poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201801/1974/1155968404_5720311823001_5720281753001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true Full text: Trump Davos speech transcript 
 
 The following is the speech President Donald Trump delivered at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 26, 2018. 
 
 It’s a privilege to be here at this forum an business and science diplomacy and people from world affairs gathered for many, many years to discuss how we can to advance prosperity and peace. I'm here to represent the interests of the America people and affirm America's friendship and partnership in building a better world. 
 
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 Like all nations represented at this great forum, America hopes for a future which everyone can prosper and every child can grow up free from violence, poverty, and fear. Over the past year, we have made extraordinary strides in the U.S. We're lifting up forgotten communities, creating exciting new opportunities, and helping every American find their path to the American dream. The dream of a great job, a safe home and a better life for their children. 
 
 After years stagnation the nights is once again experiencing strong economic growth. The stock market is smashing one record after another, and has added more than $7 trillion in new wealth since my election. Consumer confidence, business confidence, and manufacturing confidence are the highest that they have been in many decades. 
 
 Since my election we've created 2.4 million jobs and that number is going up very, very substantially. Small business optimism is at an all-time high. New unemployment claims are near the lowest we've seen in almost half a century. African-American unemployment reached the lowest rate ever recorded in the United States and so has unemployment among Hispanic-Americans. 
 
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 The world is witnessing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous America. I'm here to deliver a simple message. There has never been a better time to hire, to build, to invest and to grow in the united States. America is open for business and we are competitive once again. The American economy is by far the largest in the world and we've just enacted the most significant tax cuts and reform in American history. We've massively cut taxes for the middle class, and small businesses to let working families keep more of their hard earned money. 
 
 We lowered our corporate tax rate from 35 percent all the way down to 21 percent. As a result, millions of workers have received tax cut bonuses from their employers in amounts as large as $3,000. The tax cut bill is expected to raise the average American's household income by more than $4,000. The world's largest company, apple, announced it plans to bring $245 billion in overseas profits home to America. Their total investment into the United States economy will be more than $350 billion over the next five years. Now is the perfect time to bring your business, your jobs, and your investments to the United States. 
 
 This is especially true because we have undertaken the most extensively regulatory reduction ever conceived. Regulation is stealth taxation. The U.S. Like many other countries unelected bureaucrats, we have, believe me, we have them all over the place, and they have imposed crushing and anti-business and anti-worker regulations on our citizens with no vote, no legislative debate, and no real accountability. In America those days are over. I pledged to eliminate two unnecessary regulations for everyone new regulation. We have succeeded beyond our highest expectations. Instead of two for one, we have cut 22 burdensome regulations for everyone new rule. We are freeing our businesses and workers so they can thrive and flourish as never before. We are creating an environment that attracts capital, invites investment, and rewards production. America is the place to do business, so come to America where you can innovate, create and build. 
 
 I believe in America. As president of the United States I will always put America first just like the leaders of other countries should put their country first also. But America first does not mean America alone. When the United States grows, so does the world. American prosperity has created countless jobs all around the globe and the drive for excellence, creativity, and innovation in the U.S. Has led to important discoveries that help people everywhere live more prosperous and far healthier lives. 
 
 As the United States pursues domestic reforms to unleash jobs and growth, we are also working to reform the international trading system so that it promotes broadly-shared prosperity and rewards to those who pray -- play by the rules. We cannot have free and open trade if some countries exploit the system at the expense of others. We support free trade but it needs to be fair and it needs to be reciprocal because in the end unfair trade undermines us all. The United States will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair economic practices including massive intellectual property theft, industrial subsidies, and pervasive state-led economic planning. 
 
 These and other predatory behaviors are distorting the global markets and harming businesses and workers not just in the U.S. But around the globe. Just like we expect the leaders of other countries to protect their interests, as president of the United States, I will always protect the interests of our country, our companies, and our workers. We will enforce our trade laws and restore integrity to our trading system. Only by insisting on fair and reciprocal trade can we create a system that works not just for the U.S., but for all nations. 
 
