Travel pool report 18 — Trump speech excerpts

President Trump and MBS toured a few exhibits. At the first one Trump told the pool:

“Are we doing a good job so far for America? They’re only putting in a trillion dollars.”

(Thanks to Nikki Schwab for grabbing this)

Trump also acknowledged NYT’s Doug Mills.

Below from the White House:

Speech Excerpts

TOPLINE:

President Trump will deliver a major foreign policy address outlining an optimistic vision for the future of the Middle East, and his approach to achieving a more stable region and peaceful world.

He will contrast the path of economic self-development taken by many Gulf Nations with the self-destructive path of exporting terror and mayhem taken by the Iranian regime and its proxies.

He will offer Iran a path to a brighter future, while opening the door to new chapters in America’s relations with Lebanon and Syria.

EXCERPTS:

Exactly 8 years ago this month, I stood in this very room and looked forward to a future in which the nations of this region would drive out the forces of terrorism and extremism, and take your place among the proudest, most prosperous, most successful nations of the world—as leaders of a modern and rising Middle East.

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Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other.

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It is crucial for the wider world to note, this great transformation has not come from western interventionists flying in with lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs. The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called nation-builders, neo-cons, or liberal non-profits like those who spent trillions failing to develop Kabul and Baghdad.

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Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves, developing your own sovereign countries, pursuing your own unique visions, and charting your own destinies in your own way.

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In the end, the so-called “nation-builders” wrecked far more nations than they built—and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies they did not understand.

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After so many decades of conflict, finally it is within our grasp to reach the future that generations before us could only dream about—a land of peace, safety, harmony, opportunity, innovation, and achievement right here in the Middle East.

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Yet I am here today not merely to condemn the past choices of Iran’s leaders, but to offer them a new and a better path toward a much more hopeful future.

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As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be profound.

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As President of the United States, my preference will always be for peace and partnership, whenever those outcomes can be achieved.

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The Houthis agreed just days ago to cease targeting commercial ships, and so our operation ENDED. This was a swift, ferocious, decisive, and extremely successful use of military force—we hit them hard, we got what we came for, and then, we got out.

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My administration stands ready to help Lebanon create a future of economic development and peace with its neighbors.

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In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that we must all hope will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace.

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If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you, then all humanity will soon be amazed at what we will see here in the geographic center of the world, and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths.

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Alex Leary

The Wall Street Journal

Washington Bureau

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