are the just demands of our beloved people. I ask you to join me, to join together, to work together, and to fight together, because united we will not fail. We cannot fail. Nobody, absolutely nobody, can beat us. 

Thank you. God bless you, God bless your countries, and God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you.

PRESIDENT DONALD JOHN TRUMP SPEAKS TO MUSLIM LEADERS IN RIYADH