 As I have said, the United States is prepared to negotiate mutually beneficial, bilateral trade agreements with all countries. This will include the countries within TPP, which are very important. We have agreements with several of them already. We would consider negotiating with the rest either individually or perhaps as a group if it is in the interests of all. My administration is also taking swift action in other ways to restore American confidence and independent. We are lifting self-imposed restrictions on energy production to provide affordable power to our citizens and businesses and to promote energy security for our friend all around the world. No country should be held hostage to a single provider of energy. America is roaring back and now is the time to invest in the future of America. 
 
 We have dramatically cut taxes it make America competitive. We are eliminating burdensome regulations at a record pace. We are reforming the bureaucracy to make it lean, responsive and accountable and we are insuring our laws are enforced fairly. We have the best colleges and universities in the world and we have the best workers in the world. Energy is an abundant and affordable. There is never been a better time to do business in America. We are also making historic investments in the American military because we cannot have prosperity without security. To make the world safer from rogue regimes, terrorism and revisionist powers, we're asking our friend and allies to invest in their own defenses and to meet their financial obligations. Our common security requires everyone to contribute their fair share. 
 
 My administration is proud to have led historic efforts at the united nations security council and all around the world to unite all civilized nations in our campaign of maximum pressure to de-nuke the Korean peninsula. We continue to call on partners to confront Iran's support for terrorists and block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon. We're also working with allies and partners to destroy jihad it terrorist organizations such as ISIS and very successfully so. The nights is leading a very, very broad coalition to deny terrorists control of their territory and populations, to cut off their funding and to discredit their wicked ideology. I am pleased to the support that the coalition to defeat ISIS has retaken almost 100% of the territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria. There is still more fighting and worked to be done. And to consolidate our gains. We are committed to insuring that Afghanistan never again become as safe haven for terrorists who want to commit mass murder to our civilian populations. 
 
 I want to thank those nations represented here today that have joined in these crucial efforts. You are not just securing your own citizens but saving lives and restoring hope for millions and millions of people. When it comes to terrorism we will do whatever is necessary to protect our nation. We will defend our citizens and our borders. We are also securing our immigration system as a matter of both national and economic security. America is a cutting-edge economy but our immigration system is stuck in the past. 
 
 We must replace our current system of extended family chain migration with a merit-based system of admissions that selects new arrivals based on their ability to contribute to our economy, to support themselves financially, and to strengthen our country. 
 
 In rebuilding America we are also fully committed to developing our workforce. We are lifting people from dependence to Independence because we know the single-best anti-poverty program is a very simple and very beautiful paycheck. To be successful it is not enough to invest in our economy. 
 
 We must invest in our people. When people are forgotten the world becomes fractured. Only by hearing and responding to the voices of the forgotten can we create a bright future that is truly shared by all. The nation's greatness is more than the sum of its production and a nation's greatness is the sum of its citizens, the values, pride, love, devotion and character of the people who call that nation home. 
 
 From my first international G-7 summit to the g20, to the U.N. General assembly, to APEC, to the world trade organization and today at the world economic forum my administration has not only been present but has driven our message that we are all stronger when free, sovereign nations cooperate towards shared goals and they cooperate toward shared dreams. Represented in this room are shared dreams. 
 
 Represented in this room are some of the remarkable citizens from all over the worlds. You are national leaders, business titans, industry giants and many of the brightest mind in many fields. Each of you has the power to change hearts transform lives and shape your country's destinies. With this power comes an obligation however, a duty of loyalty to the people, workers, customers, who made you who you are. 
 
 Together let us resolve it use our power, our resources and our voices, not just for ourselves but for our people, to lift their burdens, to raise their hopes and to empower their dreams. To protect their families, their communities, their histories and their futures. That's what we're doing in America, and the results are totally unmistakable. It's why new businesses and investment are flooding in. It's why our unemployment rate is the lowest it's been in so many decades. It's why America's future has negative been brighter. 
 
