Presidential Weekly Address - 2 June 2017

My fellow Americans,

I am thrilled to be back in the United States after our first historic foreign trip.

Over the course of 9 days, Melania and I traveled to some of the holiest sites in the three Abrahamic religions and met with nearly 100 foreign leaders. Everywhere we went, my goal was to advance American interests, to build a coalition of nations to drive out the terrorists, and to unlock a future of peace, prosperity, and hope for all Americans – and people around the world.

In Saudi Arabia, I was honored to participate in a historic summit with the leaders of more than 50 Muslim and Arab nations, where King Salman and many other leaders expressed their desire to take on a greater role in defeating terrorists who murder innocents of all faiths.

At this unprecedented summit, we opened a new center to combat extremist ideology, launched a task force to block funding for terrorists, and agreed to a massive economic development deal that will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the United States.

I also discussed the importance of the nations of the region taking more responsibility on migration – so that more young people are part of creating a better future in their home societies.

From Saudi Arabia, I traveled to Jerusalem, where I reaffirmed the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel. There, I prayed at the Western Wall, visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and was awed by the majesty of that sacred land and the perseverance of the Jewish people.

I also traveled to Bethlehem, another ancient city of wonder, where I met with Palestinian leader President Abbas. Both President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu assured me they are ready to reach for peace.

From Israel, I traveled to Italy, where Melania and I were greatly honored to visit the Vatican and meet Pope Francis. He was really wonderful – a great guy.

Then, I traveled to two summits with our key allies – first, the NATO Summit in Brussels, where nations agreed they must do more to meet their financial obligations and pay their fair share – because right now, it is not fair to the United States. But it soon will be.

Next, I attended the G-7 Summit in Italy, where we worked to improve coordination on shared security threats, achieve more fair trade that gives workers a level playing field, and agreed on the goal that refugees should be resettled as close to their home countries as possible so they can be part of the future rebuilding.

Before we returned home, I was delighted to conclude my trip by visiting American military families – unbelievable people, the true source of our strength. We will always protect those who protect us.

Our first foreign trip was full of historic and unprecedented achievements. Joined by many old and new friends, we have paved the way for the new era of cooperation – one that calls upon each nation to take more responsibility to bring peace to their people. One that works together to defeat the scourge of terrorism and deliver hope to all of God’s children. And one that protects American interests so we remain a strong and prosperous nation – strong and prosperous, like never before – and a beacon of freedom and opportunity for many years to come.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.