 Today, I am inviting all of you to become part of this incredible future we are building together. Thank you to our hosts, thank you to the leaders and innovators in the audience but most importantly, thank you, to all of the hard-working men and women who do their duty each and every day, making this a better world for everyone. Together let us send our love and our gratitude to make them because they really make our countries run. They make our countries great. Thank you and god bless you all. Thank you very much. ||||| CLOSE President Donald Trump is sitting down with European business leaders in Davos, Switzerland. His dinner guests include leaders from Adidas, Siemens, Nestle, Deloitte, and other companies. (Jan. 25) AP 
 
 President Donald Trump delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum on Friday. (Photo: Fabrice Coffini, AFP/Getty Images) 
 
 DAVOS, Switzerland — President Trump made the case for his "America First" policy before an elite gathering of political and business leaders Friday, saying "America is open for business." 
 
 In a closing speech at the World Economic Forum in this Alpine resort, Trump stressed that his administration aims to make the United States more competitive for business. He also vowed that the U.S. is committed to free and open trade, but on terms it considers fair and reciprocal. 
 
 "The world is witnessing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous America," he said. "There has never been a better time to hire, to build, to invest and to grow in the United States. America is open for business and we are competitive once again." 
 
 Trump told the Davos audience that "when the United States grows, so does the world." 
 
 "American prosperity has created countless jobs around the globe and the drive for excellence, creativity and innovation in the United States has led to important discoveries that help people everywhere live more prosperous and healthier lives," he added. 
 
 Underscoring his "America First" thinking on foreign policy, Trump said he was here "to represent the interests of the American people, and to affirm America's friendship and partnership in building a better world." 
 
 "America first does not mean America alone," he emphasized. "Like all nations represented at this forum, America hopes for a future in which everyone can prosper, and every child can grow up free from violence, poverty and fear." 
 
 David Kirkpatrick of Techonomy Media, an American conference and media firm, said Trump’s address “could have been a train wreck, but wasn’t.” 
 
 “He could have gone much farther down the ‘America First’ road then he did,” Kirkpatrick said. “With the exception of a brief reference to ‘fake news’ he spoke about the need for international cooperation, even if unenthusiastically.” 
 
 Trump also noted during the speech that the U.S. would be tough on trade issues, saying he intends to "restore integrity to our trade system." 
 
 "We support free trade, but it needs to be fair and it needs to be reciprocal ... in the end, unfair trade undermines us all," Trump said. 
 
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 On non-economic issues, the president stressed that the international community should work together on security concerns, such as fighting the Islamic State and the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear program. 
 
 Reaction to Trump's speech was mixed. 
 
 “Tone deaf,” said Sarah Hanson-Young, a senator from Australia’s Greens’ Party. “It was all about himself. Instead of talking about global leadership and issues, it was about ‘Come to America,’” she said. 
 
 Hanson-Young said his tone different widely from other world leaders at Davos. “There’s no comparison between the arrogance of that man on stage and the other leaders, Macron, Merkel, Trudeau, who all spoke on global issues.” 
 
 Sandra Page-Cook, the managing editor of the Journal of Health and Pollution, noted that Trump stuck to the script in a written speech that offered little to offend. 
 
 “He said fine things in general, but it would have been better to have a more candid conversation,” she said. 
 
 Page-Cook took exception to his swipe at the media for being “mean” and “fake,” and called his characterization of regulators as predatory as “too strong.” 
 
 Trump's pitch to this elite audience was particularly striking since it is the very crowd that has generally shunned him. At the same time, said Douglas Rediker, a global economy expert at the Brookings Institution think tank, it is a group that some would argue he has"always aspired to join." 
 
 There was no doubt, however, that his appearance was a hot ticket. Forum participates began lining up just after noon for the 2 p.m. speech amid a Saudi Arabia-sponsored lunch buffet. The Congress Hall, which holds 1,400 people, quickly filled to capacity. 
 
 The forum stepped up security for the event. Although every participant in the forum is vetted, wears a badge and is security-screened when entering the convention complex, Swiss Army soldiers performed additional services at the hall and barred all liquids. 
 
 Trump also appears to be finding favor with business leaders in and out of this wintry retreat. Several surveys published this week found that corporate leaders largely approve of his administration's recent corporate tax cuts and regulatory overhaul. 
 
 "I like a lot more stuff than I don’t like," Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein said here Wednesday. 
 
 In his remarks, the president rattled off economic data, including a falling unemployment rate. He pointed to 2.4 million jobs created since his 2016 election and said companies like Apple are planning to invest billions in America. 
 
 The U.S. economy grew at a solid rate of 2.6% in the final three months of last year, a slowdown from the previous two quarters. It was aided by the fastest consumer spending since the spring of 2016 and a big rebound in home construction. 
 
 More: Economy grew solid 2.6% in Q4 
 
 The Commerce Department said the fourth quarter advance in the gross domestic product, the country’s total output of goods and services, followed gains of 3.1% in the second quarter and 3.2% in the third quarter. The latest slowdown reflected a worsening trade deficit and less growth in inventory restocking by companies. 
 
 For all of 2017, the economy grew 2.3%. That is a significant improvement from a 1.5% gain in 2016 but little changed from the modest 2.2% average growth rate turned in since the Great Recession ended. 
 
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 Reports that Trump wanted to fire Robert S. Mueller, who is leading the investigation into whether there was collusion between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, threatened to overshadow the speech. The New York Times and Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump only backed down from dismissing Mueller after Donald McGahn, a White House lawyer, threatened to resign in protest. 
 
 “Fake news. Fake news," Trump responded Friday, in brief remarks made in the forum's main conference hall. 
 
 Following a meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Trump ignored questions from journalists about vulgar language he used earlier this month to describe Haiti and African nations. Kagame is the chair of the African Union, a 55-country organization, that called on Trump to apologize over the comments. Trump said the two leaders had "tremendous discussions." Kagame said they talked about trade and the economy. 
 
 In an interview with the broadcaster Piers Morgan on Britain's ITV channel broadcast from Davos Friday, Trump for the first time appeared to express regret for retweeting anti-Muslim posts by a leader of a far-right British group last year. 
 
 “If you're telling me they're horrible people, horrible racist people, I would certainly apologize if you would like me to do that,” Trump said when challenged. 
 
 Contributing: Donna Leinwand Leger 
 
 More: What is Britain First, the far-right group re-tweeted by President Trump? 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2FjxH8O ||||| Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump has begun carrying out his campaign pledges to undo America's trade ties -- starting Monday with executive action to pull the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. 
 
 "Great thing for the American worker, what we just did," Trump told reporters Monday in the Oval Office as he signed the order. 
 
 Here's what you need to know about Trump's move: 
 
 What did Trump do Monday? 
 
 Trump formally withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership -- a 12-nation deal that had been negotiated under former President Barack Obama. 
 
 Nothing changes because of Trump's move. Congress had not yet approved the TPP -- its fate was bleak on Capitol Hill no matter what the White House did -- and the deal had not yet taken effect. 
 
 However, by pulling the United States out of the deal, Trump fulfilled a campaign promise. 
 
 And in doing so, he ends all hopes for a deal Obama wanted as a major part of his legacy. 
 
 The TPP -- which has also included Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Brunei -- would have slashed tariffs for American imports and exports with those countries. In exchange, the United States had negotiated labor, environmental and intellectual property protections that major businesses sought. The deal's critics complained that it didn't directly address the issue of currency manipulation. 
 
 JUST WATCHED What is TPP? The massive trade deal, explained. Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH What is TPP? The massive trade deal, explained. 03:14 
 
 Now the pressure is on Trump 
 
 Trump on Sunday announced he'd start to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. On Monday, he pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. 
 
 He has now taken firm control of the trade rules he long decried, and is in position to reverse decades of American presidents pushing for lower trade barriers and an interconnected global economy. 
 
 In other words: Now, the pressure is really on. 
 
 Trump's bet is that, through his negotiating prowess, force of will and willingness to walk away from the table, he can convince other countries to accept terms that previous presidents -- from George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton on NAFTA to Barack Obama on the TPP -- have not been able to achieve. 
 
 The task is difficult -- even though Trump's move to withdraw from the TPP is likely to be politically popular. Even Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders -- a leading Trump critic -- praised it, saying he is "glad the Trans-Pacific Partnership is dead and gone." 
 
 "Now is the time to develop a new trade policy that helps working families, not just multi-national corporations," Sanders said in a statement. "If President Trump is serious about a new policy to help American workers then I would be delighted to work with him." 
 
 What this means for globalization 
 
 Until Trump negotiates his own bargains, he's betting he can reverse the decades-long trend of globalization. 
 
 He faces a lot of skeptics. Big businesses are howling that Trump is undercutting their ability to sell to the vast majority of the world's consumers -- a particularly damaging move if manufacturing jobs that have already left the United States are gone for good. 
 
 Republicans have long supported free trade -- and now find themselves torn between a protectionist President and a business community that sees Trump's position as detached from the reality that new technology, rising wages and an increasingly interconnected world mean that many manufacturing and low-skill jobs won't return to the United States; that goods are sold cheaper in the United States because they are made overseas; and that American companies also benefit from trade deals, making trillions of dollars selling their own products oversees. 
 
 Those GOP principles were on display in the reaction to Trump's move. 
 
 "I don't see any benefit in trying to crawl back into our shell as a country," Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, told CNN. 
 
 "It's clear that those of us who believe trade is good for American families have done a terrible job defending trade's historic successes and celebrating its future potential. We have to make the arguments and we have to start now," Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said in a statement. 
 
 How will this affect Americans? 
 
 Because the TPP hadn't taken effect, there will be no immediate impact. 
 
 Quantifying what it means the United States is foregoing by turning down what would have been a deal including countries that make up 40% of the global economy -- both in terms of jobs retained and business lost -- is difficult, and numbers offered by both critics and advocates of the deal are disputed. 
 
 But labor groups -- some of which are scheduled to meet Trump Monday at the White House -- are sure to celebrate the move. They've long argued it would continue a trend of shifting American manufacturing jobs overseas to nations with lower wages and fewer labor protections. 
 
 Businesses will also lose access to potential new markets, though. US automakers hoped to see tariffs slashed in Asia. Farmers were set to see the removal of trade taxes that currently prevent them from selling products, particularly poultry, overseas. Pharmaceutical drug-makers had received years of patent protection that would have lessened the competition from generics in Asia. And tech companies, from Google to cell phone providers, sought to lessen regulations and gain entry into some of the countries involved in the deal. 
 
 "This decision will forfeit the opportunity to promote American exports, reduce trade barriers, open new markets, and protect American invention and innovation," Arizona Sen. John McCain said in a statement critical of Trump's executive action. 
 
 What does China have to do with it? 
 
 Best-case scenario for the United States: Nothing at all, since China wasn't involved in the TPP. 
 
 But already, Chinese leaders are angling to take the United States' place and expand the country's influence in the region. 
 
 "We must remain committed to promoting free trade and investment through opening up and say no to protectionism," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. 
 
 Obama had pitched the TPP as a way to counter China's growing influence by imposing US-backed labor, environmental and patent protections. China is unlikely to seek or support such protections in its own trade negotiations -- allowing those countries to produce cheaper goods, but with fewer worker protections. 
 
 The 11 remaining TPP nations are now set to regroup. Trade ministers from those nations say they intend to press forward with the deal -- but the United States' withdrawal could mean a major rewrite, or an opening for another global superpower to pursue an alternative agreement.
– President Trump gave his much-anticipated address Friday to fellow world leaders at the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, and he stuck to a familiar theme: "America is open for business, and we are competitive once again." In the speech, Trump made the case that the US economy is buzzing thanks to policies put in place since his election. Politico and USA Today have excerpts. Some of the other big lines: "As president of the United States, I will always put America first, just like the leaders of other countries should put their country first also. But America first does not mean America alone." "We have the best colleges and universities in the world, and the best workers. Energy is abundant. There is no better time to do business with America." "The stock market is smashing one record after another." "We support free trade, but it needs to be fair and it needs to be reciprocal ... in the end, unfair trade undermines us all." "Our immigration system is stuck in the past," he said, again calling for a merit-based system to replace "chain migration" of families. On the Trans Pacific Partnership, which the US pulled out of under Trump, the president said he is willing renegotiate terms with members, per the Wall Street Journal. On North Korea, he called for "maximum pressure to de-nuke the Korean peninsula," per the Guardian.